Bengaluru, Jul 5 () Amid the rising COVID-19 cases here, over 3,000 beds in private hospitals have been reserved for treating patients while a 10,100-bed coronavirus care centre, the biggest in the country, has been set up, authorities said on Sunday. Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar said 3,331 beds in 72 private hospitals have been earmarked for COVID-19 patients. The city civic body - Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said the sprawling Bangalore International Exhibition Centre has been converted into a coronavirus care centre with 10,100 beds. "Across Bengaluru, 3,331 beds have been reserved in 72 hospitals for treating coronavirus patients. By Saturday evening 733 beds were occupied and 2,598 beds were unoccupied," the Medical Education Minister tweeted. Recently, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had convened a meeting with private hospital owners during which he directed them to reserve at least 50 per cent beds to treat coronavirus cases. The government had set a target to reserve at least 2,000 beds for coronavirus patients. However, the number has swelled to 3,331. Meanwhile, BBMP Commissioner Anil Kumar on Sunday visited the coronavirus care centre at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre along with Yelahanka BJP MLA S R Vishwanath. "BIEC has been converted into a 10,100 bed Covid Care Centre. Visited the centre along with hon'ble MLA @SRVishwanathBJP, @BBMPSWMJtComm &amp; other #BBMP officials," Kumar tweeted. He also said the centre is well ventilated, has adequate number of toilets, nursing stations, kitchens and other required facilities. The centre is ready to house asymptomatic patients, including children. The BBMP Joint Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), Sarfaraz Khan told P T I, "This is the biggest ever COVID care centre in the country. Delhi has a COVID care centre of 10,000 beds in Radha Soami Satsang." As many as 150 doctors will man the centre. Oxygen facilities will be available in some beds for patients who need it, he said. In addition, there will be adequate arrangements to shift the critically-ill patients to nearby hospitals, Khan added. Bengaluru has seen the biggest ever spike in coronavirus cases in the past one week. The city has witnessed 8,345 positive cases, of which 7,250 are active cases. The city has so far reported 129 deaths due to the virus. GMS SS

Over 3,000 beds reserved in Bengaluru hospitals to treat coronavirus patients

Bengaluru, Apr 16 () With 71 positive coronaviruscases being reported in Bengaluru apart from three deaths, thecity's civic agency has declared 32 municipal wards as COVID-19 hotspots, Municipal officials said.Bengaluru tops the list with 71 positive cases so far,followed by Mysuru where 58 cases have been reported.Kalaburagi district is also among the hotspots with 17positive cases including three deaths.These 32 wards of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike(BBMP) have been completely sealed and an extensive healthcheck-up campaign has been taken up in these areas, BengaluruMayor M Gautham Kumar told P T I on Thursday."We are carrying out door-to-door check-up in threekilometres radius where the patients have been found. We havemade elaborate arrangements for the supply of essentialcommodities at the doorsteps of people residing there," Kumarsaid."We are not letting people to venture out in groups inthese 32 wards. Elaborate security arrangements have been madeto prevent people from flouting the regulations," he added.According to a Palike official, out of 11 BBMP zones,positive cases have been reported in 10 zones.Among them the highest positive case has been reportedin BBMP South Zone with 17 cases, followed by East Zone with16 cases and West zone with 11 cases.The medical facilities in Bengaluru have been upgradedto an unprecedented level, the official said, adding that thishas resulted in complete recovery of 35 patients so far."We are still asking the fully recovered patients tostay home quarantined so that there should not be any remotestchance of COVID-19 virus present in their body and theytransmit it to their family members," he said. GMS

