1. Dissidence in Cong, JD(S) Takes a Break
Dissidence in the Congress and JD(S) camps appears to have taken a break — at least for now.
There were fewer reports of meetings and dissenting voices on Sunday, 20 June, which suggests those appointed ministers in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government could get down to brass tacks on Monday.
Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is chairman of the coordination committee of the coalition government, summed up the mood in the party camp: “All differences have been sorted out. We have decided to stand united and follow the diktat of the high command. The party’s decision to limit ministers’ tenure to two years and not to have another deputy CM post has cleared the air.”
(Source: The Times of India)
2. BJP, Cong in Straight Contest as Jayanagar Goes to Polls Today
As many as 2.03 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in Jayanagar constituency which goes to the polls on Monday. Jayanagar is one of the two constituencies in the state where polling was deferred by the Election Commission.
The EC had countermanded the polls in the constituency following the demise of BJP candidate BN Vijayakumar.
Polling percentage in the constituency is expected to be below the state average of 72 per cent recorded on 12 May – when 222 constituencies had gone for polls. Rajarajeshwari Nagar – the other constituency where elections were held recently on 28 May, had recorded 54 percent voting.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
3. BBMP Identifies 366 Vulnerable Points
With the city expected to get good showers this monsoon, citizens in many neighbourhoods are apprehensive about the likelihood of their homes getting flooded. Last year, heavy rains wreaked havoc in several areas.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has identified as many as 366 vulnerable points across the eight zones in the city. The list of these vulnerable points will soon be submitted to the offices of the Chief Minister and City Development Minister.
On Monday, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had reviewed the civic body’s rain preparedness. He instructed BBMP officials, including commissioner Maheshwar Rao, to be on high alert.
(Source: The Hindu)
4. Illegal Mining Near Bannerghatta May Attract Fines of up to Rs 100 Crore
Months of activism over quarrying and mining around Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) seems to have an effect, with the leases of five mines closed and another 10 under the scanner.
The eventual penalties on these mines, accused of a plethora of environmental and mining violations, could exceed Rs 100 crore, said officials in the Department of Mines and Geology.
While the operations of five stone and granite quarries have been suspended, another 10 will be suspended soon, said NS Prasanna Kumar, Director, Mines and Geology Department. “The verification of boundaries, mining documents and the quantity extracted will have to be verified. We are also monitoring the case in the High Court, and expect the leases to be suspended soon,” he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. Mango Export From Karnataka Sees Decline
The Nipah virus scare in Kerala has had its impact, albeit marginally, on mango exports from Karnataka, with a few Arab nations like Qatar banning mangoes from both the states. Officials with the horticulture department say farmers and traders had pinned their hopes on mango exports in the month of Ramzan, but reality has turned out to be different.
However, mango exports to other nations have not been affected.
KM Parashivamurthy, additional director, horticulture department told TOI that Karnataka exports around 15,000 tonnes of mango to different countries every year with Alphonso and Banganapalli being the most sought-after varieties.
(Source: The Times of India)
6. Couple Suffocates to Death Inside Parked Car in Bengaluru
A 29-year-old businessman and his 28-year-old girlfriend were found dead in the man’s Toyota Innova which was parked in the garage of his house in Nagarbhavi on Wednesday night.
The two are suspected to have suffocated. Police said the tragedy came to light after the businessman’s family members opened the garage on Thursday morning. Police didn’t share the duo’s details citing privacy requests from their families.
A senior police officer said the duo drove into the garage on Wednesday night, downed the garage shutter, rolled up the windows of the car and kept the ignition on and air conditioner running.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. Rain Continues to Batter Coastal Region
Moderate to heavy rain continued to lash coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada on Saturday, 9 June.
A 50-year-old woman was washed away in a stream in Venur, Belthangady taluk, in Dakshina Kannada. There were reports of damage to houses, tree falls and washing away of a portion of roads in the three districts.
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, the average rainfall in the coastal region in the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Saturday is 67.6 mm as against the normal rainfall of 21 mm. Maximum rainfall of 200.4 mm was recorded at Santeguli Gram Panchayat in Kumta in Uttara Kannada.
(Source: The Hindu)
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