Karnataka courts to resume limited functioning from June 1

A Standard Operating Procedure for the functioning of courts will be issued on May 26.

TNM Staff

The High Court, district courts and trial courts across Karnataka will commence limited functioning from June 1, said the Karnataka High Court.  A Standard Operating Procedure for the functioning of courts will be issued on May 26, a notification issued by the High Court on Saturday stated. The SOP will be published on the official website of the High Court.  On Tuesday, the senior judges of the High Court will convene a meeting via video-conference with the office bearers of bar associations in the state and urged the members of the bar to send queries on the SoP issued by the High Court to the Registrar General of the High Court by 11 am on May 27.   On March 19, the Karnataka High Court stopped the entry of litigants in courts across the state following the outbreak of coronavirus cases in India. Following this, judicial proceedings in the courts were held for half a day and only cases of 'extreme urgency' were taken up for hearing. This move was aimed at restricting the number of lawyers and litigants arriving in the court.  The sittings in the High Court’s three benches at Bengaluru, Dharward and Kalaburagi were held from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm and a lesser number of benches were active during the lockdown period.  Courts, however, have remained functional in the state and the Karnataka High Court, in particular, was praised for its intervention on the issue of migrant workers in Karnataka. Following the High Court's decision to ask for clarity from the Karnataka Labour Secretary and Chief Secretary about making migrant workers pay for train fares, the Karnataka government decided to pay the train fares of migrant workers leaving the state.  Karnataka has so far reported 1,959 coronavirus cases, including 216 on Saturday, the highest single-day spike recorded so far.    However, since most of the new cases are returnees from other states, officials are confident that it will not lead to a fresh wave of cases since those returning from other states are quarantined in hotels before being shifted to designated hospitals after the test results arrive.   

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False message on trains brings thousands of migrants to Bengaluru's Palace Grounds

Migrant Crisis

On Friday, scores of migrants who had registered to return home received a message, stating that a train would be leaving from Bengaluru to Puri in Odisha on Saturday.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

