Karnataka stares at power crisis in next 20 days

Bengaluru, Feb 14: Raja and Rani got married on Valentine's Day at Cubbon Park here.

The bride and the groom were decked up in bridal finery were heralded with traditional wedding music with nadaswaram and thavil (percussion) . The catch was that the married couple were horses.

Pro-Kannada activist and Kannada Vatal Party chairman Vatal Nagaraj performed the marriage ceremony of the two horses.

Nagaraj gave a dhoti and shirt to Raja (male horse) and a saree along with a taali (mangal sutra) to Rani (female horse).

Nagaraj has been conducting such ceremonies in the past too. Last year he had married off two sheep- Jacob and Carolyn in a similar ceremony.

The activist says he is all for love and urged anti-Valentine's Day supporters not to oppose lovers and their Valentine's Day celebration.

He also urged the Central government and the Karnataka state governments to give Rs 1 lakh and RS 50,000 respectively to the "lovers to support their love" by helping them get married.

Meanwhile, sweets were distributed to all the guests who had participated in the Valentine's Day marriage ceremony today.

Kasaragod, Jul 14: Kerala State Excise department officials confiscated hawala money to the tune of Rs 2.85 crore from a person hailing from Mangaluru.

According to sources, the officials of the Kumbala Range Excise had noticed the huge baggage containing hundreds of bundles of unaccounted currencies when they intercepted a vehicle at the border check-post at Thoominad in Manjeshwar early on Tuesday morning.

The accused Shamsudheen, who was trying to transport the illegal money into Kerala has been arrested and handed over to the Manjeshwar police authorities for further action, sources added.

Bengaluru, May 18: Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa today announced lockdown relaxations from tomorrow (May 19) across the state. As per new guidelines public transport services will start operations outside COVID-19 containment zones in the state. 

 “To facilitate easy movements of citizens, services of the BMTC, KSRTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC will start from Tuesday morning, except in containment zones. Even private buses can ply,” Yediyurappa said, after discussing the Centre's Lockdown 4.0 guidelines with his Cabinet colleagues and officials. 

“The only condition is that only 30 people should travel in one bus so as to ensure social distancing,” the CM said. 

He also clarified that bus fares will not be hiked. “I know there will be losses incurred. The government will bear the losses,” he said. 

Auto rickshaws, taxis and maxi cabs (six-passenger vehicles) will also be allowed to operate. “Auto rickshaws and taxis will have a driver and two passengers. Maxi cabs will have a driver and three passengers,” Yediyurappa said. 

All parks in the state will be open 7 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 7 pm. 

Starting Tuesday, all shops except malls and theatres can open. “This includes salons,” the CM said. 

All relaxation will cease to exist every Sunday, the CM said. “Every Sunday will be a complete lockdown. There’ll be no shops and the movement of people. It’ll be a complete rest day,” he said. 

The existing curfew from 7 pm to 7 am will continue on all days, which means public transport services will not be allowed during this time. 

Trains will run within the state, but interstate trains will not be allowed till May 31, the CM said. 

It is mandatory for citizens to wear masks in public. “Not wearing a mask will be penalised,” Yediyurappa said. 

On the classification of zones, Yediyurappa said the government's main focus was containment zones. “We're particular about containment zones. In the Karwar district, for example, Bhatkal will be a containment zone and no other taluk will have restrictions,” he said. 

However, the government will review the relaxation based on how things pan out. “States have been given the freedom, so we can withdraw or modify as necessary,” he said.