Projects for safe city, low anaemia
The ‘Safe City’ project‘s newly built command centre was inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on November 24th. In March this year, the centre had launched Phase 1 of the ‘Safe City’ project, under the ‘Nirbhaya Fund’.
The costs are being shared between the centre and the state at a 60:40 ratio. About 7,500 CCTV cameras in 3,000 key areas, 50 safety islands, 158 viewing centres and a command centre are planned.
The Anaemia Mukta Poushtika Karnataka Action Plan was launched by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on November 22nd, aiming to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children.
The government plans to bring down anaemia among women aged 15-49 from 47.8% to below 30% by 2030. The plan has been allocated Rs 185.74 crore. The health department will conduct screenings for anaemia in a phased manner. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and women in the reproductive age group will be screened in all public healthcare institutions simultaneously.
Source: Deccan Herald, Indian Express
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228 buffalo pairs at maiden Kambala
About 228 pairs of buffaloes have been registered for the first-ever Bengaluru Kambala, beginning on November 25th at Palace Grounds. They will leave Dakshina Kannada district at 9.30 am and reach Bangalore Palace Grounds on the evening of November 23rd. It is expected to draw in between six to eight lakh visitors. Political rivals Congress and BJP have come together to work for it.
The maiden show in the city, Kambala is organised by Tulukoota Bengaluru, with buffalo racing teams from the coasts. Kambala is usually held after the southwest monsoon, once the paddy is harvested.
Source: Deccan Herald, The Hindu, Indian Express
BMTC gets non-AC electric buses
The first set of non-AC electric buses from Tata Motors, out of 921 under the FAME-2 scheme, was delivered to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) at the Shanthinagar depot. It might soon begin operations.
Tata Motors will supply, operate and maintain the 12-metre electric buses for 12 years. The allocation of buses to various depots, charging stations and other infrastructure is also ongoing. BMTC will deploy conductors and compensate Tata Motors at Rs. 41 per kilometre. The buses are expected to cover approximately 200 kilometres each day.
The BMTC is adding to its fleet due to the increase in ridership following the Shakti scheme, providing free bus travel to women. It reached the milestone of issuing 100 crore ‘zero-fare tickets’ on November 22nd.
Source: The Hindu, Indian Express
Lukewarm response for Kere Mithra and Hasiru Mithra
About 1,166 citizens have joined the BBMP’s call for the upkeep of lakes and parks, the ‘Kere Mithra’ and ‘Hasiru Mithra’, mooted by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar. For 2023-24, the BBMP has allocated Rs 35 crore for 174 lakes and Rs 15 crore for 1,240 parks. Volunteers would be monitoring how the funds are utilised and take up tasks, such as pathway sweeping, bund slope cleaning, water body de-weeding, daily park sweeping, shrub pruning, watering and borewell maintenance.
But it received a lukewarm response, not matching the 10 volunteers for each of the 202 lakes and 1,251 neighbourhood parks that had been expected. For better participation, the BBMP needs to offer both online and offline registration options.
Registering onsite at lakes and parks and circulating Google forms through WhatsApp can help. Last October, citizens could register on the official website, which brought 512 volunteers, some for lake supervision, while 654 chose to oversee public parks. However, many said that they had not been acknowledged by the BBMP.
Source: Deccan Herald
Read more: Lack of public consultation is a hindrance to holistic lake development in Bengaluru
BBMP asks for more documents on DRCs
With the intention to revalidate more than 1,172 unused Development Rights Certificates (DRCs), the BBMP has asked citizens to furnish six essential documents including sale deeds, relinquishment deeds, and khata bifurcation certificates.
However, the move has triggered critics. They questioned the lack of trust in BBMP officers who initially issued the DRCs. The BBMP has, on three separate occasions, notified 1,172 DRCs, covering a total area exceeding 9.43 lakh square meters, for revalidation, valued at Rs 5,000 crore. They are held by people who contributed land for a BBMP project or by builders with certificates from landowners. The DRCs have been unused for the last seven years due to shifts in the government’s policy. The BBMP wants to unlock them by converting the utility value on par with the guidance value of the property.
Source: Deccan Herald
Almost a 1,000 school drivers booked
The Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) on November 21st booked almost a 1,000 school vehicle drivers, transporting more students than legally permitted. The BTP inspected 2,050 vehicles between 2.30 pm and 4.30 pm. About 994 drivers faced legal action. The implicated drivers operated 319 school buses, 122 autorickshaws, 133 Omnis, 332 vans, and 88 other vehicles.
The police urged parents, school management boards, bus operators, van operators, and private vehicle owners to remain informed about the Supreme Court and state government regulations concerning transportation of schoolchildren.
They said that the vehicles were carrying 50-60% more children than were allowed.
Source: Deccan Herald, Indian Express
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]