Mysuru doctor's suicide: IMA writes to CM Yediyurappa urging him to take action

Controversy

The letter comes after Dr SR Nagendra, a government doctor in Nanjangud, took his life on Thursday prompting protests from colleagues and other doctors.

TNM Staff

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday wrote to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and called for action after a government doctor in Mysuru allegedly took his life due to work pressure.  The letter comes after Dr SR Nagendra, a government doctor in Nanjangud in Mysuru, took his life on Thursday, prompting protests from colleagues and other doctors who threatened to go on strike. "What   happened   to   Dr   SR   Nagendra, Taluk   Government   Medical   Officer   of Nanjangud, Mysuru district , Karnataka is unfortunate. He committed suicide allegedly due to  target  oriented  approach  of  officials.  There  are  reasons  to  believe  that  the  administration ignored  the  stressful  situation  under  which  he  was  working.  A  senior  medical  person  would have   understood   the   nuances   and   perhaps   handled   the   situation   with   diligence   and understanding," reads the letter signed by Dr Rajan Sharma, National President of the IMA. The association called for action to be taken over the incident. "We  sincerely  hope  that  the  response  to  what  happened in  Mysuru district  will  be adequate to render justice and more appropriately initiate reforms to restructure," reads the letter. Dr. Nagendra's colleagues have called for the suspension and arrest of Zilla Panchayat CEO Prashant Kumar Mishra. Speaking to TNM, Dr Ravindra, another government doctor in Mysuru, said, "We want Prashant Kumar Mishra to be arrested under section 306 of the Indian Penal Code. Dr. Nagendra's phone records will give proof about the targets he had to meet," he alleged.  Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K was met with fiery protests from doctors when he visited Nanjangud following Dr. Nagendra's death. Dr. Nagendra's colleagues poured out their woes and called for the minister to take action.  Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has ordered an enquiry into the incident. He said that it will be completed in seven days. He also said that Rs 50 lakh will be given as compensation to the victim's family and whatever is due to be given to the next of the kin will be given expeditiously.  

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MP woman given 'triple talaq' by husband in Bengaluru, CM Chauhan promises action

Crime

The couple was residing in Bengaluru and the woman has been trying to reach her children over the past month but says that her husband has not cooperated.

TNM Staff

Police will ensure justice for a Muslim woman from Bhopal who was allegedly divorced by her husband through 'triple talaq' over the phone, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Friday. The 42-year-old, who was living in Bengaluru, stated in her complaint that her husband gave her triple talaq on a WhatApp call on July 31, said Koh-e-Fiza police station in-charge Anil Bajpayee. The accused married the woman in 2001 and they have two children. The couple was residing in Bengaluru and the woman has been trying to reach her children over the past month but says that her husband has not cooperated.  Both are citizens of Singapore. At present, the man is working at a prominent hotel in Bengaluru, while the woman is now in Bhopal, police officials said.  Triple talaq is prohibited under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019. "A Muslim sister in Bhopal has filed an FIR with the police on the issue of her husband sending her a message of Triple Talaq on her mobile for divorcing her," Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted. "I assured her that Madhya Pradesh police will make all possible efforts to ensure that she gets justice," Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a series of tweets on the matter. "After years of struggle by Muslim women, a law was framed to ban the triple talaq in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but few vile people are still playing with it," he said. "I have spoken to the Director General of Police (DGP) on the issue and asked him to coordinate with the Bengaluru police for taking proper action for getting justice to the Muslim sister,"  the Chief Minister said. The family shifted to Bengaluru in 2013. The woman alleged that her husband often harassed her for dowry. In June this year, he told her that she would have to bring Rs 25 lakh from her parents if she wanted to stay with him, and later forced her to leave the house, she said. He also refused to allow her to take the children along. The woman returned to her mother's house in Bhopal. On July 31, the man called her brother and told him that she was giving him a lot of trouble, so he was divorcing her by uttering talaq thrice right away, the police official said. A case under the Dowry Prohibition Act and Muslim Women Act has been registered, he added. With PTI inputs      

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Mysuru’s Dasara festival to be a low-key affair this year: Karnataka CM

The chief minister said that the festival will be celebrated per traditions but with COVID-19 restrictions such as physical distancing and no large public gatherings.

