Here are the big stories from Karnataka today

Karnataka Today newsletter: Heavy downpour exposes chinks in Bengaluru’s civic infrastructure, and more

The spell of heavy rain and gusty winds that hit Bengaluru on May 13 evening and night once again exposed the chinks in the city’s civic infrastructure. Commuters had a tough time navigating inundated and water-logged roads, not only on May 13 evening, but also the next morning with the office-going traffic thrown out of gear in many stretches on May 14. A senior traffic official said that they had observed significant water-logging at 33 locations on May 13 evening, and had reported the same to BBMP.

Despite multiple special drives and calling upon members of the public to report aging and dangerous trees to be removed and pruned, nearly 40 trees and over 125 branches fell on May 13 evening alone, which also led to traffic disruption in many areas. Recently, an autorickshaw driver was killed after a tree fell on the vehicle. Tree conservation activist Vijay Nishanth said that most of the tree falls could be attributed to choking of their roots by concrete.

A BJP delegation, led by former Puttur MLA Sanjeev Matandoor, submitted a petition to Puttur Town police on May 14 seeking action against Puttur Urban Development Authority Chairperson Amala Ramachandra for alleged derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP delegation has objected to posts by Mr. Ramachandra on his Facebook account.

Mr. Ramachandra put up three social media posts on May 13 criticising Mr. Modi and India’s decision to agree to a ceasefire with Pakistan. The delegation claimed that the posts were derogatory to the Prime Minister and capable of causing unrest in the region. Dakshina Kannada SP N. Yatish said action will be taken based on legal opinion from the department of prosecution.

In a move aimed at improving market access for farmers and promoting employment among youth, Hopcoms (Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society) has launched a new mobile sales initiative in Karnataka. This involves the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables in apartment complexes through unemployed youth and private individuals.

Under this scheme, Hopcoms will provide fresh farm produce to registered sellers for direct sale within designated apartment complexes. The organisation will supply vehicles for the purpose. If the seller already possesses a vehicle, Hopcoms will pay a rental allowance. HOPCOMS invited interested candidates to apply and contribute to ‘this mutually beneficial model’.