2,013 active paediatric cases reported in Mysuru District; 14 children hospitalised; 40 kids in CCCs; 1,959 children in home isolation

Mysore/Mysuru: In a bid to check the health condition of students, teachers and staff and the COVID precautionary measures taken at schools, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. K.H. Prasad and team visited various institutions in city today morning.

The team of health officials inspected NPS at Vijayanagar and Rotary West School at Saraswathipuram. They not only inspected the institutions to check if Government guidelines are being followed but also interacted with students and teachers.

The DHO told SOM that during inspection, they sought data pertaining to number of students affected with the virus and those with symptoms. Dr. Prasad said that if the infection rate is high in schools, that particular school would be closed for a few days as per Government guidelines.

The team explained to the school authorities about the precautions to be taken and also explained how to convince the parents to send their children to school by taking them into confidence. It may be recalled as daily COVID-19 cases began to increase, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Bagadi Gautham had declared closure of schools in Mysuru city and taluk from Jan. 12 as a precautionary measure. Physical classes from LKG to Class X including residential, Government, aided and unaided remained suspended.

But a day after Primary and Secondary Education Minister B.C. Nagesh announced that Schools (classes 1 to 10) be allowed to open across the State, barring Bengaluru, DC Dr. Bagadi Gautham on Jan. 22 ordered re-opening of Schools from Jan. 24, by strictly adhering to COVID appropriate behaviour.

As on Jan. 27, there are a total of 13,915 active cases in Mysuru district out of which 11,902 are active adult cases and 2,013 active paediatric cases. Out of 335 persons who are hospitalised, 321 are adults and 14 children.

District Minister’s meeting

On Jan. 26, District Minister S.T. Somashekar, after taking part in the Republic Day celebrations, held a meeting with officials of the District Administration and the Health Department at Government Guest House and asked them to take steps to distribute home isolation kits.

Speaking to the media later, the District Minister said that though the number of COVID-19 positive cases were increasing,  the number of affected persons being hospitalised or admitted to COVID Care Centres (CCCs) was very less, which is a good sign.

Pointing out that the number of affected persons opting for home isolation was more, the Minister said that this would decrease the pressure at hospitals. He has instructed the officials concerned to see that home isolation kits reach Police personnel, teachers, students, health workers and others, who are affected.

Stating that the number of daily COVID positive cases may reach 1,500 to 2,000 in the coming 10 days, Somashekar said that the CCCs were ready and 6,000 COVID tests were being conducted daily. Only those with symptoms and primary contacts of those who had tested positive were being tested, he said.

Mayor Sunanda Palanetra, MLA L. Nagendra, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Bagadi Gautham, DHO Dr. K.H. Prasad, MCC Commissioner G. Lakshmikantha Reddy, City Police Commissioner Dr. Chandragupta, Additional DC Dr. B.S. Manjunathaswamy, ZP CEO A.M. Yogesh and others were present at the meeting.

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Bengaluru: Dr. Soundarya (30), grand-daughter of former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader B.S. Yediyurappa (BSY), reportedly committed suicide by hanging self at her residence here this morning.

Dr. Soundarya, who was a Physician at a reputed Hospital in Bengaluru, is the daughter of BSY’s second daughter  Padmavathi.

Dr. Soundarya was married to Dr. Neeraj, also a Physician, a couple of years ago and the couple have a child, it is learnt.

Dr. Soundarya residing at an apartment near Mount Carmel College in Vasanthnagar, was found hanging at her residence this morning, following which she was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died minutes later, according to sources.

High Grounds Police visited the spot and the body has been shifted to Bowring Hospital.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Setting in motion a slew of development works across Chamundeshwari Assembly segment, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha and Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda (GTD) this morning performed guddali puja for a number of works at various places coming under the Constituency.

Pratap Simha and GTD launched the works for the Rs. 3.81 crore Food Zone atop Chamundi Hill. Though the Food Zone  project was officially inaugurated by the then Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa in Sept. 2019, the project ran into hurdles due to COVID crisis and objections by various groups. But today, the  ambitious project was kickstarted with the MP and the MLA performing guddali puja.

