Plea filed in Supreme Court seeking Army deployment to retrieve Kerala native from K'taka landslide
New Delhi: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the deployment of Indian Army personnel for rescue operations on National Highway 66 in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, where a landslide occurred on July 16.
The PIL, filed by Advocate Subhash Chandran KR, states that the Karnataka government has failed to act effectively in the golden hours following the landslide and does not have a plan to tackle the situation. The petitioner alleges that despite the presence of an army cantonment in nearby Belgavi and naval resources in Karwar, no efforts have been made to mobilize the army.
The petitioner points out that a truck driver, Arjun, a native of Kerala, is trapped at the disaster site since July 16, and search operations are continuing but are not yielding productive results due to the initial inaction of the Karnataka government and police authorities.
The PIL seeks the deployment of army personnel to rescue those trapped, including Arjun, and to clear the debris using scientific methods. The petitioner also seeks a direction to the respondents (Union Government, Karnataka, and Kerala Governments) to take all possible steps to locate the stranded human life and vehicles.
The Supreme Court has been requested to hear the matter urgently, given the seriousness of the situation. The case is being argued by Senior Advocate V Chidambaram and filed through AOR Biju P Raman.
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New book celebrates Bengaluru's BMTC bus stories, captures lives on transit
Bengaluru: A new bilingual book titled Bengalurina Bussina Kathegalu (Bengaluru’s Bus Stories) was released on Monday, offering a heartwarming collection of real-life experiences from the city’s BMTC buses. Presented in Kannada and English, the book turns the routine of bus commuting into poignant narratives of connection, emotion, and community.
Compiled by a diverse group of writers and volunteers, the book is a joint effort by researchers from Utrecht University (Netherlands), the EQUIMOB project, the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), and the non-profit Samvada.With 23 stories divided into seven themes, it offers a people's archive of the daily life happening on Bengaluru's buses.
The stories span from childhood memories to friendships and even transformative encounters. One story remembers the excitement of taking a double-decker bus ride, while another tells how a conductor's wise action resolved a family feud over a nascent romance.
Prajwal Nagesh, one of the researchers who worked on the project, highlighted the collective effort that went into the book. "While each of us has our own recollections of BMTC buses, such stories are not often recorded. This book is a collective memory of those experiences," he said.
During the launch event, the personal bus memories were shared by volunteers such as Mamatha Gamana, which encouraged people at the event to contribute their own anecdotes, giving an insight into how these daily travels have influenced the social geography of the city for many years.
Released as an e-book, Bengaluru's Bus Stories is available on Equimob's website and the Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike blog.
Bengaluru's Bus Stories – Bengalurina Bussina Kathegalu, a book offering insights into BMTC - the city’s lifeline- was launched on Monday. It captures memories of double-deckers, bus bonds, everyday life around buses@BBPVedike pic.twitter.com/T21W2nldy4
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