IAS officer to take over Bengaluru administration until new BBMP council is elected

Civic

IAS officer Gaurav Gupta will hold this post until a new set of corporators are elected again by 2020-end.

TNM Staff

With the five-year term of the present council of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) corporators coming to an end on Thursday, senior IAS officer Gaurav Gupta will take charge as the administer of Bengaluru city. Now, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad will report to Gupta. Gupta, presently serving as the Principal Secretary of Commerce and Industry Department, was chosen for the post following a meeting headed by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, Chief Secretary Vijaya Bhaskar and Additional Chief Secretary Ramanna Reddy on Thursday.  He will hold this post until a new set of corporators are elected again with the BBMP Council polls set to be held by the end of the year. The civic polls have been deferred due to the COVID-19 polls and the delimitation process of BBMP wards. The State Election Commission has so far said that the final voter list will be ready by November-end. This means the plea of the city corporators led by Mayor Goutham Kumar have been ignored. The corporators of both the ruling BJP and of the opposition parties had demanded that the present term of this Council be extended by six months. Incidentally Leader of Opposition in the Council Abdul Wajid of the Congress had alleged appointing an administrator is illegal and there is no such provision under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act. It may be recalled that Chief Secretary Bhaskar was appointed as the administrator of BBMP in 2015. At that time, Gupta was posted as a Special Commissioner in BBMP. In 2015, the state cabinet had superseded the Council following a report which cited multiple irregularities by senior IAS officer Rajendra Kumar Kataria.  During his stint as the BBMP administrator, Bhaskar had earned the praise of the public due to his regular field visits, spot inspections and his approachable nature. He was also involved in ensuring that penalties from errant contractors were also collected in due time. 

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Heavy rainfall predicted in parts of Karnataka, red warning in 4 districts

Weather

Coastal districts, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada districts are very likely to experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places.

TNM Staff

Representative

The Indian Meteorological Department has warned of extremely heavy rains over the south interior and coastal Karnataka. Capital Bengaluru is expected to receive rain or thundershower on September 10 and 11. South interior Karnataka and north interior Karnataka are likely to experience vigorous monsoon rainfall till September 14. Coastal Karnataka is very likely to experience widespread rainfall from September 10 to 14.  IMD director CS Patil has said that coastal districts, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada district are very likely to experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall that is more than 20 cm, for which a red warning has been announced on September 10 and 11. In these areas, an orange warning has been issued for September 12 and a yellow warning has been issued for September 13 and 14.  North interior Karnataka is very likely to experience widespread rainfall from September 10 to 14. Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgiri, Belagavi, Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag, Koppala, Raichur are expected to receive isolated heavy rainfall for which a yellow warning has been issued from September 10 to 13 and an orange warning has been declared for September 14.  South interior Karnataka is likely to experience widespread rainfall from September 10 to 14. Shivamogga, Chikkamangaluru, Hassan and Kodagu districts are likely to experience isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall. A red warning has been announced for September 10 and 11 and a yellow warning has been issued on  September 12. Chamarajanagara, Mysuru, Mandya, Ramanagara, Bengaluru, Chikkabalapura, Kolar, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Davanagere and Ballari districts are very likely to experience isolated heavy rainfall for which yellow warning has been announced on September 10 and 11. An orange warning has been issued which asks authorities to ‘be prepared’ and red warning has been issued which denotes authorities to take action, and a yellow warning has been issued which denotes to notify people who are at risk because of their location and/or activity and to allow them to take preventive action for next five days in parts of Karnataka.  These weather conditions are seen due to the presence of the monsoon trough lying between the north of its normal position and the eastern end lying to its normal position. The IMD has advised fishermen not to enter the sea as the wind speed is very likely to reach 45 to 55 km per hour in the coastal areas in the state. 

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Sharavathi hydel power plant: Karnataka HC issues notice to state govt

Environment

Citing environmental laws, the petitioner stated that such hydroelectric projects cannot be allowed inside a wildlife sanctuary.

