Bengaluru News Live Updates; Karnataka Winter Assembly Session, December 21: Veteran parliamentarian Basavaraj Horatti was on Wednesday elected unopposed as the Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council, news agency PTI reported. The 76-year-old eight-time elected Member of Legislative Council (MLC) joined the BJP after ending his association with Janata Dal (Secular) in May this year.
The Karnataka Assembly witnessed repeated disruptions and pandemonium as the opposition Congress created a ruckus by staging a protest from the well over Minister Govind Karjol alleged “arrogant” remarks against one of the party’s MLAs.
Meanwhile, as per a PTI report, the Karnataka government may decide on higher quota demand by Panchamasali Lingayats.
The situation at Belagavi, Karnataka district bordering Maharashtra, where violence was witnessed recently over the decades old border dispute, remained peacefull, police said.
Maharashtra Congress and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (Uddav Babasahed Thackeray) kept the issue boiling with the former questioning the alleged provocative tweets by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and the latter threatening to occupy disputed areas.
In another development, the Karnataka government decided to bear the entire expenditure of the treatment auto-rickshaw driver who was injured in the Mangalore blast.
Several autorickshaw drivers’ unions in Karnataka will hold a rally from KSR Bengaluru city railway station to Freedom Park on December 29 in protest against the state government for permitting electric bike taxis in Bengaluru.
However, the auto services in the city will not be affected on the day.
The Karnataka transport department on December 6 decided to issue a licence to Wicked Ride, the parent company of Bounce, to operate e-bike taxi services in the state. The state government has also fixed the fare at Rs 25 for 5 km and Rs 50 for 10 km.
Read more here https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/auto-drivers-warpath-against-karnataka-govt-nod-e-bike-taxis-bengaluru-8337324/
The National Law School India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru recently said it will increase the seat intake for BA LLB (Hons) undergraduate programme for the academic year (AY) 2023-24 from 180 to 240 under its Inclusion and Expansion Plan introduced in 2021.
Earlier, under the same plan, the university had increased the intake for the programme from 80 to 120 during the academic year 2020-21 and from 120 to 180 for the academic year 2022-23.
Similarly, for the LLM postgraduate programme, the student intake will be increased from 75 to 100 in AY 2023-24.
Read more here https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/nlsiu-increases-student-intake-for-2023-24-ba-llb-and-llm-programmes-8337389/
Speculations are rife that Karnataka is likely to take a decision on the demand for an increase in reservations to the Panchamasali Lingayats community in a cabinet meeting on Thursday.
Karnataka will be going for assembly polls by April-May next year, Panchamasali Lingayats, a sub-sect of the dominant Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, is considered to be BJP’s core voter base.
The Panchamasali community wants to be included in category 2A (15 per cent) of the OBC reservation matrix. They are currently included under 3B (5 per cent).
The indication about the state cabinet decision in this regard came from BJP’s Bijapur City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who is at the forefront of the Panchamasali Lingayat reservation agitation.
(PTI)
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has resumed clearing encroachments on storm-water drains in all of its zones.
The eviction drive was stopped in November, after some property owners got a stay order from a court.
Read more here https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/bengaluru-storm-water-drain-eviction-drive-resumes-dec-28-deadline-for-survey-8337298/
Ramanagara District in-charge Minister C N Ashwath Narayan has urged Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to constitute a development committee to build a temple at Ramadevarabetta on the lines of Sri Ram temple at Ayodhya.
In a letter to Bommai and Muzrai Minister Shashikala Jolle, he demanded that Ramadevarabetta in Ramanagara district of Karnataka should be developed as the Ayodhya of South India.
Narayan said that Sri Ram temple should be built using 19 acres of space which belong to the Department of Muzrai at Ramadevarabetta.
(PTI)
The Karnataka government will bear further expenses for the treatment of Purushotham Poojary, the autorickshaw driver who was injured in the cooker bomb blast in the city on November 19.
Poojary is being treated at a private hospital here. So far, the expenses were borne by his daughter using her ESI benefits. The hospital has now informed that further treatment will not come under the ESI scheme.
“The treatment should be continued from the hospital without pressurising the family to pay the expenses. Hence, the amount which was paid through ESI till now, will be paid by the government henceforth,” an order from the Dakshina Kannada district administration said here Wednesday.
Poojary, who was injured in the auto rickshaw cooker blast along with Mohammed Shariq, the prime suspect in the terror case, was admitted to the private hospital on November 19. Shariq has now been shifted to Bengaluru by the authorities.
