Karnataka: Fresh guidelines issued for night curfew, weekend curfew; Details here
Regulations issued for marriages, funeral, religious places
Bengaluru: Karnataka government on Friday issued fresh guidelines to contain the COVID-19 pandemic during the festival season. The fresh guidelines will come into effect from 7 August 2021 and will remain in place until 16 August 2021.
According to the order issued by the Chief Minister, night curfew will continue to be imposed from 9 pm to 5 am across the state and weekend curfews will be imposed in Belagavi, Bidar, Vijaypura, Kalaburagi, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru, and Chamrajnagara districts.
All the social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural-religious functions, and other gatherings and large congregation will be prohibited.
However, marriages, family functions are permitted to be continued to be conducted involving not more than 100 people strictly following COVID-19 appropriate behavior. Cremation/funerals allowed with a maximum of 20 people.
Places of worship Temples:
Mosques, Churches, Gurudwaras, and other religious places are allowed to open and related activities pertaining to the places of worship are permitted strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behavior.
However, Jathras, temple festivals, procession, and congregations are not allowed.
Weekend Curfew Guidelines:
All-State and Central Government offices and their Autonomous Bodies, Corporations, etc, dealing with an emergency, essential services, and COVID-19 containment and management duties shall be fully functional and officers/personnel of the same shall be allowed unrestricted movement.
Telecom, Internet Service providers, Companies dealing with emergencies and essential and services and requiring operations 24/7 shall be allowed movement on producing valid ID issued by the company.
Patients and their attendants/persons requiring emergency need, eligible people intending to take vaccination shall be allowed movement with minimal proof.
Shops groceries:
Shops dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy and milk booths, and animal fodder and street vendors shall be allowed to function from 5 am to 2 pm.
Standalone liquor shops and outlets, take away only, allowed from 5 am to 2 pm. Home delivery of all items shall be encouraged 24x7 to minimize the movement of individuals outside their homes. Restaurants and eateries shall be allowed only for take-away and home delivery.
Train, Air travel:
Movement of trains and air travel is permitted. The movement of Public Transport, private vehicles, and taxis to and from airports, railway stations, and bus terminals/stops/stands is allowed for facilitating the movement of passengers by air, rail and road. The movement will be allowed only on displaying valid travel documents/tickets and strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behavior.
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Karnataka Assembly passes bill on Palace Grounds amid opposition protest
Bengaluru, Mar 6 (PTI): The Karnataka Assembly on Thursday passed the Bangalore Palace (Utilisation and Regulation of Land) Bill, reaffirming state ownership over 472 acres and 16 guntas of land here, amid protests by the opposition BJP.
During the discussion, Karnataka Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said the state government would have to provide Rs 200 crore worth of Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) for each acre of land, which means that for 15 acres, Rs 3,000 crore worth of TDR would be issued.
“If we accept it, then this 2-km stretch of road will become the costliest road in the world. If we accept it then how are we going to develop the city in later stages? How will you carry out development works?” asked Patil.
He also pointed out that this question was raised not only under the Congress government but also during the previous BJP regime.
However, the BJP-led cabinet has opposed the project.
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“Suppose we agree to it then, what will be the valuation of the 472 acres? It will be lakhs and lakhs of crores of rupees. Can we accept?” Patil wondered.
The Minister said the government had previously exercised its executive powers to issue an ordinance, which was approved by the Governor. Now the government is bringing a bill with two amendments.
“In this bill, we have made provisions either to develop or drop the road development work,” Patil explained.
However, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad opposed the move, alleging that the government was targetting Yaduveer Krishna Datta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the scion of the Mysuru royal family, and the BJP MP from Mysuru-Kodagu constituency out of political vendetta.
“We talk of 472 acres of Mysuru Maharaja but here there are many Maharajas who too own 400 acres, 500 acres and thousands of acres of land, which is known to everyone,” Bellad said.
He slammed the Congress government, saying political power should not be misused for personal vendetta.
“Why (the then Deputy Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah brought the law in 1996 pertaining to the Bangalore Palace? Why are you setting eyes on the Bangalore Palace?” he asked.
Vijayendra charged that Wadiyar won the election on BJP ticket so the state government realised that it should acquire it.
“This bill has been brought for political vengeance. We are not discussing whether Rs 3,000 crore is exorbitant or not but the moment Yaduveer became MP, the state government woke up. You should be ashamed. This house should not be used for political vendetta,” he said.
Intervening, Minister Priyank Kharge said Vijayendra should not have raised it because the intention behind building the road was noble.
According to him, the BJP too had the same plan when it was in power.
He sought to know whether thousands of crores of rupees be spent on a road which should have cost significantly less.
In response, BJP MLA B A Basavaraj (Byrathi) said issuing TDR will not be a burden on the state government and appealed to the ruling Congress to reconsider its stance.
Minister Ramalinga Reddy too explained that the Karnataka government acquired the entire land way back in 1996.
The Mysuru royal family went to the High Court, which gave ruling in favour of the state government. The royal family then approached the Supreme Court, where the case is still going on, the Minister pointed out.
“The final judgment is pending in the SC to decide whether the acquisition was right or wrong. If the SC says it’s the royal family’s property then let it be so. If the order is in the state government’s favour then we can take a decision. The bill is only about it,” Reddy explained.
Speaker U T Khader then called for a voice vote and the bill was passed by the Assembly amidst opposition BJP’s discontent.
