JD(S) state president H Vishwanath resigns
Bengaluru: Karnataka JDS chief H Vishwanath resigned from his post Tuesday, accepting "moral" responsibility for the party's dismal show in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
Vishwanath, an MLA, told reporters here, "I take moral responsibility for the (party's) defeat." The JDS chief was reportedly unhappy over being sidelined and not being taken into confidence by the party on key issues.
Vishwanath was also locked in a public spat in recent weeks with senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah over his functioning as the ruling coalition coordination committee chief and for not preparing the common agenda for the two partners.
The BJP had swept the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, winning 25 of the 28 seats, leaving the ruling coalition partners Congress and JDS with one seat each.
Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh had won the Mandya seat.
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No more street vending on B’luru’s main roads, as govt plans to bring new policy for street hawkers
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has decided to formulate a new policy for footpaths in Bengaluru, under which street vending will not be allowed on main roads and sub-main roads.
Addressing the media after a budget preparation meeting and executive meeting of GBA corporations at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said discussions were held with MLAs from the GBA region regarding the corporations’ budgets and key civic issues.
Leader of Opposition R. Ashok also participated in the meeting and shared his views. Officials from multiple departments, including police, BESCOM, BMRCL, BWSSB and BDA, along with ministers and legislators, were present.
He stated that all five municipalities have prepared their individual budgets, while MLAs have submitted their demands, including calls for ward-wise grants.
“We have decided to bring a new policy for footpaths. Citizens are struggling to walk as footpaths are encroached upon by street vendors,” Shivakumar said.
Highlighting the need to balance livelihoods and public convenience, he added that “a separate space will be provided for street vendors, and specific roads will be designated for their business,” ensuring that pedestrians can use footpaths without obstruction. He noted that there was unanimous agreement among MLAs on this approach.
Issuing a warning to vendors, Shivakumar said that authorities will act against those violating the rules. “If vendors operate during the day and leave their carts on the roadside at night, authorities will clear them. People should be aware of this,” he said.
Providing data on street vendors, he said that around 60,000 vendors have registered so far, of which 30,000 have applied for vehicles, and a tender has already been floated.
“Only those with street vendor identity cards will be allowed to do business. Those without ID cards will not be permitted to operate on the streets,” he added.
