The report sparked an immediate outcry on social media, where the video has been largely banned on Facebook and YouTube.
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Saturday, July 25, 2020
33000 trees to be felled for Peripheral Ring Road in Bengaluru: Draft EIA report
This is in stark contrast to the Bangalore Development Authority's (BDA) repeated assertions that the project needed the removal of only 200-500 trees.
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The Draft Environmental Impact Assessment for the Peripheral Ring Road connecting Tumakuru Road and Hosur Road in Bengaluru revealed that the project requires the removal of 33,838 trees. This is in stark contrast to the Bangalore Development Authority's (BDA) repeated assertions that the project needed the removal of only 200-500 trees. "Out of 33,838 trees, 9304 trees were falling in TG Halli catchment area and 631 trees falling in Jarakabande RF where forest diversion of 10.12 hectares is proposed," the draft EIA report dated June 2020 said. The content of the draft EIA was reported by Deccan Herald. The proposed project involves the development of the 65.5 km long Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) between Tumakuru Road on West and Hosur Road on East via Ballari Road and Old Madras Road. It integrates with the existing NICE Road. The BDA had argued erroneously for over four years based on a flawed EIA report which suggested that 200-500 trees will be cut down for the project. However, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) rejected this based on a report filed by the Horticulture and Forest Department which said that 16,685 trees will be removed. In March, the Supreme Court pulled up the BDA for the contradictions in the area of forest land to be diverted for the project, and asked the body to conduct a fresh environment impact survey. Following this, the alignment used for the assessment of removal of trees and the areas surveyed for the project was changed. However, it still does not explain the big difference in the number of trees marked for removal in the latest draft EIA report dated June 2020. The report also suggests building flyovers with a 30-metre buffer zone on six water bodies that the PRR will cross. The BDA has also sought 25 acres of forest land in Jarakabande Kavalu near Yelahanka for the project. The road will also be located at a distance of 7.21 km from the Bannerghatta National Park and 1.49 km from the Puttenahalli Bird Conservation Reserve. The draft EIA report warns that the water resources and water quality in the TG Halli catchment area will be affected due to the proposed removal of 9,304 trees.
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Karnataka ASHA worker ferries pregnant woman in her auto to hospital 20 km away
53-year old Rajeevi Nayak, a licensed auto-driver, didn’t think twice about escorting Shreelatha around 3.30 am in Udupi district.
An ASHA worker ferried a pregnant woman 20-kilometers to a hospital in her auto in the early hours of the morning after the latter developed labour pain. Despite her day-long duty working as a COVID-19 frontline healthcare worker, 53-year old Rajeevi Nayak, a licensed auto-driver, didn’t think twice about escorting Shreelatha around 3.30 am, who safely delivered a baby girl on Thursday. For close to a decade, residents recall that ‘Rajeevi Akka’ has continued to remain a beacon-of-hope to the people of Pernankila village in Udupi. On any ordinary day, this mother of two can be found moonlighting between two jobs. While from 9 am to 2 pm, she serves as an ASHA worker, post-lunch, she dons the khaki coat and drives her autorickshaw in the bylanes of the city. At 3.30 am on Thursday, she received a call from a woman named Shreelatha, who developed labour pains. Rajeevi Nayak then drove the expecting mother and her family around 20 kilometers to Koosamma Shambhu Shetty Memorial Haji Abdullah Mother and Child Hospital. Around noon, Shreelatha safely delivered a baby girl. However, this is not the first time she has helped a pregnant woman in her twenty-year profession as a rickshaw driver, says Rajeevi. She is known for dropping pregnant women free of charge to the hospital and has ferried close to 16 women under labour. “Once, a woman developed labour pains prematurely. When I called 108, they said it will take some time for them to reach. So I told the drivers that I will ferry the expecting mother and meet them at the midpoint. I thought she would deliver the baby in the rickshaw but we managed to shift her into the ambulance. Five minutes later, she delivered her baby in the ambulance,” she tells The News Minute. Her efforts were lauded by Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India, in a social media post. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಉಡುಪಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಳಗಿನ ಜಾವ 3 ಗಂಟೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗರ್ಭಿಣಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯನ್ನು ತಮ್ಮ ಆಟೋರಿಕ್ಷಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆಗೆ ಕರೆದೊಯ್ದ ಆಶಾ ಕಾರ್ಯಕರ್ತೆ ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ರಾಜೀವಿ ಅವರ ಉದಾತ್ತ ಕಾರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಶ್ಲಾಘಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ. https://t.co/4Kpvi7Xi6E — Vice President of India (@VPSecretariat) July 25, 2020 One of the first women auto-rickshaw drivers of Udupi district, the 53-year-old says two decades ago, she stepped into the profession, considered to be a male bastion, only to provide the last mile connectivity for the people in her village. Pernankila, Rajeevi says, is the last stop for many buses. However, most drivers took a u-turn and never made it to the village. Most of the villagers had to walk close to four kilometers to reach home. Rajeevi says that she decided to ply an auto from the