Aero India show to be held
The 14th Aero India show will be held over five days, from February 13th to 17th. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the show at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka. More than 731 exhibitors will be participating in the event.
The show will include aerial displays, a large exhibition and trade fair of aerospace companies. Due to Aero India 2023, commercial flight operations will be partially shut till February 17th.
On February 14th, Defence minister Rajnath Singh will host the Defence Ministers’ Conclave, even as Aero India is held parallelly. As the Conclave will be attended by defence ministers from friendly countries, it will address issues such as deepening cooperation for capacity building, training, space, and maritime security.
Source: The News Minute, Indian Express
Read more: Only the poor sacrifice: Meat shop closure for Aero India
Discount on traffic fines boost collection
The 50% discount on traffic fines led to a hike in collection. On February 5th, the Bengaluru traffic police collected fines amounting to Rs 6.31 crore, and by February 9th, 4,84,254 traffic violation cases were closed.
Many pending traffic fines were collected, but there are more than two crore pending e-challan cases, with a potential penalty of Rs 500 crore. Violators can visit traffic police stations or the Traffic Management Centre, pay through PayTM or the Karnataka One website.
Meanwhile, AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) demanded that the discount should continue for the next three months to help the public. While there have been demands for extension of the 50% rebate for traffic violation fines (it is valid till February 11th), there have also been objections to providing the discount itself, over the culture it promotes.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that five new traffic police stations will be established to ease traffic and address issues related to traffic density. He added that 12 elevated corridors will also be constructed. The Chief Minister inaugurated the Suranjandas Junction underpass, in Mahadevapura zone, on February 9th, to reduce traffic snarls between Whitefield and MG Road.
Meanwhile, food delivery firms and cab aggregators have 1,54,031 traffic violation cases, totalling Rs 7.07 crore, pending against them since 2019, said the police. Zomato has the maximum violations, with more than 72,000 cases worth over Rs 3 crore. Swiggy (56,147), Bounce (10,338) and Ola (9,469) followed. Domino’s, BOX8, Bounce, Ola, and Voga were also on the list. The traffic violations included riding without a helmet, red light violations, and driving against traffic.
Source: Deccan Herald, Indian Express, The Hindu
BBMP employees’ protest
Employees of the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) did not attend office for half a day on February 9th. They later returned to work after the Chief Commissioner promised that their demands would be met.
They had planned to stage a protest against the state government to raise demands for various issues. The BBMP Employees’ Welfare Association had already warned the government that they would hold a protest if their demands were not met.
Sources said that the employees are deprived of administrative and medical facilities and that permanent officers should be appointed immediately. Nearly 7,000 BBMP employees from revenue, health, education, markets, planning and administration, in all 198 wards, sought for their demands to be met.
Source: Deccan Herald, The New Indian Express
Low patronage for MEMU to KIA
Even though it has been half a year since the South Western Railway (SWR) started running MEMU trains to KIA (Kempegowda International Airport), there has been no rise in the ridership, even though it is an affordable travel option, costing Rs 35 from the city to the airport.
On an average, around 90 passengers use the train to reach the KIA halt station. About 12 to 15 people buy tickets from the halt station to travel towards the city. The SWR runs eight pairs of trains, including six pairs of MEMU trains, which are meant to benefit air passengers and employees at the airport.
Passengers said that the government should give wide publicity for the services at stations and the airport. The schedules of train services should also be clearly displayed so that people use them.
Source: The Hindu
Read more: Namma Metro: The race is on to get Whitefield line operational by March
Demand for independent quality check of metro works
Suryanarayan Murthy, the vice president of the BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited) Employees Union, in a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, on February 6th, demanded an independent quality check of metro works by qualified experts from IISc and IIT. He said that the corrupt BMRCL officials are poorly running the management.
The metro pillar collapse was caused by poor quality of civil work and negligence by the contractor and the managing director of BMRCL, he said. The safety precautions specified in the contract were not followed. Last month, the reinforcement cage of pier number 218 of the KR Puram-Airport metro line collapsed on a motorcycle, killing two.
Source: Indian Express, Hindustan Times
BBMP removes 250 illegal shops
The BBMP undertook an encroachment removal drive near the Jayanagar Commercial Complex in the South zone, clearing 250 temporary shops built illegally along footpaths, parking areas, and market corridors. They followed directions from BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath. The Palike Chief Engineer (South zone) supervised the drive in the presence of the police and BBMP marshals.
However, human rights activists have termed the encroachment removal drive as illegal and unjust, as the BBMP served no notice and the vendors have anyway got their ID cards. The officials damaged the structures and seized push carts and other items.
Source: The New Indian Express
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]