The duo also performed ‘guddali puja’ for concretisation of ST Colony Road and construction of drainage along the road atop Chamundi Hill taken up at  a cost of Rs.80 lakh; various development works at Tavarekatte at the foothill at a cost of Rs.40 lakh and construction of a 4.3 km long road at Gorur village under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana  at a cost of Rs.2.59 crore. The MP and the MLA were also scheduled to launch a host of other developmental works at different villages during the day.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha said that unlike many other top Army Officers who preferred to lead their retired life in major cities, Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa chose to lead his retired life in his native Kodagu amidst nature’s splendour and beauty.

He was speaking at the 123rd birth anniversary celebrations of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa, OBE, jointly organised by Kodava Samaja, Mysuru, Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club, Mysuru and Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Fans Club, at Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Circle at the junction of JLB Road and Hunsur Road here this morning.

Pointing out that it was not easy for becoming the first Commander of the Indian Army post-Independence, Simha said that Field Marshal Cariappa, along with Gen. K.S. Thimayya should be credited for showing how a country’s borders  can be secured by unitedly taking together all the soldiers.

Terming Field Marshal Cariappa as a  true ‘Veeraputra’, he said that Cariappa was also a very able leader and brought many laurels for the country.

Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda, in his address, said that today, the entire country is paying tributes to Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa. Recalling the contribution of Kodavas in defence sector, he said that it is the pride of the nation that Kodava is home to many war heroes.

Former Mayor H.N. Srikantaiah recalled how Metropole Circle was renamed as Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Circle when he was the city Mayor in 1999 and the current Chamaraja MLA L. Nagendra a Corporator then.

Pointing out that as Mayor, he had put forward a proposal to the then Education Minister A.H. Vishwanath to rename the Circle as Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Circle, to which Vishwanath  readily agreed, he said that thereafter  a resolution was passed at an MCC Council meeting to this effect, following  which the Circle was officially named as Field Marshal K.M.Cariappa Circle. He further said that a statue of Cariappa was also proposed at the Circle when he was the Mayor.

To mark the occasion, the statue of the Field Marshal was garlanded and offered floral tributes by the dignitaries.

Former Mayor M.J. Ravikumar, Corporators M.U. Subbaiah and Pramila Bharath, Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa, Mysuru Kodava Samaja President Mechanda M. Shashi Ponnappa, Vice-President Malachira M. Ponnappa, Hon. Secretary Mukkatira B. Jeevan, Joint Secretary Appanderanda Tara Somaiah, Treasurer Machimada P. Nanaiah, Kodava Samaja Cultural and Sports Club President Kuttimada D. Muthappa, Secretary Mechanda S. Bopanna, Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa Fans Club President Nayakanda M. Thimmaiah, Shri Kaveri Kodagu Mahila Sangha President Ponjanda Lovely Appaiah, former Mysuru Kodava Samaja Presidents Mechanda M. Karumbaiah, Poyyettira S. Ganapathy and Ballyamanda M. Nanaiah, Philanthropists Kuttimada D. Cariappa and Pudiyokkada Praveen Chengappa  and others were present.

Some facts

1. Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa took over as the First Army Chief on Jan. 15, 1949, so Army Day is celebrated on this day.

2. Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa relinquished his appointment on Jan. 14, 1953, so the Veterans Day is celebrated on this day.

3. City-based VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust (VKET) President Mandetira N. Subramani had urged the District Administration in August 2006, to install a life-size bronze statue of the Field Marshal at Metropole Circle.

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New Delhi: Two Covid-19 vaccines —Covaxin by Bharat Biotech and Covishield by the Serum Institute of India — have received “conditional market authorisation” from India’s drug regulator, Union Health Ministry announced on Thursday.

The approval was granted under the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 after recommendations from the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) under the drug regulatory authority to upgrade the status for the vaccines from restricted use in emergency situations to grant of new drug permission with conditions in the adult population on Jan. 19, the Ministry informed.

The terms and conditions for the approval state both the firms to produce safety analysis and overseas clinical trial data for their vaccines every six months to the drug regulator, product supply in Government-approved centres, doses record on Co-WIN and monitoring of all adverse events.

“The vaccine shall be supplied for programmatic setting and all vaccinations done within the country to be recorded on CoWIN platform and Adverse Event Following Immunisation [AEFI], Adverse Event of Special Interest [AESI] shall continue to be monitored,” it added.

“The firm shall submit the safety data including AEFI and AESI with due analysis on a six-monthly basis or as and when available, whichever is earlier as per NDCT Rules, 2019,” the Ministry said further.

