Dakshina Kannada under lockdown, city deserted
Mangaluru: With a total lockdown enforced in Dakshina Kannada district to check the spread of coronavirus, the city wore a deserted look on Monday with only a few vehicles plying on the roads.
With lockdown enforced from Sunday, many of the hotels are closed shops while selling groceries and vegetables are open. Some hotels have set up take-away counters to serve the needs of customers.
The central market in the city saw lesser number of people and several shops and business houses have curtailed their timings. The state federation of petroleum dealers has informed that retail petrol outlets will be functioning with minimal staff from Monday.
The outlets will open at 6 am and function till 10 pm.
In Udupi district, where a total lockdown has not been clamped, a few buses were operated to Kundapur on Monday with only a handful of passengers as people are mostly staying indoors.
A few buses are also plying on the Karkala-Udupi route. With the total shutdown in DK, buses from Shivamogga, Udupi, Manipal and Kundapur have suspended their services to Mangaluru.
The contract carriage vehicles operating between Mumbai and Mangaluru have also withdrawn their services.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Govt to set up Bureau of Port Security to boost port, vessel security
New Delhi (PTI): To beef up the security infrastructure of ports, the government will set up a statutory body -- the Bureau of Port Security -- that will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information of ports and vessels, officials said on Friday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday convened a meeting for the constitution of the dedicated body, the Bureau of Port Security (BoPS), which was attended by the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, and the Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu, an official statement said.
Emphasising that there is a need to establish a country-wide robust port security framework, Shah directed that security measures should be implemented in a graded and risk-based manner, taking into account vulnerabilities, trade potential, location, and other relevant parameters.
ALSO READ: Four arrested in cattle theft case after encounter in UP's Kaushambi
The meeting also noted that lessons learned from the maritime security framework shall be replicated in the aviation security domain, the statement said.
The new body, modelled on the lines of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), will be constituted as a statutory body under the new Merchant Shipping Act, 2025, and will work under the aegis of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), it said.
Headed by a senior IPS officer as its director general, the BoPS will be responsible for regulatory and oversight functions relating to the security of ships and port facilities.
"During the transition period of one year, the director general of shipping shall function as the director general of BoPS," the statement said.
"The BoPS will ensure timely analysis, collection and exchange of security-related information, with a special focus on cybersecurity, including a dedicated division to safeguard port IT infrastructure from digital threats," it said.
The government has designated the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) as a recognised security organisation (RSO), responsible for undertaking security assessments and preparation of security plans for port facilities.
The Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will train and build the capacities of private security agencies (PSAs) engaged in port security.
"These agencies shall be certified and appropriate regulatory measures shall be introduced to ensure that only the licensed PSAs operate in this sector," the statement said.
