Some JD(S) MLAs favour giving external support to BJP, Kumaraswamy to decide: G T Devegowda
Bengaluru, Jul 26: A few JD(S) legislators have impressed upon H D Kumaraswamy to extend external support to the BJP government in Karnataka, party MLA and former minister G T Devegowda said on Friday, but asserted that the former chief minister would take the final decision.
Barely four days after losing power, the JD(S) legislators were a divided lot over their next course of action.
The difference of opinion among the legislators surfaced in a meeting convened by Kumaraswamy on Friday night to decide the party's future course of action in the wake of upheavals in Karnataka politics.
After the meeting of party legislators here, Devegowda said, "We (MLAs) discussed the future course of action. Some have suggested that we should sit in opposition, while some legislators are of the opinion that we should support the BJP from outside."
"We have authorised Kumaraswamy to take the final decision," he said.
The development came on a day BJP leader B S Yediyurappa was sworn in as chief minister for a fourth time in a sudden twist to the protracted high political drama in the state with a big challenge to manage numbers staring him in the face.
Shortly after taking the oath, Yediyurappa said that he would move a motion of confidence in the Assembly on July 29, to prove his majority.
Yediyurappa alone took the oath succeeding Kumaraswamy three days after the Congress-JDS coalition government crumbled under the weight of a rebellion by a big chunk of its lawmakers, when it lost the motion of confidence in the state assembly.
The JD(S) and its ally in the previous government the Congress had alleged that the BJP was the root cause behind unseating them from power by luring and threatening their MLAs.
Meanwhile, JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, in a tweet, congratulated Yediyurappa on his swearing-in.
Amid speculations about BJP and JD(S) joining hands, Yediyurappa had recently ruled out any possibility of alliance with the regional party, having bitter experience in the past.
The BJP and JD(S) had formed a coalition government in 2006 with Kumaraswamy as chief minister and Yediyurappa as his deputy, under a power sharing formula of 20 months each.
That government had collapsed as the JD(S) did not transfer power to BJP, paving the way for the saffron party to win elections in 2008.
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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.
