Karnataka state-board schools to now prepare their own question papers
Schools in Karnataka following the state board will now have to set their own question papers from the upcoming mid-term examinations. Ending the practice of papers being prepared at district and taluk levels, the Directorate of Public Instruction issued new rules to curb malpractices and leaks. The current process is non-transparent and also allows scope for paper leaks. Tap in for more Bengaluru news!
Traffic bottleneck on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway
A part of Karnataka's Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway near Padil in Mangaluru has become a traffic bottleneck. Numerous potholes on that road cause vehicles to slow down leading to a constant traffic backlog between Padil and Kannur. In addition to the pothole-filled road, the ongoing construction work for a Railway under-bridge has reduced the width of the four-lane highway to two lanes.
Wine shop robbed by unidentified miscreants
A wine shop at Bengaluru's Gollahalli was robbed by a group of 4-5 unidentified men. The robbery was captured on the shop's CCTV. The miscreants were seen scaring a customer away and threatening a staffer with machetes and axes. The robbers also hit the staffer before grabbing all the money from the cash drawer and damaged some liquor bottles and furniture.
Beware of illegal medical seat exchange ads!
The walls of Karnataka Examination Authority's office in Bengaluru were filled with advertisements of mutual transfer of medical students' seats. Asking parents to swap seats for the college of their candidate's choice, advertisers even displayed contact numbers. On the last day of medical seat allotment, KEA said the ads were illegal; the 2017 UG NEET rules don't have provisions for mutual seat transfer.
Construction on Varthur Lake violating NGT order
Bengaluru citizens alleged construction work for laying a pipeline on the severely-polluted Varthur Lake under a government-approved project violates the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order on buffer zones. The project intends to transport treated sewage water from Bengaluru to Kolar. NGT's ruling states no construction is permitted within the 75-metre buffer zone, but a 100ft road-like structure is being constructed on the lake.
Congress govt planning housing/land scheme on lands recovered from encroachers
At a time when the encroachment of government lands in Bengaluru is on the rise, Bengaluru Urban District officials claimed they recovered over 15,833 acres from encroachers within the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits. The ruling Congress government is planning to make use of the reclaimed land for housing or land schemes for various groups in the run-up to the 2018 Karnataka polls.
