The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that heatwave conditions will continue in Karnataka. (AP, File)Bengaluru News Live Updates: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that heatwave conditions will continue in Karnataka and over peninsular India from April 3 to April 6. Hot and humid weather is very likely to prevail over coastal Karnataka from April 2 to April 6 and over south interior Karnataka from April 2 to April 4. It added that heatwave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets in north interior Karnataka this week, from April 3 to April 5.
Election news: JD(S) state president and former CM H D Kumaraswamy is set to file his nomination from the Mandya constituency today. Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya and Bangalore Rural BJP candidate Dr C N Manjunath will also file their nomination papers today.
In other news, efforts are on to rescue a two-year-old toddler trapped in an open borewell in Vijayapura. The child fell into the 20 feet-deep on Wednesday while he was playing at the farm.
Jayamahal Palace. (Express Photo by Jithendra M)
Karnataka issues guidelines to tackle heatwave: āStay indoors from noon to 3 pm, avoid dehydration, keep pets in shadeā
The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority has released a set of guidelines in anticipation of a heatwave in the state in the next few days, as per an India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast.
In a circular issued on Wednesday, the state government said the IMD predicted a heatwave indicating above-normal temperatures in most parts of the country.
The circular advised people to remain indoors during peak temperatures, especially between noon and 3 pm. It suggested that people drink plenty of water regularly, wear light-coloured and cotton clothes, use goggles and an umbrella/hat, and avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, and other carbonated drinks that can dehydrate the body. Read more
PM Modi has delivered 'confrontational federalism': Congress slams Centre over drought relief issue
The Congress on Thursday termed as an "outright lie" the Centre's claims that the delay in releasing drought funds to Karnataka was because the state dispensation had submitted the proposal three months late, as it accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in "confrontational federalism".
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said eight months after this issue was first raised, the Modi government is now fabricating stories to defend its inaction.
"The prime minister started off his innings in May 2014 talking big about cooperative federalism. Instead, what he has delivered is confrontational federalism. Cooperative federalism is based on consensus, for which the prime minister has demonstrated a singular unwillingness and incapacity," Ramesh alleged.
"In contrast, confrontational federalism is based on creating conflict and division, which is the core skill of the prime minister and his home minister -- as evinced by the home minister's most recent claim," he said. (PTI)
Lok Sabha elections: JDS Candidate Prajwal Revanna files nominations from Hassan
JDS Candidate Prajwal Revanna filed nomination from Hassan Lok Sabha constituency today. Former Prime Minister HD Devegowda, former Union Minister DV Sadanand Gowda, state BJP President BY Vijayendra and others accompanied him.
Express photo by Jithendra M
JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy & wife have Rs 217.21 crore assets; she is richer
Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha have total assets of about Rs 217.21 crore, according to the affidavit he submitted along nomination on Thursday as candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha seat.
The couple declared liabilities of about Rs 82.17 crore.
Former MLA Anitha is richer than 65-year-old Kumaraswamy, son of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, with total assets worth Rs 154.39 crore. Kumaraswamy's total assets are worth about Rs 54.65 crore; he also has assets from HUF (Hindu Undivided Family) in his name worth about Rs 8.17 crore.
The former Chief Minister, a Bachelor of Science (BSc) graduate, has declared himself to be a social worker, politician and agriculturist.
Anitha has business and rental income, as she is an entrepreneur engaged in business of petrol and petroleum products in the name of Nikhil & Co and she is a director in Kasthuri Media Pvt Ltd. (PTI)
Independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh to join BJP on Friday
Mandya's independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh has announced she would join the BJP on Friday.
The actor-turned-politician had won the 2019 general elections with the support of the BJP, defeating former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda's grandson and H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
Sumalatha said on Wednesday she would not contest the coming Lok Sabha elections and would join the BJP.
In a post on ‘X' on Thursday, she said she had declared that she would support the BJP for the development of Mandya and also to see Narendra Modi becoming Prime Minister again.
