Karnataka Town Planning Act to be amended to regularise unauthorised buildings

Land reforms

This comes after the Karnataka government made changes to the Land Reforms Act, allowing non-agriculturists to buy farmland.

TNM Staff

File photo

The state government would bring an amendment to the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act by the month end to regularise unauthorised buildings, Revenue Minister R Ashoka said on Saturday. "We had formed a committee of officials to bring an amendment to the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act. The committee has now submitted its report," Ashoka told reporters. Further, the amendment would be submitted to the Supreme Court, he added. "We will bring amendment at the earliest, maybe by the end of this month, which people had been demanding for long to regularise their buildings," the Minister said. The government had in the past tried to regularise buildings in Bengaluru by bringing in 'Akrama Sakrama' scheme, aimed at regularising unauthorised structures but it hit a legal roadblock when the Supreme Court stayed it. This time the government is aiming to pass the amendment and get the Supreme Court's nod. It intends to regularise over 35 lakh properties across the state by collecting fees. The move is seen as an effort to overcome the financial hardship caused due to the COVID-19 lockdown. This move to regularise buildings has come after the government has proposed a major change in the Karnataka Land Reforms Act 1961, to allow non-agriculturists to buy farmlands. The amendment also seeks to remove the cap on income from non-agricultural sources, and increase the limit on the amount of land that a person can own. This will come up in the next assembly session in the Vidhana Soudha. It is expected that the move would allow IT professionals to be able to buy land in the state. Read: Karnataka to allow non-agriculturists to buy farmland The Opposition has slammed the move, with the Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah saying that the move would only hurt legitimate farmers, and that it would encourage land mafia in the state. Read: Siddaramaiah flays Karnataka govt for opening up agri land purchase to all

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COVID-19: Karnataka reports 176 new cases, five more deaths on June 14

Coronavirus

81 of the 88 interstate travellers who tested positive on Sunday are returnees from Maharashtra.

TNM Staff

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With an addition of 176 new COVID-19 cases reported across Karnataka on Sunday, the state reached a tally of 7,000 positive cases since the onset of pandemic on March 8. The state health bulletin declared five more deaths too, taking the COVID-19 death toll in the state to 86. Meanwhile, 312 people were discharged from designated hospitals following their recovery taking the total number of active cases to 2,956. Among them, 16 persons are being treated in intensive care units. Among the 176 cases, 88 cases were among patients who have travel history within the country and another six were international passengers. 81 of the 88 interstate travellers were returnees from Maharashtra. The rest 82 were among contacts of already infected persons (36), patients with their travel and contact history still being investigated (25), five were patients suffering from SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) and 12 were persons with ILI (influenza like illness). Another four are interdistrict travellers from Mysrur and residents of Bengaluru. Bengaluru currently has 142 containment zones as of Sunday evening. Among districts, Bengaluru Urban reported the highest number of cases with 42 followed by Yadgir and Udupi reporting 22 and 21 cases. Bidar (20), Kalaburagi (13) and Dharwad (10) are the only other districts reporting more than 10 new cases. Fatalities Among the fatalities reported on Sunday was a 24-year-old man, a resident of Dakshina Kannada district who had recently returned from Mumbai. According to the bulletin, he was suffering from chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Three deaths were reported from Bengaluru city. One of them was a 57-year-old woman who died on Friday and was admitted with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and was also suffering from hypertension and diabetes. The other two were a 50-year-old man, a returnee from Tamil Nadu who had complained of fever, and another was a 60-year-old woman who was also admitted in hospital as she had breathlessness. She was diagnosed with SARI and had hypertension and diabetes. The fifth death involved a 76-year-old Bidar man who died at his residence on June 6 and had hypertension.

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No question of reimposition of lockdown in K’taka: Medical Edu Min

Coronavirus

There has been speculation that there would be another shutdown from this month owing to a rapid rise in the number of cases.

PTI

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Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Sunday said there was no question of reimposition of the lockdown amid speculation that it would be done. "The question of lockdown is not in front of us. There is such speculation as the Prime Minister is holding a video conference with all Chief Ministers on June 16 and 17. On June 17 our state will be taking part in it at around 3 pm," Sudhakar said in response to a question. Speaking to reporters at Kalaburagi, he said the current situation would be discussed in that meeting. Sudhakar said the Prime Minister has repeatedly been holding such video conferencing exercises to take stock of the situation and plan for the future. "There will not be a lockdown anymore according to me," he added. There has been speculation that there would be another shutdown from this month owing to a rapid rise in the number of cases. Sudhakar had on Friday said experts have indicated a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state in August and that the government was taking all precautionary measures in that direction. As of June 13 evening, cumulatively 6,824 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 81 deaths and 3,648 discharges. Dr Sudhkar speaking on Saturday had said that the state is expecting coronavirus cases to peak in August and the state is readying its response to mitigate the situation.

