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State govt ignores a crash course

[email protected] (Ronald Anil Fernandes, Deccan Herald)
September 19, 2011

airport

Mangalore, September 18: On May 22, 2010, Mangalore airport had the worst air crash in its 61-year history, when an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Dubai overshot the runway here and crashed into a 300-metre deep valley, killing 158 people on board.

At least 50 to 60 lives of flight AIE-812 could have been saved had fire tenders at the airport reached the crash site. They could not, because of the ramshackle state of the perimeter road around the airport. Precious six minutes were lost before the state-of-the-art crash fire tenders (CFT) reached the spot the crashed aircraft lying in the valley at Kenjar. Measuring 13 metres by 3.25 metres, they could not negotiate the hairpin curves on the perimeter road.

“Had the CFT reached the spot within two minutes as they should have, if not all, at least 50 to 60 passengers could have been saved,” say sources in the fire department, a view acknowledged by experts. Sixteen months later, things have not changed. The condition of the perimeter road is bad as ever, with more potholes. The hairpin curves remain and landslides on the road are posing more danger than ever before.

What if an aircraft overshoots the runway, again? The result will be similar or more disastrous as the perimeter road has been completely damaged. Thanks to the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities concerned, especially the State government, the crash fire tenders cannot move on the road even to this day!

According to experts, the best comparison that throws up the deficiency in the Mangalore crash is the post accident fire that destroyed the AFA 340 overrun at Toronto in Canada in 2005.

All the 305 on board survived due to the immediate rescue and fire fighting response; emergency response teams were reportedly on site within 52 seconds of the crash occuring.

“Lessons from the tragic AIE-812 crash, if ignored, will result in more accidents,” says a former pilot.

Airport chief rues inaction

When asked about the pathetic condition of the road, Airport Director M?R?Vasudeva said he had requested the district administration and the State government to repair the perimeter road, soon after the crash.

“A number of reminders too have been sent to the district administration as well as State government to repair the road in view of the possible danger, but nothing has been done till date,” he rues.

Deputy Commissioner N?S?Chennappa Gowda said there was no proposal to repair the perimeter road.

Proposals

“There are only two proposals, that is, to evict the Deccan Park and also to extend the runway, but there is no proposal to repair the perimeter road.”

Given the present condition of the road, in case if the aircraft lands in the valley between the two runways (06-24 and 09-27), any vehicle will require a minimum of 15 minutes to reach the spot, by which time, the plane would have been reduced to ashes.

But then, the government takes no action unless there is a tragedy. Which is a tragedy.


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coastaldigest.com web desk
June 21,2020

Bengaluru, June 21: An assistant sub-inspector of police who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19 infection in city-based Victoria hospital passed away on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday as he did not respond to the treatment for coronavirus.

The 59-year-old ASI was attached to the Wilson Garden traffic police station in Bengaluru. He tested positive for coronavirus on June 18 and was rushed to the COVID ward in Victoria hospital on June 19. He had fever for the last four days. His wife and two children have been quarantined. According to the police, the station has not yet been sealed down and no policemen have been quarantined.

The Wilson Garden ASI is the third Bengaluru police personnel to die of COVID-19 in the last one week. Earlier, an ASI from the VV Puram traffic police station had died undergoing treatment. On Saturday morning, a head constable from the Kalasipalya police station who was admitted at Victoria hospital passed away. The series of deaths in the police department has created fear among other policemen across the city.

One the other hand, dozens of policemen were tested positive in different parts of Karnataka today including 21 from two police stations of Bengaluru. 

Around 15 policemen from the Kalasipalya police station and five policemen from the Ashok Nagar traffic police station tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday.

In Kalasipalya, three ASIs, head constables and police constables have tested positive. In Ashok Nagar traffic police station, a probationary sub-inspector, an ASI, two police constables and a lady constable tested positive for the virus.

One more police constable working in Bandepalya police station also tested positive. Seven policemen who were in his primary contacts have been quarantined. BBMP officials have begun the process of fumigating the station premises and its surroundings.

