Bharat Bandh: No major impact on normal life in Karnataka, protests disrupt traffic
Bengaluru, Sep 27: The 'Bharat Bandh' called by farmer unions on Monday to protest the Centre's three farm laws did not have any major impact on normal life in Karnataka, with all businesses and establishments functioning normally and transport services available.
However, protest by farmers and attempts by them to organise a 'Rasta Roko' on major national and state highways during the dawn-to-dusk bandh led to disruption in vehicular movement in several parts of the state, especially in Bengaluru.
Farmers and Kannada organisations held rallies from multiple points around Bengaluru K R Puram, Mysuru Road, Maurya Circle and converged at Town Hall and then proceeded to a protest rally at Freedom Park.
Many pro-Kannada organistions and trade unions, among others, took part in the protest.
Several farmers leaders and protesters including Kuruburu Shantakumar were detained by police.
Similar protests by farmers by burning tyres and effigies have been reported from different parts of the state.
There are reports about protesters in some parts of the state forcing shopkeepers and business to down shutters, but were stopped by police.
Claiming that the bandh according to them has been "successful", Farmer leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar said though the government ensured that buses and public transport operated to make the bandh unsuccessful, people have stayed back at home and have expressed their support to their cause.
"Bandh was successful in several districts, as people have come on streets and protested on major roads and highways, so we can say there has been a good response," he said, adding farmers organisations at Delhi together will decide on future course of action and how to take it forward.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day speaking to reporters in Hubbali, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had appealed to farmer unions not to cause inconvenience to the public who are just recovering from the impact of COVID-19, and asked them to express their difference in any other form.
"People have just started recovering from COVID and are indulging in businesses and other financial activities, people should not face any trouble again....I have appealed to the protesters not to cause inconvenience to people and cooperate," he said, appealing to protesters to express their differences in any other forms, but not to cause inconvenience to the public through bandh.
Police had had taken elaborate security measures to maintain peace and order in the wake of Bharat Bandh.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru North) Dharmendra Kumar Meena sustained injury after a SUV ran over on his leg during the Bandh bandobast duty in Gorguntepalya, sources said.
The DCP was given first-aid and after some time he resumed duty. Police however seized the car and detained the driver.
With several organisations only extending moral support for the bandh, it did not have any major impact on normal life in the city and other parts of the state, police sources said.
Citing losses due to COVID pandemic and its induced lockdown, public transport (KSRTC and BMTC) employees' unions, hotel owners association, lorry, autorickshaw and taxi owners unions had said they support the protest, but will continue to operate.
Metro services are operating as usual besides restaurants and eateries.
The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) and association of private schools in the state had said schools will remain open and they will extend only moral support to the bandh.
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Union government assumes full control over TV ratings, TRAI role curtailed: Report
New Delhi: The Union government has assumed full control over television audience measurement, removing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) from oversight of the ratings system that underpins the country’s ₹36,000 crore television advertising market, according to a report published on Wednesday.
The report in Mint said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) now has exclusive authority over the framework governing how television ratings are measured and regulated. TRAI had been entrusted with oversight of TV ratings in 2012 during the UPA government’s tenure. TRAI is no longer mentioned in the relevant policy document, effectively vesting sole authority in the MIB.
The report said TRAI will continue to regulate other aspects of broadcasting, including channel pricing, advertising caps, interconnection and distribution norms, service quality and compliance standards. Its role in determining how ratings agencies track viewing behaviour has been withdrawn.
Television Rating Points (TRPs), which reflect viewership patterns, guide advertisers in deciding where to allocate spending across channels and time slots.
A government source quoted in the report said the ministry could modify TRAI’s decisions even when the regulator oversaw broadcasting.
A former CEO of Prasar Bharati told the newspaper that the MIB has historically regulated rating agencies through licensing and guidelines, and by holding them accountable under existing norms.
During its tenure overseeing ratings, TRAI had taken decisions affecting the broadcast sector, which included capping advertising time at 12 minutes per hour following complaints about excessive commercial breaks and it now remains unclear how these matters will be addressed under the revised arrangement.
Satya N. Gupta, former principal advisor at TRAI, was quoted as saying that merging regulatory functions with policy oversight and removing an independent regulator from the process was a retrograde step.
TRAI’s involvement in broadcasting had earlier attracted criticism as well. In 2012, its consultation paper on quantitative limits on television advertising was viewed by some as overlapping with the Advertising Standards Council of India’s code. Subsequent recommendations covering television audience measurement, ownership of news channels and issues such as paid news had also raised concerns among sections of the industry.
Television ratings have faced scrutiny in recent years, including during the controversy involving the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), where officials of the ratings body were prosecuted over allegations of manipulation of viewership data.