Bengaluru civic agency designates 32 municipal wards as COVID-19 hotspots

Bengaluru, June 23 () With Bengaluru reporting an increasing number of COVID-19 cases, Karnataka health minister B Sriramulu on Tuesday said the government might have to impose a lockdown in the city, after consulting experts, if the situation continues. "If the situation continues like this, in the days to come we may have to think about lockdown... If the cases increase to a higher number, by consulting experts and bringing it to the notice of the Chief Minister,we may have to think about enforcing lockdown. No decision has yet been taken," Sriramulu told reporters here. He urged people to cooperate to control the spread of the virus by following measures in place to contain it. Concerned over the increase in COVID-19 cases in the city, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had on Monday directed officials to implement lockdown measures strictly in certain clusters in Bengaluru which have reported more number of infections. The city civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had also issued an order sealing the busy K R Market and Kalasipalya Market here for 15 days. Till Monday evening, the state capital had reported 1,398 cases of COVID-19, including 67 deaths and 411 discharges. On Monday, as many as 126 fresh cases were recorded. Referring to the increasing number of cases in Bengaluru, Sriramulu said till now asymptomatic cases were also admitted at dedicated hospitals. But from now on, they would be treated at community halls, schools, marriage halls, hotels and Haj Bhavans, which have been converted into COVID Care centres (CCC), he said. "With asymptomatic patients going to CCCs, we will have more beds at dedicated COVID hospitals to treat symptomatic patients and serious patients," he said, adding CCCs will have doctors and nurses 24X7 to take care of patients. Noting that the government would be testing more senior citizens in the days to come, the minister said the state planned to ramp up testing on a large scale. "We have plans to conduct 2000-3000 tests in each district and have two testing labs in each district," he said. Sriramulu said government has decided to take 50 per cent of beds in private hospitals for treating COVID-19 patients, while the remaining would be for those who prefer private treatment. "Rates have been fixed for treatment of patients under the government quota and payment will be made at that rate. We have also fixed ceiling for patients wishing to get treated at private hospitals," he said. To a question about complaints of poor quality food and facilities for patients at certain dedicated COVID hospitals in Bengaluru, Sriramulu said, "complaints have come to my notice. I have directed officials to make necessary arrangements. I will ensure it does not recur." KSU APR RAVINDRANATH APR RAVINDRANATH

Govt may have to impose lock down in Bengaluru if COVID cases increase: Health Minister

<ul><li>As many as 16 employees of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (<keyword id="6371543" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="bmtc">BMTC</keyword>) have tested positive for Covid. </li><li>BMTC has organised random Covid testing of its crew. </li><li>Similarly, the city civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has traced the <keyword id="9036452" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="primary-contacts">primary contacts</keyword> of the infected employees and put them on home quarantine, advising the do's and don'ts. </li></ul> As many as 16 employees of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) have tested positive for Covid, an official said on Friday. "Till now, overall 16 positive cases are detected in BMTC, out of which four have been treated and successfully discharged from the hospital," said the city bus service spokesperson. Taking a proactive step, BMTC has organised random Covid testing of its crew. Similarly, the city civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has traced the primary contacts of the infected employees and put them on home quarantine, advising the do's and don'ts. Meanwhile on Friday, a few donors provided BMTC drivers and conductors with visors to protect themselves from the <keyword id="43587" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="pandemic">pandemic</keyword>. "These visors will definitely help our staff in protecting themselves when coming in contact with the public," said BMTC division controller M. <keyword id="199316" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jagadeesh">Jagadeesh</keyword>. Owning 6,661 buses, BMTC used to operate 6,161 schedules before the Covid-19 lockdown. It has 45 bus depots, 58 stations and 33,334 employees.

16 staff members of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation staff members test positive for COVID-19

If reports from Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre are to be believed, Bengaluru can soon become the next Chennai in terms of suffering from rainwater floods. 
 
The agency has stated in the past few years, rainwater runoff, which means the water that drains away, has almost doubled in Bengaluru. This has increased the possibility of flooding in the start-up city. 
 "In the urban flood forecasting system, we get forecast exclusive for Bengaluru. I can run models to predict floods and we have worked out the capacity of each drainage network," Srinivas Reddy, director, <keyword id="628447" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="KSNDMC">KSNDMC</keyword>, told ET. 
 Reddy, however, thinks that Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (<keyword id="6354322" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="BBMP">BBMP</keyword>) the municipal corporation of Bengaluru has not done enough on its part to avoid such dangers. 
 
"Historically, we know where inundation occurs. Even 20mm rainfall for one hour can cause flooding in parts of the city. If rainfall exceeds 12.5mm for 15 minutes -the threshold value -an alert is sounded to ward-level authorities. We are ready to give them our analysis. BBMP has to be ready. We don't know what their priority is," Reddy continued. He further stated that he didn’t get any response when he requested for a meeting with BBMP, three months ago. 
 
BBMP Commissioner G Kumar Naik, on the other hand, thinks that Bengaluru is well-prepared for any imminent flood danger. 
 
The news and reports about the safety of Bengaluru has come after Chennai received a whopping 1218.6mm rainfall in November, which is almost thrice its monthly quota. Bengaluru too recorded 290.4mm of rain, marking the highest rainfall in 100 years. 
 
Talking of facts found by a recent study by IISC, the drainage system in north Bengaluru, an 18-km stretch roughly between IISc and Kodigehalli, can’t be solely relied upon, and most drains there do not have the required capacity to handle extreme storm events, which can very well lead to urban floods. 
 
