Karnataka reports 8,811 new COVID-19 cases, 86 deaths
Bengaluru: Karnataka on Saturday reported 8,811 new COVID-19 cases and 86 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 5,66,023 and the death toll to 8,503, the Health department said.
The day also saw 5,417 patients getting discharged after recovery.
Out of the 8,811 fresh cases reported on Saturday, 4,083 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.
As of September 26 evening, cumulatively 5,66,023 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 8,503 deaths and 4,55,719 discharges, the health department said in its bulletin.
It said, out of 1,01,782 active cases,1,00,950 patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and are stable, while 832 are in ICU.
As many as 27 of the 86 deaths reported on Saturday were from Bengaluru Urban, followed by Dakshina Kannada and Shivamogga (8), Ballari (7), Mysuru (6), Dharwad (4), Bengaluru Rural and Haveri (3), Chikkaballapura, Davangere, Hassan, Koppal, Ramanagara, Tumakuru and Vijayapura (2), and Bagalkote, Chikkamagaluru, Gadag, Kalaburagi, Kolar and Mandya (1).
Most of the dead were either with a history of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) or Influenza-like illness (ILI).
Among the districts where the new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 4,083, followed by Ballari (462), Dakshina Kannada (420), Koppal (352), Mandya (255), Kalaburagi (249), Bengaluru Rural (241), Hassan (239), Dharwad (232), followed by others.
Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 2,16,630 infections, followed by Mysuru (32,348) and Ballari (30,633).
Among discharges too Bengaluru urban tops the list with total 1,70,430 discharges, followed by Mysuru with 26,081 and Ballari (25,925).
A total of 45,86,780 samples were tested so far, out of which 67,857 were tested on Saturday alone.
Among the samples tested today 26,049 were rapid antigen tests.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