Uncertainty lingered in the air at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru where thousands of migrant workers from Odisha had been gathering since Saturday morning, as they awaited details about their impending journey back home. The lockdown had left many of them in the lurch with no work or money, forcing them to take the decision to return to their native state. On Friday, scores of migrants who had registered to return home, received a message on their phones, informing them that a train would be leaving from Bengaluru to Puri in Odisha on Saturday. The message was received by many migrant workers who had registered to go back home – and was forwarded on WhatsApp to hundreds of others. However, it turned out that the message was an ‘error’ – there was no train waiting for the migrants, only chaos as thousands of people gathered. “I live with three others from my native town in Bengaluru and we were working here as construction workers. When we got to know that there was an opportunity to go back, we decided to register. We did not want to take any risks and packed up our things last night itself and came after we got the message,” 31-year-old Suvendu, a native of Bhubaneswar in Odisha, told TNM. Suvendu and his friends received a message on Friday and had been waiting since 3 am at Palace Grounds As per reports, two trains were scheduled, one with a carrying capacity of 1500 was heading to Manipur and another heading to Odisha could take 1600 people. Those who were supposed to travel on these trains were to report at Palace Grounds to undergo a medical examination following which they’d be taken to railway stations. However, according to sources, due to an error with the Seva Sindhu portal, over 9000 people who had registered with the portal were sent messages telling them to report to Palace Grounds on Saturday morning. Scores of migrants from Odisha line up outside the gates of Palace Grounds in Bengaluru awaiting news about when they can travel home@thenewsminute @dhanyarajendran @thejaram92 pic.twitter.com/4w1pYtyVsK — Nimi (@nimeshika_j) May 23, 2020 TNM has read the message that the Odisha natives received, typed in Odia. It said, “Train to Kendrapara/Cuttack on May 23. Reach Gate number (x) Palace Grounds, Ballari grounds. Ticket cost Rs 1,000. One person will be given permission to travel after showing this message. Carrying e-pass is compulsory. – Karnataka Government.” The message sender was MOBKAR – Mobile Karnataka. This message was then forwarded by desperate migrant workers to their friends. Messages received by the migrants who had registered to go home According to Lekha Adavi of the Alternative Law Forum (ALF) in Bengaluru, those who had received the message were told that they would be allotted seats on a first-come-first-serve basis, and so many reached Palace Grounds on Friday night itself. She explained that traffic police had set up registration desks within the premises earlier in the day. However, even though many of them were registered, they were not provided further information on the time of departures or other details. As scores waited patiently inside, thousands of others were lining up outside the gates of Palace Grounds on Saturday. Migrants lining up outside gate 3 of Palace Grounds Soon, many people received another message from the same sender, this time typed in English: “Today (23.5.20) and Tomorrow’s (24.5.20) trains to Odisha are full… It is requested not to come to Bangalore until further information. All are requested to cooperate by not coming to Bangalore. Thank you.” However, it was late. Many had already vacated their accommodations, hoping they could get on the trains. The second message left them with no place to turn to. Both these messages are believed to be from Karnataka’s Seva Sindhu portal, that is the central point for coordinating migrants’ travel. “We vacated our room and managed to collect about Rs 2,000 amongst ourselves to take auto rickshaws to reach here. We came all the way from Devanahalli, only to be told that the trains are full. We have nothing now, no money, no food and no place to stay. The officials are also not telling us what is happening or what we need to do,” said 28-year-old Kageshwar Nayak, a native of Kendrapara district in Odisha. Kageshwar and his friends have vacated their accomodation and have no place to go while they wait for an update from officials Several migrants waiting outside Palace Grounds for information about when they can go home Twenty-year-old Charan has been living near Kamakshipalya in Bengaluru with his mother, sister and uncle. While his mother is a labourer, he is a student. He and his family are among those who are uncertain what to do next: to stay back in Bengaluru, where there is no work left, or return to Odisha, where cyclone Amphan has left a trail of destruction. “We don’t know what it means to go home, or how bad the situation is with the cyclone. We don’t want to stay here anymore. We came here to build a livelihood for ourselves, but even that has gone now. I am studying here. But with how the situation has been, my mother feels it is better that we go back,” said Charan. Charan’s family and others have been scrambling to get more information on their journey. “One day, they say that people from Odisha are great, and the next day, they abandon us without any help,” he added. Charan and his family outside gate 3 at Palace Grounds Lekha, too, had been trying to get more information as to what was going on. “There has been a lot of confusion. We don’t know where most of these people will be staying tonight, as they all don’t have the financial or logistical means to go elsewhere. Earlier in the day, officials said that they would look into the issue, but so far, there has not been any word on what is happening,” Lekha added. As they waited for an official announcement, the migrant workers were left stranded without a place to stay or even food and other basic necessities. Volunteers and NGOs came forward to provide water, biscuits, medicines and other amenities. Volunteers hand out water to those entering the gates at Palace Grounds Migrants walk to gate number 4 at Palace Grounds where officials were permitting some to enter “Just a few days ago, the state government was praising workers like us from Odisha and other places. Now they are doing this and not giving us any information and treating us like this,” said Kageshwar. Many continued to remain on the Palace Grounds the entire Saturday night. Some alleged that police assaulted them for staying back on the ground.

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Karnataka reports 216 new COVID-19 cases, most from Maharashtra

Coronavirus

187 of the new cases are returnees from Maharashtra.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

