QBengaluru: Stop Ridesharing, Govt Tells Ola, Uber & More

1. Stop Ridesharing Services, State Govt Tells Ola & Uber

The Karnataka transport department on Friday, 29 June directed cab aggregators Ola and Uber to stop ridesharing services — a move that could affect thousands of commuters who pool for their daily commute to work.

The decision was taken after a meeting between transport officials, representatives of the cab aggregators and drivers working with them.

During the meeting, the drivers said ‘share’ and ‘pool’ trips fetch them very low fares. The cab aggregators have been asked to comply with the Karnataka On-Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rules, 2016, which disallows ridesharing or carpooling.

(Source: The Times of India)

Also Read: India to Order Uber and Ola Cabs To Switch to Electric by 2026

2. ‘I Pay My Own Bills, Don’t Interfere in Personal Matters’: CM on His 5-Star Stay

H.D. Kumaraswamy. 

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy strongly defended his stay and his functioning out of Bengaluru’s Taj West End Hotel after he was criticised for the same by the BJP. He also lambasted the media for “interfering in his personal decisions.”

The Chief Minister, on the sidelines of his village stay programme in Raichur, said, “Have I presented any expenditure bill to the government? It is a personal issue. Why are there questions about my personal activities? I am not interested in getting a certificate from anyone. I will work according to my conscience.”

Kumaraswamy added that his upcoming trip to the United States will also not be funded by the taxpayers’ money.

(Source: The News Minute)

Also Read: Kumaraswamy angry with workers for voting for Modi

3. ED Attaches Rs 209-cr Assets of IMA

Bengaluru: Police personnel deployed outside the showroom of IMA Jewels on Lady Curzon Road where investors protest demanding their money back after a message about the death of the Group

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday, 28 June attached Rs 209 crore worth of assets belonging to the I Monetary Advisory (IMA) Group.  The assets include immovable properties worth Rs 197 crore, Rs 98 lakh from the company’s accounts in various nationalised and cooperative banks and Rs 11 crore that IMA had deposited in an HDFC bank account towards the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana shortly after demonetisation.

The immovable properties include IMA Gold and IMA Jewels, both located on Lady Curzon Road; residential buildings at 30th Cross Road (Bannerghatta Road), Jayanagar, Alexandria Street, Fraser Town, Tasker Town, Pottery Town, HRBR Layout, Benson Town, Davis Road (Richards Town) and Maruthi Seva Nagar. Land parcels in Chikkaballapur, Davangere and Hassan have also been attached.

(Source: Deccan Herald)

Also Read: IMA Scam: B’luru Office Raided, Diamond & Gold Shelves Found Empty

4. Shatabdi to Reach B’luru in Record 2 hours

Representational image of a train. Jan Shatabdi will have its first run from Dadar to Madagaon.

When the Shatabdi, which celebrated 25 years of its launch recently, rolls out of Mysuru railway station on 1 July, it will speed to its destination — Bengaluru — in less than 2 hours. That would be a record for this superfast train.

As per revised timings announced by South Western Railway, the train will cover the distance between the two cities in 1 hour 55 minutes. “The train will leave Mysuru at 2.15pm and reach Bengaluru at 4.10pm,” said an SWR official.

It’s not Shatabdi alone which will be faster from 1 July. The Chennai-Mysuru weekly superfast express has been speeded up by 10 minutes; Hubballi-Bengaluru-Mysuru Vishwamanav Express by 15 minutes; the newly introduced Kacheguda Express between Mysuru and Bengaluru by 15 minutes.

(Source: The Times of India)

5. RTE Activist Accused of Raping Woman, Arrested

Representational image of a crime scene.

The police in Karnataka on Thursday, 27 June arrested 45-year-old Anand, an RTE activist and president of a pro-Kannada organisation Kannada Siri Sene, for allegedly raping a woman for five days. The accused is currently in judicial custody. The police said that a medical test has been conducted to establish the crime.

According to reports, Anand, a resident of Harohalli in Ramanagara near Bengaluru had befriended the woman (28) when she approached him for his help to find a seat for her son at a private school. Anand had then sexually harassed her and photographed the entire incident. To keep it under wraps, Anand threatened the woman not to approach the police and said that he would upload those images on social media. He also threatened to kill her if she spoke about this to anyone or if she filed a complaint.