Karnataka govt lifts night curfew, decides to reopen schools from Monday
Bengaluru, Jan 29: The Karnataka government on Saturday decided to lift the night curfew and start regular classes for Classes 1 to 9 from January 31.
It also decided to continue with the mandatory RT-PCR tests for passengers coming from Maharashtra, Kerala and Goa.
"There will be no night curfew from January 31. The night curfew curbs have been lifted," Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka briefed reporters after a high-level meeting with the experts and officials, which was chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education B C Nagesh, who accompanied Ashoka, said all the schools will open from January 31.
"Schools from first (Class 1) to ninth standard (Class 9) were closed due to COVID-19 third wave. From Monday, all the classes will open. Everyone has to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour as recommended by the experts," Nagesh said.
He explained that if anyone tests positive for coronavirus in a class, that particular class will remain shut and every child will undergo test but the school will function as usual.
Nagesh said the deputy commissioner of the district concerned will decide how long the class should remain shut.
According to Ashoka, other decisions taken in the meeting were that the public transport vehicles will accept passengers as per the sitting capacity.
The government allowed pubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels to remain open completely and allow 100 per cent occupancy.
However, only 50 per cent of the occupancy will be allowed in the cinema halls, multiplexes, swimming pools, gyms, sports complexes and stadia.
For marriages, 300 people will be allowed to congregate in open spaces and 200 people in closed spaces. Similarly, offices will now have 100 per cent occupancy.
The government also permitted all kinds of services at the religious places. However, only 50 per cent of capacity at the religious places will continue.
Fairs, rallies, sit-in demonstration, protests, social gatherings and religious gatherings have been prohibited.
In view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the state, the government had imposed curbs including night curfew and weekend curfew from January 4.
Since the hospitalisation and fatalities are much less than the first and second wave of COVID-19, the government decided to ease curbs, officials told PTI.
According to state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar, the overall hospitalisation on Friday was 1.9 per cent.
"Overall hospitalisation rate in Karnataka as of Jan 28th is 1.90%. 5,477 people of the 2.88 lakh active cases are hospitalised. Patients in Non-oxygenated beds: 1.24%, Patients in Oxygenated beds: 0.42%, Patients in ICU/Ventillators: 0.24%," Sudhakar tweeted on Saturday.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