bus-stop to her village to help people and also earn a livelihood. “I had completed only SSLC and had two small children at home. I could not go for a full-time job, however, I always wanted to earn. When I discussed my interest with my husband, he encouraged me to pursue and I purchased a rickshaw on loan,” she says. At the age of 33, Rajeevi joined a driving school and managed to get a license as an auto-rickshaw driver. However, she credits her husband Raghuchandran, who worked as a bus driver for perfecting her driving skills. “He was the one who gave me the confidence to take my tuk-tuk on the road and then there was no looking back,” she says. Ten years ago, one of the local doctors known to Rajeevi’s family asked her to enroll as an ASHA worker. “I was hesitant, but I liked the job profile as social service is close to my heart.” With her children grown-up, she decided to take two jobs. Rajeevi and Raghuchandran educated their children. Her daughter Rashmi is a nurse, while son Ravikiran manages a car-wash business. Sadly, Raghuchandran passed away five years ago. However, the COVID-19 has drastically changed her life, says Rajeevi. “Now as an ASHA worker, I have a lot of work. Meanwhile, with lockdown and no passengers, the rickshaw business has taken a hit. My daughter who works as a nurse in Mumbai is also on COVID-19 duty. Meanwhile, my son's car-wash business has taken a hit. I am eagerly awaiting the Rs 3000 incentive promised by Karnataka Chief Minister for ASHA workers,” she said. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)
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Karnataka caps RT-PCR test for coronavirus at Rs 2000
The rapid antigen test is capped at Rs 700.
The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department revised the rates for coronavirus testing in the state on Friday. The price of the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test was capped at Rs 2,000 while the rapid antigen test was capped at Rs 700. Earlier, the cost of an RT-PCR test was Rs 2,250. The new cost also includes the price of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits. "Rate of RT-PCR testing for the samples sent by Government in private laboratories including screening test and confirmatory test - Rs.2,000/- per test inclusive of the cost of PPE kit," a notification issued by Jawaid Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, stated. "Ceiling rate for private samples in private laboratories including screening test and confirmatory test - Rs.3,000/- per test inclusive of the cost of PPE kit. Rate of Rapid Antigen Test for private samples in private laboratories - Rs.700/- per sample inclusive of PPE kit," the notification added. Testing can be done in laboratories approved by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), Jawaid said. Reports have emerged of private laboratories charging as much as Rs 6,000 for a coronavirus test in Bengaluru. Karnataka reported 5,007 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, including 2,267 cases in Bengaluru. This means that there are 52,791 active cases in the state, including 30,561 active cases in Bengaluru. The total number of cases in Karnataka is now 85,870. It has been over four months since the first COVID-19 case was reported in the state in early March. The number of cases in the state began shooting up from the end of June, prompting the state government to impose a lockdown in Bengaluru from July 14 to 22. There are as many as 10,978 containment zones in Bengaluru currently, with the highest number being in the city's south zone.
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Bengaluru now has 10978 containment zones, up by 746 in a day
The most number of containment zones are in Bengaluru South followed by Bengaluru East, Bengaluru West and Bommanahalli zones.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) reported 10,978 active containment zones in Bengaluru on Friday. The number of containment zones in the city shot up by 746 in one day after the city reported 10,232 active containment zones on Thursday. The most number of containment zones are in Bengaluru South followed by Bengaluru East, Bengaluru West, Bommanahalli, RR Nagara, Mahadevpura, Yelahanka, and Dasarahalli zones. The Karnataka Health Department reported 2,267 new COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru on Friday taking the total active cases past 30,000. It is now 30,561. Bengaluru West reported the highest number of cases on Friday accounting for 21% of the cases followed by Bengaluru South (20%), Bommanahalli (12%), and Mahadevapura (10%). In the last ten days, Bengaluru South accounted for 25% of the cases while Bengaluru East and Bengaluru West accounted for 24% and 20% of the cases respectively. A total of 47 wards in the city have more than 100 cases while 73 other wards have more than 60 cases. The BBMP faced flak this week for using tin sheets to seal doors and gates of houses with COVID-19 patients. However, after a resident of Domlur Layout in the city reported one such incident on social media, the civic body clarified that it was not the standard operating procedure to seal doors and gates. Since then, BBMP officials have taken down tin sheets in houses in Domlur Layout and other areas in central Bengaluru. Meanwhile, 90 new police recruits at a police training school in the city tested positive for coronavirus on Friday. "When a trainee tested positive recently, a random test was conducted on all other 391 trainees at the school and 90 of them turned positive for the infection. They have been admitted in different state-run designated hospitals across the city for treatment," Karnataka police training school Superintendent of Police Manjunath Shukla said. Karnataka reported 5,007 new COVID-19 cases on Friday taking the state total to 85,860 cases till date.
