Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Friday banned with immediate effect the indefinite strike by employees of road transport corporations over wage related issues, which completed its third day, affecting bus services across the state.

Citing inconvenience caused to the public and the strike being against the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act, the Labour department issued the ban orders.

The dispute has been referred to the industrial tribunal, Bengaluru, for adjudication, it added

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa appealed to the employees to resume work even as he made it clear that it was not possible to meet their demand for wages as per the Sixth Pay Commission.

Also ruling out any talks, he asked them not to be stubborn under “someone’s influence” and understand the financial difficulties of the government in the present situation and cooperate by resuming services, in the interest of the public.

“I request the transport workers with folded hands..don’t be stubborn under someone’s influence.

Last year, despite COVID related issues when your corporations didn’t have money to pay your salaries, we paid it by utilising Rs 2,300 crore from the exchequer,” Yediyurappa told reporters here.

The CM clarified that implementation of the sixth pay commission report for RTC workers was not possible under any circumstances in the given situation.

With the government reiterating its stand on wages as per the Sixth Pay Commission, RTC employees decided to continue with the strike on Saturday as well.

Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, honorary president of Karnataka State Road Transport Employees League, said the strike would continue for the fourth day on Saturday.

He also urged the Chief Minister to hear them.

On Friday,as employees of all four transport corporations did not attend duty,buses continued to remain off roads across the state, including Bengaluru, affecting daily commuters.

Passengers travelling to and from distant areas and office-goers were the most affected.

Private buses, mini buses, maxi cabs and other transport vehicles, which authorities roped in to manage the crisis and help commuters, provided services to those stranded in different parts of the city and the state.

However, the number of passengers using private buses continued to remain low in the city, as people used their own vehicles or cabs, the Metro and auto rickshaws, especially in the city areas, private operators said.

The Metro has increased the frequency of its services between 7 AM and 9 PM.

Amid threats of ESMA and “no work no pay”, a few RTC workers returned to work and buses were reportedly operating on some routes in the city, along with police escort, sources said, adding there are similar reports from some other places in the state.

The Chief Minister pointed out that 85 per cent of the government’s revenue goes towards salaries for government employees, various kinds of pensions and other non-plan expenditure and only 15 per cent is available for developmental works.

“…In such a situation, transport workers should not be stubborn. We have fulfilled eight of your nine demands.

If there are any issues with those eight demands, rectifying it and seeing to it that you get its benefits is our responsibility and I will do it,” he said and asked them to cooperate and get back to work.

Noting that the Transport department is for the service of the people,he asked employees to ponder over whether it was fair to remain stubborn when people are facing difficulties.

He also said that many employees are now ready to get back to work voluntarily, as he assured them security.

Transport Department Principal Secretary Anjum Parvez on Thursday had said that the daily loss because of the strike is about Rs 20 crore.

RTCs that have been warning employees against continuing with the strike have started taking action against trainee employees and are issuing notices for absence from work.

To a question on whether he will call for talks, Yediyurappa asked “whom should I talk to? Through you (media) publicly I’m requesting.”

“…there is nothing remaining for talks. What is there to talk after fulfilling eight out of nine demands?

I’m not stubborn. As eight demands have been fulfilled, employees should come back and resume bus services. They should not fall prey listening to some people,” he added.

On his part Kodihalli Chandrashekhar said the strike would continue until the government understands the employees’ “justified demands.”

He also called on employees and their families to stage a protest at district and taluk centres in front of Deputy Commissioner or Tahsildar offices at 11 am on April 12 against the government’s stand.

Bengaluru: Karnataka logged 7,955 new COVID-19 cases and 46 related fatalities, taking the total number of infections to 10.48 lakh and the toll to 12,813, the Health department said on Friday.

Out of the 7,955 fresh cases reported on Friday, 5,576 cases were from Bengaluru Urban alone.

The day also saw 3,220 patients getting discharged after recovery.

Cumulatively 10,48,085 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 12,813 deaths and 9,77,169 discharges, the Health department said in a bulletin.

0ut of 58,084 active cases, 57,706 patients are stable and in isolation at designated hospitals, while 378 are in Intensive Care Units.

Bengaluru Urban accounted for 29 of the 46 deaths reported on Friday, Mysuru had 5, Belagavi and Kalaburagi 2 each, and one each from Ballari,Bengaluru Rural, Bidar, Chikkaballapura, Chitradurga, Dharwad, Mandy and Uttara Kannada.

