However, Fauci stopped short of calling for an outright ban of the drug.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Karnataka reports 135 new COVID-19 cases, three more succumb to disease
The cases in Karnataka have risen to 2,418 and 47 people have succumbed to the disease so far.
PTI
The Karnataka government in its daily bulletin has reported 135 new cases of coronavirus. This brings the total number of active cases of coronavirus in the state to 1588, and the overall reported cases in the state to 2418 cases. The total number of recovered cases in the state stands at 781 cases. This goes against the trend which showed that Karnataka had an equal number of active and discharged cases when the lockdown was in full force and inter-state travel was banned. However, cases reported in the state have since increased. The state has reported that two new cases are from international travel, while a total of 124 cases were reported after returning as interstate passengers on Wednesday. This leaves 17 people who got the infection after contact with a patient. Among the new cases, most cases (26) were reported from Kalaburagi district, followed by Yadgir with 16 cases, and Hassan with 15 cases. Bengaluru reported 6 new cases on Wednesday. Of the 135 new cases, 124 people were those who travelled from other states to Karnataka. Out of these, 115 were from Maharashtra. The rest were from Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala and Delhi. One person had a history of inter-district travel. Among the international passengers who have tested positive, one was returned from Nepal, and the other was coming from the UAE. Three people have succumbed to the disease in the state since Tuesday. P-2301 was a 69-year-old woman, who was a resident of Yadgiri district. She had returned from Maharashtra but was brought to the hospital dead on May 20. She has tested positive for the virus. P-1712 was a 49-year-old man, who was a resident of Bihar. He was diagnosed with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection. He passed away on Wednesday, May 27. He was known to have comorbidities of diabetes mellitus, and was admitted to the hospital with complaints of fever, cough, and breathlessness. P-2011 was an 82-year-old man, who was a resident of Vijayapura. He had been a contact of an earlier patient. The patient was admitted with complaints of fever, cough, breathlessness and chest pain. He died on May 26, Tuesday.
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Karnataka plans to open temples, churches, mosques to public from June 1
However, the decision will be subject to Centre's guidelines on the next course of lockdown.
Temples, churches mosques and other worship centres in Karnataka, closed for over two months due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown, will be opened for public from June 1, making the southern state the first in the country to allow devotees in shrines ever since the curbs kicked in. The national lockdown enforced by the Centre to stem the spread of Coronavirus since March 25, and in its fourth leg now, is slated till May 31. "We are waiting for guidelines from the central government but we have to live with the coronavirus and we want to open temples, mosques and churches in the state from June 1," Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa told reporters. He added that the religious institutions will not be discriminated against and will be allowed to open together. Speaking to reporters after meeting Yediyurappa, he said the plan is to allow all 'sevas' (rituals) at the temples once they open, but depending on the situation, they may limit it to a few. "We will decide on it," he added. According to the CM, as trains, flights and vehicular movements have started, and hotels likely to resume functioning shortly, several devotees have been demanding opening of temples to offer prayers. "The temples will be opened to offer pooja and daily rituals, we are not permitting temple fairs and events," the minister said. Karnataka has over 34,000 temples that come under the Muzrai department. Though the temples are holding daily poojas and rituals, they are not open to the public for now, with lockdown restrictions in place. Officials had recently said that the department was planning to have a standard operating procedure (SOP) in place, which needs to be followed at temples in a post-lockdown scenario, once they are opened for the public. Kota Srinivas Poojary, Minister of Muzrai Department, said all religious institutions will be opened and instructions have been given to take preventive measures and make necessary preparations to ensure social distancing before June 1. "I will discuss with officials and decide on what other measures should be taken so that things go on smoothly, ensuring safety of devotees," Poojary said. He also said that sevas in select 52 temples in the state can be booked online from Wednesday, and the chief minister has given a go-ahead for this. He clarified that all rituals at the temples like poojas and aartis will continue as per traditions, but booking for sevas that can be offered by devotees, can be done online from now on. Such facilities for online booking of sevas are already available at certain temples and are popular, he pointed out. Recently, the Commissioner of Hindu religious institutions and charitable endowments had written to deputy commissioners of 15 districts, also executive officers and administrators of 'A' grade temples, seeking information on sevas offered at temples under their jurisdiction and those for which option can be provided for devotees to do advance booking online. This was aimed at development of app and web based software for the purpose of advanced booking of sevas, the letter said, adding conditional approval had been given to Spiritual Products Private Limited, Mysuru to develop both free of cost.
