Karnataka govt will promulgate anti-cow slaughter ordinance: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru, Dec 11: With the Karnataka legislative council getting adjourned sine die without taking up the contentious anti-cow slaughter bill passed by the Assembly, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday said, the government will promulgate an ordinance to bring it into effect.
The Chief Minister also expressed reservations about the legislative council's Chairman K Pratapachandra Shetty's decision to adjourn sine die "abruptly", and said that the government has decided to convene the house on Tuesday and also petitioned the Governor in this regard.
Shetty had on Wednesday set aside the BJP's attempt to move a no-confidence motion against him stating that he was taking legal opinion on the matter, and had refused to include it in the agenda citing rules that the subject could be taken up only after 14 days after submission of notice of no- confidence.
Shetty was elected as the Chairman of the Council during the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
Currently the ruling BJP is the single largest party in the Council with 31 seats, followed by Congress with 29 seats including the chairman.
The JD(S) has 14 seats and there is one independent.
According to sources, the ruling party's move to convene the Council on Tuesday is aimed at taking forward the no-confidence motion against the chairman, with the help of JD(S).
"We will promulgate an ordinance (on anti-cow slaughter), you know that in the council the Chairman was not cooperating, so we will be promulgating an ordinance," Yediyurappa told reporters.
The Chief Minister performed 'Gau Pooja' (cow worship) at his official residence Cauvery here on Friday morning in the backdrop of passage of the bill in the assembly.
It is known worldwide that in Hindu dharma cows are revered and in India, which is an agrarian country, and animal husbandry is a source of income for agriculturists, and cattle are used in farming activities, he said.
"As cows are considered an asset in the Indian culture, the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill has been passed by the state's legislative assembly, which further strengthens the existing law," he added.
The Bill was passed by the assembly on Wednesday, amidst din, with stiff opposition from Congress.
The legislative council was adjourned sine die on Thursday, and the bill is yet to be tabled there for passage.
For a bill to become law, its passage in the council, followed by assent by the Governor is necessary.
According to sources, the BJP government that had "hurriedly" tabled the bill and ensured its passage in the assembly on Wednesday did not table it in the council on Thursday sensing that the numbers were not in its favour with combined opposition-Congress and JD(S)- against it, and may refer it to the joint select committee.
Leader of the House and Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary stated in the upper house on Thursday that the bill can be taken up for discussion on Friday citing absence of the Minister concerned, when the Congress insisted for it in response to BJP's demand that the no-confidence motion against the Chairman be taken up first.
Stating that as per the bill, cow slaughter will attract imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh, the Chief Minister said, it also provides for setting up special courts for dealing with related cases, along with protection for those who protect cows, and ban on inter-state transportation of cows for the sake of slaughtering.
He said that his government was committed towards strengthening laws aimed at protection of cows, and necessary arrangements will be made by setting up infrastructure where cows can be taken care of.
"Ninety per cent of the state's people are happy with the bill, we had said in our election manifesto (about anti- cow slaughter law). Earlier (in previous BJP tenure) we had brought in legislation against cow slaughter, but it was not given assent then. Now we are bringing it to effect once again," he added.
Ever since the BJP came back to power in the state, several party leaders have been making a pitch to re-enact the anti-cow slaughter law.
The party's state executive had adopted a resolution to this effect.
State's Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chavan along with officials, had travelled to Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to study and gather information regarding implementation of the laws there, before bringing the bill to assembly.
Responding to a question that the council was abruptly adjourned without completing the agenda, Yediyurappa said, it has now been decided to convene the council on Tuesday and the Governor has also been petitioned in this regard.
"The council chairman doesn't have the powers to abruptly adjourn the house (sine die). It was decided at the Business Advisory Committee meeting to conduct the session till Tuesday or Wednesday and the Chairman was personally present at those meetings, still he has abruptly adjourned, which is not right," he added.
The BJP has claimed that the chairman adjourned the house sine die despite its insistence to conduct the proceedings as scheduled and take up the no-confidence motion against him.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy stating that the plan was actually to conduct the council proceedings till December 15, has said that it was decided to adjourn only the assembly sine die on Thursday and not the council.
