317 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths in Karnataka on Tuesday
Bengaluru: Karnataka reported 317 new cases of COVID-19 and seven fatalities, taking the total number of infections in the state to 7,530 and death toll to 94, the health department said on Tuesday.
The day also saw 322 patients getting discharged after recovery.
After Udupi, Kalaburagi became the second district in the state to have reported over 1000 cases.
As of June 16 evening, cumulatively 7,530 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 94 deaths and 4,456 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.
It said, out of 2,976 active cases, 2,904 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 72 are in ICU.
Those dead include five from Bengaluru urban and one each from Ramanagara and Bidar.
The deceased from Bengaluru include two men (aged 72 and 60), and two women (65 and 85 years), 41-year-old man (Ramanagara), and a 49-year-old man from Bidar.
Out of 317 new cases, 108 are returnees from other states, the majority of them from neighboring Maharashtra, while 78 are those who returned from other countries by and large from the UAE.
Of the fresh cases, Dakshina Kannada accounted for 79, Kalaburagi 63, Ballari 53, Bengaluru urban 47, Dharwad eight, seven each from Udupi and Shivamogga, six each from Raichur, Yadgir and Uttara Kannada, Hassan five, four each from Vijayapura, Mysuru, Gadag, Ramanagara, Chikkamagaluru, and Koppal, Belagavi three, Bidar two, and one from Tumakuru.
Udupi district tops the list of positive cases, with 1,035 infections, followed by Kalaburagi 1,007 and Yadgir 828.
Among discharges also Udupi tops with 817 discharges, followed by Kalaburagi 474 and Bengaluru urban 361.
A total of 4,57,267 samples were tested so far, out of which 7,936 were tested on Tuesday alone.
According to the bulletin, 4,39,654 samples have been reported negative so far, and out of the 7,308 were reported negative today.
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