TNM Staff

Similar to the muted Ganesh Chaturthi and Muharram festival celebrations this week, the famous Mysuru Dasara festival in October will also be low-key, with restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said on Friday. "The 10-day Dasara festival from October 16-26 will be celebrated in a simple but traditional way with the COVID-19 curbs to maintain physical distancing and preventing large gatherings in public places for containing the virus spread," said Yediyurappa after offering prayers at the Cauvery river at the Krishnarajasagara (KRS) dam in Mandya. With no let-up in the number of infections across the southern state over six months after the outbreak started in mid-March, the state-sponsored Dasara fete will be held on the lines of the in Odisha's June 23 Jagannath Rath Yatra which happened in Puri without people and tourists gathering to witness the grand spectacle. On the 10th day of the Dasara, a victory parade on caparisoned elephants is held from the Amba Vilas Royal Palace at the city centre to Bannimantap ground, to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Celebrated as "Naada Habba" (state festival), the ten-day event every year showcases Karnataka's cultural heritage resplendent with folk art forms.   However, reports suggest that the elephant procession, a feature of the annual Dasara festival celebrations will be dropped this year.  "The Dasara nada habba (state festival) will be held with adherence to traditions and respecting the sentiments of the people. The modalities will be worked out in consultation with the Union Ministries of Home Affairs and Health in view of the COVID-19 contagion," said Yediyurappa. Though an estimated 10 lakh people visit Mysuru during the Dasara festival, the restrictions due to COVID-19 will likely limit the footfall this year. As the city of palaces and cultural capital of Karnataka, Mysuru also attracts thousands of tourists from across the country and overseas during Dasara and Deepavali festivals every year. "Dasara is the peak tourist season for Mysuru, with maximum number of visitors on the 9th and 10th day of the festival for ayudha (armoury) puja and Vijayadashami. A subdued festival will affect the tourist and hospitality sectors, as COVID-19-induced curbs will keep people away," said Mysuru Hotel Owners Association President C Narayana Gowda.

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Bengaluru reports over 2,900 coronavirus cases for second day in a row

Coronavirus

Bengaluru also reported 2,580 COVID-19 recoveries on Friday.

TNM Staff

Image for representation/PTI

Bengaluru has reported over 2,900 COVID-19 cases for the second day in a row. On Friday, the city reported 2,948 new patients. The previous day, Bengaluru had recorded 2,912 coronavirus cases, and on Wednesday, 2,804 cases. Between August 15 and August 17 (both days inclusive) the number had stayed below 2,200. However, on August 14, the city had reported its highest single day spike yet – 3,495 cases. Bengaluru also reported 2,580 recoveries on Friday, highest being among men in the 40 to 49 age group. Twenty-two people succumbed to COVID-19 on Friday, most of them being men in the 60 to 69 age group, and both men and women over the age of 70. Meanwhile, men in the age group of 30 to 39 accounted for a majority of the new patients. In the last 10 days, the west zone has reported a majority of the new cases in the city (25%). South zone and east zone have reported 16% and 17% each, while Bommanahali has 13% of the patients. RR Nagara and Mahadevapura each accounted for 9% of the cases in the past 10 days while Dasarahalli accounted for 5% of them. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has not updated the containment zone numbers for Friday. On Thursday, there were 16,497 active containment zones here, down 172 from the previous day. According to the last update, the west zone has a majority of active containment zones in the city (over 3,800), followed by south zone (3,046) and east zone (2,670). Further, 57% of the containment zones in the city have returned to normal status while 43% are active. A total of 1,02,270 people have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Bengaluru till date, of which 21,509 are active. Cumulatively, 40,547 people have recovered from COVID-19 in the city, and 1,102 have died.    

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Karnataka govt issues protocol for liquid oxygen use after shortage at KIMS

Coronavirus

On Monday, 47 patients had to be shifted from Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Bengaluru, due to shortage of liquid oxygen.

