Mallikarjun Kharge joins Rahul Gandhi in 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in Karnataka
Ballari, Oct 15: The Congress presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday joined Rahul Gandhi and other leaders in the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' in the district.
Kharge, who had served as the union minister and as the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, also took part in the mega public meeting here to celebrate the yatra reaching the 1,000-km milestone.
He took part in the march for the first time today in his home state.
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 veteran Congress leader is contesting the Congress presidential election and is pitted against senior party leader Shashi Tharoor.
The 80-year-old leader had been into the electoral politics since 1972.
Earned the reputation of Solillada Sardara' (invincible leader), Kharge was an MLA from 1972 to 2008 winning the assembly elections for a record 10 times before becoming Lok Sabha MP from 2009 to 2019.
Lakhs and lakhs of people are joining #BharatJodoYatra daily and saying in one voice that India won’t tolerate the politics of lies, hate, and division anymore.
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) October 15, 2022
I too joined the Yatra today in Bellary amongst the tsunami of people that have come out to support Shri @RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/8Jh1cTkJbn
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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.
