Karnataka has collected Rs 11,112.31 crore in toll revenue through FASTag transactions over the last three financial years, reflecting the growing adoption of electronic toll collection across National Highways in the state, The Hindu reported on Monday.

According to data provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the state collected Rs 3,049.09 crore in 2022-23. The amount rose to Rs 3,839.14 crore in 2023-24 and further increased to Rs 4,224.08 crore in 2024-25.

Replying to an unstarred question by MP G. C. Chandrashekhar in the Rajya Sabha on February 11, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) now accounts for more than 98% of user fee collection across the country, including Karnataka. The figures indicate near-universal use of FASTag at toll plazas, significantly reducing cash transactions.

The Minister explained that FASTag payments are processed through a secure system involving the Toll Management System Software at toll plazas, the acquiring bank, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) acting as the central clearing house, and the FASTag issuer bank. No transaction can be completed without the participation of all three stakeholders. Each toll deduction is communicated to the user and recorded in a central repository, ensuring transparency and accountability in toll operations.

To prevent toll evasion and revenue leakage, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on January 25, 2024. The SOP mandates surprise inspections and regular monitoring to ensure all transactions are processed only through the Toll Management System Software.

On toll revisions, Minister Gadkari clarified that user fees are collected under the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008. Rates at publicly funded toll plazas are revised annually based on changes in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). In contrast, toll plazas operated by concessionaires revise rates in accordance with the terms specified in their concession agreements.

He said that toll charges may also increase if the tolling length under a plaza is expanded. Fees vary by vehicle category, with cars, jeeps and vans paying the lowest rates, while multi-axle heavy vehicles are charged higher fees in proportion to road usage, and the wear and tear they cause.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Karnataka celebrated Deepavali with zeal on Monday, as people flocked to temples, adorned their homes with flowers and lamps, and burst crackers to mark the festival of lights.

Dressed in new attires, residents exchanged greetings, embracing the spirit of the festival that symbolises the triumph of light over darkness.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar extended Deepavali greetings to everyone.

May this festival, which shows the path from darkness to light, dispel the darkness of hatred, violence, falsehood, unrest, poverty, and ignorance that plague society, and spread the light of friendship, coexistence, truth, peace, and wisdom everywhere, I pray.”

He urged people to use only green firecrackers and advised elders to ensure safety of young children while bursting them.

“Along with the joy of the festival, do not forget environmental care. Use only green firecrackers, and when young children burst crackers, elders should take care of them. I request everyone to celebrate Deepavali with joy and safely. Once again, Deepavali wishes to all of you,” the CM added.

Extending his hearty Deepavali greetings, Deputy CM Shivakumar said on ‘X’, “May the festival of lights dispel the hardships in everyone’s lives and spread the light of progress all around. I pray that this festival of lamps brings success, prosperity and abundance into everyone’s life.”

Markets across Bengaluru, including KR Market, Chickpet and Avenue Road, donned a festive look since early morning as people thronged stores to buy sweets, flowers, earthen lamps and decorative items.

After the Supreme Court’s recent directive regulating firecracker use in Delhi-NCR, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has implemented similar restrictions across the state. It has instructed all district administrations to intensify the crackdown on illegal storage, sale and trading of non-green crackers.

The board has permitted the bursting of crackers only between 8 pm and 10 pm on October 21 and 22.

The Bengaluru Traffic Police has made elaborate arrangements to ease congestion near major commercial areas and temples, while hospitals across the city have been put on alert to deal with possible firecracker-related injuries. Victoria Hospital and Minto Eye Hospital have set up special emergency units to ensure timely treatment.

Deepavali is celebrated over three days in Karnataka — Naraka Chaturdashi, which involves the traditional oil bath and fireworks; Lakshmi Puja on Amavasya (new moon), dedicated to the goddess of wealth; and Balipadyami, observed to honour King Bali.

Deputy CM DK Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has promised to resolve the city’s longstanding road issues, announcing a deadline of November to fill all potholes across Bengaluru.

The assurance, which echoes similar pledges in previous years, comes amid growing frustration from residents and businesses, as Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure continues to tarnish the city’s image.

We have given an ultimatum to contractors and engineers to repair potholes by November.

Our government is committed to providing a clean Bengaluru and also ensure smooth movement of vehicles Shivakumar stated in a post on X.

He said that asphalting works covering 349 km across 182 roads are underway at an estimated cost of Rs 649 crore. “I have directed officials to complete this project quickly so that there are no potholes or instances of waterlogging

In addition, the Deputy CM highlighted that 178 roads, covering about 401 kilometers, are currently under the Defect Liability Period (DLP). Contractors responsible for these roads have been instructed to maintain them and ensure that no potholes develop.

The post, published on X, has received mixed reactions from the public. One user remarked, “Deadlines have been set countless times over the years, but the situation keeps worsening. This November will likely pass with little change.” The user further suggested that ward incharges be rewarded for filling all potholes or suspended if they fail to meet the target.

