Kateel to be next BJP State President?

Mangaluru, Apr 15: Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu Rupesh has written to her counterpart at Valsad to make food and accommodation arrangements for two persons from Puttur who are stranded at Ambergaon village in their district due to lockdown.

Valsad is a district near Gujarat-Maharashtra border.

Ashik Hussain and Mohammed Takeen Maril, have been stuck at the RTO check post of Ambergaon for the last 21 days. The duo have been staying in their car, without proper accommodation or food.

Bengaluru, Apr 14: Bracing for post-lockdown hard times, the Karnataka government on Monday decided to auction about 12,000 BDA sites and regularise unauthorised constructions across the state in a bid to shore up its already-thin finances.

"Some 12,000 corner sites (developed by Bangalore Development Authority, or BDA) are lying idle in Bengaluru. We hope to net about Rs 15,000 crore from the auction of the sites," chief minister BS Yediyurappa said after chairing a meeting with senior ministers and officials to discuss ways to raise funds.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown Karnataka into a deep financial crisis. There's a need for such measures," the chief minister said in defence of the decisions.

The sites – mainly of 40x60ft and 50x80ft dimensions – are in nine layouts. Also, the state government will auction corner and vacant sites in layouts formed by development authorities in other major cities of Karnataka.

Industry experts said that in a tepid market, it wasn’t easy to find buyers for the sites, each of which costs about Rs 1 crore. The CM said, “Since it’s an open auction, I’m confident of a good price since corner sites are always in demand. If we don’t get the expected price, then we will stop the process.”

The meeting decided to fast-track disposal of the cases related to regularisation of unauthorised constructions pending before courts. “If courts decide these cases, then thousands of people will be relieved, besides helping the government in mobilising resources to take up development works,” the CM said.

The government hopes to get about Rs 4,000 crore from the layout-regularisation move.
The government decided to amend the law to allow hundreds of private and cooperative housing societies to allot residential plots.

Bengaluru, Jul 10: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has quarantined himself at his personal residence after three persons posted at his official residence 'Krishna' tested positive for COVID-19. The Chief Minister, who held a cabinet meeting and also visited Karnataka's largest COVID-19 care centre on Thursday, has cancelled all his engagements scheduled for Friday.

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, Yediyurappa said that he was healthy and will continue to work from his residence. The Chief Minister will remain in home quarantine till next week as protocol mandates. Three persons -- an electrician, a standby driver and a pilot vehicle staffer -- have tested positive for COVID-19.

"Since a few staff at my official residence Krishna have tested positive for COVID19, I will be working from my personal residence for the next few days. I will hold meetings, consultations and issue orders and suggestions via video conferencing. There is no need to worry. I am healthy. I appeal to everyone to take all precautionary measures and follow protocols issued by the government. Wear masks and ensure social distancing and help us contain COVID19," a statement from the Chief Minister said.