The “Conditional Market Authorization” approved for the two vaccines is a new category of market authorisation that has emerged during the current global pandemic of Covid-19. The approval pathways through this route are fast-tracked with certain conditions to enhance the access to certain pharmaceuticals for meeting the emerging needs of drugs or vaccines. Covaxin and Covishield were granted Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) on Jan. 3 and were introduced in the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination program which was launched on Jan. 16 2021. Till date, more than 160 crore doses have been administered.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Ganabharathi has organised Tarunabharathi music concerts on Jan.29 and 30 at 6 pm at Veene Seshanna Bhavana in Kuvempunagar. 

On 29th, there will be a vocal duet by Amogh Kashyap and Vishwambhara R. Bhagawath at 6 pm and this will be followed by a flute recital by Samrudh at 7.15 pm. For both the concerts, violin and mridanga support would be provided by  Shruthi and  Vikram Bharadwaj respectively. 

On 30th, there will be vocal duet by Manya and Prerana at 6 pm, followed by vocal concert by Prithvi Bhaskar at 7.15 pm.

For both the concerts violin and mridanga support would be provided by  Amogh Nadadur and  Nandan Kashyap respectively.  All the connoisseurs are welcome to the concert, according to a press release from A. Radhesh, Member, Ganabharathi.

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Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader C.M. Ibrahim, who is considered close to former Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, has hinted at quitting the Congress, a day after the Congress high command late on Wednesday announced that veteran Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad would be the Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council.

Ibrahim, one of the seniormost members of the Legislative Council, was eyeing the post of Opposition Leader, which fell vacant following the retirement of S.R.Patil.

Lashing out at the Congress and former CM Siddharamaiah after being denied the post, Ibrahim, speaking to presspersons here on Thursday said that his association with the Congress has ended and he would resign as an MLC.

Maintaining that he left JD(S) supremo  H.D. Deve Gowda for the sake  of Siddharamaiah years ago, Ibrahim said that Siddharamaiah should answer why he was not considered for the post.

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Mysore/Mysuru: Prof. S. Srikantaswamy, Coordinator, M. Tech in Materials Science, University of Mysore,  has been selected as a Fellow of the prestigious London-based Royal Society of Chemistry.

The Royal Society of Chemistry is one of the biggest and widely acknowledged global bodies in Chemical and Materials Science research, studies, innovations and discoveries.

Prof. Srikantaswamy has been selected for his outstanding contribution in the subject of Carbon Nanotypes and as well as his research in Materials Science and Environmental Science. He has carried out extensive studies in Carbon-based particles and other subjects such as Particle waste segregation, Chemical compositions in Materials, Photocatalycs, Biologicals,  Electrical and Optical fibres, Metal formations and constituents.

Prof. Srikantaswamy had served as a Guest Faculty of Japan’s Tokyo Institute of Technology and Research for two years. He has travelled extensively across the globe and has taken part in many international science events.

More than 160 research articles of his have been  published in International journals and he has many books on Materials and Environmental Sciences to his credit.

During his decades long career with the University of Mysore, he has guided 18 students for Ph.D and currently has 8 Research students under him, according to a press release.

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Mysore/Mysuru: In separate cases, a woman and her son are among six persons who have gone missing from city.

In the first case, a 35-year-old woman and her three-and-a-half-year-old son, who left their house on Dec. 11, 2021 at about 8.30 pm, have since gone missing.

The missing woman and her son are Noor Hajira and Mohammed Yousuf Umar Khan, residents of Rajivnagar 1st Stage. Noor hajira is 5 ft. tall, oval faced, normal built, wheatish complexioned, speaks Kannada and Urdu and was wearing a burka, when she left her home.

Mohammed Yousuf is 3 ft. tall, oval faced, wheatish complexioned and speaks Urdu.

In the second case, 54-year-old K.H. Syed Younus, who left his house on Jan. 14 at about 9 am, has since gone missing.

He is 5.2 ft. tall, oval faced, normal built, wheatish complexioned, speaks Urdu and was wearing a cream coloured full arm shirt and brown pant at the time of going missing.

In the third case, 40-year-old Shankar, a resident of Ganesh Nagar, who left his house on Oct. 2, 2021 at about 9 am, has since gone missing.

He is 5.4 ft. tall, oval faced, normal built, oily red complexioned, sports white beard, speaks Kannada and was wearing a black coloured full arm shirt and blue pant at the time of going missing.