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K’taka govt cancels trains citing ‘no passengers’, even as thousands yearn for home
AK Singh, General Manager SWR told TNM that 13 trains for Wednesday and Thursday have been cancelled due to ‘not enough passengers’.
Representational image/PTI
Even as hundreds of migrant workers flock to police and railway stations in Bengaluru in the hope of getting on trains that will take them back home, it has been learnt that the Karnataka government has cancelled trains citing ‘lack of passengers.’ The General Manager of South Western Railways confirmed to TNM that the state government has cancelled 13 trains that were supposed to leave on Wednesday and Thursday. “We run the trains as per the state government’s requirements. Any number of trains they want we can run,” AK Singh, General Manager, South Western Railways told TNM. “We prefer that the state government gives us the schedule one week in advance. But many times, it is not possible for them. They have to inform us at least by 6 pm the previous day. Yesterday we were told to cancel four trains to Bihar and two trains to Uttar Pradesh which were scheduled to leave on Wednesday as they don’t have enough passengers,” he said. “Even today, we have been told for tomorrow (Thursday), they want to cancel four trains to Bihar, two to UP and one for Nagaland,” he added. TNM could not reach Manjunath Prasad, the nodal officer of Karnataka government for running these shramik trains. While there is no public document on how many migrant workers want to leave the city on these trains, many police stations have been overwhelmed with the number of workers – especially from Bihar and UP – who have showed up at their doorsteps. The state government has failed to produce these details even at the Karnataka High Court; all they have said is that 7 lakh workers have registered to go back home. The state government has also been asked by the court to show details of how they have helped people who do not have access to technology to register on their Seva Sindhu portal, which is where the passenger and travel details are being collated. Clifton D’ Rozario, an advocate representing the cause of these workers, and a member of the CPI(ML), said it is obvious that the state government’s version of “not having enough passengers” is false. “There are 800 workers gathered at KG Halli police station alone who want to go to Bihar, and are pursuing the police to get them on a train. If there are so many people in just one police station, then imagine what the total number of people in the city who want to leave.” “This 7 lakh figure is like the mannequin you have in shops, it is just window dressing. What happened was, all workers had to register themselves at the police station and get separately registered with their Aadhaar card and photocopies of their identity cards. Let the police now come clean about how many workers were registered in each PS and how many workers have already left,” he added. 2/n Listen to the workers . There are around 600-800 registered to leave at this station. They keep getting sent back and they are sick with stress and anxiety. Some of them did embroidery and handwork and have no jobs now pic.twitter.com/sJbzESbFSk — AICCTU Karnataka (@aicctukar) May 27, 2020 An activist who requested anonymity said, “It looks like since the government has to give free train service as announced by the Chief MInister following the case in the High Court, they want to reduce the number of trains.” While on average 10-12 trains were leaving Bengaluru and its outskirts until Monday, since Tuesday the number of trains has been drastically reduced to around three trains per day. Shelters set up by the government agencies alone in Bangalore International Centre and Palace Grounds Tennis Pavillion are sheltering hundreds of people who are hoping to board these trains. Many of these workers are also dependent on these shelters as they have not been paid their due wages and have been evicted by their landlords. Activists and NGOs who are offering food and other support to these workers also rubbished the claim of ‘not enough passengers’ and said that the state government’s version is not based on facts. Anita Kaniya, Director of Freedom Project India, one such group said, “We have been distributing cooked food, water and dry rations to migrants who are stranded or queuing up for hours outside police stations, verifying their documents. In the last 2 weeks we have been distributing food to 1800 migrants at police stations every day.” “But for the last two days with the trains cancelled, many workers are sitting dejected and without food at bus stops, on roadsides and even outside the police stations in the hope of hearing some positive news and getting a place on the trains. Today we have distributed 1450 meals at seven locations in north Bengaluru only among migrants waiting with bags and nowhere to go," she added. What led people to gather at police, train stations As reported on Tuesday, many of these workers who want to board these special trains got an SMS from MOBKAR - Mobile Karnataka - which read, "If you want to leave by Shramik Trains, SMS Yes followed by last 6 digits of Seva Sindhu application no to 161 from registered mobile before 6 pm 26th May.” And this message was misread by these workers as a call for them to gather at the police stations for the mandatory medical check up ahead of the train journey. READ| SMS yes before 6 pm for Shramik train’: Govt SMS panics migrant workers in Bengaluru TNM had earlier reported how the state government had no clue about the number of migrant workers living in the city. Whether a worker could get on a train home depends on a combination of a variety of factors – there’s no simple system. Till now there is no clear cut protocol of who from which state will get a train, which often leads to some people being forced to rush at the last minute. A token or a tracker system demanded by worker unions to be implemented for this purpose is also not in place. READ| For thousands of migrant workers in Bengaluru, a train ticket is like winning a lottery ALSO READ| Karnataka govt stops trains for migrant labourers: ‘Don't we have rights?’ ask workers
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2 Adivasi women from Jharkhand exploited, one allegedly gang raped at Bengaluru factory
The women, Sumitra* and Reema* had allegedly been trafficked to work in the factory from Jharkhand in October 2019.