Another user proposed that the government provide a 50 percent rebate on property tax if the GBA and the corporations fail to meet the deadline.

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Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge

Bengaluru: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday alleged that Form 7 was misused under the previous BJP government to delete voters “en masse”, ahead of May 2023 Assembly polls.

His remarks followed claims by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who cited Karnataka’s example, that votes of party supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections.

Form 7 is an application for objecting inclusion of the name of the other person, or seeking deletion of one’s own name, or seeking deletion of any other person’s name in the electoral roll due to death or shifting.

Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of protecting “vote chors” and people who have destroyed democracy, and cited data from Karnataka’s Aland Assembly constituency to support his claim that votes of Congress supporters were being systematically deleted ahead of elections.

In Aland segment, someone tried to delete 6,018 votes and got caught by coincidence, he said, alleging that the names of voters of the Congress were being deleted systematically.

Kharge said, “The Vote Chori trail in Aland (in Kalaburagi district) is a shocking case of large-scale voter deletion. Ahead of the May 2023 Assembly election, Form 7 was misused under the BJP government to delete voters en masse.

He said, “Verification showed 5,994 were forged, only 24 genuine. 2,494 voters were actually deleted before the fraud was caught. Strong Congress booths, especially with Dalit and minority voters, were targeted.”

In one instance, 12 voters were deleted in just 14 minutes, pointing to a “sophisticated vote chori factory”, Kharge said.

In another case, the identity of a 63-year-old woman was misused to delete 12 voters.

Noting that the Karnataka CID, which is investigating the case has sent 18 letters to the Election Commission of India seeking IP logs, OTP trails, device IDs, and login details, he alleged that the EC has refused to share the critical data.

The Minister said this raises serious questions. “Who approved these deletion records? Where is the OTP audit trail? When will deleted voters be restored? Why is ECI refusing to cooperate with CID? Who is the ECI trying to protect?”

“When the fraud is this clear, what more evidence is the ECI waiting for? Whom are they shielding?” he asked.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Aug 12 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said treating stray dogs as a nuisance to be ‘removed’ is not governance, it is “cruelty”.

His remarks came a day after the Supreme Court directed Delhi-NCR authorities to permanently relocate all strays from streets to shelters “at the earliest”.

The top court noted that there was an “extremely grim” situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children.

“Treating stray dogs as a nuisance to be ‘removed’ is not governance – it is cruelty. Humane societies find solutions that protect people and animals,” Siddaramaiah posted on ‘X’.

“Sterilisation, vaccination, and community care work. Fear-driven measures only create more suffering, not safety,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s post was in reaction to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s post in which he has said that the SC directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy, and stressed that “blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion”.

Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao

Bengaluru: In a sweeping move aimed at curbing corruption and boosting transparency, the Karnataka health department has transferred 5,676 officers and staff members across the state in accordance with the Karnataka Civil Services.

According to a report by Deccan Herald, the department adopted a data-driven approach to the transfer process by categorising districts into critical and non-critical zones. Medical officers were evaluated on a points-based system, awarding two marks for each year of rural service and 1.5 marks for urban postings. Based on these scores, doctors were ranked. The ranks determined the priority order for them to choose the place of their liking.

The non-critical zones are more in number than the critical zones. After the first set of doctors chose non-critical zones and the number of critical and non-critical zones reached parity, the remaining doctors were required to opt for positions in critical zones.

A grievance redressal committee has also been constituted to handle objections or appeals related to postings.

There will be annual transfers in the same way as it helps clean up the system. My office was filled with people with recommendation letters from politicians and other influential persons, because people felt that was how the system works.

To manage the scale of the operation, eight teams were deployed in each district to oversee the counselling process, which was held at district health offices. Remote staff were able to participate online, eliminating the need to travel to Bengaluru. The process was supported by specialised software displaying real-time vacancy data, with senior officials joining virtually via video conferencing.

Rao acknowledged the challenges involved noting that the department had to consider the personal impact on families.We had a lot of humanitarian challenges. We had to take into consideration how transfers affect officials families he said.

Due to some vacancies remaining unfilled in critical zones a second round of counselling was conducted

Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka on Thursday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to share names of electors he claimed were either included or excluded wrongfully from the voters’ list of the state along with a signed declaration for the poll authorities to initiate necessary proceedings in the matter.

In a letter to Gandhi soon after he levelled allegations of vote fraud, the state poll officer said that during a press conference in the national capital you had mentioned about the inclusion of ineligible electors and exclusion of eligible electors in the Electoral Rolls

“You are kindly requested to sign and return the enclosed declaration/oath under Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, along with the name(s) of such elector(s) so that necessary proceedings can be initiated.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed there was “vote chori” of 1,00,250 votes in a Karnataka constituency with 11,965 duplicate voters in one assembly segment, 40,009 voters with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters or single address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos and 33,692 voters misusing Form 6 of new voters.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday claimed that US President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods was “economic blackmail”, blaming it on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on “headline management” rather than prioritising real diplomacy and national interest.

