Mini transfer stations to process waste

To strengthen decentralised waste collection, BBMP will set up 50 mini transfer stations. Waste collected by auto-tippers and push carts, instead of being loaded onto compactor trucks, will be brought to the mini transfer stations. The stations will process waste from two wards each.

According to BBMP, this system will reduce garbage transfer points as well as black spots in the city. It will also ensure there is no leakage of garbage residue from compactor trucks. Besides, fewer garbage vehicles will be required, which in turn will reduce air pollution.

Only four waste processing plants in the city are functional now, which has led to overloading and accumulation of waste. The processing plants at Seegehalli, Subbarayanapalya and Lingadheeranahalli have been closed since the last six months due to protests from residents nearby. BBMP had spent crores of rupees to establish these units, which had been processing 100 to 150 tonnes of waste per day.

Source: Deccan Herald | Bangalore Mirror

New deadline to fix all potholes

BBMP has formed 31 teams to identify and fix potholes across the city. Tenders will be called zone-wise to fill the potholes, and contractors will make maximum use of hot-mix plants – instead of tar – to repair them. BBMP had set up a hot-mix plant for Rs 7.5 crore at a 4.5-acre area near Kannur, but it has emerged that officials did not utilise the plant.

The defect liability period for contractors will also be fixed to address the issue of re-surfacing of potholes, BBMP Commissioner and Administrator announced.

BBMP has set a deadline of November 15 for filling up the potholes in major roads, and November 30 for filling those in ward roads. After the rains, roads have either developed potholes or have been dug up by civic agencies. Most roads, especially in the outer zones, are in extremely poor condition, with some stretches reduced to rubble.

Source: The New Indian Express | The Times of India | The Hindu | Deccan Herald

Survey: Bengaluru second most impacted by COVID

Bengaluru is the second most impacted city in India, after Delhi, in terms of loss of income and loan repayment capacity due to COVID.

This is based on a survey by Paisabazaar.com, a digital marketplace for lending products, which covered over 8,500 of its consumers in the 24-57 age group from over 35 cities. Over 65% of the survey respondents in Bengaluru reported a negative impact on income due to the pandemic, while 12% had lost their income completely. Around 90% of self-employed people and 61% of the salaried segment suffered income loss.

Source: Deccan Herald

Stroke in COVID patients

Between June and August, as many as 62 COVID patients in Bengaluru suffered a stroke during the infection. Of them, 16% died in hospital, a study by doctors from St John’s Medical College Hospital revealed. The study has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Stroke, the official publication of the World Stroke Organization.

Even as COVID cases are declining, Bengaluru Urban still accounts for over half the cases in Karnataka.

Source: The Hindu

RR Nagar bypoll: About 3,000 eligible for postal ballot not traced

Poll officials and the BBMP are struggling to find more than 3,000 people who are eligible to vote by postal ballot in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar bypoll. Officials had given the postal ballot facility to seniors and people with disabilities. A BBMP official said that about 1,400 senior citizens and 100 persons with disabilities have moved to different constituencies. Poll officials have not been able to track the rest.

According to BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad, about 500 people in the list have said they would visit the polling booths to vote.

Voters infected or suspected to be infected will be allowed to cast their vote between 5 pm and 6 pm on election day, November 3. Manjunath Prasad said that voting arrangements had been made in 678 polling stations. While 1,177 people in RR Nagar had tested positive till Wednesday, 842 were under home isolation, 317 others were hospitalised and 18 were in COVID Care Centres. Consenting voters will be brought to the polling stations in ambulances.

On account of the election, liquor stores will be closed in parts of the city from 5 pm on November 1, to 12 am on November 3. According to the order signed by City Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao, liquor shops will also be closed from December 10 on account of counting of votes.

Source: Deccan Herald | Indian Express

Pipeline to prevent flooding in Koramangala

Following complaints from residents about frequent flooding during rains, BBMP is building a pipeline that would drain excess water from ST Bed Layout and Koramangala 4th Block. Officials have been told to complete the civil work in the next one-and-a-half months.

Meanwhile, houses near Ayyappa temple in Bandepalya, Bommanahalli are still inundated. Residents in makeshift houses, who mostly work in construction sites or as domestic help, said this was the first time water has remained stagnant for so long.

Source: The Hindu | Deccan Herald

Mask rule for solo motorists may be put on hold

BBMP’s rule of making mask mandatory for solo motorists in four-wheelers and two-wheelers may be put on hold for a week. BBMP had reached out to the State Health Department following backlash from the public over the rule. The Health Department has, in turn, referred the matter to the State’s COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which will again discuss the issue.

Source: The Hindu | Deccan Herald

[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]