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News Network
March 25,2020

Chithradurga, Mar 25: COVID-19-positive cases in Karnataka jumped to 42 from 33 on Tuesday, with nine cases added to the list overnight. The daughter of G M Siddeshwara, Davanagere MP, is the latest case.

Sources from the Siddeshwara family said that the MP’s daughter, along with her two children, who started from Guyana, first landed at New York airport and from there, she took a flight to New Delhi.

From Delhi, she flew to Bengaluru. And then, she and her children travelled with her father in a chaffeur-driven car on March 21 to their house in Bheemasamudra.


Siddeshwara said that protocol for COVID-19 had been followed and all who returned were under self-quarantine at his house. However, the administration was not informed of her travel history till the samples were given for test, Chitradurga Deputy Commissioner Vinoth Priya R told TNIE. The DC said the test results of the MP’s daughter were collected by district health authorities and sent to Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences on March 22.

The test turned out to be positive for COVID-19 and she was shifted to the isolation ward at Chigateri district hospital in Davanagere. This is the first positive case in Chitradurga.The patient, who is the wife of an Indian Diplomat in Guyana, complained of flu-like symptoms and remained self-quarantined at her house at Bheemasamudra. Her condition was informed to the health department, which collected her samples and forwarded it to the SIMS for tests, results of which arrived on Tuesday evening.

The DC said that samples of family members including the two children, and those working at the MP’s house would be collected and sent for testing to ensure proper protocol is followed. The administration has declared a ‘red zone of a 5km radius around Siddeshwara’s house at Bheemasamudra. DHO Dr Palaksha said that the patient is not suffering any serious problems and is normal. However, we have put her in the isolation ward of Chigateri District Hospital in Davangere, he said.

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Media Release
July 31,2020

Mangaluru, July 31: Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has unveiled a campaign both on digital media and outdoor billboards on bringing awareness on the right usage of masks, social distancing and hand washing in the fight against COVID19. The campaign has received very good response and attention on social media and with the citizens of Mangaluru.

While the numbers of Covid-19 infected people were increasing and a vaccine would take some more time it was observed that norms of social distancing and other precautionary practices were thrown to the wind. Many people in Dakshina Kannada were found using masks inappropriately. Wearing a mask in a scientific way by covering both the nose and mouth is imperative to control droplets that spread the virus. We need to rise above our inconvenience to fight the virus.

Considering this the KCCI found an immediate need to bring awareness and constant reminder to people on the right usage of masks, social distancing, washing hands and other dos and don’ts to stay ahead of the virus and beat the pandemic.

A digital campaign and an outdoor advertisement campaign were planned by the chamber to remind and encourage people to follow best practices when interacting with others. 

The theme of the Campaign was decided to be “Let’s Fight Back Together” Origin Designext a Creative Agency in Mangalore was roped in to do the creative for the campaign and a team from KCCI worked with the Agency to shape up the campaign with their inputs. In the meantime Indian Red Cross Society Dakshina Kannada and Rotary Mangaluru expressed their interest to support the Campaign. 

Mangaluru based outdoor agencies like Jyothi Advertisers, Kalkura Advertisers and Gee Dee Advertisers agreed to provide outdoor space gratis to this community service campaign. Presented both in English and Kannada, the campaign has been creating waves on social media and on the street, a sign that it is being very well received by the populace of Mangalore city. 

The creative of Half Covered or Half exposed where a model is shown with a mask that exposes the nose and KA-19 v/s COVID-19 (KA-19 being the Vehicle Registration Code for the District) have been particularly making a buzz in the community. All together 14 hoardings are currently on display with various Covid-19 awareness messages. Many business houses have shown interest to participate in this public awareness campaign.

The Chamber hopes this campaign would go a long way in the fight of the city against COVID-19 and play its role in putting the pandemic behind us. “Businesses and our economy has suffered enough, we need to work together to fight this virus, we need to rise above minor inconvenience and win this war,” says Isaac Vas the President to KCCI.

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