Those having any information about the above missing persons, may contact Udayagiri Police Station on Ph: 0821-2418309 or call Police Control Room on Ph: 0821-2418339.

In the fourth case, 37-year-old Nanjundaswamy, a resident of Hosahundi village, who left his house on Jan. 20, saying that he was going to Tamil Nadu for collection, has since gone missing.

He is 5.6 ft. tall, wheatish complexioned, normal built, has the word ‘AVVA’ tattooed on his right arm and was wearing a white coloured half arm shirt, black pant and blue jerkin at the time of going missing.

In the fifth case, 24-year-old Nagesh of Lalithadripura, who left his house on his scooter on Jan. 25 at about 1.30 pm saying that he was going to Mysuru city, has since gone missing.

Nagesh is 5.9 ft. tall, wheatish complexioned, normal built, has a mole in the middle of his neck and was wearing a blue T-Shirt and black pant at the time of going missing.

Those having any information about Nanjundaswamy and Nagesh, may contact Mysuru South Police Station on Ph: 0821-2444955 or call the District Police Control Room on Ph: 0821-2444800, according to a press release.

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Mysore/Mysuru: A 65-year-old man, who was hit by a KSRTC City Bus, has succumbed to injuries at the hospital yesterday.

The deceased is Vishwanath, a retired University of Mysore employee and a resident of Hullina Beedhi in K.R. Mohalla.

Yesterday at about 5 pm, Vishwanath was crossing the road near Siddappa Square, when a City Bus belonging to Sathagalli Bus Depot, rammed into him injuring him seriously.

Though Vishwanath was rushed to K.R. Hospital, he is said to have succumbed to injuries.

K.R. Traffic Police Station  Inspector Manjunath, who has registered a case in this regard, has seized the bus and is investigating.

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Mysore/Mysuru: A convict, who was serving jail term in a ganja case, has died at K.R. Hospital yesterday afternoon.

The deceased is Kenchegowda (46), of Kalagavadi village in Malavalli taluk.

Kenchegowda, who was convicted in a ganja case, was undergoing jail term in Mandya Jail. As he complained of illness, he was transferred to Mysuru Jail and shifted to Jayadeva Hospital on Jan. 11. He was shifted to K.R. Hospital on Jan. 17, where he breathed his last at about 1.45 pm yesterday. Mandi Police have registered a case.

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Mysore/Mysuru: In separate cases, the Mysuru Railway Police have found bodies of unidentified persons in their jurisdiction and have registered cases.

In the first case, the Railway Cops have found a body of an unidentified man aged about 45 years near Maddur  Railway Station.

The deceased is 5.2 ft. tall, normal built, dark complexioned and was found wearing a blue coloured full arm shirt, red T-Shirt, grey coloured pant and blue shorts.

In the second case, a body of an unidentified youth, aged about 20 years was found between Yaliyur and Byadarahalli Railway Stations.

The deceased is 5.2 ft. tall, normal built, dark complexioned and was wearing a cream and snuff coloured T-Shirts and brown shorts.

In the third case, the Railway Police found a body of an unidentified man aged about 40 years between Hanakere and Maddur Railway Stations.

The deceased is 5.6 ft. tall, wheatish complexioned, normal built and was wearing a white coloured full arm shirt and blue jeans pant.

The Railway Police, who have registered cases, have urged the kith and kin of the above deceased persons, if any, to contact Mysuru Railway Police Station on Ph: 0821- 2516579, according to a press release.

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Hadinaru Lake in Nanjangud Taluk teeming with banded migratory birds

[Pics. by M.N. Lakshminarayana Yadav]

The picturesque Hadinaru freshwater lake near Nanjangud is teeming with the banded bird from Mongolia — the Bar-Headed Geese and the migratory birds are pulling villagers, tourists and crowds like a magnet. So much so that photographers from Mysuru are heading towards Hadinaru village to capture a few splendid moments with the winged beauties. They just waddle about and feed on the lush green vegetation, making it a perfect photo op.

The bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) is a pale grey bird, easily distinguished from any of the other grey geese of the genus Anser by black bars on its head, yellow-orange beak and same coloured legs. A mid-sized goose, it measures 71 to 76 centimetres in length and weighs about 1.80 to 3.2 kg. Their head, white in colour, is marked with a pair of U-shaped bands crossing the nape. The upper band that starts behind the eyes is thicker than the lower band.