Image for representation. By Suheil Ahmed/Picxy
Two Adivasi women hailing from Dumka district in Jharkhand have been rescued from an incense factory – Bharat Chemical Products – in Bengaluru where they were allegedly exploited and one of them was allegedly gang raped. Both women are mothers to a five-year-old and an eight-year-old child respectively. Not only were the women allegedly trafficked from Jharkhand seven months ago, they were allegedly not paid adequate wages, had their movement restricted, were kept in cramped quarters and made to work for 15 hours a day, say activists. The factory is located in Kengeri Hobli, Bengaluru, and an FIR has been registered at the Kumbalagudu police station of the Ramanagara district. While the factory comes under Bengaluru Urban administrative district, the police jurisdiction is that of Kumbalaguru police station in Ramanagra. An activist involved in the case, Mallige, who is with the Karnataka Janashakti migrant workers’ helpline, said that the police have not registered a case of trafficking and bonded labour. A copy of the FIR dated May 23, 2020 reveals that the case has only been registered under the IPC section 376D (gang rape) and the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. “Till date, there has been no serious action against the factory, its owner. The factory has not been raided despite this instance of trafficking and bonded labour,” Mallige tells TNM. The exploitation and rape The two women – Sumitra* and Reema* - were allegedly trafficked from Jharkhand via Delhi in October 2019, and were taken straight to the factory from the Bengaluru Railway Station. They were promised Rs 9000 and Rs 7000 each but were paid only Rs 200 a week and given three meals a day. The women were allegedly made to sleep in a cramped room with many others, and were made to work even when they were sick. They were not allowed to step out of the factory, even to buy essentials like soap or oil. This entire time, the women’s children were also with them. Sumitra and Reema did manage to escape the factory in early January this year. However, they were tracked down by a supervisor of the factory identified as Sanjeev, who allegedly found them at the Bengaluru Railway station and forced them to come back to the factory. Upon their return, Sumitra and Reema were allegedly brutally beaten up, and threatened by Sanjeev for their life. He also threatened them with rape, and forcibly took away the Aadhaar card and phone of one of the women. To add to the women’s ordeal, two of the men who worked for Sanjeev – Nur Islam Ansari and Suresh Gour – allegedly raped one of the women twice. The two women told the rescuers that the factory owner was allegedly complicit, and did not do anything to take action against the atrocities against them. Nur Islam and Suresh are in judicial custody. The escape and how the case came to light Sumitra and Reema were finally able to escape from the factory with their children in mid-March. However, the lockdown added to their woes, and compelled them to hide in the bushy forest of Kumbalagudu, and to beg for food. Some weeks later, another contractor named Ali Asghar offered them food and shelter which the women accepted. However, he too allegedly made sexual advances towards one of the women. The case only came to light because the women reached out to Nicolas, a construction worker also from Dumka in Jharkhand, who the women met on May 5 when all three of them were at the Kumbalagudu police station to register to get on a train to return to Jharkhand. They shared their ordeal with Nicolas, who reached out to some friends in this district in Jharkhand. After someone pointed out the women’s plight on social media, the case was picked up by Stranded Workers Action Network (SWAN) and Migrant Workers Helpline of Karnataka Janashakti. While an FIR regarding the incident with contractor Ali Asghar was registered in Kengeri, the one regarding the women’s ordeal at Bharat Chemical Products was then registered in Kumbalagudu. No response from or prosecution of the company TNM called multiple numbers found online for Bharat Chemical Products but received no response. Meanwhile, Mallige says that there has been no FIR against the company itself for allegedly allowing these atrocities against Sumitra and Reema – the FIR in Kumbalagudu has only been registered against Nur Islam and Suresh. “No FIRs have so far been filed against the company owner, Devendran. The police in both the stations have been helpful in dealing with this case with urgency. The Department of Social Welfare has acted promptly and has paid a compensation to the rape survivor,” a release by activist groups involved in their rescue said. “This is another grim reminder of exploitation by some private companies who remain unaccountable to the government and the people. On its part, the exploitation is happening under the aegis of the government so this calls into question government accountability as well. Further, the administrative procedures to even file FIRs and seek compensation are inaccessible and opaque to the poor. This makes it near impossible for the poor, without civil society mediation, to have a stake at the justice system,” it adds. Mallige says that Sumitra and Reema are currently at a shelter home with their children. “They want to go home, but they want to do so only after they are done with the legal formalities to bring the accused to book. They have not yet given their statement before the magistrate.” She adds that the police, on the activists’ insistence, have approached the magistrate to add sections for trafficking and bonded labour in the FIR as well.