<a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/3675432/images/o-CHENNAI-FLOODS-facebook.jpg">Image source</a>

Is Bengaluru prepared for a Chennai-like situation? Think again!

The city of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bengaluru&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Bengaluru</a> got Kapil Sharma- a software professional from Chattisgarh as its resident over 11 years ago. 
 
And, that’s when its grass turned greener. 
 
Perturbed by the decreasing green cover in the city, Kapil started taking out time on the weekends to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=plant+trees&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">plant trees</a> across <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>. 
 
This was back in 2007. Eight years later, he has single-handedly planted over 35,000 saplings all over Bengaluru and organized numerous plantation drives apart from co-founding a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=NGO&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">NGO</a> dedicated to saving the <keyword id="6356826" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="environment">environment</keyword> called ‘<keyword id="1765488" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="saytrees">SayTrees</keyword>.’ 
 
One of the main reasons he had moved to Bengalaru was because he loved its huge green spaces, pleasant weather and the canopies of trees within the city, but seeing them decline right in front of his eyes and the weather getting hotter due to the reduction of green cover, he decided it was time to do something. 
 
He initially started with planting a few saplings near his house and on the way to his office, but realized that it was not enough. 
 
He then approached the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in order to get more information about places he could go and plant more saplings. Time became an issue as he had a full-time job and so he visited BBMP offices on Saturdays to find officials as passionate about the cause as he was. 
 
Soon enough, Kapil was joined by like-minded environment enthusiasts in his endeavor which led to him starting the organization SayTrees. 
 
 
 
His work starts with first zeroing in on a location for planting saplings and then approaching the government for permission. Once that hurdle is cleared, he works aggressively towards promotion of the tree plantation drive on social media spreading the word and in some cases getting more people to join him. 
 
To ensure a high survival rate for the saplings, Kapil and his team take certain precautions during the plantation drive itself. 
 
Firstly, they focus on planting saplings that are already 8 to 12 feet tall and two to three years old as these require lesser case and have a higher survival rate. Additionally, they also chose locations which do not see excessive human and animal intervention. 
 
Kapil’s job is however not over as soon as the saplings are planted. He ensures that he takes care of them for as long as possible. 
 
For a few months, the SayTrees team waters the saplings and regularly watches over them, beyond which they try engaging the local communities to take care of the plants. 
 ‘<keyword id="685296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="plant-trees">Plant trees</keyword>, plant hopes’ is the team’s motto. And, that’s exactly what they want you to be doing. 
 
The next time you’re in Bengaluru marveling about its brilliant weather or enjoying the shade under a tree, you know which man to thank. 
 
Image credit: SayTrees

Meet
the software professional who has planted over 35,000 trees in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jul 8 () Bengaluru Mayor M Gautham Kumar is under home quarantine after his Personal Assistant tested positive for COVID-19, a city civic body official said here on Wednesday. "He has been in home isolation since yesterday after his PA tested positive," a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike official told . The PA was among the 30 staff at BBMP head office who tested positive over the last couple of days, he said. The office would now be closed to the public from July 9 to 24 and BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar had issued an order to this effect, he said. GMS APR RAVINDRANATH APR RAVINDRANATH

Mayor in home quarantine after PA tests positive for COVID-19

Bengaluru, Jul 15 () Amid complaints of difficulty in getting beds for COVID-19 patients, the Karnataka government on Wednesday issued a notification making it mandatory for private hospitals to display a bed allocation display board. "It is made mandatory that all hospitals registered under KPME (Karnataka Private Medical Establishment Act) in Karnataka State should display at the reception counter, a bed allocation display board," the notification signed by Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar said. It said the board should display details like- name of the hospital, total number of beds (as per KPME registration), total number of beds allocated for COVID-19 patients referred by BBMP (Bengaluru civic body- Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), among others. Stating that the data must corroborate with the data of the central bed allocation system of BBMP, the notification said the display board should be arranged by July 16 and non-compliance to the order will attract punishment under relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act 2005 and Indian Penal Code. Earlier, in the notification issued by the state government dated June 23, it was mandated to reserve 50 per cent of the beds in private hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients referred by public health authorities. However, some patients are finding it difficult to get beds even after the allocation has been made by the BBMP's central allocation system and this is causing a lot of hardship to patients, according to the notification issued on Wednesday. KSU BN WELCOME BN WELCOME

COVID: Karnataka makes it mandatory for pvt hospitals to display bed allocation boards

