Chennai-Mysuru bullet train project: Railways invites bid for survey work

Transport

Once completed, the distance between the two cities is expected to be covered in two and a half hours.

Representational image

The Indian Railways has invited bids to develop a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed 450-km Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai High Speed Rail (bullet train) project connecting Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The tender was issued on Tuesday by the National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) and has to be submitted by January 12. According to the tender document, the contractor has to survey, identify overheads and overground utilities and identify power sourcing options for substation.  With the project, the distance between Mysuru and Chennai is expected to be covered in two and a half hours. At present, the journey takes seven hours via the Shatabdi Express, the fastest train on the route. Other than Bengaluru, the trains will have stoppages in Mandya, Channapatna, Bangarpet, Chittor, Arakkonam and Poonamallee.   According to rail officials, the tenders for civil works are likely to be issued as early as April next year, given the project gets budgetary allocation. This Mysuru-Chennai line is one of the six such high-speed rail projects proposed by the Railways. The project between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, the country's first such high-speed corridor, is likely to be completed by early 2024. Trains are expected to reach speeds over 300 km/hr on these corridors. Average speeds on these corridors are going to be around 250 km/hr.   According to the tender documents, the trains will have a capacity of 750 passengers and the fares are likely to be 1.5x higher than that of existing First-Class AC compartment fares. Commenting on this, railway columnist and policy analyst Chitresh Shrivastva, said, “The Mysuru-Chennai corridor proposed by the government becomes important as the aviation sector is yet to develop in Mysuru under the UDAN scheme. The railways should treat this as an opportunity to facilitate faster connectivity between the two cities of importance. He added, “It however comes with challenges like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line facing land acquisition hurdles. There are high chances of a similar apprehension amongst people in the agricultural regions here. The government therefore should emphasise on community engagement to prevent any unforeseen circumstances which might result in stalling or delay in the project completion. This might also attract negative sentiments of the participants involved in the project.”

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Census armies pivot to vaccine outreach with minorities

"It’s not as easy as the census," said one CEO of a Chicago nonprofit. "It’s a deeper conversation."

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Staggered classes, teachers to get COVID-19 test: Guidelines for Karnataka govt schools

Education

Parents will be given the choice of sending students to school.

TNM Staff

PTI : Image for representation

The Karnataka government on Wednesday issued a fresh set of guidelines for restarting schools for Classes 10 and 12. Guidelines were also released for restarting the Vidyagama scheme for Classes 6 to 9. As per the guidelines, school for students of Classes 10 and 12 will commence from January 1 and for Class 11, it will commence on January 15. The Vidyagama scheme for students of Classes 6 to 9 will begin on January 1 and for classes 1 to 5, it will begin on January 15. Parents will be given the choice of sending students to school from these dates. The decision to reopen schools will be reviewed on December 28 and 29 after the emergence of the new strain of the virus. Teachers will have to get a negative COVID-19 test certificate before returning to teach in schools. The guidelines stated that classes will be held in two shifts — from 10 am to 12.30 pm and from 2 pm to 4 pm, on alternate days, for students in the Vidyagama scheme. Regular classes for Class 10 students will be held every day from 10 am to 12.30 pm. School authorities have the freedom to change the schedule to fit their demands. The guidelines also specified stringent implementation of COVID-19 distancing rules and to adopt methods used while holding examinations in schools this year. If any student or teacher shows symptoms of COVID-19, they will be isolated in a room in the school and district health authorities will be immediately notified. Teachers over 50-years old will have to use a face shield in addition to a mask. Students and teachers will be urged to carry water from their home for drinking. Health Minister K. Sudhakar said that the state government's main intention is to safeguard children and parents' interests. "We are also planning to have another round of sero surveillance survey, in order to know the trend and prevalence of the pandemic in the state," he said. Degree and engineering colleges in the state were reopened on November 17, while medical and paramedical colleges reopened on December 1 after being shut down for nearly nine months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Government school students in the state have not had online education unlike their private school counterparts. The Vidyagama scheme started earlier in the year was halted in October after reports of COVID-19 cases.

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Friendship with Kumaraswamy remains intact: DK Shivakumar

Politics

This comes even as the war of words between several Congress leaders and the JD(S) continues.

