PFI workers murdered Praveen Poojary for attack on prayer hall: IGP

Bengaluru, Apr 22: The Karnataka government has announced partial relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown norms in the state allowing certain construction activities, manufacturing of packaging materials, courier services, among others, from April 23.

The activities will be permitted only outside the COVID-19 containment zones identified by the government.

Service provided by self-employed people like electrician, IT repair, plumbers, motor mechanics, and carpenters in local areas have also been given exemption.

Tea, coffee and rubber plantation have been allowed to work with 50 per cent workforce, and a similar exemption have been given to processing, packaging, sale and marketing of these produce.

“To mitigate hardship to the public, select additional activities have been allowed,which will come into effect from 00.00 hours of April 23,” Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar said in an order on Wednesday.

However, these additional activities will be operationalised by District Administrations and BBMP (city corporation in the case of Bengaluru city) based on strict compliance to the guidelines on lockdown measures, it said.

Before operating these relaxations, district administrations and BBMP (city corporation) shall ensure that all the preparatory arrangements on social distancing in offices, work place establishments as also sectoral requirements are in place, it said, adding that relaxations will not apply in containment zones.

Facing a financial crunch, the state government has been eager to kick-start economic activities in the state that had come to halt due to the coronavirus lockdown.

While hospitality services, bars, malls, theatres, shopping complexes, religious and places of worship among others will continue to remain shut, relaxation of norms has been for activities that are linked to essential services such as health, infrastructure and agriculture.

As per the order, while, public transportation will continue to remain suspended till May 3,private vehicles with passes for emergency services and personnel commuting with passes to places of work and back will be allowed.

Activities permitted include construction of roads, irrigation projects, buildings and all kinds of industrial projects, including MSMEs, in rural areas and all kinds of projects in industrial estates, where workers are available on site and no one is required to be brought in from outside.

Also permitted to function are manufacturing units of essential goods – drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw materials and intermediates;

food processing industries in rural areas, coal production (mines and mineral production and activities incidental to mining) besides manufacturing units of packaging materials.

Bengaluru, Jun 28: Novel coronavirus has claimed another police officer's life here, official sources said on Sunday.

According to official sources, the deceased police officer attached to station in Whitefield division had collapsed in his home on Saturday.

The 57-year-old Police officer, working as an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) who was diagnosed with COVID-19 infection, also reportedly suffered from breathing related problems, the sources said.

Chikkamagaluru, Feb 19: A 31-year-old homemaker was murdered and valuables, including 100gm of gold and 2kg of silver, were reported missing from her house in Kadur town of Chikkamagaluru district late Monday evening. Her 11-month-old son, who was with her at the time of the attack, had a miraculous escape.

Police said Kavita's husband Dr Revath was away in his clinic in the town's Kadur-Birur road along with their first son, 5. Kavita, who has done MA and from Udupi, and the dentist married seven years ago.

District superintendent of police Harish Pandey has formed a special team to probe the incident that took place in Lakshmish Nagar in the town.

According to police, Kavita spoke to her husband around 6.45pm on Monday and didn't answer his subsequent calls, triggering a strong suspicion in him that something was amiss. He called his relatives living nearby to check on his wife. The relatives rushed to the house only to find the main door locked.

Since Kavita didn't answer the doorbell, they force-entered the house from the rear door and found her in a pool of blood. She was taken to a private clinic where doctors declared her brought dead.

Police said the woman was killed by a sharp weapon by slitting her throat between 6.45pm and 8.15pm. The rooms and almirahs had been found ransacked. At least 100gm gold ornaments, 2kg of silver and cash were missing from the house.