Karnataka govt approves renaming of Ramanagara district as Bengaluru South
Bengaluru, May 22 (PTI): The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved the renaming of neighbouring Ramanagara district as 'Bengaluru South'.
Ramanagara, about 50 kms from here, will remain as the headquarters of the renamed district, which will also consist of Magadi, Kanakapura, Channapatna and Harohalli taluks.
"We have checked the rules, regulations and acts and amendments. Ramanagara was originally a Bengaluru district, today in the cabinet it was decided to name it as the Bengaluru South district. Order regarding this will be issued. This is happy news for the Bengaluru South district," Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters, he said, there will be no change in Ramanagara functioning as the headquarters of the district, and it will continue.
"Notification will be issued and the necessary process will follow. There will be no financial implication from this decision... all land records and everything will be changed. I'm also here-on from the Bengaluru South district" he added.
Ramanagara, which has now been renamed, is the home district of Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief.
He represents Kanakapura Assembly constituency in the district, and had first mooted the proposal to rename the district as Bengaluru South.
Noting that Ramanagara district was earlier part of Bengaluru district, the Deputy CM said, Bengaluru city, Bengaluru rural were all part of Bengaluru district earlier, including -- Hosakote, Devanahalli, Doddaballapura, Channapatna, Ramanagara, Magadi, and Kanakapura taluks.
"We (current Ramanagara district people) are trying to save our Bengaluru identity. This region is developing," he said, adding that the cabinet decided on the Bengaluru South district name within the framework of law.
To a question whether the Centre had opposed the cabinet's earlier decision in this regard, Shivakumar said, nothing, the central government has no powers on this issue.
"Informing the Centre was mandatory, that's all. There was some politics and some attempts were made (to oppose), but it is our right, it is a state subject," he said, noting that centre's approval was not sought when other districts were renamed earlier, including when the name Ramanagara was given to this district.
Responding to a question on opposition's criticism that development won't happen from name change, Shivakumar said, "let them wait and see."
Union Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister of the JD(S)-BJP coalition, when Ramanagara district was carved out in August 2007.
Kumaraswamy had earlier threatened to go on a protest if the Karnataka government decides to go-ahead with the proposal to rename the district.
Ramanagara district had been the political turf of JD(S) and Kumaraswamy as he had earlier represented Ramanagara and Channapatna Assembly segments, and also had been an MP from the region.
ರಾಮನಗರ ಇನ್ಮುಂದೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ!
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) May 22, 2025
ರಾಮನಗರ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ ಈ ಮೊದಲು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಗ್ರಾಮಾಂತರ ಎಂದಿತ್ತು. ನಂತರ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಗರ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ ಎಂದಾಗಿತ್ತು. ರಾಮನಗರದ ಹೆಸರನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಶಾಸಕರುಗಳು ಸೇರಿ ತೀರ್ಮಾನ ಕೈಗೊಂಡು, ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯೆಂದು ಮರು ನಾಮಕರಣ ಮಾಡಲು ಸಂಪುಟದಲ್ಲಿ… pic.twitter.com/vE6DlMu4CR
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.
Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
