Pakistan: 22 injured in celebratory gunfire on new year's eve
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan's new year celebrations were marred by customary gunfire by the exuberant revellers in several big cities, injuring at least 22 people, including children and women, in the Karachi metropolis.
As the clock struck midnight to announce the arrival of the new year on Saturday, the port city resonated with the sounds of heavy gunfire.
According to Pakistan television network Geo TV, several people, including a child and women, were injured in the aerial firing in different parts of Karachi despite a ban on the display of firearms.
Sources from the hospitals said eight people with injuries were admitted to the Civil Hospital, four to Jinnah Hospital, and ten, including women and children, were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment.
So far 13 people have been arrested in connection with the firing in Korangi, three of whom have been charged with attempted murder.
The channel further reported that Karachiites took to the streets and roads to celebrate the new year. The Five Star Chowrangi was thronged by people in a festive mood. Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori was also seen joining the masses to watch fireworks at the Numaish Chowrangi.
Other sites that were thronged by people to witness the annual bash included Clifton Seaview, Do Darya, Bahria Town and Bagh Ibn Qasim. Separately, various clubs, hotels and organisations also organised fireworks to welcome 2023.
Similar reports of celebrations were also received from Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Incidents of injuries due to gunfire were also reported from Lahore but it was independently confirmed.
The new year celebrations have been controversial in Pakistan as clerics look down on the revelries and consider it a sin to imitate western culture. However, over the years an increase has been noticed in the number of people taking to the streets to celebrate this annual event.
Traditionally, club-carrying activists of right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami would disrupt the gathering of youths and roam on the streets of big cities to scare people away. However, they too have toned down their pious' work with the passage of time.
President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif felicitated the nation and international community at the beginning of the New Year and prayed for the development, progress and prosperity of Pakistan as well as peace in the world.
In their separate messages, they stressed the need to work together to make Pakistan the cradle of peace, prosperity and development, according to their official statements.
The President in his message said the nation faced various challenges last year but overcame difficult situations due to hard work, sacrifice, determination and resilience.
"In the new year, as a nation we must set our priorities correctly to overcome the challenges facing the nation," he said.
The Prime Minister in his message hoped that the new year would prove to be the year of ending hunger, war, terrorism, crime, sectarianism and class division from the whole world, including Pakistan.
The Prime Minister reiterated his resolve to "work day and night for improvement of the economic situation of the country, rehabilitation of flood victims, end of terrorism and reduction in sufferings of the people."
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