Soumya Chatterjee

File image

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday issued notices to the state government and other agencies while hearing the public interest litigation (PIL) filed against the ongoing survey and geotechnical investigation for the Sharavathi Valley hydropower project in Shivamogga district.  The petitioner, Edward Santosh Martin, has opposed the project stating that the project should not be allowed to proceed as it violates multiple environmental laws and poses an imminent threat to the endangered Lion-tailed Macaque. “It is submitted that there is an imminent threat to its existing population and habitat from the ongoing ‘Survey and Geotechnical Investigation’ entailing drilling 12 boreholes (2x2 inches diameter) inside the Sharavathi Valley LTM (Lion-Tailed Macaque) Sanctuary during the heavy monsoon month of August, which also is the breeding season for the species. The survey work is being undertaken by the Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (user agency), which will ultimately lead to the establishment of 2,000 mega-watts pump storage hydro-electric project, affecting 877.57 hectares of the forest of the Sharavathi Valley LTM Sanctuary,” the petition said. The Sharavathi River, which originates in the central Western Ghats region, flows westward through Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka before joining the Arabian Sea. The Linganamakki Dam (located close to the Jog Falls) and the Gerusoppa Dam have been built on the river. The Sharavathi Project is a 2,000MW hydroelectric project and aims to pump water from downstream reservoirs — Talakalale and Gerusoppa — to generate electricity. The petitioner submitted that the establishment of the hydro-electric project is a prohibited activity in the Eco-Sensitive Zone of any National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and that such a project is not allowed inside a Wildlife Sanctuary mentioned under section 29 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It was earlier widely reported how the power project was opposed on various grounds, especially because the project has been planned within the limits of the Sharavathi Valley Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) Sanctuary.  These forests are also known for Myristica swamps, an ancient evergreen forest system. These freshwater swamp forests are home to a range of species of reptiles, birds and amphibians.  Other than Sharavathi Valley, these swamps are only found in just two areas in India — Karnataka's Uttara Kannada district and in southern Kerala. Further objections were raised with the timing of the ongoing survey in monsoon. Incidentally, one of the conditions for the survey process laid down by the Forest Department is that the drilling had to be halted during the south-west monsoon.  Ecologists consider the monsoon period as the rejuvenation time for the swamps and the drilling work, especially at this time, could upset the ecological balance of the forest area. Speaking to TNM, Sreeja Chakraborty, advocate for the petitioner said that the HC has directed all the respondents to file their response by September 30 and appear before the court.

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Karnataka govt doctor, who had to drive auto rickshaw to earn his living, reinstated

Controversy

Speaking with TNM, Dr Ravindranath said he will join as the new District Family Welfare Officer in Koppal.

TNM Staff

Dr Ravindranath MH, a veteran Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department doctor, has got his first posting in two years following wide-scale media coverage of him being forced to drive an auto-rickshaw to earn a living. Photos and videos of him riding an auto with “Harassed by IAS Officers’ Misrule” painted in the front and back had gone viral. The wide-scale media coverage had led to the Health Minister taking notice of Dr Ravindranath’s plight with the former saying that he will look into the issue.  The posting was given to Dr Ravindranath after Health Minister B Sriramulu intervened. Speaking with TNM, Dr Ravindranath said he will join as the new District Family Welfare Officer in Koppal. “I am happy with the posting. I am currently on my way to Koppal and will report to duty in the evening,” he said.  It was on Sunday that the issue of alleged harassment by IAS officers leading to Dr Ravindranath being left without a posting for two years came to light even during this pandemic. Dr Ravindranth who had joined government service more than 20 years ago, was posted in Ballari district. His last posting was the district Reproductive and Child Health Officer.  But left without a posting and his salary withheld for more than a year, he was working as an auto driver in Davanagere. He said his ordeal started in 2018 when he apparently did not cooperate with an IAS officer and as a result he was wrongly penalized regarding hiring outsourced medical staff. While he had got relief from the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT), he was shortchanged by IAS officers yet again.  He said while he had served in rural areas for 17 years, he was given a taluk-level post upon reinstatement. He approached the KAT again, where it was said that he be reinstated at a district level post within a month in 2018. But the KAT orders were not complied and he has been left without a post since then. It was only after he was left without a post, Dr Ravindranth decided to buy an auto to earn his living.

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Bengaluru police seize 1,350 kg marijuana stored in a goat farm

Crime

The Seshadripuram Police said that huge amounts of marijuana was were being brought from Odisha to Karnataka in vegetable trucks.