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Commercial LPG hike: Delhi restaurant owners warn of higher menu rates, job losses
New Delhi (PTI) A day after a 50 per cent rise in commercial LPG cylinder prices, Delhi's food business, with restaurant owners and street vendors have warned of higher menu rates, financial strain and potential job losses if the trend persists.
The price of commercial LPG was hiked by a steep Rs 993 per 19 kg cylinder, marking the third consecutive monthly hike amid rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
For many in the restaurant industry, the spike has been both sudden and steep.
Manpreet Singh, honorary treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said that eateries are already grappling with supply challenges alongside rising costs.
"There is a huge difficulty in getting these cylinders, and black marketing is also increasing in many unregulated sectors," he said, noting that prices that were once around Rs 1,600, often dropping to nearly Rs 1,300 with discounts, have now surged to between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 per cylinder.
He further added that a medium-sized restaurant typically uses between two and five cylinders daily, making the increase particularly burdensome as costs mount.
Singh further said that as costs mount, smaller establishments could struggle to stay afloat. Instead, the association has advised restaurants to shift towards piped natural gas connections through Indraprastha Gas Limited as a more sustainable alternative.
"If this problem continues, PNG is the only long-term solution," he said, adding that temporary measures like coal offer limited relief due to slower cooking times and that it can largely be used only for tandoors.
Echoing similar concerns, Kabir Suri, owner of Mamagoto in Khan Market, said the impact is already visible across the industry. "There has been almost a threefold increase in cylinder prices for restaurants," he said, adding that rising fuel and logistics costs are compounding the pressure.
"If this continues, it will become a significant financial burden, and food prices will inevitably go up. Adding to this burden, higher fuel costs are also affecting logistics and transportation, making a price rise unavoidable. The extent of the impact will vary between small eateries and large chains depending on their scale," he said.
Global oil prices have surged nearly 50 per cent following disruptions in energy supply chains due to the West Asia conflict, pushing up commercial fuel costs and transport expenses.
A West Delhi-based restaurateur said they are trying to manage rising costs while keeping their staff secure. "We are trying to ensure that our staff, from kitchen workers to waiters, are paid on time and do not face immediate hardship," the owner said.
"We are a small restaurant with seating for about 20 to 25 people at a time. But if this continues for long, we will have to take difficult calls. There is only so much we can absorb, and menu prices will have to go up. We hope this does not continue for a longer period," he said.
Another restaurant owner in North Delhi, who did not wish to be named, said operational adjustments alone may not be enough. "We are checking our costs very carefully and trying to cut wherever possible, but if fuel prices remain high, it will eventually affect how we run the business," the owner said.
"Coal helps in tandoor cooking, but it takes more time," the owner further added.
The strain is even more acute among street vendors, many of whom operate on thin margins. A vendor in Saket said he had recently expanded his business, moving from a mobile cart to a rented outlet.
"I have a family to feed and more responsibilities now. Earlier, I managed with a moving cart, but after renting the place, expenses increased," he said. "Whenever cylinders were unavailable, I had to buy them at higher rates in the black market. Now even regular supply is too expensive, and if this continues, we may have to shut down," he added.
In Laxmi Nagar, another vendor said they are struggling to keep the business running. "Sometimes we even used domestic cylinders from home when supply ran out because we had to keep the stall running," he said, adding that rising costs leave little choice but to increase prices or bear losses.
On April 1, the rates of commercial LPG cylinders were hiked by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, followed by a Rs 114.5 hike on March 1, taking the total increase over the past three months to Rs 1,303. With the latest revision, a 19 kg commercial LPG cylinder now costs Rs 3,371.5 in Delhi, up from Rs 2,078.5 earlier.
The prices of domestic LPG cylinders used for household cooking have remained unchanged. They were last increased by Rs 60 per 14.2 kg cylinder on March 7 and currently cost Rs 913 in Delhi.