Bengaluru, Jul 5 () The city civic body chief has apologised to the family of a deceased 65-year-old COVID-19 victim, whose body was reportedly left unattended for three hours on the roadside here while they waited for an ambulance. B H Anil Kumar, Commissioner of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike B H personally met the family of the victim at Gavipuram on Saturday, apologised to them and said BBMP workers should have handled the situation in a better manner. The family said the man developed respiratory problems on July 3 evening and they called for an ambulance. With his condition worsening and no sign of the ambulance, he came out of the house and flagged an autorickshaw to take him to a hospital, but collapsed just as he was about to get in, they said. The ambulance arrived three hours later and took the body, they said. "Met the family of the Covid victim in Gavipuram who was left unattended on the roadside. Offered an unconditional apology with folded hands on behalf of the BBMP as our staff could have handled the situation in a better manner," Kumar tweeted. He appealed to the public not to stigmatise COVID-19 patients and their families. Recently, a video purportedly showing health workers burying inappropriately some bodies of COVID-19 victims in a large pit in Ballari district had surfaced, triggering outrage on social media, following which they were suspended. The government then instructed health workers to follow the protocol for disposal of bodies. GMS APR RAVINDRANATH APR RAVINDRANATH

City civic body chief apologises to family of COVID-19 victim

Bengaluru, Jan 1 (IANS) Karnataka braces for Covid vaccine dry run in five districts, including Bengaluru across the state on Saturday, an official said on Friday. "A dry run for Covid vaccination will be conducted in five districts - Belagavi, Bengaluru, Kalaburagi, Mysuru and Shivamogga across the state, as directed by the Union Health Ministry to streamline logistics for supplying the medicine when rolled out commercially soon," a state health official told IANS here. In this tech hub, the city's civic corporation has identified three primary health centres (PHCs) for the mock exercise of the mega immunization programme. "Arrangements have been made to conduct the vaccine dry run in three PHCs across the city, with training to 25 health workers in each centre for the programme," said Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) administrator Gaurva Gupta. The dry run will be held at Kamashipalya centre in the city's west zone, Vidyapeetha centre in south zone and Hargade centre at Anekal in the urban district's southern region. "We have lined up 1,517 PHCs across the city for the actual vaccine inoculation from January-end or early February," said Gupta in a statement here. The civic body will submit a report on the dry run to the state and central governments as directed by the health ministry. The data will also be uploaded on the Co-Win application platform, which will be the digital for the nationwide campaign. "The dry run will prepare the state to manage Covid vaccine supply, storage and logistics, including cold chain management. In Belagavi district in the state's northwest region, the dry run will be held at Vantamuri urban PHC, Kittur community health centre and the state-run general hospital at Hukkeri. In Kalaburagi district in the state's northern region, the mock exercise will be held at the Ashok Nagar PHC in the city, Jewargi taluk hospital and Aurad rural centre. In Mysuru district in the state's southern region, the dry run will be conducted at Jayanagar community health center in the city's Jayanagar suburb, Bilikere PHC and K.R. Nagar taluk hospital. In Shivamogga district in the state's Malnad region, the exercise will be held at McGann hospital in the city, Shikaripura taluk hospital and at Antharagange PHC at Bhadravati taluk. Shikariupra is the hometown of the state's Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. "At each centre, a medical officer (doctor), two vaccinating officers (male and female) a data entry operator to verify documents and upload the data on the Co-Win vaccine network portal and a security officer were trained on Friday," the official said. The exercise will be held as per the Covid vaccination operational guidelines, which include bio-medical waste management and adverse reaction following the immunisation (AEFI) tagging. "At each centre, five vaccine beneficiaries will be observed for about 30 minutes in the AEFI room during the dry run. About 100 people will be vaccinated per day at every PHC across the state from 9:00am to 5:00pm when the mega programme is implemented later this month," added the official. --IANS fb/sdr/

