Shift families unwilling to move out with police help from flood-prone areas: Minister
Mangaluru: Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Saturday instructed district deputy commissioners and revenue officials to evacuate people from their houses with the help of police in flood-hit areas even if they are reluctant to move out.
He was speaking at a review meeting on flood management at the zilla panchayat office here. He cited the incident in which the chief priest of Talacauvery and his family allegedly refused to shift from their home after being directed by officials and are now feared buried under a massive landslip.
If some occupants in flood-affected areas are unwilling to move out of their houses despite several warnings, officials should seek police protection and evacuate them to safer places, he said.
Proper arrangements should be made for providing food and other facilities for inmates at relief centres, the minister said. Immediate grant of Rs 10,000 should be provided to all those affected by the rains.
Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner K V Rajendra and revenue officials briefed the meeting on the rain situation in the district. District-in-charge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, superintendent of police Laxmi Prasad and MLAs in the district were present.
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MediaOne TV Facebook page restored after block linked to ‘government request’
Kochi: The official Facebook page of Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV has been restored after being blocked without prior notice, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
The channel was quoted by Maktoob as saying that the restriction was lifted automatically, with Meta Platforms informing it that the action had been taken following a “government request” which has now expired or been reversed.
The development came shortly after the channel approached the Kerala High Court challenging the blocking of its page, terming it arbitrary and in violation of legal provisions and judicial precedents. The High Court had issued notice to Meta via email hours before the restriction was withdrawn.
In its petition, the channel said access to its Facebook page had been restricted for users in India without citing any specific content or alleged violation. It contended that while individual posts may be taken down under applicable a rule, blocking an entire page goes beyond the scope of such measures.
The incident followed an earlier action taken against the channel in 2022, when the Ministry of Information and transmitting prohibited it from transmitting. It cited national security concerns regarding the Ministry of Home Affairs' refusal of security clearance.
The Supreme Court of India in April 2023 set aside the ban, observing that national security claims cannot be made without substantive basis and that criticism of government policies does not render a media outlet anti-national.