(PTI)
Veteran parliamentarian Basavaraj Horatti was on Wednesday elected unopposed as Chairman of Karnataka Legislative Council.
The 76-year-old eight-time MLC had ended his long association with Janata Parivar and resigned from the Janata Dal (Secular) as well as the Member of Legislative Council in May this year, two months before his tenure was to come to an end. He later joined the BJP.
With the BJP enjoying majority in the 75-member House, the Congress and JDS had opted out of the race.
In absence of an elected Chairman, Raghunath Rao Malkapure was serving as pro-tem Chairman.
(PTI)
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday made a surprise visit to a famous sweet mart in Belagavi. The CM purchased locally popular sweet like Kunda and Khardant from the Camp Purohit Sweet Mart.
Watch: #Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai purchases sweets at a famous sweet mart in Belagavi. The CM purchased locally popular sweet like Kunda and Khardant from the Camp Purohit Sweet Mart on Tuesday.
Follow our live blog for more updateshttps://t.co/tQ0hpozEvK pic.twitter.com/2MuHaHnzkT
In the light of the intense Covid situation in China, Karnataka Health Minister Wednesday appealed people to take booster shot of the Covid vaccine.
‘Indians are safe. Our 100% population has taken a double dose of vaccine. I appeal to people to take booster dose also. We will monitor at the airport and try to send all positive cases to INSACOG to know what kind of strains are being witnessed,’ said K. Sudhakar.
Indians are safe. Our 100% population has taken a double dose of vaccine. I appeal to people to take booster dose also. We will monitor at the airport and try to send all positive cases to INSACOG to know what kind of strains are being witnessed: Karnataka Health Minister pic.twitter.com/IjKafObbuG
Days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Eknath Shinde in a bid to dial down tensions between the two border states, the Karnataka government said the state legislature would pass a resolution reiterating its position on the Belagavi border issue.
On Tuesday, during a debate on the border dispute in the winter session of the state Assembly held in Belagavi, Bommai suggested a unanimous resolution in both Houses of the state legislature reiterating the party’s position.
“If everyone agrees, while giving the government’s reply on the border debate, we will pass a resolution reiterating the state’s stand in both Houses of the legislature. We have already passed several such resolutions, we will reiterate it,” he said, adding that Karnataka’s border interests will be protected. (Read more)
Basavaraj Horatti was unanimously elected as chairman of the Karnataka legislative council during the ongoing winter session in Belagavi on Wednesday,
The Karnataka government Tuesday tabled a Bill in the Legislative Assembly to increase reservations for Scheduled Castes (from 15 per cent to 17 per cent) and Scheduled Tribes (from 3 per cent to 7 per cent) in the state.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai introduced The Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or posts in the services under the state) Bill, 2022, which seeks to replace the ordinance of the same name.
Opposition Congress raised concerns about the legality of the Bill’s provisions, as it breaches the 50 per cent cap on quotas, and sought a discussion on it. (Read more)
Amid rising tensions between Maharashtra and Karnataka over the border row, Shiv Sena (U) leader Sanjay Raut Wednesday said that his party members will enter Karnataka “like China has entered” India.
“We don’t need anyone’s permission. We want to solve it through discussions but Karnataka CM is igniting fire. There is a weak govt in Maharashtra & is not taking any stand on it,” he added. Earlier this month, two ministers were scheduled to visit the Marathi-speaking parts of Belagavi but postponed their visit.
#WATCH | Like China has entered, we will enter (Karnataka). We don’t need anyone’s permission. We want to solve it through discussion but Karnataka CM is igniting fire. There is a weak govt in Maharashtra & is not taking any stand on it: Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray’s faction pic.twitter.com/d0okV6Wq8X
Follow the live feed of the third day of proceedings from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly in Belagavi here.
For 24 hours: Partly cloudy sky will become mainly clear sky towards evening/night. Fog or mist is very likely during the early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely to be around 28 and 16 Degree Celsius respectively.
For 48 hours: Partly cloudy sky will become mainly clear sky towards evening/night. Fog or mist is very likely during the early morning hours in some areas. Maximum and minimum temperatures are very likely to be around 27 and 15 Degree Celsius respectively.
The Whitefield Traffic Police has issued an advisory warning that traffic movement is slow along the Vibgyor-U Turn-Kundalahalli due to maintenance activity.
