Bengaluru, May 24: Forty labs have been fined Rs 20.20 lakh for delay in uploading the results of COVID-19 tests, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said on Monday.

This information was shared to the DCM by Shalini Rajneesh, Nodal Head, in-charge of COVID testing, at a meeting convened by him, his office said in a statement.

Those fined include 9 government and 31 private labs. The total number of cases where results are found delayed for more than 24 hours since May 8, is 10,103 and this includes both government labs and private labs, according to the release.

Of these, 3,034 cases belong to government labs and the rest 7,069 cases are from private labs, and the labs have been fined Rs 200 for each case, it said.

Apart from this, 5 labs have been closed/penalized for sharing positive reports without uploading to ICMR, and showcause notices have been issued in 41 cases for delay in uploading samples.

"The government asked all labs to deliver the results within 24 hours, but some labs are not understanding the gravity of the situation...," Narayan said.

The DCM also said that it has been decided to place an invitation for quotation (IFQ) to procure 3 lakh vials of Amphotericin B (50mg Vial) to facilitate the treatment of mucormycosis (black fungus).

This was decided in a meeting held by the state COVID task force head with Anjum Parvez, senior IAS officer, Nodal officer-in-charge of drug supplies for Covid management.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Mangaluru: In a major development in the Dharmasthala mass burial case, the whistleblower, a former sanitation worker appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Mangaluru on Saturday, July 26. He was questioned for more than seven hours and recorded his statement before investigating officer Jitendra Kumar Dayama.

According to sources, the complainant’s legal team received a notice late on Friday night, July 25, summoning him for questioning at the newly established SIT office located at the PWD Inspection Bungalow (IB) in Mallikatte, Kadri. Two rooms within the bungalow have been reserved for the SIT’s operations.

A day earlier, senior officials from the SIT, including DIG M N Anucheth and DySP Dayama, reached Mangaluru and officially took over the case files from the Dakshina Kannada district police. The SIT is currently examining land survey records and other crucial documents related to the alleged burial sites as part of the probe.

The case, which has triggered widespread concern, is based on a complaint filed by the former employee who claimed that he had buried the bodies of several women and children on instructions from his superiors over a period spanning 20 years between 1995 and 2015. The complainant also submitted skeletal remains, reportedly exhumed from one of the alleged burial sites, as evidence to support his claims.

The Mangaluru rural police had registered a case based on the complaint on July 4. Following public pressure and demands for a fair probe, the Karnataka government constituted the Special Investigation Team on July 19.

The SIT is headed by senior IPS officer DGP Pronab Mohanty, who is also in charge of the Internal Security Division and Cyber Command. His appointment came after the complainant’s legal team appealed to the government to assign an impartial officer to lead the investigation.

Get all the latest, breaking news from Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada in a single click. CLICK HERE to get all the latest news from Mangaluru.