1. Mafia to Blame for Bengaluru's Garbage Woes, Says HDK
“My head hangs in shame when I look at the garbage on the streets,” said a candid Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy when referring to the state of Bengaluru’s solid waste management. Kumaraswamy blamed the “garbage mafia” for the city’s trash problem.
“I can see piles of garbage. There are many remedies to solve the garbage problem, but this garbage mafia won’t allow it. I must find a way to scuttle it,” Kumaraswamy told reporters. He likened Bengaluru’s garbage mafia to the sand mafia that triggered violence on the banks of the river Bhima. The chief minister allayed fears that his promise of waiving farmers’ loans would impact Bengaluru’s development. “I want to assure the people of Bengaluru that they will not be burdened.”
(Source: Deccan Herald)
2. Missing Teenager Returns on Seeing Actor’s Request
A 16-year-old, who was missing from his house in Girinagar since 20 May, was traced in Tirupati by a tourist, who alerted the boy’s family. What coaxed him to return home was a video message from actor Sudeep, which had gone viral.
In the video, the actor is seen requesting the boy to return home and assuring him that he would meet him in person if he returns home. “No matter how many fights you have with your parents, nothing beats their love. Please come back home,” the actor has appealed in the video.
On Monday, when the boy returned home, he and his mother thanked the actor and the Girinagar police for their efforts. They recorded a video in which the boy is seen promising never to run away from home again.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Massive Fire in Chikkamagaluru After Fuel Tanker Overturns
Several houses in Kadur in Chikkamagaluru were ablaze on Tuesday afternoon after an oil tanker exploded in the region. At the time of writing, the driver and another person in the vehicle have reportedly suffered severe burns.
Four fire engines have been pressed into service. The fire station received the call at 3 pm. Vehicles from Kadur, Tarikere, Chikkamagaluru, Hosadurga and Shivamogga are at the spot.
According to reports, a petrol tanker overturned and caught fire. Local media reports said that the driver lost control of the vehicle. The fire from the tanker then spread to the houses nearby – reports said that there are 50 houses in the neighbourhood, and the fire has spread to at least five of those houses.
(Source: The News Minute)
4. Loan Waiver no Panacea for Farm Crisis, but I’ll Keep my Promise: Kumaraswamy
Acknowledging that farm loan waiver is not a remedy (to the crisis affecting the agricultural sector) nor will it prevent farmers’ suicide, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said he, however, was going ahead with the scheme in the light of the drought-like conditions that prevailed in the State in the last three years.
During an interaction with the media here, he said the heads of nationalised banks would be called for a meeting with the State government to discuss the issue in the next two days while the Cabinet would be convened to decide the schedule of the budget session of the State legislature, likely to be held in the first or second week of July.
“Loan waiver is an adventure. It should reach the farmers and not be misused by middlemen, and I will not go back on my promise of loan waiver,” he said. “The method will be scientific. I have to raise resources for the waiver and also plug leakages. The waiver should be implemented by adhering to the Fiscal Responsibility Act and financial discipline should be maintained. All this will require time,” he added.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. Six Held for Murder After Fight Over Cricket Match
In connection with the case in which a youth was hacked to death over a fight during a cricket match, the Mahalakshmi Layout police have arrested six persons. The accused are Shivaji (30), Punith (23), Vinod alias Bat (30), Bharat (22), Chetan (23) and Bhaskar (23). All the accused persons are residents of Mahalakshmi Layout and Nandini Layout. They have been accused of murdering 22-year-old Manikanta alias Doddakaatu, a resident of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar in Kamalanagar, at JC Nagar in Mahalakshmi Layout on Sunday evening.
Police said Manikanta and Shivaji had engaged in a fight during a cricket match at Geleyara Balaga Skating Ground on Sunday evening and both had assaulted each other. Later, Shivaji, along with other accused persons, had gone in search of Manikanta and found him at JC Nagar. The gang had attacked him with lethal weapons and hacked him to death.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
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