Karnataka govt forms anti-narcotic task force to tackle drug menace in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: In a decisive move to curb the escalating drug crisis in the state capital, the Karnataka government has constituted a dedicated Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF).
According to a government order, cited by Deccan Herald on Monday, the newly formed task force will be overseen by Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG&IGP) M.A. Saleem. The team will report to Pronab Mohanty, Director General of Police, Cyber Command.
The task force will comprise 10 newly designated positions, including four Additional Superintendents of Police and two Assistant Commissioners of Police. In total, the unit will be staffed by 56 police staff, including two police inspectors and four police sub-inspectors.
The 56 officers have been taken away from the Anti-Naxal Force and assigned to the narcotics task force, the order read.
In addition, the order mentioned a restructuring of police units handling technology-related offences. All 43 Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) crime police stations across Karnataka have now been renamed as cyber crime police stations. These stations have been instructed to focus on cases related to cybercrime and to register offences under the Information Technology (IT) Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to computer-related crimes.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
