Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi to address public meeting in Ballari today
Ballari (PTI): To celebrate the Bharat Jodo Yatra reaching the 1,000-km milestone, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address a mega public meeting in Ballari in poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday.
After a night halt at the Halakundhi Math on Friday, Gandhi resumed his march on Saturday to reach Kamma Bhavan in the district headquarters town of Ballari.
The public meeting will take place at the Municipal Ground in the afternoon.
Top Congress leaders, including Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan chief ministers Bhupesh Baghel and Ashok Gehlot, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah, Kamal Nath, and Selja Kumari, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Digvijaya Singh will attend the event in Ballari.
With just six months left for the assembly elections, the Congress in Karnataka is pinning high hopes on the yatra led by Gandhi as well as the public meeting in Ballari -- being seen as the party's mega show of strength.
Ballari had witnessed a 320-km 'padayatra' by Congress stalwart Siddaramaiah back in 2010 against the alleged illegal mining by the Reddy brothers under the BJP rule.
The march against G Janardhana Reddy, Karunakara Reddy and Somashekara Reddy was a major turning point for the Congress as it helped sharpen its attack on the then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and unseat the BJP government.
The Congress had won the 2013 assembly polls in the state.
Leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi has so far covered four states -- Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
On Saturday morning, hundreds of people lined up on both sides of the road to greet Gandhi as his caravan moved ahead amidst drumbeats and sloganeering.
The route was dotted with festoons, banners, posters and Congress flags while several people shook hands, hugged and interacted with Gandhi.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka on September 30 and will make a final exit on October 20 after covering 511 km in 21 days. The yatra is aimed at uniting India against the divisive forces.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
