Mangaluru youth stranded in Saudi Arabia returns home; family thanks Indian Social Forum

Bengaluru, Jun 23: Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday demanded that Bengaluru should be put under lockdown for 20 days to contain the spread of coronavirus, the cases of which have risen sharply recently.

 “Stop playing with people's lives. There’s no use in sealing off only some areas. If the people of Bengaluru must live, then a lockdown of at least 20 days is needed. Otherwise, Bengaluru will become another Brazil,” Kumaraswamy said in a tweet. “People’s health is more important, not economy.”

The JD(S) leader was reacting to the BJP government's decision to impose an area-wide lockdown in Chickpet, KR Market, Kalasipalyam and Chamarajpet while streets will be sealed off in VV Puram, Siddapura, Yelahanka, Vidyaranyapura and Chickpet.

Bengaluru has witnessed a huge spike in its Covid-19 tally; the city currently has at least 919 active cases. This has sparked off fears that the contagion might have reached the community.

Kumaraswamy has also demanded welfare measures for the poor. “The poor and the labourers should be given ration immediately. The state’s 50 lakh working class should get ₹5,000 each. The aid already announced by the government hasn’t reached drivers, weavers, Madiwalas and other communities,” he said, adding that mere announcements of a package won’t be enough and “it has to be implemented.”

Mysuru, Mar 18: Even though the migration season is coming to end and the winged visitors are set to fly back, the water bodies where most birds nest and breed are under close surveillance with the report about spread of bird flu in Mysuru as unusual death of birds can be a cause for worry and hence the authorities are on high alert.

At Karanji Lake, the birds are watched in detail twice – morning and evening. If any sick bird or dead bird is noticed, the Zoo Vets are alerted. So far, no such birds had been sighted. The surveillance data is maintained every day. Intensive surveillance and passive surveillance is done.

Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) Member Secretary B P Ravi said the birds are doing well and there is no cause for worry with their health monitored constantly along with tests on the bird droppings done every month at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.

Doha: Selvam aged 46 son of Subramanian hailing from Panakulam Village, Alangudi, Pudukkottai District in Tamilnadu province who worked as a technician, died in Qatar on April 24.

Due to challenging situation prevailing in both India & Qatar for body repatriation services, especially in Covid-19 atmosphere, Family is unable to progress further for past 2 months. At his stage Family of the deceased met Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Pudukkottai office bearers and requested to intervene and help out, and also agreed to bury the body in Qatar itself.

Hence, SDPI delegates communicated with well-known Indian Expatriate welfare Organization - Qatar Indian Social Forum (QISF). QISF General Secretary Basheer Ahamed, Secretary Abdullatheef Madikeri and team collected the required documents from the family of the deceased and managed to clear all the necessary formalities from the police department, Health Department, Embassy of India and Hamad Medical Corporation within a short period of time and arranged for a peaceful burial of Mr. Selvam in Dukhan cemetery.