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Missing data veils coronavirus damage to minority communities

The Trump administration is leaving big gaps in race and ethnicity information.

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Petition filed in Karnataka High Court against controversial Hubballi-Ankola rail project

Environment

On March 20, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa approved the controversial project, even though it was previously stayed by the apex court.

Soumya Chatterjee

With authorities going ahead with the controversial rail project connecting Hubballi in north Karnataka and the port of Ankola through the eco-sensitive Western Ghats, a petition opposing the rail line has been filed in the Karnataka High Court. The petitioner Giridhar Kulkarni, a wildlife activist confirmed the development but said he will only speak on the matter at a later time. The proposed rail line cutting through the dense forests including the Kali Tiger Reserve was first ideated 20 years ago but have been opposed by various environmental authorities since then including the National Tiger Conservation Authority.  The project which was on the backburner had resurfaced in January 2019 as it got a mention in the list of agendas in one of Karnataka State Wildlife Board meeting chaired by then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. More recently on March 20, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa approved the controversial project being the head of the state Wildlife Board. As a mark of protest Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy who is also part of the Board had resigned. But her party colleague and former minister RV Deshpande has written to the Centre to immediately start work as it will promote development of the north Karnataka and coastal regions. The project was halted following a Supreme Court stay order passed in 1999. Further top forest officers and members of the State Wildlife Board had argued that the line is unnecessary given the Belekeri port is only 1.5 hours away from Hubballi. The project is estimated to cost 2.2 lakh; it will involve the felling of full grown trees that too in reserved forest areas which green activists in the state and the Western Ghat region vehemently oppose.  According to previous estimates as earlier reported, a total of 995.64 hectares of land is required for the project, including 595.64 hectares of forest land, 184.6 hectares of wetland, and 190 hectares of dry land including parts of Kali Tiger Reserve and Bedthi Conservation Reserve.

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Bengaluru sees rise in patients with ILI turning positive for COVID-19: What to know

Coronavirus

This is why the WHO has emphasized the importance of routinely monitoring ILI and SARI in every country.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

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In a span of a week, Bengaluru has seen a significant rise in the number of individuals admitted with symptoms of influenza-like illness (ILI) testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19. According to M Lokesh, the special commissioner and COVID surveillance in charge from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP),there has been an increase in ILI in many hospitals, and many were found to be positive for COVID-19. “What this means is that more people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the recent past. Earlier, because of lockdown, contact tracing was very good and contacts were minimal. Since June 8, everything has been opened so any cases turning positive, we have to double up on contact tracing efforts and we need to rope in more people for this, which we are working on,” he said. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has long had a global influenza surveillance program in place. This has allowed for certain protocols to be set in place, which acts as red flags in the event that a specific country or part of the world is reporting a sudden outbreak of influenza. “The WHO categorises ILI as an acute respiratory infection along with cough and a high fever that has been present for 10 days or less. As part of its surveillance program against influenza, both ILI and SARI (severe acute respiratory infection) are used as benchmarks to determine the severity of any outbreaks of influenza,” explains Dr Nagaraj, director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) in Bengaluru. He further goes on to explain that all forms of influenza cause similar symptoms: fever, cough and breathing difficulties, regardless of whether it is the swine flu, a seasonal flu or even as seen in the case of the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome). To quickly identify any potential new influenza viruses, the WHO has a surveillance program dedicated to monitoring for sudden appearance of a cluster of these symptoms in any part of the world. In this manner, the WHO was able to identify that several people in Wuhan developed pneumonia-like symptoms at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is why the WHO has emphasized the importance of routinely monitoring ILI and SARI in every country. An increase in the number of ILI cases turning positive for SARS-CoV-2, is a possible indicator that the virus is manifesting in more individuals in less severe manners. This is why anyone who develops symptoms of ILI should closely monitor themselves and get medical attention as soon as possible, if any of their symptoms worsen or don’t subside on their own. The bulletin released by the health department on June 13 shows that out of 308 confirmed new cases of COVID-19, 31 were reported from Bengaluru. Of these 31, a total of 12 individuals were found to have been admitted for ILI who later were found to have contracted SARS-CoV-2. This makes for a total of 38.7% of COVID-19 cases on June 13 alone. On June 12, there were 271 positive cases of COVID-19 reported by the state’s health department of which 36 were from Bengaluru. Of these 36 new cases, 12 of them were those who had been admitted with a diagnosis of ILI, accounting for 33.3% of all positives. On June 11, out of 17 positives in Bengaluru, 6 had initially been admitted as ILI accounting for 35% of the COVID-19 cases on that day alone. Just a day prior on June 10, out of 42 total number of individuals found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Bengaluru, 22 had been reported to be admitted with ILI. This represented a whopping 52.4% of all cases of COVID-19 reported on June 10 alone. While ILI cases have been under the scanner of health officials, the trend of the number of ILI cases turning out to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 has increased substantially. Looking at data from mid and early May shows little to no ILI cases reported positive in the state. In early June, a sizable proportion of individuals confirmed to be positive for COVID-19 in Bengaluru had initially been diagnosed with ILI. Lokesh said that with regards to ILI and SARI cases, it is important to note that the person may just present with fever for 3 to 4 days. “However, this isn’t necessarily only due to COVID-19. It could just as easily be a case of dengue, viral fever or any number of other issues which manifests in similar ways. However, if someone is suspected (based on history and examination) of having COVID-19, then we have to test them. If they are found to be positive for COVID-19 they are sent to Victoria Hospital. Those with ILI but are non-COVID cases are sent home,” he said. With inputs from Soumya Chatterjee