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‘They think we carry the virus’: Scores of domestic workers in Bengaluru lose jobs
Stigmatised as ‘carriers of infection’, domestic workers say apartment associations are banning them from buildings.
Kent, a healthcare products company known for manufacturing RO (reverse osmosis) water purifiers, has faced severe backlash for its advertisement selling a dough and bread maker. The advertisement, published on Instagram, was severely criticised on social media for its classist take. “Are you allowing your maid to knead atta dough by hand? Her hands may be infected” the ad reads. Many slammed the advertisement and some even called for a boycott of Kent's products. For domestic workers in Bengaluru, the discriminatory portrayal, however, is all too real. They have been at the receiving end of such prejudice ever since the outbreak of coronavirus. Geeta Menon, founder of Stree Jagruthi Samiti, who also helped form the Domestic Workers Rights Union Karnataka, says that a recent survey conducted by her organisation showed that 80% of domestic workers in the city have been asked to not come to work for the next two months (June and July). Many employers were of the opinion that domestic workers are carriers of the virus, as per the survey. “Just like the Kent advertisement, many are stigmatising domestic workers. The ad only points out the mentality of the privileged. If people are scared, there is a way of communicating it but treating domestic workers like the source of infection is wrong. Over 80% of domestic workers have been told not to come to work for the next two months because their employers fear that they are carriers of the virus. Shutting themselves inside a room when the domestic worker comes to work, all this is insensitive and stigmatising,” Geeta Menon says. Sharadamma is a 57-year-old resident of Suddaguntepalya in Bengaluru. She has been a domestic worker for the last 30 years. With the lockdown in place, her employers paid her the salary for the month of March. However, starting April, none of her employers have paid her. When she decided to go back to work at various homes in GM Palya, Sharadamma was asked to stay at home and not come near their houses. “Everyone thinks that we live in dirty houses and don't maintain hygiene. Some of my employers said that since I am old, they are scared of me spreading it to them. Last week, they all told me not to come to work for two months as they are scared that I will spread the virus. Now, I don't know what to do for two months. They are not even willing to pay,” she says. Similarly, Pushpalata Ramesh, a 37-year-old domestic worker in Hennur, says that associations of apartments where she worked prior to the lockdown have banned her from entering the building altogether. Pushpalata works at five homes in two different apartment complexes in Hennur. “In one of the apartment complexes where I work at two houses, my employers were initially paying me. Now the association is stopping me from entering, saying that I go to many people's houses and it is not safe for me to move around. My employers also got scared and they said that I can't come to work for two more months. They said they have not yet decided whether to pay me or not. We help clean their houses and this is how they treat us?” Pushpalata questions. With finding new employment at this time a near impossibility, domestic workers say they have been settling for lesser pay to stay afloat. Prema, a 30-year-old domestic worker in Banaswadi, says that her employers fired her last week, stating apprehensions about her spreading the infection. This is also because Prema lives with her husband and a few other daily wage workers in hutments in Banaswadi. “My employer said that the place where I live is not hygienic and that they are scared of getting infected. Now I found a job at a bachelor's house. They are going to pay me Rs 1,500 per month. Earlier, I used to earn twice as much and my starting salary was Rs 3,500 per house. I don't know what else I can do,” she adds. Geeta Menon, who has been documenting grievances of domestic workers across the city, says that 50% of the domestic workers in Bengaluru have not received their pay for the month of April while many have been laid off by employers. “This is not all. Many RWAs (Residents Welfare Associations) are not allowing domestic workers to use lifts. Many women have to climb several flights of stairs. As soon as the domestic worker enters the house, people have been shutting themselves in rooms. Again, taking precautions is right but the way it is done also matters. There can be a better way of handling this,” she points out.
