The ban on the sale of plastic tri-colours by the Palike seems to have no takers, as flag sellers were seen selling them at most traffic junctions in the City.

The Palike’s order of July 8, 2012, banning sale and display of plastic flags, has been violated by both the hawkers and the public. When BBMP Commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda was apprised of the situation, he said all plastic flags on sale would be seized.

Asks State to arrange for transmission

Union Power Minister M Veerappa Moily on Sunday said the Centre is ready to provide additional 1,500 mega watt (MW) of power if the State government ensures availability of transmission lines connecting the Central grid with the State. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a backward classes awareness conference, he said the Centre can provide additional power in a week’s time to the State if the lines are made available.

Second new bird to be found in Indian territory this year

A group of scientists from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new species of bird. The bird, called Rallina, otherwise known as the ‘Great Nicobar Crake’, is found in the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve. Scientists said that the bird was unknown before. It was found while cataloguing local fauna and animal-life in the reserve, under the man and biosphere programme of Unesco, sponsored by Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Ramadevarabetta in Ramanagara district is declared sanctuary

The State government has declared 346.14 hectares in Ramanagara as Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary (RVS), to protect long-billed vultures, which are on the verge of extinction. The 15 vultures on cliffs of Ramadevarabetta are now protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, in the sanctuary which is claimed to be the first of its kind in the country.

The Supreme Court on Thursday decided to consider the plea for re-opening of 16 iron ore mines in Karnataka, acknowledging the adverse impact on the steel industry due to ban on mining operations.

A three-judge forest bench led by Justice Aftab Alam fixed as August 17 the date for considering the application filed by Karnataka Iron and Steel Manufacturing Association seeking direction to allow opening of 16 mines listed as ‘A’ category of mines having least irregularities by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).

The Union Ministry of Rural Development has sanctioned two projects worth Rs 21.5 crore, under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, for Karnataka.

Both projects are aimed at empowering rural women and will be implemented through NGOs, with active involvement of the state government. The State Genetic Resources Ecology and Nutrition Foundation (Green Foundation) has been selected for implementation of the project in Chitradurga and Ramanagara districts. The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 6.5 crore, is expected to benefit around 5,000 women.

The State government has conceived a plan to help children of parents with HIV/AIDS. The new programme aims to give the children access to financial assistance for education and other expenses till the age of 18, regardless of their economic background.

One condition to obtain the benefits, however, is that parents should disclose their HIV/AIDS status. Drawn up by the Department of Women and Child Development, with technical support from the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT), the programme has been in effect from the 2011-12 financial year and already covers 15 districts.

The entire city turned a virtual garbage dumpyard on Wednesday, after 16,000 BBMP pourakarmikas struck work, refusing to pick up nearly 3,000 tonnes of garbage.

Bangaloreans might have to bear the stench of uncleared garbage for a few more days, as the sanitation workers are on an “indefinite” strike against what they alleged were “personal vendetta” and “harassment” by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF).

If you think you are consuming packaged water and thus you are safe, you may be wrong. The report card of the State Health Department on water samples shows that water could be substandard, even if it is stored in a sealed container.

Of the eight packaged drinking water samples analysed by the Public Health Institute of the department of Health and Family Welfare in June, seven (87.5 per cent) were found to be substandard and thus did not meet the prescribed specification of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The Forest Department is all set to conduct a bird census in the Biligiriranganathaswamy Tiger (BRT) Reserve forest in November, after a gap of 15 years.

The Biligiriranganabetta is a unique hill where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet. It is home to more than 1,000 varieties of plants. Twenty-four varieties of mammals, 22 varieties of reptiles, 11 species of bipeds and 145 species of butterflies are found in the forest. So far, 274 varieties of birds have been identified in the reserve forests. Among them, 18 are on the verge of extinction. Ornithologists from Bangalore, M B Krishna and S Subramanya, had conducted a bird census in the reserve forest in 1997. In subsequent years, several ornithologists conducted studies at Biligiriranganabetta. But census was never undertaken again.