Among the districts where new cases were reported, Bengaluru Urban accounted for 5,576, Mysuru 283, Kalaburagi 211, Bidar 186, Hassan 153, Tumakuru 145, Vijayapura 127, Chikkaballapura 119, Dakshina Kannada 115, followed by others.

Bengaluru Urban district headed the list of positive cases, with a total of 4,70,014, followed by Mysuru 57,668 and Ballari 40,395.

Among discharges too, Bengaluru Urban was on top with 4,22,719, followed by Mysuru 54,911 and Ballari 39,168.

A total of over 2,24,58,762 samples have been tested so far, out of which 1,35,163 were on Friday alone.

Pramesh Jain

The body of a 12-year-old boy, who went missing on Saturday,was found murdered on KC Road in the Ullal area of Mangaluru on Sunday.

A 12-year-old boy died following his tiff with his friend after playing an online game in KC Road in Ullal Police Station limits on Saturday night, Mangaluru Police Commissioner N.Shashi Kumar said.

The boy identified as Akif.The police have registered a case of murder and the boy’s friend, a 17-year-old boy,is being questioned.

We are looking whether there are anyone else involved in this incident,Mr. Kumar told reporters on Sunday.

According to Mr.Kumar,Akif (12) left his house around 9 pm speaking on his mobile phone.It is for about 30 minutes during this time that his parents allow him to play “PUBG” game along with his friends.

When the boy did not come home by 10 pm, family members started to search.The mobile phone that the boy was carrying was switched off.

On Sunday morning,the body of the boy was found in a ground behind Falah English Medium School,which is about a kilometre away from his house.

The boy was assaulted about 20 meters away from the spot where the body was found.The body was moved to the compound wall side of the ground and covered with leaves of banana, coconut and other plants to avoid attention of people,Mr.Kumar said.

Akif was in Class 6 of Falah School.He was the second of the five children of Mohammed Haneef,a resident of Kotekar.Haneef owns a lorry.

In the complaint filed with the Ullal police,Haneef accused the 17-year-old boy of murdering Akif.

Mr.Kumar said the boy told police during inquiry that he acquianted with Akif few days ago at a mobile store outlet.Quoting the boy,Mr.Kumar said the two were into playing “PUBG” and Akif was found winning games.

The boy called Akif on Saturday night to play the game before him.As Akif lost,there was heated exchange between the two.

Akif hit the boy with a small stone and the boy retorted by hitting Akif with a bigger stone.Akif collapsed and died,Mr. Kumar said.A case has been registered and a detailed investigation is being conducted he added.

The police chief also advised parents to keep watch on what their kids are into while using phones.This can happen to anyone.

There are a lot of games these days available online,like the Bluewhale Challenge that got many addicted some years back.It’s unfortunate how such games are now costing our kids’lives,with some even being drawn to commit crimes,he said.

Bengaluru,: The father of the woman, said to be featured in the ‘sex video’ allegedly involving former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi, has approached the Karnataka High Court questioning the police recording his daughter’s statement.

The father said in his petition that his daughter was a victim of circumstances and politics and her indecent video was aired by various media.

He said he contacted her only to realise that she has been victimised and was under tremendous pressure.

Stating that he had lodged a police complaint that his daughter was kidnapped by unknown influential people in Belagavi,he said his daughter too lodged a plaint with police.

“In the course of investigation, the petitioner has learnt that the statement of his daughter is recorded under section 164 of the CrPC … throwing all legal norms to the winds,” the petition said.

He argued that recording statement under section 164 of the CrPC was not only violative of the mandatory requirements of the said provision,it is also violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India (protection of life and personal liberty).

Meanwhile, police sources said the woman’s family shifted from Belagavi to Vijayapura and demanded her safety.

In Bengaluru, the police visited a few spots, which were said to be places where the objectionable videos were shot.

Bengaluru,: The BJP and a group of ministers on Thursday said senior party leader K S Eshwarappa’s act of complaining to the Karnataka Governor against Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, alleging direct interference in the affairs of his department, was ‘not right’.

The Ministers along with some party legislators, strongly backed the CM, who is yet to break his silence on the issue.

BJP national General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh said Eshwarappa should not have written such a letter, being a senior leader and a Minister.
“If any minister has issues at any point of time, he should talk to the Chief Minister, and this is not the way, by writing a letter to the Governor.”

“If he had any issues he should have spoken to the CM, we will discuss and see (what is to be done)..,” he said as he evaded further questions regarding a similar letter written to him by Eshwarappa.

The Chief Minister is said to be upset with Eshwarappa’s move to complain to the Governor and make the letter public.

