MCI team to inspect six new govt medical colleges in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Apr 16: In view of the raging coronavirus pandemic, no public iftaar or sehri will be organized during Ramazan, the month of fasting for the Muslims, the Karnataka Minority Welfare Department announced here on Thursday.

"No public shall be allowed to perform five-time congregational prayers in mosques, across Karnataka during Ramazan in view of COVID-19 pandemic. No public address system to be used by the staff of mosques for offering namaz,'' the department said.

During the holy month of Ramazan, it is a tradition to organise iftaar feasts for large gatherings by different people, especially by politicians, celebrities and the common wealthy people for their friends and family.

Ramazan is to commence from the 24th or 25th of April this year, depending on the sighting of the moon.

The order stated that Azaan (the call for prayer) shall be given at low decibel and namaaz including Friday namaaz, will be performed by the imams, moazzins and the masjid staff only.
No public should be allowed to offer namaaz in the mosques as per government directions, it said.

The state government also cited an order by the Ministry of Home Affairs dated April 15, which stated that "All religious places/places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited due to the outbreak of COVID-19 across the country."
Thirty-four more COVID-19 cases, including 17 cases from Belagavi, have been reported from Karnataka. The total number of coronavirus cases in the state now stands at 313.

The total number of cases in India has now climbed to 12,380. Out of these cases, 1489 have been cured/discharged/migrated while 414 deaths have been reported so far, as per the latest data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Bengaluru, Jul 22: Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar on Wednesday urged Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to waive all property taxes in urban local and rural panchayats for a period of one year as citizens are bearing a huge financial brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taking to Twitter, Shivakumar wrote, "Citizens are bearing a huge financial brunt of the Corona Pandemic. It's imperative on the government to ease the financial burden on citizens. I urge CM B.S. Yediyurappa to waive all property taxes, in urban local bodies and rural panchayats, for a period of one year on humanitarian grounds."
In yet another demand, Shivakumar on Tuesday said the state government should give details of the amount it spent on migrants and labourers during the coronavirus crisis if it is transparent.

"The image of Karnataka has come to a very rotten position. We all know that Karnataka has failed in sorting out the problem. Let them (the state government) tell what has been the amount spent on the labour, migrants and food kits on the health department. We want an account (of the expenditure) if they are so transparent," Shivakumar said.

He said the state government should have approached the hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients and if any private hospital refused, a message should have been given that the government would take it over.

He also accused the state government of corruption.

Bengaluru, Feb 7: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ordered the destruction of a tilted building in the city after evacuating about 150 people from 35 families in the vicinity, an official said on Thursday.

"The top portion of the building has been destroyed 70 per cent today (Thursday). Later, the destruction contractor will allow machines to be used," Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Yelahanka joint commissioner Ashok said.

Located on Vinayaknagar Street in Hebbal's Kempapura, the five-storey building being used as a hostel for boys got tilted on Wednesday morning, spreading panic in the neighbourhood.

Though the tilted building owned by one Rahul, a jeweller, was a sound structure, Ashok said a neighbour, Babu, hired a JCB excavator to dig deep beside the affected structure to build his own structure.

"Babu not only dug very deep but also damaged the foundation pillar of the tilted building, weakening the structure and leading to its slant," said Ashok.

Babu has been booked and arrested even as the police are on the look-out for the JCB owner and operator.

The titled building erected five floors unauthorisedly and falls into the B Khata category. It was constructed without the civic body's plan, said Ashok. 

A Khata and B Khata denote the two types of khatas that exist under BBMP. Khata is a document which shows a property owner having an account with the municipality to pay taxes. An A Khata denotes that the building owner has paid relevant property taxes and that the building conforms to building bylaws and government rules. A B Khata denotes that the building is in violation of government regulations regarding properties in Bengaluru, even when the civic charges for the property have been cleared by the owner.

"As per procedure, we issue notice, but such constructions are rampant in the city. Under the BBMP jurisdiction, there are 15 lakh B Khata structures," said Ashok.

For all B Khata sites, the civic body does not give any plan and there is no proper control on them, he said.

Ashok said the case to regularise the B Khata buildings to A Khata buildings is currently pending in the Supreme Court.

Luckily, no injury or loss of life has been reported from the tilted building.

The civic body arranged alternative accommodation for the affected families, but most of them chose to stay with their relatives, said Ashok.