'Together, we all can beat Covid-19'; CM Yediyurappa urges people to follow lockdown rules
Bengaluru, Apr 28: Hours after the 14-day lockdown came into effect in Karnataka to contain COVID-19, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday appealed to the people to abide by the norms to break the chain of infections.
"The 2 weeks strict rules to break the chain of Covid virus have begun. My appeal to everyone: follow the guidelines, cooperate with the govt, stay indoors, and step out only if it's an emergency.
Together, we all can defeat the Covid-19 pandemic," Yediyurappa tweeted.
Roads in urban areas wore a deserted look while the bustling markets fell silent as the lockdown came into force on Tuesday night.
The government has allowed sale of essential goods and continuity of essential services.
It has allowed the sale of essential products such as vegetables, grocery, milk supply, medical stores and hospitals to operate.
These measures have been taken after the daily COVID cases in the state climbed to more than 30,000.
The state has now over three lakh active cases of which two lakh are in Bengaluru alone.
The 2 weeks strict rules to break the chain of Covid virus have begun. My appeal to everyone: follow the guidelines, cooperate with the govt, stay indoors, and step out only if it's an emergency. Together, we all can defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.
— B.S. Yediyurappa (@BSYBJP) April 28, 2021
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Drug crackdown in Mangaluru: 25 arrested in 14 days, QR code tips aid police
Mangaluru: Intensifying action against drug peddling, Mangaluru City police arrested 25 people and registered 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. During the operation, police seized 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of Ganja, The Times of India reported.
City police commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy reportedly said, the QR code based anonymous reporting system, introduced to enable citizens and students to discreetly share information on drug-related activities, has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers.
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According to the report, so far this year, up to December 14, police have registered 107 drug peddling cases and arrested 219 accused. In addition, 562 cases were booked for drug consumption, leading to the arrest of 671 people.
During raids conducted this year, police allegedly seized large quantities of narcotics, including ganja worth Rs 88.7 lakh, MDMA valued at Rs 1.2 crore, and MDMA pills worth Rs 87,000. Other raids include charas worth Rs 1.7 lakh, hydro-weed ganja worth Rs 94.7 lakh, methamphetamine worth Rs 50,000, bhang chocolates worth Rs 6,800, cocaine worth Rs 1.9 lakh, and opium worth Rs 9,000.
In 2024, police arrested 160 peddlers in 88 cases, in addition to booking 1,026 cases for consumption and arresting 1,244 persons. In 2023, the police arrested 199 peddlers in 94 cases and booked 619 cases for consumption and arrested 749 persons.
"We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence," TOI quoted commissioner Reddy as saying.
To curb drug use among students, police also introduced random drug testing in colleges. Around 100 educational institutions were covered in the first phase, where nearly 6,000 students were screened. As per the report, about 20 students tested positive and were counselled. They will undergo follow-up tests in the next phase.
Reiterating a zero-tolerance policy, the commissioner reportedly said random testing would continue and colleges have also been directed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse at an early stage.