TNM Staff

PTI Image for representation

Following the shortage of liquid oxygen at a government hospital in Bengaluru, the worst affected in Karnataka for COVID-19, the state government has put in place a protocol for the medical establishment regarding how much oxygen they should use on a case-by-case basis. The government was put in a tight spot on Monday when 47 seriously ill patients had to be shifted from Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Bengaluru. The Health in-charge Minister for Bengaluru’s COVID-19 situation, Dr K Sudhakar told reporters at the time, that the need for liquid oxygen was ‘not estimated’, during the pandemic situation. The Minister added that ‘it was no one’s fault.’ Read: 'Did not estimate need for liquid oxygen': Minister K Sudhakar on shortage at KIMS However, the government has now decided to take action in this regard, and has issued instructions on when and how medical professionals could use oxygen, based on various scenarios. A circular posted by the Karnataka Additional Chief Secretary Javaid Akhtar noted, “There is an unprecedented surge in the demand of Oxygen to treat COVID-19 patients. The Clinical Expert Committee has conducted an analysis of the usage of Oxygen, which reveals that there is a non-judicious and excessive use of Oxygen Therapy without Proper monitoring.” The government also said, “Excessive usage, besides having deleterious health effects, is resulting in the wastage of precious resource leading to a shortage of the commodity and waste of money.” The government has now put out a protocol to know when and how to use the precious resource of liquid oxygen. “The Clinical Expert Committee has considered it necessary to issue guidelines for a judicious use of Oxygen as a Therapy to treat COVID-19 patients. The Oxygen Therapy protocol is finalised by the Clinical Expert Committee.” The protocol has a detailed algorithm that doctors must follow, envisaging scenarios from COVID-19 patients who need reservoir masks, to simple face mask to nasal cannula with various quantities of oxygen. The algorithm also notes how much oxygen the medical establishment must use, based on the severity of the patients’ symptoms or suffering. The full protocol can be viewed here: https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1296836486197735427/photo/1 According to the circular issued by the government, “All Health Institutions and Doctors are advised to strictly adhere to the recommended protocol.”

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‘First priority should be regional language’: Kannada organisations on 3-language policy

Policy

Prajwal Revanna, the Member of Parliament from Hassan, tweeted on Friday promising his full support in opposing the trilingual policy.

Apoorva GS

Amid the debate over the three-language policy included in the new National Education Policy 2020, Prajwal Revanna, the Member of Parliament from Hassan, on Friday, promised his full support in opposing the trilingual policy. “I will always be with you until you find a logical end to the struggle of youths who can speak two languages fluently. Let us endeavour to put an end to the trilingual policy with the central government’s attention on this issue in the Lok Sabha as well as outside the Lok Sabha,” Prajwal tweeted on Friday. The three-language formula in the NEP 2020 has created an uproar in southern states, with political leaders slamming the ‘Hindi imposition’ by the Centre. Along with many social media users, Prajwal's cousin Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the son of former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, also took a stand against the trilingual policy. He said, “Making Hindi mandatory in the curriculum is an unnecessary burden for school children. The time devoted to learning Hindi can be used to learn life skills. While English is accepted as a language of communication by the whole world, there’s no necessity to add Hindi to it.” Speaking to TNM on the three-language formula, TS Nagabharana, President of Kannada Development Authority (KDA), said that first priority should be given to the regional language only. “Be it a bilingual policy or trilingual policy, the first priority should be always given to the regional languages. When children are given a choice to choose any language after fifth grade, they will be spoilt for choice and won’t be able to learn any language completely at the end,” he said. Former Chairman of the KDA, SG Siddaramaiah told TNM that the tri-lingual policy will impact children of south India more than it would the children in the north. “The trilingual policy doesn’t have much impact on the north Indians because most of them speak Hindi. But as far as South Indians are concerned, learning Hindi is left to each individual’s interest. Implementing this policy will increase the dominance of North India. So this policy shouldn’t be accepted by our state,” he said. “A room for discussion has to be created in every state where people from different sectors can come forward and give their inputs,” he added. The new National Education policy 2020, released by the government last month, says, “The three-language formula will continue to be implemented while keeping in mind the Constitutional provisions, aspirations of the people, regions, and the Union, and the need to promote multilingualism as well as promote national unity. However, there will be a greater flexibility in the three-language formula, and no language will be imposed on any State. The three languages learned by children will be the choices of States, regions, and of course the students themselves, so long as at least two of the three languages are native to India.” The NEP 2020, prepared by the committee headed by space scientist K Kasturirangan has triggered a political storm in non-Hindi speaking states, like Tamil Nadu. MK Stalin, the President of the opposition party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, had warned that his party would be forced to launch another agitation against Hindi imposition. The debate over imposing the Hindi language in Karnataka is not new for Kannadigas. There has been a constant resistance to the efforts to impose Hindi in the banking and education sector.  “Learning two languages was mandatory and also very convenient for school kids. Adapting trilingual policy is nothing but forcefully imposing the third language on us. This is nothing but a backdoor entry for the Hindi language,” said Ganesha Chetan, convenor of the Kannada Grahakara Koota.  In 2019, when Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that “Hindi is the only language that can unify the country,” many ruling and opposition party leaders, activists and members of the Kannada Development Authority in Karnataka had opposed Shah’s statement. Later, Chief Minister Yediyurappa too had taken a stand. “All official languages in our country are equal. However, as far as Karnataka is concerned, Kannada is the principal language. We will never compromise its importance and are committed to promoting Kannada and our state’s culture,” tweeted Chief Minister Yediyurappa. Opposition party leader Siddaramaiah had then said, “India has a rich history and diverse geography. Each explains its own vibrant culture and practice. We have to embrace the diversity to remain United. Amit Shah is like a wicked insider in a joint family who find ways to break the unity. This home wrecker needs to be taught a lesson.” In 2017, protests against the imposition of Hindi on metro signboards on the Centre’s direction had received support from activists, writers and Pro-Kannada organizations like the KDA.