Theja Ram

Bengaluru City Police

The Bengaluru Police on Thursday seized 1 ton, 350 kg and 300 grams of marijuana stored underground at a goat farm in Kalaburagi district. After arresting an auto rickshaw driver, who was allegedly selling drugs to college students, the Seshadripuram police followed the trail of evidence and unearthed huge amounts of marijuana stored underground at a goat farm in Kalaburagi district.  The police have arrested four persons in connection with the case. Seshadripuram Police said that huge amounts of marijuana was were being brought from Odisha to Karnataka in vegetable trucks and the accused were involved in distributing them across the state and even in Maharashtra.  #Bengaluru cops seize 1,350 kg ganja at a goat farm in #Kalaburagi huge amounts of ganja were being transported in vegetable trucks and stored underground. @thenewsminute @dhanyarajendran pic.twitter.com/7bBn4mVook — Theja Ram (@thejaram92) September 10, 2020 The four accused include Jnanashekhar, the 37-year-old autorickshaw driver from Bengaluru, who allegedly sold the marijuana to college students in the city; Siddunath Lavate, a 22-year-old from Vijayapura’s Sindagi and owner of a 30 acre plot, who allegedly bought the marijuana from two other suppliers and transported it to Bengaluru and Mumbai; Naganath, a 39-year-old resident of Aurad in Bidar, who owned a clothing shop that went under during the lockdown. Police say that he turned to dealing drugs to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to earn a living over the last five months; and Chandrakanth a 34-year-old resident of Kalaji in Kalaburagi district, who is the owner of the goat farm, where the marijuana was stored.  Accused Siddunath Lavate (left), Chanadrakanth (centre) and Naganath (right) How the racket was busted On August 30, based on a tip off, the Seshadripuram Police arrested Jnanashekhar. The police had received information that he was allegedly storing marijuana in his autorickshaw and selling it to college students in the city. The police say they seized 2kg and 100 gm of marijuana from him. “He was not disclosing information as to where he got the contraband initially. If a person has 2kg of ganja and is directly selling it to students, it was obvious he had a handler who probably had larger quantities of ganja,” the Seshadripuram police said.  Interrogation revealed that Jnanashekar allegedly procured the marijuana from a 22-year-old man named Siddunath Lavate. Originally from Vijayapura, Siddunath was living in Madanayakanahalli in Bengaluru. The police arrested Siddunath Lavate on September 6 and seized 200 gm of marijuana. “It was suspicious that a handler had very little amount of ganja with him. After questioning, he revealed that the marijuana in his possession was over and a new shipment was slated to arrive in a few days,” the police said.  Further investigation revealed that these huge shipments were either coming from Bidar or Kalaburagi. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Anuchet and the Seshadripuram police approached Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Soumendra Mukherjee. Based on information, on September 8, the police intercepted a shipment of 150 kilograms of marijuana along NH 50 between Bidar and Kalaburagi. Two men -- Naganath and Chandrakanth were arrested while they were transporting the shipment near the NH 50 toll gate.  The probe led them to Lattu Nayak Tanda, a hamlet in Kalaburagi district, where accused Chandrakanth allegedly confessed to stocking huge amounts of marijuana. When the team of officers entered Chandrakanth’s goat farm, they realised there were no sheep inside the structure meant to house the goats.  The accused Chandrakanth, who was with the team during the spot inspection, showed them a trapdoor buried under the soil. Police officers dug out the mud and found a wooden trapdoor. When they opened it, they found a huge underground storage room, where boxes wrapped in white plastic and clingfilm, were stocked inside.  Over the last five months, Chandrakanth and Naganath have traveled to Odisha in Naganath’s truck, loaded boxes of marijuana and placed huge quantities of vegetables on top of them to avoid detection at the toll gate. The contraband was subsequently brought to Chadrakanth’s goat farm, where it was stored underground. This was later transported to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by Naganath, while Chandrakanth took care of transporting it to parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra.  The accused have been booked under 120b (criminal conspiracy) and relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 at the Seshadripuram Police Station.  

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Four elephant electrocution deaths in a month in Karnataka a cause for concern

Wildlife

Wildlife conservationists urge sealing of forest borders and stopping illegal power connections drawn by farmers to avert such elephant deaths.

