Protesting against statue of India's first PM, BJP members boycott MCC meeting

Lucknow, Feb 4: Even as anti-NRC protests continue to rage across the country, the Lucknow University has queered the pitch by demanding citizenship proof from RTI applicants.

The Lucknow University (LU) refused to provide the information sought by the people who filed the Right to Information (RTI) unless they furnished the proof that they were Indian citizens.

Alok Chantia, one of the RTI applicants who was refused information by the varsity, said that he had lodged a complaint with the vice-chancellor of the varsity but even then he could not get the desired information.

"It is shocking how the university has twisted the RTI law as per its whims and fancy. It does not have any authority to do so," said the RTI applicant.

Chantia, also a faculty member at a degree college here, had sought details of appointment of teachers for self-financed courses and their pay scale.

"It is possible that some applicants who may not be familiar with the provisions of the RTI, may have furnished proof of their citizenship to the varsity to get the information but that cannot become a rule," he pointed out.

When contacted, university officials admitted that such a practice had been going on in the varsity for the past few years.

"This practice started during the tenure of the former vice-chancellor S.P. Singh and still continues," said a senior varsity official.

Mangaluru, July 13: A week-long lockdown will be imposed in Dakshina Kannada from the night of July 15, according to district in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary.

The decision was taken in a meeting of elected representatives in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh. The DC is expected to issue guidelines for the lockdown soon. 

In a video message, Poojary said that during the video conference, chief minister B S Yediyurappa asked the administrations and elected representatives of the respective district to take a call on re-imposing lockdown to check the mounting coronavirus cases. 

“We have decided to impose a week-long lockdown from the night of July 15. Hence, people should buy all necessary things for a week before the beginning of lockdown,” he Mr Poojary. 

Bengaluru, Mar 12: Karnataka government on Wednesday issued a temporary regulation -- Karnataka Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020 -- which aims to prevent the spread of the disease.

According to the regulation, all government and private hospitals should have flu corners for the screening of suspected cases of COVID-19.

All hospitals during the screening of such cases shall record the history of travel of the person if he or she has travelled to any country or area where COVID-19 has been reported in addition to the history of coming in contact with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 shall be recorded.

Any person with a history of travel in the last 14 days to a country or area from where COVID-19 has been reported must report to the nearest government hospital or call at toll-free helpline number 104 so that necessary measures if required, may be initiated by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.

If a suspected case of COVID-19 refuses admission or isolation, the offices authorised under Section 3 of the regulation shall have powers to forcefully admit and isolate such case of a period of 14 days from the onset of symptoms or till the reports of lab tests are received, or such period as may be necessary.

No person, institution or organisation shall use print or electronic media to spread misinformation on COVID19. If a person is found indulging in any such activity, they will be punished.

If the cases of COVID-19 are reported from a defined geographic area, the district administration of the concerned district shall have the right to implement the following containment measures but not limited to these in order to prevent the spread of diseases:

* Sealing of geographic

* Barring of entry and exit of the population from the containment area

* Closure of schools, offices and banning public gathering

* Banning vehicular movement in the area

* Designating any government or private building as a containment unit for the isolation of cases

* The staff of all govt departments shall be at the disposal of the concerned district administration of the concerned area for discharging the duty of containment measures

Any person, institution or organisation found violating any of these regulations, shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).