‘Traffic Advisory’
BWSSB work at Vibgyor U Turn Kundalahalli. Traffic movement is slow. Kindly co-operate.#FollowTrafficRules#WhitefieldTrafficPS@SplCPTraffic @jointcptraffic @DCPTrEastBCP @acpwfieldtrf @blrcitytraffic pic.twitter.com/48YzBIvuXE
The two Bengaluru-based co-operative bank scams in Karnataka on Tuesday rocked the legislative council with the Congress demanding the BJP government to handover the Sri Guru Raghavendra Sahakara Bank Niyamitha (SGRSBN) and Sri Vasista Credit Souharda Sahakari Ltd (SVCSSL) misappropriation cases to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In his response to Congress MLC U B Venkatesh, Karnataka minister for co-operation S T Somashekar said, “The total misappropriation that has been discovered in SVCSSL is about Rs 280 crore and about Rs 2.56 crore has been recovered from the defaulters.” He added that 10 immovable properties have been attached by the competent authority. “Rs 26.97 crore has been transferred to 729 depositors’ accounts and about 2,000 depositors are yet to get Rs 260 crore,” he said. Read more
The police Tuesday said they have nabbed the temporary teacher who beat a Class IV student to death in a government school under Gadag district of Karnataka Monday.
Addressing a press conference, superintendent of police (Gadag) Shivaprakash Devaraju said accused Muthappa Yellappa Kuri, who attacked fellow temporary teacher Geetha Barikeri and her 10-year-old son Bharath Barikeri, was nabbed near Nargund Tuesday. He added that Kuri was allegedly in a relationship with Geetha and the accused suspected that she was getting close to the headmaster of the school, Sanganagouda Patil, during a recent school trip. Read more
After Turahalli, Kengeri and Yelahanka areas of Bengaluru, residents of the Chinnakurchi village in the Bangalore South taluk also reported leopard sightings and complained that the big cats are attacking their livestock and dogs. While the residents demanded the forest officials to capture the leopards, the authorities cited massive encroachments but said efforts are on to catch the animals.
Wildlife conservationist Joseph Hoover on December 19 met the villagers of Chinnakurchi. He said, “Leopards are brazenly snatching sheep and goats right under the nose of the shepherds. Residents, mostly farmers, are scared of venturing out of their homes fearing an attack by leopards. They are not asking for compensation for the loss of their sheep, goats and cattle. They just want the department to capture the leopards and relocate them to a forest.” Read more
The district administration has banned Shiv Sena MP Dhairyasheel Mane from entering Belagavi. Dhairyasheel Mane, a Lok Sabha member from Hatkanangle constituency in Maharashtra, had sought permission to take part in a protest to be held by Madhyavarti Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MMES) in Belagavi Monday.
Dhairyasheel Mane, a Lok Sabha member from Hatkanangle constituency in Maharashtra, had sought permission to take part in a protest to be held by Madhyavarti Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MMES) in Belagavi today.
Reacting to the recent agitation over the border dispute by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) in Belagavi, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Sunday said the organisation was indulging in such activities for the past 50 years. “The state government knows how to control the group and the same is being done to keep the MES in check,” he said.
In other news from the state: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) police in Bengaluru arrested a man Saturday for allegedly selling banned narcotic substances in the city by posing as a food delivery agent, officers said. Ganja and other substances worth Rs 4 lakh have been seized from him.
The police identified the arrested accused as Abijith, a Bihar native who has been living in Bengaluru for a few years. “We have seized 3 kg ganja worth Rs 4 lakh, 12 LSD stamps, a mobile phone, two-wheeler and other valuables from him,” officers with the CCB said.
Sources with the department said Abijith initially worked as a delivery agent for Zomato and Swiggy, before allegedly coming in contact with drug peddlers who offered him attractive money for delivering contraband.
Meanwhile, the Mangaluru auto-rickshaw bomb blast case accused Mohammed Shariq, who was under treatment in the city, was shifted to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru for further treatment Saturday.
Mangaluru city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, “Shariq was shifted to Bengaluru around 6 am on Saturday as per the recommendation of hospital doctors and authorities.”
On November 19, a low-intensity bomb had gone off in an auto-rickshaw in Mangaluru. While it was suspected to be an accident initially, Karnataka Police chief Praveen Sood later said it was a terror act and the passenger was Shariq, 24, who also had sustained injuries. He was being treated at a private hospital in Mangaluru until Saturday.
