BJP makes significant inroads in Vokkaliga strong Mandya district

Bengaluru, Feb 14: BJP leader and Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashok refused to comment on the Bellary car accident case, allegedly involving his son, saying that the matter was still under investigation and that they did not have anything to do with the said car.

The car crash took place on February 10, when a speeding red Mercedes Benz allegedly driven by Ashok's son rammed into a tea stall by the roadside killing two people. While a 16-year-old boy Ravi died on the spot, one of the car's passengers was also killed in the accident.

"I came to know about the incident and also heard that two people have died and a few others have sustained injuries. Everybody is equal under the law. It is not fair to comment as a minister when the case is being investigated," Ashok told reporters here on Thursday.

However, the minister avoided answering questions about his son's presence in the car and said that they had "no connection" with the car.

"The case is in the investigation stage, I don't want to comment on anything. My son's name is not present in the FIR. We have no connection with the car," he said.

Superintendent of Police CK Baba told reporters that Ashok's son was not present in the car.

"There was no senior BJP leader and Revenue Ministers's son in the car. We will not hide anything and the case will be investigated," Baba said.

Mangaluru, May 7: Thousands of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, led by Congress leader Mithun Rai, staged a protest here on Wednesday demanding that they be allowed to return to their native places.

The workers started a protest demonstration opposite Mangaluru City Corporation office in the city. Police dispersed the crowd for violating social distancing norms.

The workers said they have nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Therefore, they are demanding to be sent back to their states. They however, had crowded together without following the social distance norm. 

In the wake of protest, prohibitory orders under section 144(3) were imposed in Dakshina Kannada district between 7pm and 7 am till May 17 to check the spread of Covid-19.

Bengaluru, Jan 28: Brace for hefty traffic penalties as the state government is all set to reverse a notification on revised fines which came into effect last September following pushback from road users and opposition parties.

The Karnataka government will implement traffic penalties as stipulated in the amended Motor Vehicles Act, 2019, in a phased manner following a diktat from the Centre. The government did not specify the timeline for it.

“At a recent meeting of transport ministers from various states, the Union government explained why it wanted to implement these huge fines. We found it convincing and will implement it in its original form,” said transport minister Laxman Savadi on Monday.

Savadi said India’s image globally has taken a beating due to the high number of road deaths and the Centre wants to change it at any cost. However, he said the entire set of hefty fines would not be reintroduced all at once.

BJP govt revised rates in Sept

The BJP government last September had revised fines on compoundable offences and those which are fined on the spot by traffic cops by 50%- 80%, barring drunken driving and racing.

As per the revised rates, helmetless riding attracted a penalty of Rs 500 against Rs 1,000 notified by the Centre. Driving without a licence attracted a fine of Rs 1,000 for

two- and three-wheelers and Rs 2,000 for light motor vehicles as against the earlier Rs 5,000 for all types of vehicles.

The central government recently told states and Union Territories they should enforce fines as per the amended Act and they cannot be rolled back. The road transport and highways ministry said fines cannot be reduced below the minimum amount fixed by law, unless the President gives his assent.