There is an 'atmosphere' for BJP to form govt in Karnataka: BSY

Mysuru, Feb 14: Citing the coronavirus scare prevalent in the city, hotel owners have urged the civic corporation to shut down roadside food vends, calling them a risk to public health.

A team of the city Hotel Owners Association, led by president C Narayanagowda and honorary secretary Ravindra Bhat, met mayor Tasneem Bano and MCC commissioner Gurudatta Hegde on Tuesday and urged them to implement the high court’s ban on street food vending.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the association said it had raised the poor hygiene at such joints amid the coronavirus threat and increasing incidence of chikungunya and malaria in the city. There is no check on the ingredients or water used and the cleanliness of the kitchens and cooking staff, they pointed out. Many of the joints operate near drains and public urinals and don’t have running water for washing or cleaning utensils, they said. Besides, the vends dump unsegregated garbage and compromise pedestrian safety by blocking pavements, they alleged.

“As this involves the livelihood of the vendors, I will take a decision after discussions with the commissioner and elected representatives,” the mayor said while pointing out that MCC had issued identity cards to the vendors after collecting details about them and their stalls. She said the health and education standing committees would also be consulted.

Commissioner Hegde said MCC was planning to move the vendors to designated hawking zones to ensure their livelihood was not affected. He explained that any drive to remove the vends was fraught with law and order problems. “False cases have been filed against MCC officers whenever they conducted drives against footpath food vendors in non-hawking zones. We will consult with the city police commissioner before taking any steps,” he said.

Bengaluru, Jul 8: Karnataka has drafted 1,246 government employees into the crucial task of contact tracing to fight the coronavirus pandemic, and they have been warned of action if they refuse to work.

These are Group A, B and C employees from various departments who have been asked to report to senior IAS officer V Manjula, who heads a task force on Covid-19 contact tracing.

In an order, Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar on Tuesday said additional human resources were required to strengthen contact tracing, which is “a very important part” of controlling the spread of Covid-19.

Bengaluru, Jun 27: The Bengaluru Police Commissioner’s office on Infantry Road has been sealed after one of the staffers tested Covid-positive. It will remain shut from June 27 to 29. 

A senior police officer from the administrative department, in a media release, stated that almost the entire staff has been asked to work from home, while some have told to work from sub-divisions of DCP’s offices. 

It is said that one of the staffers, who recently reported for duty at Anti-Terror Cell (ATC), tested positive on Friday, and officials took a decision to seal the premises after the media got wind of it. 

Earlier, a function for Drug Observation Day too was held on the premises on Friday. The staff has not been asked to go on quarantine. 

Only a few staffers have been asked to come to the police control room situated in the same building.