1. 7 Dead as Floods Hit 11 Districts; Road & Rail Link cut off
The number of districts in Karnataka affected by floods and heavy rain raced to 11 on Wednesday, 7 August, with no relief in sight either in release of water from Maharashtra or from the heavy rain lashing most parts of the state. Seven people died in a single day in rain-related incidents across the state.
IMD’s forecast – heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 3-4 days – for coastal and Malnad districts could worsen the situation and hamper rescue work. Road and rail connectivity in north Karnataka and coastal parts was disrupted with the shutting down of 26 state and national highways. Four trains were cancelled due to landslides between Srivagilu and Subramanya Road stations.
Dakshina Kannada, Belagavi, Kodagu and Dharwad districts extended holiday for schools and colleges by 2-3 days.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. BSY to Camp in Belagavi for 3 Days
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will stay in Belagavi for three days to monitor flood situation and direct rescue and relief measures.
The chief minister, who arrived at Belagavi in the evening, said that a compensation of Rs 5 lakh would be paid to the families of people killed in flood-related mishaps.
He said that five companies each of National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Relief Force, eight columns of Army and two helicopters have been deputed for flood relief measures.
As the situation was grim additional four companies of each of NDRF and SDRF will join the relief and rescue operations. NDRF and SDRF will join the relief and rescue operations.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
3. 300 Kg Gold-plated Biscuits Seized From Mansoor Khan’s Building
The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Rs 3,000-crore IMA Ponzi scheme on Wednesday, 7 August, seized 5,880 gold-coated copper biscuits, weighing about 303 kg, from an apartment complex in Richmond Town.
The seven--storey complex, owned by IMA founder-director Mohammed Mansoor Khan, is located near Richmond supermarket.
Each biscuit carried a mark indicating it weighed 50 gm. SIT sleuths suspect there is something more than what meets the eye in the stashing away of the fake gold biscuits on the terrace of the apartment.
“If he wanted to hide something, he should have hidden real gold or documents, but we don’t know why he chose to hide fake gold,” said a police officer.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Congress MLA Tweets in Support of Government Move on Article 370
Congress MLA from Khanapur in Belagavi Anjali Nimbalkar has tweeted in favour of the action on Article 370 by the BJP-led NDA government.
She called it a desperate measure and said the special provision had kept the country desperate for 70 years. She has marked copies to PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. Many of those who commented have asked her to quit the Congress and join the BJP. One said: “Right decision. But you should leave the wrong party”.
There was speculation about her switching to the BJP after she failed to attend the Congress legislature party meeting during the crisis. But she denied it later, saying sickness had kept her away.
(Source: The Hindu)
5. KIA Officials Catch Three With Fake Visa Stamps
Immigration officials separately caught three Indians who landed in Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) from Kuala Lumpur with fake visas.
Arashdeep Singh (20) and Lakshvir Singh from Punjab, flew to Malaysia on tourist visas but stayed illegally there for ten months to work. The duo said they paid Rs 2.5 lakh in total to a Punjabi agent who secured them a tourist visa and they met a contact in Malaysia who employed them as security guards for ten months. As they worked without salary, they found themselves in a financial crunch and decided to return.
Officials said the two men paid 4700 Malaysian Ringgits to get their visas stamped to return to India. The visas had already expired.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)