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Overcharged by Bengaluru hospitals, COVID-19 patients to be refunded Rs 24 lakh
The issue came to light after IPS officer D Roopa tweeted about the development.
Image for representation/PTI
A total of 22 COVID-19 patients in Bengaluru will be refunded the fees they were charged by private hospitals in excess of the rates fixed by the Karnataka government. The total amount for the 22 patients amounted to Rs 24 lakh. This development came to light after senior IPS officer D Roopa tweeted about it. D Roopa was given the charge, along with IAS officer Harsh Gupta, of enforcing state government rates for COVID-19 treatment when patients are referred by government authorities. In two tweets, D Roopa wrote, “My team, with enforcement minded Harsh Gupta IAS, has ensured that government rates are followed by hospitals. Painstakingly, nodal officer Ashok Gowda, AEE, has collected details of 22 patients overcharged. Their bank account number is taken. Amount of Rs 24 lakh, as in pic, will be remitted back to patients.” (sic) She added, “Thanks to the hospital team too who cooperated in following government orders without resisting. We can't do without the cooperation and support of hospital staff and management.” It may be recalled that Chief Secretary Vijaya Bhaskar had formed seven teams, each led by one IPS and one IAS officer, to reign in private hospitals after allegations of overcharging patients came to light. The team, which D Roopa was a part of, was overseeing three hospitals in West Bengaluru— BGS Global Institute of Medical Science and Hospital in Kengeri, Rajarajeshwari Hospital on Mysore Road and SSNMC Super Speciality Hospital in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. These teams have two other government officials working in Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) and one contractual Health Department staff member. A source in the state government involved in the pandemic management confirmed that this is the first action taken by any of the seven teams that have been formed for this purpose. The source added that while the team has been formed to ensure that government rates are complied with, both the chiefs of the state IAS and IPS were more concerned about availability of beds.
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Bengaluru home cooks are creating mini-businesses in their kitchens
Dozens of home cooks in Bengaluru are taking their skills and passion for cooking to create mini-takeaway and delivery services for their food.
Instagram/Le Petit Chou; Twitter/Adukkala108
For those who enjoy cooking, home kitchens can be comfort zones, a space where creativity flows, where the trials of the day can be pushed aside to focus on good food. And for some, those kitchens aren’t just the heart of cooking and eating, but the centre of growing businesses that allow them to make and serve their food to hungry patrons across the city. Dozens of home cooks in Bengaluru are taking their skills and passion for cooking to create mini-takeaway and delivery services for their food. From pot pies and croissants to traditional regional Indian cooking, home chefs are churning out weekly menus for residents looking for delicious homemade food that, most importantly, they don’t have to make themselves. While some of these endeavours have existed for years, others started out recently, amidst the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns that kept dining out to a minimum. Venus Menon, who is based in Mahadevapura in Bengaluru, had been thinking about starting her own home cooking business for years, but the timing was never quite right. This week, we've gone back to some populars - the idiappam and stew, and the chicken varatharacha curry (a curry with grated, roasted coconut as its base). Our specials this week: An utterly delicious Kerala prawn fry - our special, very secret recipe - and dry chicken. pic.twitter.com/i8JsqXXFog — Adukkala108 (@adukkala108) July 8, 2020 “It’s been a very, very long-term dream and now I’ve found myself in a place that’s allowed me to start,” she said. Venus is originally from south Kerala, though she’s lived in many parts of her country, and her repertoire is just as varied. But through her orders, she’s found that there is greatest demand for traditional Kerala dishes — such as prawn ghee roast, payasam and varutharacha kozhi — as well as dry snacks like murruku, ribbon pakkavada, unniyappam and achappam, in which she specialises. “I took the decision to stick to Kerala food.” The home cooking business hasn’t been limited to amateur cooks either. Benpramar Das Laitflang, a chef and restaurateur, was all set to open a new restaurant in Goa this year after his previous eatery, Tierra Y Mar, closed down last year. However, the pandemic put his plans on hold, so he came to Bengaluru to stay with his family. And while waiting for an opportune and safe moment to restart his restaurant plans, he decided to put his