Eshwarappa, also a former state BJP president, on Wednesday had complained to the Governor against Yediyurappa alleging direct interference in the affairs of his department.

He had submitted a five-page letter on “serious lapses and authoritarian ways of running the administration” by the CM.

A day after the complaint, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) today released a letter signed by 48 legislators blaming the Rural Development Department under Eshwarappa of blocking works by not giving its approval, despite grants being released.

This even as some senior Ministers in the government and MLAs seen as Yediyurappa loyalists met the CM at his official residence and held discussions.

Pointing out that they had all become ministers under Yediyurappa’s leadership, Revenue Minister R Ashoka said, the matter should have been discussed within and along with the CM.

“This development (of complaining to the Governor) is not good… such things when the government was functioning effectively will cause embarrassment,” he said after meeting the CM.

Noting that despite request from MLAs, the government was not in a position to help by granting more funds as financial situation has taken a hit due to COVID-19, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said as the situation slightly improved the Chief Minister on the request of legislators based on the requirement has released funds.

Eshwarappa should have discussed with Yediyurappa and resolved issues if any, he said.

Administrative matters should be resolved within the government and it was not right to take it to the Governor.

“ours is a disciplined party and the discipline should not be violated…. Eshwarappa should discuss with the CM.”

Health Minister K Sudhakar said Yediyurappa was their top leader chosen by the high command and MLAs, and this development has caused embarrassment to the government and the party.

Averring that the CM has powers and there was nothing wrong in what he did, Sudhakar said Eshwarappa who also a senior leader could have resolved if he had any issues in 5 minutes by discussing with the CM.

Agriculture Minister B C Patil said Eshwarappa is a senior leader and he should be guiding us.

He should have resolved the issue within the cabinet by discussing with the CM, instead of going to the Governor and making it public was not right.

Eshwarappa in his letter to the Governor has listed out instances like the Chief Minister sanctioning huge funds on the request of MLAs to the tune of Rs 774 crore under RDPR Department ignoring him, also works worth Rs 460 crore was sanctioned by bypassing him.

He has also alleged Rs 65 crore was directly sanctioned on the basis of a letter by the Bengaluru Urban zilla panchayat president, who according to him is a “close relative” of Yediyurappa’s family, while pointing out that annual allocation for the Bengaluru Urban zilla panchayat is just Rs 1.17 crore.

Once considered close to each other, the “distance” between Eshwarappa and Yediyurappa have grown over the years.

Ahead of 2018 assembly polls, Eshwarappa had associated himself with the ‘Rayanna Brigade’, which was seen as a move to challenge Yediyurappa’s style of functioning, then as the BJP state President.

Accusing Eshwarappa of embarrassing the government and the party, as done during the assembly polls by organising “Rayanna Brigade”, CM’s political secretary and MLA M P Renukacharya asked, “when people of your stature do such things, against whom should we take disciplinary action?”

A meeting of legislators will be called and they shall meet Arun Singh, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, National President J P Nadda, also Prime Minister Modi and union Home Minister Amit Shah, he said adding they have records about how much funds was sanctioned to whom.

MLAs A S Patil Nadahalli and Madal Virupakshappa said CM came to their help by sanctioning funds after they brought issues to his notice recently.

Backing Yediyurappa, the MLAs said they stood by him.

“He will remain as CM and will lead us during next election also,” they added.

BENGALURU: As the state geared up to vaccinate everyone above 45 years of age from Thursday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar appealed to the eligible people to make use of this protective cover against coronavirus.

Health Minister Sudhakar too tweeted, “As we begin vaccinating all citizens aged above 45 years from today, 5,500 vaccination sites will be operational across the state including 650 private and 4,850 government facilities.”

According to him, 1.5 lakh doses of vaccine is supplied to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, the civic body, which is distributed to about 600 sites across the state capital.

The Health Department said in a statement that COVID- 19 vaccination will continue at all the primary health centres, community health centres, Taluk hospitals, district hospitals, medical colleges and private hospitals as already being done.

It added that Karnataka has in stock 13.5 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine and 1.5 lakh doses of Covaxin vaccine and it has been supplied to all the cold chain points across the districts as per their requirement.

The government of India has assured the state that additional vaccine doses will be supplied regularly in the coming days as per daily coverage, the department added.

The vaccination drive covering everyone above 45 years of age started at a time when there is an alarming rise in cases in Karnataka.

The state reported 4,225 fresh cases including 26 deaths on a single day on Wednesday.