BBMP works held up
About 25.2 mms of rainfall on September 5th flooded roads and homes, uprooted trees and caused traffic jams. The maximum impact was seen in areas where Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) are undertaking civil works.
Even after 100 days in office, Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar is accused of holding up civic projects with incomplete works on roads, primary drains and lakes. Only the Congress-represented assembly segments have completed some work, while the BJP-ruled constituencies remain inactive.
Initially, the contractors had halted work, protesting the government’s probe. They are now not sure when the government will pay them, if at all. The flood-prevention works in all rajakaluves and lakes have been stopped in Indiranagar, Bull Temple Road, Hosakerehalli Bund Road and Haladevanahalli. BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said that the works are stalled till November.
Source: The New Indian Express, Deccan Herald
Remember Gauri Lankesh, save the Constitution
On September 5th, in memory of Gauri Lankesh, at a talk on ‘Reimagining India in Authoritarian Times’, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the same ideology that had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi had also led to the killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh, scholar M M Kalburgi, and activists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.
At the Teachers’ Day address on the same day, he said that the Constitution has facilitated education for all, so it is imperative to protect the Constitution and create an equal society. The government is emphasising the reading of the Preamble of the Constitution in schools and colleges, to preserve and protect it, he added.
Source: Indian Express
Read more: Gauri, the Guru of Cool
2,374 dengue cases in August
Last month, the BBMP limits were affected by 2,374 dengue cases. It is the highest number reported in a month in the last two years. The BBMP’s South Zone topped the August list with 416 dengue cases, followed by West (274) and East (272). Smaller zones like RR Nagar and Yelahanka also reported around 160 cases. The infected reports have spilt over into the first three days of September, with 181 dengue affirmations.
The BBMP has reportedly increased its awareness programmes in densely populated areas. Teams are surveying cases with the help of primary healthcare officers, Asha workers and BBMP doctors. Sources said that intensive vector control operations have been taken up and preventive action is being followed in schools, colleges and local communities.
Source: Deccan Herald, Bangalore Mirror
320 e-buses, double-decker buses
To improve public transport, the Cabinet approved getting 1,020 buses for different state-run transport corporations. About 320 e-buses for Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will be bought at a cost of Rs 150 crore, under the Gross Cost Contract (GCC) financing model.
The double-decker buses, which were once plying in hundreds till the late 90s, are expected to return soon. BMTC will launch services by the end of the year, according to Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Five routes are planned to avoid underpasses and other hindrances.
The mobile ‘Namma BMTC’ app will be officially launched on September 25th, its 25th anniversary. BMTC will honour 150 accident-free drivers. It will conduct live tracking of buses, a fare calculator, and information on the location of nearby bus stops.
Meanwhile, BMTC will do away with one-and-a-half times the regular fares in its late-night and early-morning services. Many commuters had complained about the higher charges, as they could not afford to pay more.
A campaign against honking by the Citizens for Citizens (C4C) group stilled traffic at the busy Basaveshwara Circle, between 10 am and 11 am every day, since September 4. Members displayed placards with silent screams about noise pollution.
This is the group’s 12th campaign, organised jointly with students of RC College and the High Grounds traffic police. The group drew in its members at the centre of the circle for a 15-second pause during the hour.
Source: Indian Express, Deccan Herald
Read more: Metro is the preferred choice of Bengaluru commuters
Mango exports surge
Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB/BLR Airport) showed a remarkable surge in mango exports compared to last year. In 2023, BLR Airport processed an export of 6,84,648 kgs of mangoes, which was a significant rise from the 3,05,521 kgs exported in the previous year. It marked about 86% increase in the number of pieces, with approximately 17 lakh pieces of mangoes getting exported.
BLR Airport is lauded to be a driving force in facilitating perishable exports.
Source: Indian Express
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]