COVID-19 toll breaches 100 mark in Karnataka; Tally of cases rises to 7,734
Bengaluru: The COVID-19 death toll in Karnataka breached the 100-mark as the state on Wednesday reported eight new fatalities and 204 cases, taking the total number of infections to 7,734.
The day also saw 348 patients getting discharged, taking the total recoveries to 4,804, the health department said in its bulletin.
Two men aged 26 and 90 from the city were among the eight who succumbed to the virus, taking the toll in the state to 102.
It said, out of 2,824 active cases, 2,752 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable while 72 in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Of the eight deaths, five, including two women, were from the state capital and one each from Shivamogga, Bidar, and Ballari.
Out of 204 new cases, as many as 106 are returnees from other states, the majority of them from neighboring Maharashtra, while two had come from foreign countries.
Bengaluru Urban accounted for 55 of the cases followed by Yadgir (37) Ballari (29) Kalaburagi 19 and Bidar 12 were among the districts that reported a high number of cases on Wednesday.
The remaining 52 cases were shared by 13 districts.
Udupi district tops the state in the number of confirmed cases with a total of 1,039 infections, followed by Kalaburagi 1,026 and Yadgir 865, and on the positive side, the three also stood in that order in terms of recoveries with 904, 574 and 467 discharges respectively.
A total of 7,531 samples were tested on Wednesday taking the total so far to 4,64,798 and 6,794 reported negative as the cumulative tally rose to 4,46,448.
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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.
