Massive fire breaks out at Ajman residential building

Bengaluru, Jul 1: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said that the state Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa should apologise to the nation for the Ballari incident.

"It is shocking to see the Ballari incident. The way the dead bodies of the corona victims have been treated is very unfortunate. The entire country witnessed it. I request the Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to apologise to the nation. India is known for its values and traditions," Shivakumar told reporters here.

Earlier, Shivakumar had posted a video which allegedly showed officials 'inhumanly' dumping bodies of those patients who die of COVID into a pit in Ballari, the district administration confirmed it and said that the entire field team involved in the incident has been disbanded.

"It's disturbing to see bodies of COVID patients who have died being dumped inhumanly into a pit in Ballari. Is this civility? This is a reflection of how the government has handled this Corona crisis. I urge the govt to take immediate action and ensure that this doesn't happen again," Shivakumar's tweet, which also had a video of the incident embedded, read.

The Deputy Commissioner, Ballari issued a press note which stated that it had conducted an enquiry after the video surfaced and it was found that the video belonged to the district and "comprises of burial of eight people who passed away after succumbing to COVID-19."

Although, according to the DC, all protocols and SOPs were followed by the team during the burial process, however, the "disrespectful handling of the bodies while being lowered on to the ground by the field staff" led to the entire field team involved being disbanded and will be replaced by a new team trained by the HOD, Forensic, VIMS.

The district administration also issued an unconditional apology to the families of the deceased and to others who were hurt by the incident.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa also termed the behaviour of the staff "very inhuman and very painful" and urged the staff to tread cautiously with humanity in handling the funeral of those affected by the disease, and added, "Let's walk with humanity, and realize that there is no greater religion than humanity." 

Bengaluru, Jun 28: The Karnataka government on Saturday issued an order, directing private hospitals not to deny treatment to patients with coronavirus and COVID-19 like symptoms.

"Non-compliance of this order will attract punishment under sections of Disaster Management Act 2005," an order read.

Meanwhile, people coming from Maharashtra will be placed in seven-day institutional quarantine followed by seven-day home quarantine in Karnataka, the state government said.

People coming from other states will need to undergo 14-day home quarantine.

Bengaluru, May 25: Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds that lashed Bengaluru last evening left hundreds of trees uprooted near the BTM layout and other areas.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a thunderstorm accompanied with lightning in Karnataka for the next five days.

"Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning at will prevail at isolated places over Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, South Interior Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe and Tamilnadu, Puducherry and Karaikal," the IMD said its All Indian Weather Forecast Bulletin.

According to the forecasting agency, due to strong southerly wind from the Bay of Bengal to northeast India at lower tropospheric levels, heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls likely at isolated places over parts of northeastern states.

In addition to that heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over adjoining parts of east India during 24th-28th. "Heavy rainfall at isolated places over parts south peninsular India from May 26th-28th, 2020," the IMD said its All Indian Weather Forecast Bulletin.