“Accordingly, I am officially joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of BJP leaders on Friday April 5, 2024 at 11.30 am at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Bengaluru,” she said.
JD(S) joined the NDA in September last year. (PTI)
SC collegium recommends appointment of 5 additional judges of Karnataka HC as permanent judges
The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud has recommended to the Centre the names of five additional judges of the Karnataka High Court for appointment as permanent judges of that court.
The three-member collegium also recommended that Justice Gurusiddaiah Basavaraja be appointed as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court for a fresh term of one year with effect from August 16, 2024.
As per an April 3 resolution of the apex court collegium, which also includes Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai, the high court collegium had on January 20 unanimously recommended that five additional judges be appointed as permanent judges and the term of additional judge Basavaraja be extended for a further period of one year.
"The Chief Minister and the Governor of the State of Karnataka have conveyed their agreement with the above recommendation," the apex court collegium noted in the resolution uploaded on its website. (PTI)
Manjunath vs Manjunath in Rural Bengaluru LS seat
With multiple namesakes in the fray against him in the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat, BJP candidate Dr C N Manjunath on Thursday said that these are old strategies which "show panic" in the rival camp.
Manjunath was speaking to reporters here after filing his nomination papers.
“These are very old strategies. I will not call it anything else but strategy. This shows that some people are panicked,” Dr Manjunath, a renowned cardiologist, who was the director of government-run Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology, said.
Dr Manjunath has many namesakes as competitors in this election. The nearest is Manjunatha C N who is a native of Channarayapatna in Hassan district, whose father's name is Nanjundappa. Dr Manjunath's father's name is Nanjappa. The passport photographs of both these candidates show them in a black blazer and tie.
Other namesakes are Manjunath K from Papareddypalya in Bengaluru, N Manjunatha from Indiranagar slum in Rajajinagar in Bengaluru and Manjunath C from Shakti Garden in Mudalapalya in Bengaluru. (PTI)
Former CM Kumaraswamy, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya file nominations for LS polls
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, his brother-in-law and noted cardiologist C N Manjunath, Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya were among prominent candidates, who filed their papers on Thursday, the last day for filing nominations for the first of two-phase Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, on April 26.
Kumaraswamy, a former Chief Minister is contesting from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat. He was accompanied by BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and party candidate from neighbouring Mysuru and scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.
JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year.
Kumarasway, ahead of filing his nomination visited a temple, and his parents -- Deve Gowda and Chennamma and took their blessings. Both BJP and JD(S) leaders later also addressed a joint public meeting.
As part of the seat-sharing deal, BJP would contest in 25 constituencies and JD(S) in the remaining three -- Mandya, Hassan and Kolar -- in Karnataka. (PTI)
Illicit Liquor worth Rs 98.52 Crore recovered from the unit of United Breweries Limited in Nanjangudu
Over 90,000 litres of liquor seized in Dakshina Kannada in run-up to LS polls
Authorities have confiscated a staggering 90,443 litres of liquor valued at Rs 1,95,47,179 in the district, along with drugs worth Rs. 8,69,950 as on April 3 since the model code of conduct for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections came into force.
A total of 278 FIR cases, including violations of excise regulations and other offences, have been lodged in connection with these seizures.
The general elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May seven for its 28 constituencies.
Authorities have actively engaged with the public, processing and resolving 157 information requests received via telephone (1950).
The C-Whistle App has proven instrumental in addressing public grievances, with 59 complaints received and promptly resolved to date. (PTI)
Eshwarappa claims Shah declined to meet him
Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa, who is contesting as a rebel candidate against BJP's B Y Raghavendra from Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat, on Thursday claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not meet him as he found it difficult to respond to questions raised by him.
Eshwarappa, a senior BJP leader, said he went to Delhi as Shah had summoned him but the meeting could not happen.
