bangalore news times

Bengaluru : The Karnataka Transport Department has issued show-cause notices on Tuesday, August 11 to major ride-hailing aggregators Ola, Uber, Rapido and Namma Yatri for allegedly violating government-prescribed fare regulations. The action follows complaints from taxi and driver associations that passengers were being charged fares higher than those notified by the government in its February 3, 2024 order. The associations alleged that some aggregators were calculating fares based on factors such as travel duration instead of strictly following the notified fare structure. Driver organisations had raised the issue during a meeting with the Transport Department on August 4 and demanded stringent action against the companies. They urged the department to direct aggregators to collect fares strictly according to the rates prescribed by the government. The Kempegowda International Airport Taxi Owners and Drivers Welfare Association had also sought legal action against Ol...

Bengaluru: A Special Court for MPs and MLAs has ordered a preliminary inquiry into a private complaint alleging irregularities involving the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, in which AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge, MP Radhakrishna and others have been named as respondents. The complaint was filed by the Lanchamukta Karnataka Nirmana Vedike, which alleged irregularities in the allotment of an industrial site to the trust and sought an investigation into its other transactions. The complainant had sought action under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Mallikarjun Kharge, his wife Radhabai, Radhakrishna, Rahul M Kharge, Priyank Kharge, Industries Minister MB Patil and officials of the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board were named in the complaints. Court declines police investigation The court, in an order issued on August 11, directed that the allegations be examined. However, it declined to dir...

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has imposed a one-year statewide ban on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of gutka and pan masala products containing tobacco and nicotine, citing the need to protect public health and promote a tobacco-free society. The decision comes amid intensified enforcement by the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department against substandard food products and businesses violating safety regulations. The department has been conducting inspections and raids across the state as part of its efforts to strengthen public health safeguards. The ban came into effect on August 10, following an official notification issued by the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department. The order has been issued under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, read with Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. The prohibition covers tobacco and nicotine-containing gutka and pan masala...

Bengaluru : Election officials have clarified that actor Prakash Raj’s name has not been deleted from the electoral roll, but has been marked as “shifted” after verification found that he was no longer residing at his registered address in Bengaluru. The clarification came after the actor posted a video on social media alleging that his name had been removed from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. In a media statement, Jagadish G, Additional District Election Officer and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Commissioner, said Prakash Raj’s name was listed in Part No. 1 of the Shantinagar Assembly constituency at serial number 970 as on June 16, 2026, the date on which the electoral roll was frozen for SIR activities. 🚨 FACT CHECK: Prakash Raj’s Voter-Deletion Claim Falls Flat! Actor Prakash Raj alleged that his name was deleted from the electoral roll during the SIR exercise. But the official clarification from Bengaluru Central City Cor...

Bengaluru: Two workers were killed after a large quantity of soil collapsed on them during underpass construction work near the Dr Rajkumar Memorial in Bengaluru on Tuesday, August 11. The incident occurred within the limits of Nandini Layout police station, triggering a rescue operation involving police, fire and emergency personnel and local residents. The accident occurred at FTII Circle, where the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) is undertaking underpass construction work. Around 20 feet of earth had been excavated for the project. According to preliminary information, five workers were present at the site when the soil suddenly caved in while water was being pumped out from the excavated portion for RCC-related work. Three workers managed to escape after noticing the soil giving way. However, two workers were trapped under the debris. One of the trapped workers, identified as Parimal, 31, died at the spot. Another worker, Sonaram, 26, was rescued and rushed to...

Mandya : A KSRTC bus travelling from Bengaluru to Madikeri was stopped at the Mandya bus stand on the night of Monday, August 10, after Hindu activists raised suspicion that some passengers could be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The bus was carrying around 30 passengers when members of a local Hindu organisation intercepted it and demanded verification of their identities and documents. The activists claimed that some of the passengers appeared to be Bangladeshi nationals who were allegedly residing in Karnataka without valid documents. Police and revenue officials, including the Mandya tahsildar , reached the bus stand after being alerted about the incident. The authorities checked the identity cards and other documents produced by the passengers. Preliminary verification indicated that the passengers were workers from Assam who were travelling to Kodagu to work in coffee plantations. Officials, however, decided to conduct a more detailed verification after some o...