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Udupi-Chikkamagaluru LS seat: Villagers in Banakal hobli threaten to boycott polls

coastaldigest.com web desk
March 19, 2019

Mudigere, Mar 19: People from a remote village in Banakal hobli of Mudigere taluk which falls under Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, have decided to boycott the general elections as their long-pending demands for basic amenities have not been met.

The residents of Chegu near Banakal town have put up a banner disclosing their plan to attract the attention of the district administration. The villagers have been demanding road connectivity to Banakal.

“The village comes under Banakal Gram Panchayat. The road to the village has not been asphalted for the last two decades. The road is filled with potholes, inconveniencing the vehicle users. There are no buses connecting the village. We have to depend on private vehicles to reach the main road. With the pothole-filled road, even private vehicles refuse to ferry passengers to the village,” complained the villagers.

In the absence of a pucca road, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation does not offer services to the village, forcing the residents and schoolchildren to depend on private vehicles for commute. Around 50 schoolchildren travel by private autorickshaws or vans daily to reach their school in Banakal.

The village, which has 65 or so houses, has a government lower primary school. The children have to travel to Banakal for higher primary education. “All our children travel on this bad stretch of road by autorickshaws as there are no bus services,” said Jagadish, a resident of Chegu who works as a tailor in Banakal.

Besides, the villagers have complained to the authorities about inadequate supply of drinking water. They have been fetching water from a nearby stream, but they want a permanent facility. “The quantity of water available is insufficient. The quality is also poor,” said Harish, who plies an autorickshaw.

Meanwhile, panchayat officials have taken note of the villagers’ protest. Banakal Gram Panchayat development officer S.K. Chandravathi said that she would submit a report on the matter to the district administration.

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News Network
July 18,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 18: Vendors in Bengaluru are finding it hard to earn a livelihood as the state government has allowed the sale of products only for a few hours each day. The lockdown imposed by the Karnataka government on July 14 will continue till July 22.

Speaking to ANI, Vanajakshi, a local vendor said, "We took loans from banks and small financiers to run our business. But we are finding it tough to pay back as our livelihoods have been hit."
"Because of the lockdown, no one comes to buy and markets remain vacant. There was a time when the Gandhi Nagar market was filled with customers, but now it looks like a vacant playground," she added.

Mythri, an advocate, said, "Look at the conditions of vendors. It's precarious. They do not have any business at all. Even now they have been allowed to sell products till 12 noon, which is not sufficient. It's time for the government to step in and provide assistance. If the Central government can reduce corporate taxes, why can't it help them? At least it will help them pass off these difficult times. "

"They are earning through daily wages. The government imposed lockdown suddenly. Where will they go? The city market in Bengaluru is famous. At least 8,000 people come from slum areas. People here are poor. The lockdown was done suddenly and led to problems for these people," said Congress MLA Zamil Ahmed Khan.

Referring to a recent meeting with the chief minister BS Yediyurappa, he said, "During the meeting called by the CM, I suggested that food kits must be arranged for vendors. The CM said the government is providing rice and wheat but that's not enough."

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News Network
July 6,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 6: Two fresh deaths in last 24 hours have taken the total number of covid-19 deaths in Dakshina Kannada district to 24.

The deceased are a 52-year-old woman from Ullal and a 52-year-old man from Thokkottu.

The man was suffering from cardovascular disease and pneumonia, sources said.

The woman passed away in Wenlock hospital.

More details are awaited.

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News Network
May 16,2020

Bengaluru, May 16: The Karnataka government is expected to take a call on Monday on holding the Secondary Level School Certificate (SSLC) or class 10 examination, which were postponed due to COVID-19 lockdown.

Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar said there was a possibility that the state government may come out with a timetable on Monday. "We are holding a meeting regarding the SSLC examination," he told reporters here.

He also said there would be discussions on how to conduct the exams and precautionary measures to be taken in view of COVID-19.

"We have to make arrangements for masks, sanitisers and thermal scanners. We will set up a thermal scanner for a health check-up. We have to make separate seating arrangements for those having health issues. All these issues will be discussed on Monday," Kumar said.

The SSLC exams were supposed to commence from May 27 but due to the lockdown, it was postponed for an indefinite period.

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