CM Siddaramaiah suspends three officials following fire in cracker unit that claimed 14 lives
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday ordered the suspension of Anekal Tahsildar, a jurisdictional police inspector and the regional fire officer in the wake of the blaze at a cracker godown-cum-shop in the border town of Attibele in Bengaluru Urban district that claimed 14 lives.
The chief minister also said notices had been issued to the Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban district who issued the licence to the cracker shop owner as well as the Superintendent of Police, apparently seeking explanation about the incident that also left three people critically injured.
Siddaramaiah referred to Supreme Court guidelines on the use of green crackers, and said, "Action should be taken against those who are not following them."
The chief minister said he has given direction to all the officers concerned to ensure that the provisions of the Explosives Act and the SC guidelines on use of green crackers are not violated.
The crackers were stocked in the godown-cum-shop at Attibele in view of the upcoming Dasara and Deepavali festivals.
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.
AI reshaping music, filmmaking in Kannada cinema
Bengaluru: Artificial Intelligence is slowly changing the way music and creativity are produced in the Kannada film industry, raising concerns among musicians, singers and technicians, The New Indian Express reported on Sunday.
Music composer, actor and director V Manohar reportedly said, AI is being used to write lyrics, especially in low-budget movies. Once lyrics are generated, AI can suggest thousands of tunes. It even asks whether the voice should be male or female. With one click, a complete song is ready.
“If this continues, singers and musicians will have less or no work in the coming days. But it may not succeed either. A few years ago, dubbing was allowed and people could watch movies in any language they preferred. But not many took to it as they wanted to watch a movie in the original,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
According to the report, Filmmaker Avinash U Shetty, a National Award winner, said resistance to new technology is not new. Those who resisted shifting from analogue to digital films years ago have now embraced it. The industry is now using only 10% of the AI potential. If it is scaled up, it can do unimaginable things. What we consider bad now, may not be after five years.
Highlighting the cost advantage, Sangamesh, an independent creator reportedly said, he made a three-minute video using AI for just Rs 4,500. Earlier, the same work would have cost nearly Rs 15 lakh. I finished the entire project in three days. The only expense was the AI software subscription, he said.
These days, it has become difficult to differentiate between the real and AI. AI is creating artistes. Scenes like war, big fights and dance can be shot with a lesser number of artistes. Then with the aid of visual effects and AI, you can achieve what you have in mind, he said.
Actor-director D P Raghuram felt that while AI has made an impact on music, it lacks emotional depth. Cinema earlier involved hard work and strong emotional connections. AI can help improve our work, but creativity should remain human, he reportedly said.
As per the report, earlier, Kannada cinema employed hundreds of junior artistes, who not only earned wages but also shared meals on sets and formed lasting bonds with stars like Dr Rajkumar, Vishnuvardhan and Ambareesh. Today, filmmakers fear that increasing dependence on AI could reduce such human connections, turning creativity into just another automated process.