TNM Staff

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said that he would maintain his cordial relationship with Janata Dal (S) second-in-command HD Kumaraswamy. In response to a question, Shivakumar said that as he has overcome his negative feelings for Kumaraswamy, irrespective of any scenario, he considers the JD(S) leader will be his friend. This comes even as the war of words between several Congress leaders and the JD(S) continues. After the collapse of the coalition government, former CMs Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy have engaged in several blame games, exchanging accusations about who was responsible for the JD(S)-Congress government’s collapse. But Shivakumar’s unambiguous statement saying his friendship with Kumaraswamy continues will be seen as politically tricky. Speaking to reporters here, Shivakumar conceded that at one point he detested Kumaraswamy a lot but now he has overcome that negative feeling. "We are humans, all of us have bad qualities and bad temperament. It is only that we have to overcome these negative thoughts in order to live in peace," he said. "Why is the media terming him as my old friend? I did detest him in the past, but not anymore. I am not having any problems with him," he retorted. Answering another question, Shivakumar said that JD(S) as a political party has every right to align with any party it chooses. "I will not comment on their politics. I will not deride that party. JD(S) is also a party like us, they have the right to build their party. Why should we criticise the JD(S) we have taken their help whenever we wanted, just because they are not with us, it is not appropriate to criticise them now," he said. While Kumaraswamy and Congress leader Siddaramaiah have continued to attack each other at every possible occasion, Shivakumar has not spoken against Kumarswamy much barring one or two occasions, that too mildly. While the two are considered the tallest Vokkaliga leaders currently, their continued friendship might not be well received within Congress.  (With IANS inputs)

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'Aake' to 'Arishadvarga': 5 Kannada neo-noir films and where you can watch them

Sandalwood

Neo-noir films usually have a cynical attitude and revolve around crime

Sanjana Deshpande

Rooted in the German Expressionist Movement, the style film noir emerged in the United States against the backdrop of the Great Depression which lasted from 1929 to 1933. The noir films usually had a cynical attitude and presented stories of crime. The films were largely associated with the black-and-white visual style and had low-key lighting (technique of using just the key light to create stark contrasts, also called chiaroscuro effect). Neo-noir was an attempt at revival of the noir. Although the two genres are stylistically the same—replete with low-key lighting, unbalanced framing, Dutch angle, blurry boundaries between good and bad— a distinct feature sets them apart. Neo-noir was rooted more in the French New Wave which emerged in the 1950s. Quite a few Indian films have been made in neo-noir style, and the Kannada film industry too is trying to push boundaries with the genre. Here’s a list of five Sandalwood neo-noir films that were appreciated by the critics and audiences. Ulidavaru Kandante The neo-noir crime anthology marked Rakshit Shetty’s debut in the industry in 2014. From the onset, the actor-filmmaker has proved his mettle. The film revolves around one incident: a murder during Krishna Janmashtami in Malpe, near Udupi, and five people recounting it from their own perspective. Rakshit appears alongside Tara, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Rishab Shetty and Yagna Shetty. The film managed to stay afloat at the box office reasonably well, and critics were impressed with the direction and enthralling performances of the cast. Watch this film on MX Player Aake The KM Chaitanya directorial received positive responses from audiences and critics alike when it released in 2017. The neo-noir horror film starring Sharmeila Mandre and the late Chiranjeevi Sarja showcased parallel storylines—of a single mother based in Bengaluru and an artist based in London—merging into one and resolving the horror-inducing suspense towards the end. The camerawork of this film is brilliant. It manages to spook the audiences and keep them on the edge. If you are someone that loves a good scare, this is the film for you. This film is a remake of 2015 Tamil film Maya. Catch this film on Jio Cinema. Mufti The multi-starrer by debutant Narthan is an action-packed film. The film narrates the story of police personnel on an undercover mission in a lawless land, Ronapura, run by a local don Bhairathi, essayed by Shiva Rajkumar. Sriimurali essaying the character of Ganna, the undercover officer, realises bewildering things about his nemesis throughout the 160 minutes of its running time. The film ends with a surprising action sequence involving Shiva Rajkumar and Sriimurali. The grim background score lends it a darker touch. The neo-noir film was a commercial success. This film is available on ZEE5 for streaming.   Kavaludaari Kavaludaari is a neo-noir thriller starring Rishi, Anant Nag, Achyuth Kumar, Suman Ranganathan and Roshni Prakash. The film revolves around a dissatisfied Shyam (Rishi), traffic police, who wishes to be transferred into the crime department. Things take a bizarre turn when he unofficially starts investigating a case. During the course, he unearths the long-buried secrets of an influential politician. This slow-paced whodunit managed to woo the audiences. The soundtrack of the film, by Charan Raj, was also well received. Among the limited films in the genre, the Hemanth M Rao directorial manages to hook the audiences with the gripping narrative, most of it sporadic. It steers clear of conventional storytelling ways seen in Sandalwood films. Watch Kavaludaari on Voot. Arishadvarga Written, directed and produced by Arvind Kamath, the neo-noir mystery thriller first released in June at the London Indian Film Festival. The theatrical release, however, was on November 27, 2020. Arishadvarga stars Anju Alva Naik, Avinash, Samyukta Hornad, Mahesh Bung, Nanda Gopal, MG Sathya and Sripathi Manjanabayalu in prominent roles. This film too offers multiple accounts of a murder from various characters —   a gigolo, an aspiring actor, a film editor married to a producer, a thief and others. Except for a bunch of scenes, the film otherwise is fairly well-lit which is a deviation from what noir films usually have. The film managed to connect with the audiences. The film is still being screened at theatres in multiple cities. 

