Speaker stuck in traffic, misses swearing-in

DHNS

June 7, 2018

Bengaluru, Jun 7: The notoriety of Bengaluru’s traffic is not even sparing the high and mighty. After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Legislative Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar is the latest to lash out at the H D Kumaraswamy administration for “bad” traffic management.

Thanks to the chaotic traffic situation, Kumar, despite being a presiding officer, couldn’t make it to the swearing-in ceremony of the council of ministers who were inducted into Kumaraswamy’s cabinet.

Kumar, who was barely 100 metres away from Raj Bhavan, was stranded in traffic for over 40 minutes. More than 4,000 people, including several VIPs, attended the event, bringing the traffic to a grinding halt.

Miffed at having missed the ceremony, Kumar shot off a letter to Chief Secretary Ratna Prabha, taking a strong exception to the breach of protocol.

“The arrogance and ignorance of your officials and the officials of Raj Bhavan resulted in today’s situation. It was their responsibility to ensure adequate arrangements for the presiding officers. I want to know who gave permission for hundreds of vehicles to be parked inside and outside Raj Bhavan. This is an unpardonable mistake,” he stated in his letter.

Speaking to DH, Kumar said that though he was keen on attending the event, thanks to the “negligence” of the officialdom, he had to return dejected. “I was stuck right in front of Raj Bhavan, from 1.48 pm. I could hear the legislators taking oath. After I realising the futility of waiting, I decided to return to my village. It’s just been two weeks since Mamata Banerjee too had a similar experience. We can gauge the kind of officials who are at the helm. They are not trained to rise to the expectations. This is nothing but the indifference of officials.”

Kumar however said that he had decided to drop the matter after Ratna Prabha called him and apologised. “The chief secretary and Bengaluru police commissioner called me a while back and expressed their regret. Now I want to consider this a closed issue,” he added.

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A Peoples Leader would have walked 100 meters to not miss the important event?

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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