‘Neglecting minorities in state Budget is not a good sign’
Former minister HK Patil writes to leaders
Bengaluru, July 06: Former minister and senior Congress leader HK Patil said that no particular programme was announced in the budget for the welfare of the minority community which is instrumental in electing the secular parties in the 2018 election, and it was not fair.
Patil expressed his displeasure in a letter written to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwar, state Congress incharge KC Venugopal and Housing Minister DK Shivakumar.
The budget should have had special programmes for the minority community and the poor in that community. Along with the programmes announced in the last budget, the Chief Minister should have announced some programmes for the welfare of the minorities in this budget keeping in mind the changed political scenario, he said.
Patil also urged the Chief Minister and others to announce a few programmes during the debate on the Budget before approving it and compensate the lacking. People of north Karnataka had their own expectations on the budget. In the previous government, several new taluks were announced and most of them were in north Karnataka. People were expecting that this budget would have a special programme to provide basic infrastructure to all those new taluks. But their expectations were not fulfilled, he said.
Regarding north Karnataka, the programmes announced in the last budget were once again repeated in this budget and no new programmes which can respond and fulfill the needs of the people of north Karnataka were announced in the budget of the coalition government, he averred.
This budget hurt the feelings and expectations of north Karnataka people. It was the duty of the coalition government to respect the feelings of those people. In view of this, the Chief Minister should announce special programmes in his answer before approving the Budget in order to alleviate the regional imbalance to ensure justice to north Karnataka, he demanded.
Convene coordination committee meeting
The Congress governments between 1999 and 2004, Congress-JDS government between 2004 and 2006 and in Congress government between 2013 and 2018, had tried to alleviate the regional imbalance through various programmes. It was better to announce some special programmes to develop the north Karnataka. It should be discussed in an emergency meeting of the coordination committee and find solutions, Patil appealed Coordination Committee chairman Siddaramaiah in his letter.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