Targeting the Centre, Siddaramaiah alleged that the Modi government had repeatedly ignored “prescient warnings” by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and called on the prime minister to “grow up and act in India’s interest.”

Siddaramaiah claimed that since 2019, Modi had gone out of his way to please Trump—from raising the slogan “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar,” (This time, a Trump government), at the ‘Howdy Modi’ event, to hosting the ‘Namaste Trump’ rally despite a looming Covid threat, and coining the phrase “Make India Great Again (MIGA)+Make America Great Again (MAGA) equals MEGA.”

He also cited Modi’s outreach to Elon Musk despite Musk’s proximity to Trump.

“But Trump wasn’t impressed. He saw it not as diplomacy, but surrender,” Siddaramaiah alleged.

“He (Trump) did exactly what a true friend wouldn’t: claimed 33 times that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan, hosted Pakistan’s Army Chief—the man whose hate speeches led to the Pahalgam terror attack—and backed Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. PM Modi remained silent through it all, to stay in Washington’s good books. No protest. No pushback. No dignity,” he alleged.

Siddaramaiah said Trump had now imposed unfair tariffs on India and was attempting to coerce the country into cutting ties with Russia, calling it a “direct attack on our sovereignty”.

“No foreign power can dictate our trade choices. This is the cost of running foreign policy like a personal PR campaign,” he claimed.

The chief minister also invoked the stance of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from the 1970s.

“Instead of attacking her legacy, PM Modi should learn from it. India must uphold its strategic autonomy with dignity—not surrender it for photo-ops,” he claimed.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday questioned the silence of leaders from JD(S) and its alliance partner BJP in connection with former party MP Prajwal Revanna being sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life, in a rape case.

A special court here on Friday convicted the 34-year-old grandson of former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda in one of the four sexual abuse and rape cases against him.

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi Shivakumar said, JD(S) leaders and their alliance partner BJP are competent to comment on the Prajwal Revanna issue, and questioned as to why they are not speaking.

“Let them comment. Let JD(S) state president (H D Kumaraswamy), national president (H D Deve Gowda), youth president (Nikhil Kumaraswamy), BJP president (B Y Vijayendra), opposition leader (R Ashoka) and central ministers, all of them should comment on this. Why are they not commenting? It is their bound duty to comment on this,” he said.

“If we (Congress) speak on the issue, it will be seen as politics. We respect the law and abide by it. We want people to get justice,” Shivakumar, who is also the Congress party’s state chief, adde

The case in which Prajwal was sentenced pertains to a 48-year-old woman who was working as a domestic help at the family’s Gannikada farmhouse in Hassan district’s Holenarasipura. She was allegedly raped twice — at Hassan farm house and Bengaluru residence– in 2021, and the act was recorded by the accused on his mobile phone.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Dharwad, BJP leader and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said the court would have given the verdict considering all aspects, and it should be respected.

“Everyone should accept the court order. We had said when the allegations came to light that, if the wrong was committed, punishment would happen in accordance with the law after investigation and trial. Now that the court has given its verdict, everyone should accept it. The future choices (regarding going on an appeal) are left for the concerned parties to decide,” he said.

“Our society sees women with respect. The court, after considering all aspects, has given its verdict,” he added.

Four separate cases have been registered against Revanna, who is facing charges of rape and sexual harassment, and the SIT was tasked with probing the cases.

The cases came to light after pen-drives containing explicit videos allegedly involving Revanna were reportedly circulated in Hassan, ahead of Lok Sabha polls there on April 26, 2024.

Revanna was arrested by the SIT in connection with a case registered at the Holenarasipura Town Police Station, on May 31 last year, upon his arrival at Bengaluru Airport from Germany. He was escorted to the SIT office by women officers upon his arrest at the airport.

Revanna had failed in his bid to retain the Hassan parliamentary constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. JD(S) suspended him from the party following the cases filed against him.

MLC Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah

Mysuru: MLC Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah clarified on Sunday that he holds immense respect for Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, the former Maharaja of Mysuru, and denied making any derogatory remarks about him. Speaking to the media in Mysuru, he stated that the late king’s governance has been an inspiration, and he has always spoken with admiration and respect at various events held in Wadiyar’s name.

Yathindra emphasized that he never meant to undermine the contributions of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. “I only meant that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is working to develop Mysuru in line with the Maharaja’s vision,” he said. Referring to the recently held Sadhana Samavesha, Yathindra highlighted that over ₹2,500 crore has been allocated by CM Siddaramaiah for Mysuru’s development, a record amount post-Independence by any chief minister.

He further accused the opposition of lacking issues to criticize and hence resorting to twisting his statement for political mileage. “Let them show if any other CM has sanctioned funds of this magnitude for Mysuru’s development,” he challenged.