'Kundapur accident that claimed lives of 8 students could have been avoided'

Bengaluru, Jan 22: Karnataka home minister Basavaraj Bommai today refused to respond when a journalist asked him why Aditya Rao, who was arrested on charge of planting bomb at Mangaluru International Airport, can’t be called a terrorist.

Responding to another query of another journalist on the sidelines of a private program, here, Mr Bommai said all airports in the state would soon have bomb disposal squads.

"After the Mangaluru airport bomb incident, a thought has been given to establishing bomb disposal squads near airports in the state. Hubballi and Kalburgi airports too will have them," he said.

He said, Aditya Rao resident of Udupi who has been in a frustrated state for not getting employment and earlier too arrested for hoax calls surrendered at the DGP office in Bengaluru on Wednesday. The Mangaluru police will take him into custody for investigations, he added.

Despite the suspect surrendering to the police, investigations into the case will continue, he said.

He further added, 'Irrespective of the organisations the accused belongs to, he will be punished.”

Explosives used in the Mangaluru airport bomb have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis and investigation. National Security Guards too were collecting details, he stated.

He then went on to slam Opposition parties over Mangaluru Airport bomb incident. “State police, on getting information about the suspected bag, had acted swiftly and diffused it. The opposition has resorted to politics and using the incident to appease minorities,” he said.

He also termed that the statements made by the opposition would instigate anti-national elements.

Bengaluru, July 14: Ahead of the week-long lockdown in Bengaluru starting from Tuesday night, around 35,000 people have left the city and grocery stores and liquor shops are witnessing a rush with customers thronging to stock up on for the shutdown.

According to transport department officials, labourers from other parts of the state migrated in good numbers from Bengaluru ahead of the lockdown fearing that they would have to face similar challenges as they had to confront during the previous shuttering. 

"Yesterday 35,000 passengers left Bengaluru. The number is big given the fact that we are allowing a limited number of passengers in the buses to maintain social distancing," a KSRTC official said.

Tipplers made a beeline for liquor shops and a senior State Excise official said liquor worth Rs 230 crore was sold on Monday alone.

"There was apparently a mad rush yesterday.India Made Foreign Liquor worth Rs 215.55 crore and 14.83 crore worth beer was sold...," the officer said.

In view of the rising coronavirus cases in the city at an alarming proportion, the government decided to impose lockdown from Tuesday 8 pm till 5 am on July 22.

Later, Dharwad and Dakshina Kannada districts too decided to impose a lockdown for nine days and seven days respectively from Wednesday.

"For the past two days there is an unusual rush of customers in our store," an executive of the Metro Cash and Carry said.

According to him, people are buying grocery items and vegetables with long shelf life such as onion, potato, radish, carrot and beetroot.

A salesperson at the Star Bazaar too said people were thronging the store for the past two to three days.

During the Sunday curfew, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the week-long lockdown will be stringent one and government has made all arrangements to address all concerns ahead of the shutdown.

As many as 19,702 people in Bengaluru have tested positive, of which there are 15,052 active cases, while 4,328 have been discharged.

The number of fatalities as of Monday is 321.

Across Karnataka, 41,581 people have tested positive for coronavirus including 24,572 active cases, 16,248 discharges and 757 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in the state.
 

Mangaluru, May 21: The third repatriation flight from Dubai to Mangaluru will operate on Saturday, May 23, confirmed union minister D V Sadananda Gowda. This will operate via Bengaluru.

The first and second direct repatriation flights from Dubai had landed at Mangaluru International Airport on May 12 and May 18. There were more than 175 passengers on board each of these flights.

On May 23, Air India flight (IX 0384) will take off at Dubai at 4:30 p.m. and land at Bengaluru at 9:50 p.m. It will again take off at 10:50 p.m. and land at Mangaluru at 11:45 p.m.

However, ministry of civil aviation sources said that no final decision has been taken about carrying passengers by these flights to Mangaluru.