PTI Mumbai: Representative image

Karnataka reported more than 200 new cases of coronavirus in the state on Saturday. The latest bulletin released by the Karnataka State department of Health and Family Welfare shows the highest per day jump since the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19 in the state, at a total of 216 cases. The overall total cases in Karnataka is now 1,959, with active cases at 1,307. 11 persons were discharged from hospitals. Two new deaths have been reported in the state. P-1783 was a 55-year-old man who passed away in Dakshina Kannada district. However, though the person was COVID-19 positive, he died by suicide and the death has been tagged as one due to non-COVID reasons. The Dakshina Kannada District Health Officer Ramakrishna confirmed to TNM that the person had died by suicide on May 20 night, when he returned from Maharashtra and was sent to the quarantine facilities. He was found dead on May 21 morning, and the lab test reports which came on May 22, showed that the person was infected with COVID-19.  P-1270 was a 32-year-old man, who was a resident of Bengaluru. He was admitted to a designated hospital on May 19 with complaints of breathing difficulties. The bulletin noted that the man had underlying comorbidities, and was emaciated when he was admitted. He died on May 23 of a cardiac arrest. This brings the total to 42 deaths reported in Karnataka. Most of the new cases are returnees to the state from Maharashtra, a trend that TNM had reported earlier. Read: 58% of new COVID-19 cases in Karnataka in last 6 days were Maharashtra returnees Maharashtra currently has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. As of Friday, the state had 44,582 cases, out of which 30,482 people have recovered and 1,517 people have passed away following a battle with the illness. Karnataka has stated that 187 of the new cases reported on Saturday came from Maharashtra. This amounts to 86.57% of the new cases reported on Saturday. The affected districts in Karnataka are as follow: At 72, the highest number of new cases on Saturday were reported from Yadgiri. Raichuru comes second with 40 new cases. Mandya has reported 28 cases while Chikkaballapura has reported 26, and Gadag has reported 15 new cases of the novel coronavirus. Meanwhile, Bengaluru Urban reported four new cases as did Hassana, and Dharwada reported five new cases. Davanagere, Bidar, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Ballari, and Kolara each reported three cases. Uttara Kannada reported two new cases while Kalaburagi and Belagavi reported one case each, bringing the total to 216. 15 cases were reported as a result of coming in contact with an already infected person. While the sources for the two cases reported in Udupi are still under tracing, two cases were reported as those who had returned from Tamil Nadu, and one case each was reported from returnees from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala. Three cases were reported to be influenza like illness (ILI), while one person from Bidar was reported to have been a SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory infection) patient. This large jump in cases comes even as the state government has been working towards finding ways to ease the economic lockdown, and still manage all travellers through testing and quarantine measures. The state had announced on Friday that the definition of containment zones will be reduced to mean only the building where the infected person was residing or working. The state has also set up a Disease Surveillance team who have been put in charge of monitoring and responding to all the various possible sources of COVID-19 spread. Read: Karnataka government redefines containment zones to ease lockdown restrictions

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Bengaluru airport set to introduce contactless ‘parking-to-boarding’ for passengers

Aviation

Operations are set to resume at Kempegowda International airport in Bengaluru on May 25, as domestic flights begin again.

Geetika Mantri

As domestic air travel is set to resume from May 25, Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru will introduce ‘parking-to-boarding contactless journey’ to minimise physical contact in a bid to prevent COVID-19 transmission. This will work through increased sanitisation, thermal scanning of passengers, and providing personal protection equipment (PPE) to everyone before boarding the flight. In another major change, the terminals will now be well ventilated with minimum reliance on air conditioning. Pre-entry measures According to a press release, the pre-entry process will require everyone to wear a face mask and carry an electronic copy or printout of their boarding pass. Thermal screening will be done at the departure gates, and everyone will have to produce the ‘you are safe’ message on their Aarogya Setu app on their phone. To minimise contact further, the boarding pass will be verified by CISF personnel and photo ID before entering the airport premises using an electronic device or magnified glass screen. This means that they would no longer be taking your mobile phone or physical print out to see the boarding pass. Further, those attending to wheelchair users and unaccompanied minors will also be wearing PPE; and wheelchairs and trolleys and baby trolleys will be sanitised after every use. Check-in procedure A lot of things will likely become self-service, including scanning the boarding pass which was earlier done by an airline personnel. Check-in kiosks at Bengaluru airport The passenger will scan the boarding pass first at a contactless self-service kiosk, where passengers will also collect baggage tags. From here, people will go to the airline’s baggage drop counter. Here, a transparent partition will separate the staff and the passenger, who will have to stand at the markers on the floor put in line with physical distancing norms. “The passenger will scan the boarding pass on a sensor and show their ID and airline staff will accept the bags, ensuring at all times that the boarding pass does not touch the glass screen,” the press release says. “Passengers also have the option of using the assisted baggage drop counter to print and tag their baggage. Initially, a maximum of one hand baggage and one checked-in baggage will be allowed, as mandated by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA),” it adds. Kiosks inside the airport Security check A major point of concern for many passengers would be the trays used to put their hand carries for scanning which come back to be used by others. To remedy this, the airport says it will sanitise the trays after each use. Further, the contactless procedure will also now have a body scan done by Door Frame Metal Detectors, in a departure from the handheld ones. Importantly, the stamping of boarding passes has been suspended per DGCA orders. People will also be provided hand sanitisers prior to and post the security check. Boarding process Each passenger will be given a kit containing a face mask, face shield and sanitiser. A passenger will have to use this new mask, sanitise hands, and discard the old mask in a bio-waste collection bin there before boarding. Inside Bengaluru airport Passengers will now scan the boarding pass themselves on the sensor and airline staff will do temperature screening before allowing one to board the flight. Touch-free hand sanitisers have also been placed across the airport. Retail, dining and parking The release said it would almost ‘totally elimitate’ human contact at retail outlets in the stores in the airport. Digital shopping through pre-order and QR codes will also be introduced. “The food can be delivered at the passenger's place of choice within the Terminal. The payment would be made digitally at the time of ordering.” “Seating across Terminal, including at F&B outlets, has been rearranged and marked in a manner that promotes maintaining a safe distance,” the release adds. The food and beverage section of the airport Arrivals Passengers arriving at the airport will have to follow safe distance markers at baggage collection. Further, those in transit won’t be allowed out of the transit area now. At the taxi pickup points, fumigation will be done regularly and taxis will be sanitised and drivers screened before every trip. Masks are manadatory for one to be allowed to board a taxi, and each will carry only two passengers. Bengaluru Metro Corporation Limited buses will also function at 50% capacity. Hari Marar, MD and CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited, said that the airport is working with various government departments to offer safety along with “best-in-class standards, procedures and practices” to travelers. “We have introduced innovative  contactless procedures to minimise exposure at the Airport. These enhancements demonstrate our continued commitment to keep our passengers safe in this environment. We believe our new measures will boost confidence among passengers," Hari Marar said. 