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Bengaluru civic body commissioner tests positive for coronavirus, in quarantine

COVID-19

Prasad has requested all who came into contact with him in the last few days to undergo a COVID-19 test and isolate themselves.

TNM Staff

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner and senior IAS officer N Manjunath Prasad has tested coronavirus positive and been quarantined at a private hospital in Bengaluru, an official said on Wednesday. "Prasad tested COVID-19 positive on Tuesday and has been admitted to Mallige hospital after he complained of fever and related symptoms," Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) spokesman N Suresh told IANS. Prasad has requested all who came into contact with him in the last few days to undergo a COVID-19 test and isolate themselves.   He had met Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, and BBMP administrator Gaurav Gupta at an event on Sunday and a couple of civic officials at a budget meeting on Monday. This development comes as Bengaluru continues to be the hotbed of infections compared to the rest of the state even though there has been a drop in infection and fatality rates gradually.  While Karnataka reported 958 fresh COVID-19 cases and nine related fatalities  on Wednesday, as many as 550 were from Bengaluru Urban district alone. With this cumulatively 9,12,340 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, with Bengaluru Urban district topping  the list of positive cases with a total of 3,84,366 infections. Among recoveries too, Bengaluru Urban was on top with 3,71,081 discharges. In wake of the new strain of the virus detected in the UK, the Karnataka government on Wednesday issued a fresh Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for returnees from the United Kingdom, mandating RT-PCR tests at airports for each traveller from the country and isolation in a separate unit of an institutional facility for positive cases. India suspended all passenger flights connecting the UK from Wednesday till December 31 or till further orders. The Karnataka Health Department said that it had traced and tested all travellers who came to the state from the UK on December 20 and 21. The results of their tests are awaited.

Body 2: 

(PTI and IANS)

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Bengaluru’s COVID-19 fatality rate sees rise in December, experts say nothing to worry

COVID-19

Bengaluru has seen a slight increase in CFR of COVID-19 cases bucking the trend of a steady dip on a month-on-month basis since July.

Soumya Chatterjee

Since the start of December, Bengaluru has seen a slight increase in case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19 cases bucking the trend of a steady dip on a month-on-month basis since July. CFR is a measure of the number of deaths for every 100 positive cases.  This even as the positivity rate which had also spiked in July, had maintained its steady decline in December on a month-on-month basis. Positivity rate is defined as the number of positive cases for every 100 tests.  According to data tabled by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike COVID-19 War Room, the CFR for December so far is at 1.08% which is slightly higher than that of 0.85% of November. In fact, since the onset of the pandemic in March, only July had seen a rise in CFR to 1.85% from 1.69% in June. Otherwise since April, the CFR had always dropped from the previous month. But experts deem this slight increase to be insignificant and deem this to be a non-issue. Commenting on this, Dr Trilok Chandra, senior IAS officer, heading the COVID-19 Critical Care Support Committee, said, “It is not that in true numbers the number of deaths have increased. Since the numerator has come down dramatically, that is actually leading to a scenario where the CFR is reflecting higher. The number of admission in ICUs (intensive care units) or total number of daily cases are dropping.”  Dr Pradeep Banandur, an epidemiologist at NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health And Neurological Sciences) also thinks this is not a reason to worry. “As of now, there is no cause for alarm as the increase is not statistically significant and it is known to fluctuate in this way and these ups and downs are likely to occur but the overall trend is downwards.” Cumulatively since the onset of the pandemic, Bengaluru has a CFR of 1.11% (lowest compared to New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai) while the state average is at 1.3% and the national average is at 1.5%. The target CFR set by the union government is 1%. Cumulatively, the positivity rate in Bengaluru is at 7.1% which is also the lowest compared to New Delhi, Mumbai, and  Chennai. According to a section of experts, positivity and fatality rates are a true reflection of the infection scenario as the number of cases may remain low due to a low number of tests conducted. Case in point, while Bengaluru has the second highest number of cases compared to New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, it has the lowest positivity rate and CFR.

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