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Residents of Karnataka’s Changadi to be rehabilitated from wildlife sanctuary
While some had resisted being shifted out of the forest, they later softened their stand after recognising that rehabilitation is a better option for their future generations.
Changadi village resident
About 195 families residing in Changadi village in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district will be relocated en masse. While some residents had earlier resisted being shifted out of the forest, they later softened their stand after recognising that rehabilitation is a better option for their future generations. Changadi, located in the Chowdahalli range of the sanctuary, has a majority of Vokkaliga residents and 13 families belonging to Soliga, a tribal community. Though the Soliga families had no issues with the rehabilitation, some Vokkaliga families were averse to the idea before they understood its importance and resolved to give up Changadi for a better future for their children. According to the villagers, the change in the mindset of unwilling residents came after a public meeting a week ago with the District in-charge and Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar and other officials. The authorities ruled out construction of a road to Changadi per environmental laws, nor will the residents get access to basic amenities from the state government if they lived inside the forest. Malle Gowda, an elderly resident who is now in favour of rehabilitation, says, “There is no future in Changadi now. We don’t have access to health or education and rehabilitation is the best option. All the villagers have welcomed it.” Veeresh, a youth who was initially averse to shifting, says, “It’s time to focus on my future.” Mahadev, another youth who was earlier unwilling to shift, now says rehabilitation is better as it would give his family access to health and education by living outside the forest area. Another youth, on condition of anonymity, stated that he would follow what his family members decide. Dodde Gowda, a resident who fought for rehabilitation along with Hanur Raitha Sangha president Changadi Kariyappa, says there no one forced residents to shift, adding that villagers were misled by some vested interests earlier but have now realised the advantages of rehabilitation. Basavaraja Gowda, a Soliga man, says the 13 families from his community have no qualms about being shifted out of the forest. His wife Kempamma also shares that they have accepted the idea of rehabilitation. Basavaraja says that the rehabilitation should be done with care by the officials concerned and any confusion will only jeopardise their lives when they move out of the forest. Relentless efforts The rehabilitation has been possible owing to the relentless pressure mounted by the villagers, especially Changadi Kariyappa and Dodde Gowda, on the officials concerned and elected representatives. Upset with the apathy of the authorities, villagers blocked roads during taluk and zilla panchayat elections, leading to the police filing cases against them. The rehabilitation idea got support from the then Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Malati Priya. She asked the Changadi villagers to take note of the successful rehabilitation of the residents in Nagarahole National Park. Some Changadi residents were taken on a trip to Nagarahole by the DCF and they were happy to see the results of the relocation, says Dodde Gowda. The present DCF V Yedukondalu continued to pursue the rehabilitation idea and villagers laud his role in submitting a proposal on the same to the district administration and his constant follow-up. Joining hands with the authorities, field officer Raghuram of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), an NGO, says several meetings have been held to help the Changadi residents understand rehabilitation. He recalls that when the first meeting was held, only 8 people attended but gradually the numbers increased as the villagers got a better understanding of the relocation. History of the settlement About the history of Changadi, Kariyappa says that residents were initially settled in Alambadi near Gopinatham in the vicinity of Male Mahadeshwara Temple. After a fight with tribal men about 200 years ago, Vokkaliga families along with some Soliga families decided to leave Alambadi and settle in Changadi. An area of 488 acres at Changadi was declared as revenue land in 1901 by the then Coimbatore administration when the region was part of Tamil Nadu. The region was merged with Karnataka after the reorganisation of states in 1956. Kariyappa explains that apart from the constant fear of elephant attacks while moving to and from Changadi, access to medical care and education is a mirage since residents have to travel about 20 km to Chowdalli to see a doctor. The Changadi residents are to be relocated to Chikkallur, which is close to Hikkanahalli, Mattipura and Mariyapura. They are happy because the weather conditions and red soil are suited for agriculture, and there is availability of ground water and a canal. Dodde Gowda says that though the canal is yet to be supplied with water, someday there will be water to irrigate their lands. Regarding the process of rehabilitation, Assistant Commissioner Nikitha Chinnaswamy will decide on the commencement of land surveys, number of families, updation of revenue records, among others. Meanwhile Hanur MLA Narendra has assured that he will take up revision of the rehabilitation package from the Rs 15 lakh announced earlier to Rs 20 lakh as per the present market rate. If all goes according to plan, the relocation will happen in a year and Changadi will become the first settlement to be rehabilitated out of forest in Chamarajanagar. Girisha is a freelancer who reports on wildlife and the environment.
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