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Sunday full lockdown in Bengaluru: List of what will be open and shut

Coronavirus

The curfew is being imposed as part of the guidelines issued by the state government regarding lockdown 4.0

Theja Ram

Representation photo

While relaxing several lockdown norms and allowing people to move around the city, the Karnataka government had also introduced a new condition. Karnataka would shut down completely on every Sunday until May 31.  This Sunday or May 24 will be the first day of the complete curfew. Other than essential services, Bengalureans will have to follow a strict curfew on Sunday. The curfew will begin at 7 pm on Saturday and end at 7 am on Monday.  Bengaluru’s Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, told TNM that all commercial establishments including MRP outlets for alcohol and clothing stores would have to shut down on Sunday. Pharmacies, grocery stores and hospitals will be allowed to open. Restaurants will be allowed to operate only for delivery. Swiggy, Zomato and Dunzo services will also be operable. Taxi and autos should not ply if not for emergencies. “It is advisable not to go out to buy anything unless absolutely necessary. People must avoid going out to buy groceries unless it is absolutely necessary,” Bhaskar Rao added.  Private vehicles cannot ply on the streets unless absolutely necessary. If stopped by a police personnel on lockdown duty, and the reason for movement is not an emergency, it can be a prosecutable offense.  Those attending weddings and other ceremonies for which they have permission, will be allowed to go. Those who are travelling to other states like migrant workers will be allowed to step outside.  Those violating norms will be booked under relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act 2005. The curfew will last for two Sundays as lockdown 4.0 ends on May 31. However, the state government is yet to issue guidelines on whether the lockdown will continue in June or not.  

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Karnataka’s health infrastructure to be upgraded using funds from Smart Cities Mission

Coronavirus

Smart Cities Mission will focus on strengthening health infrastructure, providing medical equipment, and developing information technology solutions in light of the pandemic.

TNM Staff

PTI Representative image

The Centre has announced that they will use the funds for the Smart Cities Mission to equip Karnataka with infrastructure to combat the novel coronavirus. According to a press release, “Government of India’s Smart Cities Mission, which was set up to improve the quality of life of Indian citizens through local development and technology innovations, will work closely with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka to enhance its efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in the State.” The focus will be on strengthening health infrastructure, providing medical equipment and developing information technology solutions, the release said. A meeting in this regard was chaired by Pankaj Kumar Pandey, IAS, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare; with Charulata Somal IAS, MD, Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) and State Mission Director, Smart Cities Mission, Srinivas N, who is the Chief Engineer, Smart Cities Mission along with the other department officers. Pankaj Kumar Pandey, IAS, Commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare, said, “The Mission has proposed to upscale its current projects to handle the COVID-19 situation, to upgrade infrastructure and equipment at district hospitals, and to procure ambulances and equipment.” “The Mission also plans to use an Integrated Command and Control Centre model along with other IT interventions to upgrade the existing e-health system, and will be involved in the hardware procurement for an e-Hospital Management System,” he said. The Commissioner added, “A detailed plan of action is being worked out in consultation with BBMP Special Commissioner, Health and with other senior officials from the Health Department.” The release said that health projects already completed include a 30-bed hospital in Vantamuri, Belagavi. Two parts of a trauma centre have also been constructed in Belagavi, while a 37-bedded ICU has been installed at Wenlock Hospital, Mangaluru. IT innovations include a Digital Nerve Centre in Tumakuru and a Smart healthcare centre in Hubballi Dharwad. Two upgradation projects at Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru, and the construction of an additional floor at Lady Goschen Hospital in Mangaluru, have also been tendered. The construction of a Trauma Centre in Tumakuru, and a 10-bed hospital in Vadagaon, Belagavi, is ongoing, the press release said.