culinary skills to use through his home kitchen. Benpramar, who goes by Ben, now serves a variety of seven-inch pot pies, made with shortcrust pie pastry, with fillings that include vegetables, chicken, beef mince and cheddar cheese, and a steak and marrow version with beef tenderloin, potatoes, served with onion, bone marrow and red wine gravy. “It’s been a good opportunity for me to try new recipes,” he said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ben_D (@benpramar) on May 31, 2020 at 9:46am PDT Ben, who trained in a culinary school in Argentina before moving to Goa, also has menus with Korean, Japanese and South American fare, like empanadas and bibimbap. And after working in the restaurant industry in Goa, he said it’s been interesting to see the differences in his customer base in Bengaluru. “You have young adults ordering as well as settled families. The demographic is very spread out,” he said. “People are more inclined to spend on eating out or deliveries.” But the lockdown has been a challenging time for the food industry, including home kitchens that primarily cater to larger parties and events. Tanya Mannan started Party on a Platter in Bengaluru four years ago after leaving a career in Human Resources. She started by catering a birthday party for a friend, and it took off from there, cooking for 15 to 50, and even up to 100 people. However, when the lockdown hit, people started to cancel parties or hold smaller events with fewer guests. Tanya has now largely put her work on hold for a while, until it’s safe for larger gatherings to take place. In the meanwhile, she plans to expand her menu, try new recipes and increase her ability to feed even bigger crowds. Given universal concerns over health safety, Tanya feels that people are still drawn to home cooking businesses, which maintain a certain standard, care and quality. “People are more comfortable with people cooking from home. They know the kind of quality will be good and hygiene standards will be good,” she said. The lockdown also made it challenging to procure certain ingredients and materials needed to cook and deliver the food. That includes finding packaging material and making sure delivery platforms were functional, Venus said. One of the biggest hurdles she faced was ensuring a steady access to cooking supplies. “We didn’t try fish for the longest time because we were not sure of supply chains and how fresh the produce would be.” She was eventually able to purchase fish regularly, and those dishes are now among her most popular. The fact that everyone is now stuck at home has also assisted some businesses, like Arati Rao’s Le Petit Chou, which focuses on French pastries. After years working in the hotel industry, Arati quit to pursue her passion for baking. She worked and learnt under a chef in Marseille, France, before returning to Bengaluru to start her own brand in August-September 2018. Through Le Petit Chou, she now makes tarts, quiches, brioche, pain au chocolat, and hundreds of croissants a week. For weekend orders, Arati begins work by 1.30 am on Saturday, prepping orders that’ll go out by 10.30 am. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Le P’tit Chou (@le.petitchou) on Jun 19, 2020 at 8:01pm PDT Though Arati stopped taking orders during the initial lockdown to minimise risks, she began again once it became clear that coronavirus was going to stay awhile. “The lockdown may have given me that extra push because a lot of people are at home all the time and they’re tired of cooking,” she said, adding that her expanded menu as well as word-of-mouth has also bolstered her orders for the year. And while these businesses are growing and gaining new fans, each is also looking to expand their offerings. Venus is hoping to create meal portions for single adults living alone. She also plans to get into more traditional Malayali snacks, particularly ones that are often forgotten, like chakka appam and ada. “These are things we used to have at tea time in Kerala,” she said. Arati is also looking to expand by increasing her scale of production out of her home kitchen. While she currently makes 120 croissants every week, she said she’d like to be able to make 200 or 300 croissants. Ben is also looking to make some changes to his menu, and possibly plan a few pop-ups when it’s safe to do so. “It’s an exciting phase for food, to do something unique,” he said. For Le Petit Chou, get in touch with Arati at 9008311669, artirao1@gmail.com or via Instagram. Orders must be done in advance. For Ben, send a Whatsapp message to 9833943354 at least 24 hours in advance for orders. For Venus's Adukkala108, DM on Twitter or Whatsapp to 8296612242. Looking for more home chefs in Bengaluru? Check out the thread below. Bangalore! I’m looking for home cooks that are serving delicious food through deliveries or picks ups. Send me your recs, I’ll compile them here. — Nikhita Venugopal (@nkvenugopal) July 24, 2020
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