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'Will help estate mafia': Former IAS officer on Karnataka's plan to auction seized land

Policy

“There is no meaning in auctioning government land as vested interests will inadvertently take over," says retired IAS officer V Balasubramanian.

Theja Ram

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa

The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday discussed the auctioning of government land parcels that were seized from encroachers. The Karnataka government also expects to make Rs 3,000 crore from the sale of these prime properties including land that was leased out to various institutions.  According to TOI, in the first phase, litigation-free land covering an area of 107 acres, estimated to cost Rs 500 crore will be sold via e-auction. The government is planning to sell these properties as the state’s coffers are depleting in the wake of the pandemic. Besides, during the 2020-21 budget, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had mentioned that the government is short on funds.  According to Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban, Shivamurthy, the Bengaluru Development Authority is planning to sell civic amenities sites to 21 trusts, which was also mentioned in the TOI report. These include religious and educational institutes, and various recreational clubs. In addition, 1,200 civic amenities sites that were leased to private persons including Bangalore Golf Club, will be sold. The total sale value is pegged at Rs 3,000 crore. However, Shivamurthy told TNM that the state government will have stipulations on what sort of constructions can come up on these land parcels.  “In civic amenities sites being sold large parcels of land will be mandated to have public spaces like parks and playgrounds,” he added. Is auctioning government land a good idea?  Speaking to TNM, retired IAS officer V Balasubramanian, who had written an 87-page report titled 'Greed and Connivance' in 2011, had pointed out how connivance of government officials had allowed land grabbing in Bengaluru city. Balasubramanian maintains that auctioning government land will only ensure that it would end up in the hands of vested interests.  “In 2010 and 2011, when the BJP government was in power, the then Bengaluru Deputy Commissioner and Revenue Secretary had auctioned off government land. At the time, we found that these land parcels were purchased by real estate people, who were in fact encroaching on these lands. But they were bought through benami companies. It was then the government stopped auctioning these properties and now it has started again,” V Balasubramanian said. In his report, V Balasubramanian had documented how a residential layout in Whitefield had “stolen” 40 acres of government land after the government had granted the land for a chicory manufacturing unit in 1966. Another shocking revelation was how a hospital located near Bannerghatta Road, is located on 5 acres of land that was given by the government to a third party for the construction of a cancer hospital which never materialised. “There is no meaning in auctioning government land as vested interests will inadvertently take over. The auction will be rigged and obviously no person outside the real estate sphere will bid. Huge parcels of land will be sold to select parties and the price the government will get is negligible when actually, the market value would be close to rs 1 lakh crore,” Balasubramanian added.  What can be done instead? V Balasubramanian suggested that the government use these seized properties for rehabilitation of slums within the city. Currently, the state government and the Karnataka Slum Development Board end up shifting slum dwellers 20 to 30 km away from the city after rehabilitation.  “Slum dwellers need to be within the city so they can reach their work places without having to spend too much money. These parcels of land are located within the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) limits. The slum board should be allowed to construct alternative housing for the poor in this land,” he added. 

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