1. MUDA case: Lokayukta police visit Kesare in Mysuru for site inspection, conduct land survey
The Lokayukta police, which has been directed to investigate the MUDA scam pertaining to alleged irregularities in site allotment to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife B.M. Parvathi, visited Kesare on October 1 for site inspection. The Lokayukta police had registered an FIR on September 27 in which Mr. Siddaramaiah was named A1 (accused number 1) and Ms. Parvathi is A2.
Nearly a dozen personnel drawn from Lokayukta, a team of surveyors and MUDA officials, along with activist Snehamayi Krishna, who is the complainant, visited survey number 464 at Kesare where 3.16 acres was acquired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy and gifted to Parvathi – all of whom are named in the FIR.
2. MUDA to act as per law on letter by Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi surrendering sites, says Commissioner
Commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) A.N. Raghunandan said the Authority would act as per the provisions of the law on Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi’s decision to surrender the 14 compensatory sites allotted to her. As an investigation on the irregularities in the matter is underway, Mr. Raghunandan said he will act on the procedure for taking back possession of the sites after obtaining a legal opinion.
Meanwhile, terming CM Siddaramaiah’s wife’s decision to return the sites as a ‘political drama’ to escape legal hurdles, the opposition BJP said it is too late for him to protect his post. BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra demanded immediate resignation of the CM on the ground that returning of the sites has only ‘proved’ that they had been allotted illegally.
3. Girish Kasaravalli returns to filmmaking, to helm a ‘Thirthahalli film’ based on U.R. Ananthamurthy’s story
Noted auteur Girish Kasaravalli, 73, is returning to filmmaking after a gap of four years. He will start shooting his next film Akasha Mattu Bekku, based on a short story of the same name by U.R. Ananthamurthy in Thirthahalli from October 3. This will be Mr. Kasaravalli’s sixteenth feature film. His last film Illiralare Allige Hogalare (2020) was based on a short story by Jayanth Kaikini.
Filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli during Bengaluru International Film Festival in 2022. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The current project is being produced by a Thirthahalli-based film production company Aveshane through crowdfunding. “This will be a Thirthahalli film all the way. All the actors who have been cast are local talents from Thirthahalli,” Mr. Kasaravalli said, who also hails from the taluk in Shivamogga district. So does U.R. Ananthamurthy.
4. 1,854 unscheduled power interruptions in Bescom jurisdiction in September
Over the last weekend, citizens in many parts of Bengaluru experienced long hours of power interruptions after one spell of rain. As the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) continues to maintain that its interruptions are mostly scheduled, citizens argue that it is not the case.
According to the data provided by the power utility, 1,854 unscheduled interruptions occurred in its jurisdiction in the month of September. Experts say that poor maintenance of infrastructure has remained a problem for years now with little improvement.
5. Private buses choke major roads in Bengaluru, commuters bear the brunt
The relentless surge of private buses occupying major roads across Bengaluru has created a traffic nightmare, particularly on weekends. Key stretches like Hosur Road, Indiranagar, Hebbal, and Tumakuru Road are often at a standstill, leaving motorists frustrated and the traffic police stretched to their limits.
The Hindu visited the busiest roads in Bengaluru where private buses are illegally parked on main roads, creating traffic congestion and frustration for daily commuters. Read our story, with inputs from commuters, pedestrians, traffic police, private bus drivers as well as mobility experts, here.
Published - October 01, 2024 07:28 pm IST
