No sale of liquor during weekend curfew: Karnataka Excise Minister K Gopalaiah
Bengaluru, Jan 7: Ahead of the weekend curfew, which will come into effect from Friday at 8 pm to Monday 5 am, Karnataka Excise Minister K Gopalaiah said there will be no sale of liquor for two days starting from tonight across the state.
"It has been decided that there will not be any sale of liquor during the weekend curfew. I have directed the officials to issue an order to this effect," Gopalaiah told reporters.
He said there is spike in cases in the state, especially in Bengaluru. Hence, it has been decided not to open the liquor shops.
Gopalaiah said the liquor shop owners had given a representation to allow them to run their shops but due to rising COVID cases, their plea was not considered.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant appealed to people not to venture out unnecessarily.
"The weekend curfew will come into effect from 8 pm tonight. Please do not go to various places unnecessarily and cooperate with the police for your own safety," Pant told reporters.
He said only a set of activities is permitted including essential and medical services.
"Those who want to go to the hospital have to furnish supporting documents. Those travelling should also possess tickets and related papers," the police commissioner said.
He added that the police would not issue any passes for people to travel within the city.
Pant warned that those violating the COVID-19 norms will face action under the Natural Disaster Management Act (NDMA). The violators will be detained and their vehicles will be seized.
The Karnataka government issued a set of prohibitory orders including weekend and night curfews for two weeks to check the rising COVID cases.
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24,000 quintals of worm-infested jowar worth Rs 6 crore found in Ballari
Ballari: A shocking discovery has come to light in Ballari, where nearly 24,000 quintals of jowar, valued at Rs 6 crore, were reportedly found infested with worms in a godown managed by the Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation (KSWC).
The contaminated grain was distributed to fair price shops in and around the district, as reported by The New Indian Express on Saturday.
The issue was exposed when Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa visited the KSWC's Unit-2 godown. During the inspection, he found that 48,000 bags of jowar, each weighing 50 kg, had become unsuitable for consumption due to worm infestation.
When Justice Veerappa, deputy registrar Aravind NV and others questioned about the condition of the grain, Sharavathi, the manager of the Ballari unit of KSWC, and Sakina, the deputy director of Food and Civil Supplies, explained that they obtained a certificate from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on March 29, 2024, that “jowar is fit” for consumption, TNIE added. The grain had subsequently been sent to Haveri and other districts for distribution through fair price shops.
However, Justice Veerappa pointed out that the jowar was not even fit for animals to consume. Expressing his displeasure, he stated that negligence by officials had resulted in the wastage of 48,000 bags of jowar.
Meanwhile, Sharavathi reportedly questioned Justice Veerappa's visit to the godown, asking him to provide photographic evidence linked to GPS for confirmation. This demand left him enraged, as he remarked, "This shows they have reached a stage of even questioning us."
Justice Veerappa called the situation "unfortunate" and urged the concerned minister to take immediate action against the officials involved. He emphasised that taxpayers' money had been used to procure the jowar, and its wastage was unacceptable. "We will definitely take action under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act," he vowed.
