188 additional Indira Canteens will be started this year: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said 188 additional Indira Canteens, which offers food at subsidised rates, will be started this year, for the benefit of the people.
The Indira Canteens project is a flagship programme of the earlier Siddaramaiah-led government, started for the benefit of the urban poor. The canteens serve breakfast for Rs 5, and lunch/dinner for Rs 10.
''Earlier, we had started 197 (Indira Canteens) in Bengaluru. This time they will be started in 225 wards of Bengaluru. Apart from this, canteens will be started where necessary,'' Siddaramaiah said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said mobile canteens will set up where there is shortage of space, and permanent buildings will be constructed for the canteens where possible.
''A total of 188 additional Indira Canteens will be started this year,'' he said.
The chief minister was speaking to reporters after garlanding the statue of poet-saint Kanakadasa on the premises of the Legislators Home here on the occasion of Kanakadasa Jayanthi.
Responding to a question on his meeting with 'upset' MLA B R Patil, Siddaramaiah said, ''I had called B R Patil and have spoken to him. I have pacified him. He has agreed to attend the Assembly session.''
Patil, an MLA from Alanda, had recently written a letter to Siddaramaiah seeking a probe into an alleged corruption charge against him before the commencement of the winter session of the Legislature, scheduled in Belagavi between December 4 and 15.
Stating that Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, during the last assembly session, had spoken in such a way that it gave the impression that Patil had given a contract for certain works to Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Ltd (KRIDL) in exchange for a bribe, the MLA had said it was morally not appropriate for him to take part in the legislature session, facing such a charge.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