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In a Bengaluru church, devotees attend Sunday prayers sitting in their cars

Religion

Bethel AG Church International Worship Center said its Worship On Wheels (WOW) initiative is a contactless, drive-in format.

TNM Staff

Screengrab

The Bethel AG Church International Worship Center, near Outer Ring Road in Bengaluru, saw a host of cars entering the church on Sunday morning and parking in rows on a vast ground within its premises. The cars are parked facing an open stage, LED screens and speakers. While the passengers did not exit the car, many rolled down the window, waiting for the Sunday prayers to commence and start worshipping sitting in their vehicles. This new initiative by the church in Bengaluru, which is called Worship On Wheels (WOW), calls on the devotees to congregate for the Sunday mass, all while maintaining physical distancing. The WOW initiative, as the church describes, is “a contactless, drive-in format”, where the worshippers can park their four-wheelers and two-wheelers in a three-acre plot called the Temple of God, adjacent to the church building, and sit in their vehicles and worship along with the pastor, who will be heading the service on the stage. Worshippers coming by walk and public transport can be seated in the building. “Church-goers will be able to attend the service from the comfort and safety of their vehicles while ensuring that they adhere to the guidelines of social distancing,” said the church on its website. How do you attend a church service during a pandemic, ensuring social distancing? Drive-in, sit in your cars and pray. Location: near Bethal AG church, Bengaluru There's also separate service for those coming in two-wheelers and others who don't come in vehicles. pic.twitter.com/wankW7Tti9 — Revathi Rajeevan (@RevathiRajeevan) June 14, 2020 In order to avoid crowding, the church has planned different time slots: 9 am and 7 pm for four-wheelers, and 7 am and 5 pm for two-wheelers, as the sun will not be harsh on the latter, Reverend Johnson V said. For those seated in the church, the service will be at 11 am and 1 pm, and 12 pm for those live-streaming it. “There will be a six-feet distance between the worshipers sitting in the church or vehicle, as per the government guidelines. Everyone coming to the worship service, be it in the church or sitting vehicles, must wear masks all the time. We have thermal scanners and sanitisers at the church entrance,” Rev Johnson told TNM. The church has also listed out other physical distancing guidelines as stipulated by the Karnataka government, including turning off the engines of their vehicles, rolling down the windows and switching off phones throughout the services.  Those who wish to partake in the Holy Communion (a ritual of offering bread and wine to worshippers) will be given pre-packed packages consisting of the communion elements. “Volunteers, who will be wearing masks and gloves, will hand out these packets to the worshippers at the entrance of the ground. These were packed in a hygienic manner,” said Rev Johnson in a video. Screengrab from virtual walkthrough of the WOW service Devotees can drop the offerings and tithes into the buckets placed at the entrance of the gate, or online. Common touchpoints like seating facilities, toilets, water, canteens and resource centres will not be available. According to the pastor, worshippers will not be able to step out of the vehicle and walk around as they will be parked in a certain order. The church has asked the devotees to carry a bottle of water, too. There will be a police force to help maintain the required norms and guidelines of the government, added Rev Johnson. “I do not think this has been followed anywhere in Asia. The Bible mentions disciples worshipping, sitting in ships, on carts, and in different atmospheres as they did not have a church,” he said. “Once the government announced the plan to open the churches and other religious organisations, we were waiting for the proper guidelines from the state government. As soon as we got that, we planned to do this drive-in format in the safest and contactless way to come together as a congregation. It took us over a week to plan and execute the plan,” Rev Johnson told TNM, adding that the mode of service will be followed for a few more Sundays.  The service will also be streamed live on the Church website and Facebook and YouTube. #First drive-thru #prayer service in #Bengaluru: Bethel AG #Church International Worship Centre on ORR in Hebbal conducts ‘Worship-on-Wheels’ on Sunday. (Video: Sunil)@NammaBengaluroo @WFRising @WeAreBangalore @TOIBengaluru pic.twitter.com/ch4wdOk6Ag — Rakesh Prakash (@rakeshprakash1) June 14, 2020

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