Would have won Hangal for BJP had CM Bommai deputed me earlier: Minister V Somanna
Bengaluru, Nov 10: With the ruling BJP's defeat in Hangal Assembly constituency in the recently held bypoll seen as a "setback" to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, a senior Minister in his Cabinet on Wednesday claimed that the party would have won the seat with a big margin if only Bommai had sent him there in advance.
"You (some in the media) said we (BJP) will lose both seats (Hangal and Sindgi), I want to say that if the Chief Minister had sent me to Hangal three day before, we would have won by a lead of 10,000 (votes)," Housing Minister V Somanna told reporters here.
Asked whether he was upset over not having made in-charge of Hangal bypoll or those who were in-charge of the segment had not manage things well, he said, "We have to bow to the mandate of the people, we have accepted and done that."
Meanwhile, a video surfaced in which Somanna and senior BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal can be seen discussing, after a press conference, about the loss in Hangal, and expressing displeasure.
In the conversation telecast on Kannada news channels, Yatnal says: You should've been deputed in Hangal (as in-charge)"; Somanna replies: "Both of us were enough..."
Both leaders then lament about the loss.
While Ministers Murugesh Nirani, J C Madhuswamy, B C Patil, Shivaram Hebbar, Member of Parliament Shivakumar Udasi, and party's State vice-president B Y Vijayendra were among the 13 in-charge of Hangal bypolls, Somanna was among those in-charge of Sindgi, where the party won.
In what is being seen as a bittersweet result for the ruling BJP in Karnataka, the saffron party won the Sindgi Assembly segment but lost the Hangal seat to Congress.
Congress's Srinivas Mane won Hangal by a margin of 7,373 votes. He secured 87,490 votes while his closest rival Shivaraj Sajjanar of the BJP got 80,117. The bypoll was necessitated due to the death of BJP MLA C M Udasi.
The BJP's loss in Hangal was seen as a "setback" to Chief Minister Bommai personally, as it is the neighbouring constituency to his Shiggaon Assembly segment in Haveri district, where he had extensively campaigned, and his personal relationship with the segment as his wife and a few other family members hail from there.
This was also the first major electoral challenge for Bommai after taking charge as Chief Minister in July this year.
Bommai, soon after the poll results on November 2, had said that he has taken this election setback very seriously and will do all the corrections. The two bypolls were held on October 30.
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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.