Covid vaccine dry run in Karnataka's 5 districts on Saturday

Bengaluru, July 8 () Karnataka Medical Education K Sudhakar on Wednesday said the managements of private hospitals have agreed to provide 3,500 beds for treatment of COVID-19 patients. The Minister's office in a release said the government was preparing to conduct one lakh antigen tests from this weekend. The minister today held discussions with managements of private hospitals on making beds available for treatment of COVID patients. "...3,000-3500 beds in their hospitals will be managed by us through centralised allotment system, every bed will have an allotment number and it will be real time," Sudhakar told reporters after the meeting. In addition to the beds, the hospitals will also run COVID-care centres in collaboration with hotels to treat asymptomatic and people with mild symptoms. "Those who want to get treatment at private Covid Care Centres can go there and avail the facility, we have permitted them to operate CCCs with 3000-4000 beds...so together with hospitals beds and covid care centres, private hospitals will add 6000 to 7000 beds in coming days," he said. Earlier in the day, Sudhakar inspected the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (city corporation) building on Broadway road in the city that is being developed as a full-fledged Covid hospital. He said Infosys Foundation is providing necessary infrastructure for the hospital at a cost of Rs 30 crore and it will be functional in another 10 days. "Initially the hospital will be having 180 beds with high flow oxygen lines.These beds can be converted for ventilator facilities if need be...30 ventilators will be provided. The hospital will be having Neuro-surgery OT, Cardio OT, and CT Scan facilities," he was quoted as saying in a release. Regarding strike by PG students and house surgeons of JJM Medical college demanding the release of stipend of 16 months, Sudhakar clarified that he has held several meetings with the college management in this regard. Noting that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa also has already directed the management to release the stipend immediately, he said now the college management has to take action. KSU BN WELCOME BN WELCOME

Pvt hospitals have agreed to provide 3,500 beds for COVID-19 treatment: Karnataka Minister

A 67-year-old woman tested positive for <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword>, taking the total number of cases in <keyword id="6354780" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka">Karnataka</keyword> to 11, state Health Minister B. Sriramulu said on Tuesday. "The 11th victim who tested positive is a resident of Bengaluru and returned to the city from Dubai via Goa on March 9. She is known case of <keyword id="461676" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chronic-Kidney-Disease">chronic kidney disease</keyword>," Sriramulu said in a tweet. Though the woman was in home isolation since returning from Dubai, she was admitted in a designated hospital on Monday. "In all, 21 high risk contacts have been identified, including 5 family members. They all are under strict home quarantine," the minister said. Earlier in the day, 2 persons, including a young woman in Bengaluru, tested positive for the infection. The new cases were of a 20-year-old woman who travelled from the UK and a 63-year-old doctor who treated the 76-year-old patient (since deceased) in Kalaburagi early this month. "Both are admitted in the isolation wards in designated hospitals in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi," said Sriramulu. Following the doctor's positive report, health officials were trying to identify other patients he had treated since the outbreak. The doctor's family too has been quarantined at home. The 76-year-old man died on March 10 and was India's first Covid-19 victim. He returned from Saudi Arabia on February 29 and was under treatment at Kalaburagi and Hyderabad private hospitals. Meanwhile, the government announced that all gyms and wellness centres in the state will remain shut till March 31 and dental services in state-run hospitals will also be closed till the month-end. "All non-essential services to be identified for closure to minimize visit of people," said an official statement here. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) hospital on Broadway road in the city centre will be handed over to the state Medical Education Department on Wednesday to host Covid-19 suspects and patients in its isolation ward. "Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murthy will provide all medical equipment required for the treatment of the infected victims and patients under observation," said the statement. Meanwhile, the South Western Railway (SWR) increased the platform ticket price 5 times to a whopping Rs 50 from Rs 10 from Wednesday to restrict the public from entering the platforms and prevent large gathering of people in stations. In a related development, the Radha-Krishna temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskon) at Hare Krishna hill in the city's northwest suburb and Vaikuntha hill in the southern suburb will remain shut till further notice to prevent gathering of devotees in large numbers at a time.

You Searched For "bengaluru mahanagara palike" and got 13 results

Over 3,000 beds reserved in Bengaluru hospitals to treat coronavirus patients

PTI

Bengaluru civic agency designates 32 municipal wards as COVID-19 hotspots

PTI

Govt may have to impose lock down in Bengaluru if COVID cases increase: Health Minister

PTI

16 staff members of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation staff members test positive for COVID-19

IANS

Is Bengaluru prepared for a Chennai-like situation? Think again!

BI India Bureau

Meet the software professional who has planted over 35,000 trees in Bengaluru

Poulomi Das

Mayor in home quarantine after PA tests positive for COVID-19

PTI

COVID: Karnataka makes it mandatory for pvt hospitals to display bed allocation boards

PTI

City civic body chief apologises to family of COVID-19 victim

PTI

Covid vaccine dry run in Karnataka's 5 districts on Saturday

IANS

Pvt hospitals have agreed to provide 3,500 beds for COVID-19 treatment: Karnataka Minister

PTI

Karnataka's Covid-19 cases rise to 11 after a woman tests positive

IANS

India’s coronavirus cases cross 125,000

Navdeep Yadav