1. Seven leopard cubs die at Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru after virus attack
Seven leopard cubs have died at Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru after being infected by a highly contagious virus, officials said on September 19. Feline panleukopenia (FP) is a viral disease of cats caused by the feline parvovirus. Kittens are most severely affected by the virus, they said.
According to officials, the first outbreak was reported on August 22. The seven cubs were aged between three and eight months. All of them were vaccinated but succumbed during the course of treatment.
2. Three Hoysala temples of Karnataka inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage sites
The Hoysala temples at Belur, Halebidu and Somanathapur in Karnataka were declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites on September 18, joining Hampi that was given the tag earlier. The move will likely bring global recognition with prospects of increased international tourism to these places. All three temples are protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the nominations were entered as ‘The Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas’.
The Chennakeshava temple at Belur and Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu — both in Hassan district have been on the UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014. The Keshava temple at Somanathapur in Mysuru district was later appended to this tentative list before being officially nominated by the Centre.
3. Roads in Varthur and Whitefield inundated following just an hour of rain in Bengaluru
The rainfall on September 18 evening turned many roads in Bengaluru into puddles while traffic came to a standstill in the IT hub of Varthur and Whitefield after two Road Under Bridges (RUB) in Panathur and on Croma Road were inundated. The car of an IT employee was reportedly submerged near the Croma Road RUB.
Residents of these areas reported that they are fed up with Ministers, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (before elections) making false assurances of fixing the issue of flooding, which is mostly a result of encroachment of storm water drains. To attract more attention to the problem, the residents on September 19 christened Croma Road RUB as Kanakana Kindi.
4. Congress complains that timings of Bengaluru-Mysuru-Murdeshwar Express inconvenient for passengers
The Kundapura Block Congress has said timings of the extended Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal, Bengaluru-Mangaluru Central Express (Train 16585/586) to Murdeshwar are inconvenient for passengers travelling beyond Mangaluru. Train No. 16585 leaves Mangaluru Central at 8.40 am and reaches Murdeshwar at 1.35 pm.
Block Congress president Kanmakki Hariprasad Shetty said this delay is unacceptable as the train can reach Murdeshwar within three hours from Mangaluru Central. On the return trip, the train leaves Murdeshwar at 2.10 p.m., which would be inconvenient for passengers, Mr. Shetty said, adding that the train should leave Murdeshwar in the evening.
