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U T Khader mulls health cards for employees of hotels, eateries across Karnataka

[email protected] (CD Network)
May 10, 2014
Bangalore, May 10: Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister U?T Khader has come up with a new plan of issuing health cards to employees of all hotels and eateries in the State to ensure they are hygienic, healthy and fit to work.

Speaking to media persons he said that his department is pushing for a more hygienic environment at hotels and roadside eateries in the light of the Food Safety and Security Act (FSSA.

utk“As part of the project, we are planning to issue health cards to hotels and eateries certifying their product quality is good for consumption,” said Khader.

If the plan is implemented, health cards will be issued to hotel and eatery workers after they undergo a physical examination by local government doctors, the minister said.

Currently, the department is formulating an action plan to put the scheme in place. There are as many as three lakh registered hotels and eateries in the State.

On the strict implementation of the Act, Khader said the department was trying to recruit more food safety inspectors.

Now, there are sanctioned posts for 377 food inspectors. Of these, 117 posts have been filled and 260 are vacant.

He said there had been a lot of talk over the last four years, but little had been done due to lack of political will to implement the FSSA.

“We are looking at fresh ideas to strengthen and implement the Act. I?also suggest that there needs to be decentralisation of power to act against those violating the FSSA. So, we are looking at assistant commissioners at the district level, and tahsildars at the taluk level to be nodal officers for food inspectors,” said Khader.

In the last four years, only 425 cases of adulteration and 225 cases of misbranding' have been filed against hotels, eateries, food and grocery stores, etc. Of these, only in four cases the department has fined the violators. It has collected a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh in these four cases.

The department officials claim that the rest of the cases are pending in various courts.

The department officials said the government would also direct eateries and hotels and grocery and food stores to display notice boards indicating they are covered under the FSSA.

They said the government would be giving out the numbers and designations of the district officers and the locations where citizens can send food samples for testing.

“In Bangalore, we have two government labs to test food. Along with them, we have seven private labs which can also conduct tests on food samples to detect their quality. Citizens can approach these labs for getting food samples tested and then register a complaint with our district officers,” Khader said.

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News Network
March 31,2020

Kasaragod, Mar 31: Two more Kasaragod natives lost their lives on Monday due to blockade of the interstate border by Karnataka police in the wake of outbreak of novel coronavirus.

They could not get emergency health care as the Karnataka police stopped the ambulance carrying them to a hospital in Mangaluru at the border.

Another critically-ill person, who was sent back by Manguluru hospital authorities on March 23 for being a Kasaragod native, also died on Monday.

This is the fifth such case in many days.

The deceased are Madhavan, 50, Ayesha, 55 and Aziz Haji, 61 respectively.

All three of them lived near the Karnataka border.

Madhavan, who hailed from Thummanattu in Manjeswaram, died enroute to Kanhangad hospital after being denied entry to cross over to Karnataka. He had an acute bronchial attack.

Udyavar native Ayesha, an asthma patient, was referred to the Mangaluru Hospital by the hospital authorities at Uppali. When the authorities stopped her at the border, she was taken to the Kanhangad hospital. However, she died before reaching the hospital.

Aziz Haji, from Nayabazar Cherugoli MA Cottage at Uppala, was allegedly refused entry into a Manguluru Hospital on March 23 on account of being a Kasaragod native. Haji was a dialysis patient at the hospital. “We were unable to contact his doctor at the time,” his relatives said. Haji, who was on the ventilator, lost his life Monday morning.

One more from Kerala dies as Karnataka police stop ambulance at border
Kunjathoor native Abdul Hameed and Bandwal native Fathima also lost their lives due to the closing of the interstate border.

The district authorities has appealed to the Government to intervene in the matter and influence Karnataka as to lift a ban in crossing over for ambulances carrying critical patients.

The people of Kasaragod are largely dependent on the medical facilities in Mangaluru for critical illness care.

The Kasaragod MP, Rajmohan Unnithan has said he would move the Supreme court against this.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has already taken up the issue with the Centre.

Kerala HC takes up issue with Karnataka AAG

The Kerala High Court on Monday sought the views of the Advocate General of Karnataka on the issue of the government of the neighbouring state blocking its borders with Kerala.

Considering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Kerala High Court Advocates Association, seeking a direction for opening the roads, a bench comprising Justices A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P Chali requested the Advocate General of Karnataka to join the hearing at 11 am on Tuesday through video conferencing.

The Court orally observed that the blockades erecting embankments on the inter-state roads would affect the people's right to life.

The Karnataka government blocked the state highway with to prevent movement of vehicles carrying essential goods and people seeking emergency treatment at hospitals in the city of Mangalore bordering Kasaragod.

With 97 infected patients, Kasaragod has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in Kerala. 7,437 people are under observation in the district.

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News Network
April 6,2020

Puttur, Apr 6: A person reportedly has been booked for allegedly posting derogatory remarks against minority community on social media platforms.

The accused is reported to be a resident of Belandur village of Puttur Taluk.
The case has been registered at Bellare Police Station.

According to the reports, Kusumadhara had posted derogatory remarks about the faith and minority community. A complaint in this regard was filed by Savanur SDPI member Mohammed Saheer at Bellare Police Station, adding that his remarks in the post would create divide and communal disturbance in the society.

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News Network
June 13,2020

Mangaluru, Jun 13: A bus agent died after the compound wall of his house collapsed on him at Matadagudde, near Gurupura-Kaikamba, on Friday afternoon. This is the first rain-related death reported in Dakshina Kannada.

The victim is Narayana Naika, 52. According to police, heavy rain on Friday afternoon blocked a small water stream adjacent to his compound wall, and the deceased was clearing it. The stone compound wall then suddenly collapsed on him, and he got buried underneath. He sustained grievous head injuries and died on the way to hospital.

Narayana is survived by his wife and two children.

Dakshina Kannada received an average rainfall of 26.1mm in the last 24 hours till 8.30 am on Friday. The highest rainfall was recorded at Puttur and Mangaluru taluks at 31.3mm and 30.3mm, respectively. Bantwal and Sullia taluks received 26.3mm and 24.6mm of rain, respectively.

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