A P Musliyar exhorts religious leaders of Dakshina Kannada to promote peace

Bengaluru, Jul 31: Gyms in Bengaluru carried out sanitation work on Thursday following the Centre's nod to reopen gyms from August 5, after several weeks of COVID-induced lockdowns.

"We are taking all the precautionary measures prescribed by the government and will follow the guidelines very strictly. A thermal scanner, oximeter and hand sanitizers have been placed at the entrance of the gym. 

We request all other gym owners also to follow the guidelines strictly to keep their members safe and healthy," said Prasad Kumar, a gym owner in Bangalore.

He added, "The last few months have been very difficult for us gym owners and fitness instructors. We are very grateful to the government for allowing us to re-open. 

We are going to be very cautious when we open. Even before this COVID-19 pandemic, we used to sanitise all the equipment before and after every use so hopefully, this won't be too difficult for us. We are getting rid of the air conditioners to allow cross ventilation and open the space a little more."

According to Chandu Gowda, an actor and frequenter of the gym, working out at home was not the same as working out in the gym with the proper equipment.

"I'm very glad that I get to come back and work out as I used to before this lockdown. For an actor, working out is extremely important, not just for my physical health but also mental health. 

Doing exercises at home is never as good as exercising in a space dedicated to one purpose. I hope other members of the gym follow the rules and regulations religiously," Gowda said.

Bengaluru, Jul 27: The Karnataka government on Sunday directed the Director General of Police Praveen Sood to submit a detailed report on the internal security following the United Nations' observation that international terror outfit IS was active in the state.

The UN report stated that Al-Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent, which reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, was reportedly planning attacks in the region.

It also warned that there were 'significant numbers' of ISIS operatives in Karnataka and Kerala. Reacting to the UN report, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the state government has taken a serious note of the report on the activities of IS in the state.

The state government is in touch with the Centre and the neighbouring states to keep a close watch on the activities of suspicious people and their supporters.

"In this context, it has been decided to strengthen the internal security of the state. The Director General of Police has been asked to submit a detailed report," Bommai said in a release.

The state is also keeping a strict vigil on all those entering Bengaluru from other states, the Minister said. He recalled that the state police had arrested several members of Al-Hind organisation in January last and Jamaat- ul-Mujahideen from Bangladesh in 2018 and 2019. He added that the National Investigation Agency is investigating the case of JMB.