With 378 fresh cases on Saturday, Karnataka cross 5000-mark for COVID-19 cases in state
Bengaluru: Karnataka on Saturday reported a whopping 378 fresh cases of Corona Virus in the State, the highest single-day jump registered in the state so far. With this, Karnataka has also crossed the 5000 case mark.
The state also reported two deaths due to the deadly virus, one each in Bidar and Vijayapura Districts. The information was shared by the Department of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday evening.
A 55-year-old woman who was admitted to Hospital in Bidar for breathing problems and cough died on June 5, her samples have now returned positive for COVID-19. Another 82-year-old woman who passed away May 27, has also tested positive for the virus.
Udupi on Saturday reported 121 fresh cases in the District, while Yadgiri reported 103, Kalaburagi 69, Dakshina Kannada 24, Bengaluru Urban 18, while Davangere and Vijayapura reported six cases each. Belagavi reported five cases, Gadag reported 4 while Mandya, Haveri, Hassan, and Dharwad registered three new cases each.
Chikkaballapur and Raichur also recorded two fresh cases each, and Bidar, Koppal, Kolar, Tumkuru reported one case each in their respective Districts.
Of the 5213 cases reported in the State so far, 1968 have recovered from the virus and have been discharged from hospital while the state currently is treating 3184 active cases across its territory. 280 people recovered from the virus on a single day, while 59 patients have succumbed to the virus, the health bulletin added.
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Karnataka Lokayukta to register case, probe Bowring wall collapse
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Lokayukta Justice B S Patil on Thursday took serious note of the compound wall collapse at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in the city that killed seven people, and announced registration of a case on its own while warning of action against officials found responsible.
The Lokayukta, who visited the site and conducted an inspection, expressed strong displeasure over the incident and questioned the inaction of authorities, even as police and emergency teams had earlier rushed to the spot to rescue victims trapped under the debris following heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
“I will now register a suo motu case. This is not just about this one incident — such incidents must not occur anywhere in the state or the city in the future,” Justice Patil told reporters.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed as rain-battered victims had taken shelter near it, according to police. The victims included people from Kerala who were in the city on a study tour.
Calling for systemic accountability, the Lokayukta said, “Dilapidated buildings and weakened compound walls, especially in areas with public access, must first be identified. They must either be repaired, demolished, or rebuilt.”
He added that responsibility would be fixed on officials of the BBMP and the concerned departments.
Justice Patil said that hearings would be conducted and preventive action initiated, while also probing those responsible for it, how the incident could have been prevented, and why it was not prevented.
A Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) team and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team also inspected the site, while police cordoned off Kovil Street to facilitate the probe.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the government had initiated measures following the rain-related incidents and stressed preparedness.
“Since last night we have initiated measures regarding the rains. When it rains heavily, we must be prepared, and we are working towards that,” he told reporters here.
On the wall collapse, Shivakumar said, “I will not directly blame any officials. It was an old wall, and trees had grown alongside it. Due to that pressure, it collapsed.”
The Deputy CM said instructions had been issued to identify such vulnerable structures and clear areas around them, including relocating street vendors.
Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said a technical assessment had been ordered.
“This is a very serious matter. Innocent people have been affected. We are issuing directions to the engineers to find out why this compound wall collapsed and to assess its structural strength,” he told reporters after inspecting the spot.
The Minister noted that the wall was ‘very old’ and required thorough examination to prevent recurrence.
Speaking to reporters, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Karnataka government to take precautions to ensure that incidents like the collapse of the Bengaluru government hospital compound wall, which caused loss of life, should not repeat.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad said the collapse raised questions about construction and maintenance practices.
“If a wall collapses within 25 years of its construction, it needs to be examined -- whether there was any technical issue, or if anything was altered inside, weakening it. All this can only come out through a technical investigation,” he said.
The Congress MLA also called for wider structural audits across the city, stating that all such structures, whether private or government, must be audited.
He urged citizens to support victims, saying it was a collective responsibility in times of crisis.
