1. PM Modi Didn't Respond to My Pleas on Language Policy: CM Siddaramaiah
Choosing the 62nd Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations to reassert his strong pro-Kannada leanings, chief minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday lambasted the Centre for dithering on making education in the mother tongue mandatory.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is yet to respond to his two letters seeking a national education policy, promoting the mother tongue as the medium of instruction in schools.
"It is the constitutional obligation of the state to provide compulsory education to children in the age group of 6-14. We have been urging the Centre to formulate a national education policy to impart school education in the mother tongue. I had written twice to the prime minister, requesting him to take steps to bring in the constitutional amendment required for the new policy. However, there is no reply from him," Siddaramaiah said during an address on AIR to the people of Karnataka on the occasion of Rajyotsava.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Gauri's Cable Technician Reached 20 Seconds Too Late
Twenty seconds! That’s what worked in the favour of Gauri Lankesh’s killers on the night of 5 September when they shot her dead outside her residence. On that fateful day, the last call made from Gauri’s mobile phone was to the local cable TV operator to send a repairmen as she was unable to receive Star World channel to watch her favourite television series ‘This is us’.
The cable guy also arrived as instructed, but about 20 seconds after the shooters had fled the crime scene leaving a bullet-ridden Gauri sprawled at the threshold of her house. Two months since that night and with leads drying up, the SIT probing the case believe if the cable technician had arrived at her residence a couple of minutes earlier or even 10 seconds before then the shooters would have been forced to abort their mission.
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)
3. Trio Staged ATM Heist to Mislead Cops
The Bagalagunte police arrested Sagar, 21, custodian of Secure Well Security Service agency, on Wednesday, in connection with robbing cash of Rs 18.5 lakh while replenishing cash in an ICICI ATM kiosk near Jalahalli Cross on Monday.
Sagar's involvement was revealed after Malavalli Town Police arrested V Nitin and B Rakesh, while they were quarreling over the issue of sharing the stolen money in a drunken state in Malavalli in Mandya district on Tuesday.
Police said Rakesh was earlier working in the same agency and quit the job recently. He came in contact with Sagar while working at the agency. Both made a plan to loot the money a month back and asked for Nitin's help. Nitin is Rakesh's friend. They hatched a plan rob the cash. Nitin who is a chain snatcher agreed to go with the plan. Sagar told the duo to come near the ICICI ATM in Jalahalli around 6.30 am on Monday. They snatched the bag from him and also attacked him to make it look like a robbery.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
4. Over 21,000 Buildings in State Unsafe
Over 21,000 buildings across the State have been found to be unsafe as owners of those buildings haven't obtained No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Karnataka State Fire & Emergency Services (KSF and ES). The KSF and ES has undertaken a survey across the State to identify buildings lacking NOC. During the first round of survey, it has emerged that owners of over 21,000 buildings across haven't obtained NOC.
The survey is underway in Bengaluru, Mysure, Hubballi-Dharwad, Kalaburagi, Mysure, Belagavi, Ballari, Vijayapura, Davangere, Shimogga, Mangaluru and Tumakuru municipal corporations. "The survey to identify buildings lacking NOC is underway across the State. Exact number of buildings lacking NOC would be available in a week's time," N R Markandeya,Deputy Director, KSF and ES told DH.
A report of such buildings would be submitted to seniors for action for violating provisions of National Building Code of India-2005, he said.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
5. Bengaluru's TenderSURE Roads Cost Rs 15 Crore Km, but Are They Worth It?
When the local government spends nearly Rs 180 crore on building 11.67 km of roads, questions arise about their resilience, lifespan and quality.
Road and transport experts say that as per the government reports, a normal two-lane city road with a total width of 7.5 metres would cost Rs 2.25 crore per kilometre. As per the national highways standards, it would cost Rs3-4 crore per km.
However, details provided by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) reveal that the civic body has spent Rs 15crore per km on an average on these nine TenderSURE roads, or Rs 5-8crore per lane per kilometre if the roads are considered to be three-lane thoroughfares. The width of the roads is not uniform along the stretches and varies from two to four lanes.
(Source: Times of India)
6. Indira Canteen Set to Go Mobile in Some Localities
The Karnataka government’s flagship initiative, Indira Canteen, that provides subsidised food is set to go mobile in some locations in the city. Unable to find government-owned land in at least 15 wards to build the canteens, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to operate food trucks instead.
BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad told The Hindu that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had cleared the proposal to operate mobile canteens on food trucks in wards where no land was available to build the canteens. Ironically, the BBMP is yet to formulate rules for operating food trucks in the city.
“We will seek professional help to design these trucks based on the requirements of Indira canteens. Food to these trucks will be supplied from the kitchens of the same Assembly constituency, as planned earlier, and the trucks will have a designated parking slot and will function during the same timings as other canteens,” he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
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