Week-long lockdown: People remain indoors in Bengaluru and other districts
Bengaluru: Deserted roads and sparse public movement were witnessed on Wednesday in the city where a week-long lockdown has been enforced by the Karnataka government in view of rising coronavirus cases.
Public spaces that were bustling with activities since the Unlock-1 phase once again fell silent while vehicles, including buses and taxis, were off the roads.
The government has announced the lockdown in Bengaluru urban and rural, Dakshina Kannada and Dharwad districts, where the COVID-19 case load has remained high, from Tuesday night till 5 AM on July 22.
On Wednesday, authorities in Shivamogga district also announced the lockdown.
In Bengaluru, shops selling essentials including milk, groceries and vegetables, would function from 5 am to 12 pm during the lockdown. People by and large abided by the regulations and remained at their homes. Barring those selling essentials, other shops and liquor outlets remained closed.
As per the guidelines for the current lockdown, public transportation services will remain suspended and all places of worship shall be closed to the public, and religious congregations are strictly prohibited. Also, opening of theatres, malls, bars, gyms, swimming pools is not permitted.
The inter-state and intra-state movement of passenger vehicles is allowed only in cases of emergencies or for permitted activities.
Most government offices will be closed while those providing essential services and engaged in COVID works will work with 50 percent strength.
Ahead of lockdown, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had appealed to the people to stay indoors and go out only when there was an emergency, that too with face masks and maintaining social distancing at public places.
The decision to impose lockdown, however, did not go down well with traders in Chickpet and surrounding places, the main business areas of the city.
"Earlier there was a 54 days lockdown starting from March 24 and then another 20 days lockdown was imposed. The Chickpet area was supposed to open from Monday but once again was closed down from Tuesday night. We traders are now at the receiving end," trade activist Sajjanraj Mehta told PTI.
He demanded that the government compensate the traders for losses incurred during the lockdown. Meanwhile, taking a cue from Bengaluru, Shivamogga district authorities too decided to impose the lockdown and allow business activities till afternoon.
As of Tuesday, the tally of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka stood at 44,077, including 25,839 active cases and 842 deaths.
With 377 deaths, most of the fatalities have occurred in Bengaluru which also accounted for 20,969 positive cases with 15,599 active cases, according to the health department.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
