Ambulance gets preference over VIP convoy in Karnataka
Bengaluru, July 9 : Ambulances across Karnataka need not wait for a VIP convoy to pass for rushing patients to hospitals for emergency treatment, a top city police official said on Monday.
"As per the orders passed from the state police chief Neelamani N. Raju, the traffic police in the city and across the state will make way for the ambulances to pass through to get the patients to hospitals in time, even if there is VIP movement on the route," Bengaluru Police Commissioner T. Suneel Kumar told IANS here.
The move comes after the state's Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister G. Parameshwara wrote to Raju asking the state's traffic police to give preference to ambulances irrespective of VIP convoy movement.
"I have observed that ambulances are sometimes stopped to make way for my convoy. Nothing is more important than rescuing a person in need of immediate medical help. Going forward, no ambulances will be stopped during movement of VIP convoys," Parameshwara said in a tweet.
According a report in local media, an ambulance was held up for 15 minutes in the city last month for allowing Parameshwara's convoy to pass first.
In June last year, a police officer Nijlingappa was rewarded by the city police department for making way for an ambulance before then President Pranab Mukherjee's convoy passed on the same route.
Instances of vehicular traffic, including ambulance service, being held up for VIP convoys has been receiving flak as precious time would be last during the 'golden hour' (first hour after a traumatic injury) as any delay in rushing a patient to a hospital may endanger a human life
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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.