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No smartphones, laptops: Kids from impoverished Bengaluru families can’t learn online

Education

Online classes have begun at Lawrence School in Koramangala and many students have been forced to miss classes as they lack access to technology.

Theja Ram

Representation photo

Parimala is a 36-year old Accredited Social Health Activist and single mother. For the last two weeks, she has been struggling to ensure that her children are able to attend online classes. The reason: she has three children but only one smartphone. Her children, who attend Lawrence High School in Bengaluru’s Koramangala, started online classes on May 4.  Parimala, a member of the Dalit community, lives with her family in the Rajendra Nagar Slum, and her three daughters attend classes 3, 5 and 7. But with only one smartphone, her children have been missing classes. On days she has to step outside for field work, her children have not been attending classes as she must have her phone with her to coordinate her tasks for the day.  Even on days she stays home, only one of her children can attend classes as she has only one phone. “My children attend only two classes every day as each of them need to use one phone. They have been missing out on a lot of lessons. My daughter, who is in class 7, is under a lot of stress. She cries about not being able to understand what is happening in class as she has skipped classes. It is easier for the younger ones as my oldest daughter teaches them chapters they are missing out,” Parimala said.  Similarly, Rajitha, a daily wage worker and resident of the Rajendra Nagar Slum is also struggling to ensure that her three children, who attend Lawrence High School as well,  are properly educated. Rajitha said that her husband, Dandanayaka, who is mason, has to go out for work every day and does not have a smartphone. Two years ago, her husband had gifted her a smartphone for her birthday and is the only one in the family who has internet access. While the two boys study in classes 6 and 7, the girl is in class 9.  “One of my children attend classes every day, while the other two do not. So once in two days each of them has been attending classes. They say it is very difficult but we don’t have three phones or the money to buy it. Some of the children in the school have been able to afford it but most of those who go there are from poor families and this has become a big problem,” Ranjitha added.  Karnataka’s Primary and Secondary Education Department officials said that just like the children in Lawrence High School, several poor children including those from the Dalit community across Karnataka and especially in Bengaluru, cannot afford to attend online classes as they lack the technological amenities for it.  The Primary and Secondary Education Department has not allowed schools to conduct online classes for LKG and UKG students, but has asked the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS) to submit a feasibility report about conducting online classes for children as their attention span is very low. However, since no directions have been issued to prevent schools from conducting online lessons for higher classes, children and parents must bear the burden despite many being unable to afford it.    Speaking to TNM, a senior official with the Primary and Secondary Education Department said that there are 1.2 crore students studying in state syllabus in Karnataka and the education department has begun collecting information on whether students have the capacity to attend online classes. “So far, we have collected information from around 50 lakh students. Our regional education officers and anganwadi workers have been collecting this information and private schools are furnishing information as well. Only 35 lakh students that we surveyed so far have the means to attend online classes,” the official said.  He further stated that Primary and Secondary Education Minister B Suresh Kumar is slated to hold a series of meetings with schools and department officials to chalk out a plan to resume classes and if online classes have to be conducted, how to ensure that all children have the technological support to do so.  “The poor students will be affected badly if online classes resume. If we allow schools to open, then there are many issues as well. Some schools are run out of small buildings and physical distancing will become a problem. We are in the process of finalising how to tackle this issue. On the other hand, if online classes are to be allowed, we will have to provide logistical support for the children and there is a fund crunch as well. We will announce a detailed plan shortly,” he added.   

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