"I went to Delhi as I was summoned. If I had not gone there then they would have called me arrogant. I could not meet Amit Shah. I think the meeting did not happen because I had asked him certain questions, which he found difficult to answer," the former BJP state president claimed.
Eshwarappa has entered the electoral fray in Shivamogga constituency as an independent, against Raghavendra, son of BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa.
Explaining, he alleged Shah did not allow the meeting to happen. (PTI)
Amid Bengaluru water crisis, lessons from open wells in Cubbon Park and Lalbagh
For centuries, cities relied on a basic yet successful water management system involving open wells and rainwater recharge. With the introduction of modern borewells, however, these traditional methods have been forgotten.
As Bengaluru battles water scarcity this summer, a case is being made for reviving open wells after the recent experiments at the city’s two major parks—Cubbon Park and Lalbagh.
Ram Prasad, founder of Friends of Lakes, the organisation at the forefront of the 2017 Cubbon Park rejuvenation project as well as the latest endeavour in Lalbagh, is of the view that unconfined shallow aquifers are a significant historical source of water. (Read more)
2-yr-old boy stuck in borewell rescued
NDRF and SDRF personnel have successfully rescued the two-year-old boy who was trapped in a borewell since Wednesday evening. The toddler had accidentally fallen into an open borewell at his grandfather's land in Lachyan village, Vijayapura district. The boy is alive and is being taken to a local hospital for treatment after an 18-hour rescue operation.
Graffiti in Bengaluru spreads awareness on womenās safety, drug abuse, cybercrime
The Rotary International District 3191 in collaboration with Bengaluru police has launched a social awareness project called ‘Graffiti for Hope’.
As a part of the project, the team aims to create graffiti art in different parts of Bengaluru to highlight social issues like women’s safety, drug abuse and cybercrime.
The first graffiti under the initiative has come up on the compound wall of Bengaluru Police’s CAR South Campus on Hosur Road. The graffiti was inaugurated on March 31 by the Rotary club’s district governor Udaykumar Bhaskara. (Read more)
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah throws weight behind Mysore-Kodagu, Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies
For more than 10 days now, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has spent the majority of his time in his native Mysuru district. Siddaramaiah’s campaign efforts appear to be focused on only two Lok Sabha constituencies to date — Mysore-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar — as Congress attempts to wrest these seats from the BJP.
The Mysore-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency, which elected only Congress MPs between 1957 to 1996, had its first BJP MP in 1998 after C H Vijayashankar won the seat. The BJP’s Pratap Simha, who was denied a ticket in this election, has won from the constituency twice since 2014.
Chamarajanagar, however, elected a BJP MP for the first time in 2019 when Srinivasa Prasad – who was formerly with the Congress – breached a constituency that the grand old party considered a bastion. (Read more)
Just in
Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya and Bangalore Rural BJP candidate Dr C N Manjunath will file their nomination papers today.
Two-year-old boy falls into borewell in Karnataka, rescue operations on in full swing
A two-year-old boy fell into a borewell in Lachayan village of Indi taluk in this district of Karnataka on Wednesday evening, police said.
Rescue operations are underway to rescue the boy who is estimated to have fallen, head first, into a depth of around 16 feet, they said.
According to the police, the child fell into the borewell when he went out to play near his house. The matter came to light when someone heard the child cry and immediately informed the family. (Read more)
āBengaluru can become worse than Cape Town if mismanagement of water continuesā: TV Ramachandra
With Bengaluru grappling with a water crisis and the Cauvery and groundwater resources going dry, industries, institutions, and residents of India’s Silicon Valley have been affected alike.
Dr T V Ramachandra, Coordinator, Energy and Wetlands Research Group, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, spoke to The Indian Express on the prevailing water crisis in Bengaluru and what led to the scarcity in the region that has caused severe distress to its residents.
Ramachandra also explains why the water crisis can get worse than South Africa’s Cape Town and how the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB)’s actions have only proved to be a disaster in managing water. (Read more)