Girisha

File photo

Electrocution continues to claim lives of elephants that stray from forests areas under the Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) and Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) limits. Worried wildlife conservationists urge sealing of forest borders and proper vigilance to detect illegal power connections drawn by farmers to their fields, among other measures, to bring down such elephant deaths. In the last one month, four elephants have met tragic deaths owing to electrocution – one jumbo was electrocuted in Chikkamagaluru’s Kadur range, another near Subramanya range in Dakshina Kannada (both coming under MESCOM) while the other two electrocution cases happened in Chamarajanagar district, falling under CESC. An elephant carcass found in a field in Hanur of Chamarajnagar Kadur Range Forest Officer Thanuj Kumar arrested a farmer over the electrocution death of the elephant in his jurisdiction. The farmer is accused of drawing power illegally to his farm. As a wildlife conservationist pointed out, on condition of anonymity, such illegal power connections by farmers are rampant in all villages surrounding forests areas. Though elephants dying from electrocution in private fields are more, in some cases, like the tusker that died in Subramanya range, the electrocution happened inside a reserve forest. The elephant was electrocuted when it tried to feast on the fruits and bark of a tree near where a power line passes. One of the worst mass electrocution deaths was reported in Madikeri when four elephants of a family were electrocuted after they stepped on a snapped live wire in a coffee plantation in Virajpet’s Yedoor in June 2017. Subsequently, two other elephants were electrocuted in Madikeri the same year. Figures of electrocution deaths under MESCOM are not available immediately but details gathered on electrocution deaths under CESC since 2008 reveal that more than 100 elephants have met tragic deaths. The districts falling under CESC have the healthiest elephant populations in the state. They consist of vast tracts of forests stretching from Chamarajanagar to Madikeri via Mysuru and wildlife areas including Bandipur, Nagarahole, BR Hills, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary. Vinod Krishnan, a research affiliate attached to the NGO Nature Conservation Foundation, said that routine checks by electricity supply companies are a must. The public can also bring to the notice of officials any low-hanging wires to avert accidents in heavy rainfall areas like Madikeri, Sakleshpur and others. Vinod observed that electrocution deaths have been widespread across elephant ranges, followed by deaths in train accidents. Elephant researcher Surendra Varma from Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science urged forest borders to be sealed and secured with barricades. He added that elephant proof trenches among other steps can prevent elephants straying from forest areas and getting exposed to dangers such as electrocution. To seal the forest boundaries, he urged the state government to release adequate funds. Among the steps initiated to avert electrocution deaths, Subramanya RFO Raghavendra said they have asked MESCOM officials to install aerial bunched cables and underground cables, and take the power lines out of the forest boundaries. CESC officials stated they have taken up installation of intermediary electric poles in places where lines are found sagging and works have been initiated in places such as Madikeri, Kollegal among other places to mitigate electrocution deaths of elephants. CESC Madikeri officials said that electrocution deaths have come down in recent years and only a single case of jumbo electrocution was reported in the last two years. When contacted about action taken in power theft cases, CESC Vigilance Superintendent of Police Rashmi Pareddy said that vigilance personnel create awareness among farmers not to draw illegal power lines to their fields. They also conduct random checks and book erring persons in case of power theft. She regretted that despite awareness and action by the vigilance personnel, incidents of elephant electrocution deaths are still being reported. Girisha is a freelancer who writes on wildlife and the environment.

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Ragini Dwivedi's remand report reveals drug peddlers were tipped off about police move

In its remand application, the CCB has quoted alleged chats between Ragini Dwivedi’s friend Ravi Shankar and another accused Prashanth Ranka.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru police, in its remand application to the 31st Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, has stated that the accused in the drug case were allegedly tipped off two months ago regarding the Central Crime Branch’s probe into the drug use at high profile parties.  The Central Crime Branch sleuths have allegedly recovered chats that accused Ravi Shankar, a friend of Ragini Dwivedi along with another accused person Prashanth Ranka, who has been accused of procuring drugs for these parties that were held at five star hotels, pubs, nightclubs and farmhouses.  Ravi Shankar allegedly wrote, “Don’t talk to drug peddlers,” to which Prashanth Ranka allegedly said that he had not been consuming drugs for a long time. Ravi Shankar and Prashanth Ranka allegedly discussed the probe being conducted by Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sandeep Patil. “Big time tracking is going on...Sandeep Patil sir...Came to know from sources yesterday,” Ravi Shankar allegedly wrote to Prashanth Ranka.  The CCB also stated that they retrieved chats between Ravi Shankar and Sengalese national accused of peddling drugs, Loum Pepper. Ravi Shankar is said to have asked Lou Pepper for a score of drugs less than a gram. “Get very very good stuff… 2G celebrity stuff… Give me less than 1 gram,” Ravi Shankar allegedly wrote in the chat. “No is because it is in rock form that is why it is complete 1G,” Loum Pepper is said to have replied.  CCB sources said that upon interrogation, they learned that Ravi Shankar had procured cocaine, an opiate known to have addictive properties, from Loum Pepper for parties that were held at various locations in the city.  The remand application states that Ragini Dwivedi, her long-time friend Shivaprasad, party planner Viren Khanna, Aditya Alva, Prashanth Ranka, Vaibhav Jain, Loum Pepper, Prashanth Raju, Ashwin, Abhiswamy, Rahul Tonse and others were members of a ring, where high profile parties involving celebrities were organised. The CCB stated that the accused persons procured marijuana, MDMA (ecstasy), cocaine and LSD for these parties for the consumption of those who attended.  Police said that the drugs were procured from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala, Mumbai, Goa and countries abroad. “The accused brought drugs from these places and distributed it to those who attended the parties. There is a need to probe the inter-state and international level drug racket,” the CCB wrote in its remand application. 

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