Fish truck seized for sand smuggling

Madikeri, Jul 24: Water from river Cauvery, which is deemed as holy, and mud from Kodagu, the birth district of river Cauvery was collected and will be sent to Ayodhya for use during groundbreaking (Bhoomi Pooja) ceremony for the construction of Ram Mandir on August 5.

Workers of Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishat and Hindu Jagarana Vedike collected the soil and water from River Cauvery at Talacauvery Kshetra, the birthplace of river Cauvery.

Special pooja was offered at Talacauvery, praying for the timely completion of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Madikeri, Jun 9: A rare Rurk’s Ristella Skink was found by some wildlife enthusiasts on their way to Madapur in Kodagu district.

Ristella Rurkii, commonly known as Rurk’s Ristella, is a species of skink endemic to the Western Ghats of Southern India. It is a small, insectivorous, diurnal skink found in Shola grasslands and rain forests of hills ranges in parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The specific name, rurkii, is in honour of “Dr Rurk” who collected the type specimen in the Annamalai Hills, High Ranges, Travancore, and the Palani Hills, of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is endemic to rainforests South of Palghat Gap.

Kalaburagi, Jul 2: Hoteliers in Kalaburagi have claimed that their business is hit due to night curfew timings in the state.

The night curfew in the state has been imposed from 8 pm to 5 am.

Speaking to news agency, Sudarshan, a hotelier said, "Peak business hour is 7-10 pm but now we close by 8 pm. There is almost no business. We are unable to pay our workers. The government should think about it".

"We haven't received any benefit from the government so far. If we are in trouble how will we help our workers? Relaxation should be given," he added.

Meanwhile, the Karnataka government on Tuesday announced a complete lockdown on Sundays till August 2.

So far, Karnataka has reported 15,242 COVID-19 cases, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.