Other characteristics are a long neck and deep chest. Both the genders have similar looks, though the males are slightly larger and heavier than females. They are social birds that breed in Central Asia and winters in South Asia, migrating south from Tibet, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia before crossing the Himalayas.

Apart from Hadinaru Lake, these birds have also come to the backwaters of the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam and in the Hadinaru Lake alone, over 400 birds are taking their seasonal break. They come from Mongolia and cross the Himalayas on one of the most iconic high-altitude migrations in the world.

Bar-Headed Geese can be found anywhere from Mongolia to the Tibetan plateau in the summer, where they raise young before the majority take long flights South to the Indian subcontinent in the autumn and return again the following spring.

They fly at altitudes that are extremely challenging and their migratory path between India and Mongolia has been tracked by satellite telemetry crossing the Himalayan mountains. They migrate in flocks and nest in colonies of thousands. While flying, these birds maintain V-shaped formations and they beautifully maintain spacing and communicate with each other visually and vocally.

These birds are a vibrant species that have electrified Hadinaru Lake with their chorus of clucks. With the black bars on their head and the pattern on their neck, the bird is quite a sight to behold, charming not only birders but also the villagers of Hadinaru and surrounding hamlets.

These annual guests from Mongolia are treasured by the villagers of Hadinaru who do not disturb their habitat in any way. Though villagers may make use of the Lake to provide water to their cattle and livestock, they make sure these birds are not disturbed. They make every effort to ensure that the seasonal birds stay in peace.

Bar-Headed Geese are primarily herbivores and they feed mainly on grasses that surround lakes and other small water bodies. They also eat corn, barley, rice, wheat, and occasionally munch on molluscs, insects and feed on crustaceans. They also feed on paddy when the farmers start preparing their paddy fields during the process of sowing. Paddy shoots attract them in large numbers.

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Sir,

It has become a regular feature in SOM to find news regarding missing persons. What is surprising is the persons who go missing are from all age groups — from children, youths,  housewives to aged persons. It is a very serious issue, I suppose.

How can people of all age groups go missing? One or two cases may be genuine. Is there a mafia?

There is no point in simply publishing the news regarding missing persons. You must publish when they are traced also.

This matter should be dealt seriously and should be taken up with appropriate authorities to curb this and to nab the bad elements. In this regard, I request you to publish an article with statistics and make the appropriate Police force to jump into action and apprehend the persons responsible.

– H.K. Venkatakrishnan, Nanjangud, 20.1.2022

You can also mail us your views, opinions, and stories to voice@starofmysore.com

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Air Marshal S.K. Indoria, AVSM VM, Senior Air Staff Officer, Southern Air Command, Indian Air Force, seen presenting “The Air Force Trophy” to C.D. Monnappa, trainer of ‘Ascendent’ which won the event in the Mysore Winter Races held in city yesterday. The winning horse, owned by Cherian Abraham, was ridden by Jockey Arshad Alam. Others seen are MRC Chairman, Stewards and Committee Members.

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Mohammed Aftab Ahmed (48), a resident of Nazarbad, passed away on Jan. 25.

He leaves behind his wife, two children and a host of relatives and friends.

Namaz-e-Janaza and burial took place on the same day at the Muslim Burial Grounds near Tipu Circle, according to family sources.

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Kamalamma Honnalagere (88), a resident of Kuvempunagar, passed away on Thursday at her residence following brief illness.

She leaves behind four daughters, one son and a host of relatives and friends.

Last rites were performed at the foot of Chamundi Hill yesterday, according to family sources.

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Sathyalakshmi (66), a resident of Nivedithanagar 2nd Stage, passed away yesterday in city.

She leaves behind her husband, one son, two daughters and a host of relatives and friends, according to family sources.

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Kamalamma (65), wife of Vokkaligara Srirama Mandira President Kalappa and a resident of N.R. Mohalla, passed away yesterday in city.

She leaves behind five sons, three daughters, grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.

Last rites were performed at N.R. Mohalla Burial Grounds this afternoon, according to family sources.

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Nohan Ravindra Babu (58), a resident of Bogadi, passed away yesterday in city.

He leaves behind his wife, two sons and a host of relatives and friends.

Funeral was held at the CSI Cemetery on Mahadevapura Road in Gandhinagar this morning, according to family sources.

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