The Observer An IIJNM publication
Slush-filled Carmelaram Road causes misery to residents; no action from BBMP on complaints | P 2
Vol 22, Issue 15
Thursday, November 17, 2022
People unaware rule came in September 2016 By Hamsaveni N
C
Source: Traffic Management Centre Bengaluru (TMC) the penalty in Benagaluru was tion is growing day by day and sireduced to Rs 500. multaneously cases registered are M.C. Kavitha Kariyappa, assis- also increasing. Vehicle movetant commissioner of traffic po- ment in the city is more, and it is lice, East Division, informed The not possible to stop every vehicle Observer: “Bengaluru’s popula- and tell them (the riders) to wear
helmets. We are trying our level best to educate the public on the importance of helmets…. Traffic rules education should start at a very young age.” Rajendra Swamy, a traffic head constable, said: “Negligence by the public is the main reason for the rise in cases registered. I see no fear in the public of being fined for breaking traffic rules. We see a lot of people carrying their helmets in their hands or in the bike dicky. They wear their helmets as soon as they see traffic police and remove (them) once they pass by an officer. There is no use if people wear helmets only to escape from officers. Awareness about traffic rules should come within.” A traffic constable who refused to be named said: “A lot of people think if they escape from traffic police they are safe, but Bengaluru is completely under CCTV surveillance. Traffic rules violations are recorded and (people) fined. Hence, cases registered are also increasing. People tend to take traffic rules for granted and endup paying fines.” Continued on page 3
Bengaluru temples struggle with waste management Not all depend on BBMP to take trash away By Yashaswini Sri
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nly a few of the 40-odd Bengaluru temples that began segregating waste a few years ago are doing so now. T. Sundar, the head of management of Gali Anjaneya temple, Mysuru Road, said: “Disposing of waste was never a problem at our temple. Recently, we saw littering in and around the temple as a rising problem. Now we have combated that. We do not have two bins to segregate wet and dry waste. We leave it to the BBMP. They have never told us to segregate, nor have they provided an alternative option.” The head priest of Kadu Malleshwara temple,
BBMP cleans the waste from temple streets only once every 15 to 30 days because they are chocked with vendors. | Credit: Yashaswini Sri Malleswaram, said: “We composted the temple’s waste at the beginning. Somewhere in between we stopped doing it. One of the major reasons is that we do
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Homeopathy becomes popular after Covid; the Ministry of AYUSH approves its usage | P 3
Number of pillion riders not wearing helmets shoots up
ases of pillion riders not wearing helmets are increasing drastically in Bengaluru every year. Though the wearing of helmet by pillion riders was made compulsory from September 1, 2016, people still don’t wear them, many pillions carry them (helmet) around their elbows. The number of cases registered for the offense were 8.97 lakh in 2016; 5.96 lakh in 2017; 12.97 lakh in 2018; 10 lakh in 2019; 19.1 lakh in 2020; and 23 lakh in 2021, traffic police data show. These cases were registered by traffic police officers or recorded on CCTV cameras. The fine for not wearing helmet was Rs 1,000. After strict implementation of the The Motor Vehicle act from September 1, 2019,
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not do gardening near the temple. BBMP takes our waste and recycles it, so it seems futile to continue composting.” .The Observer noticed that dur-
ing the early hours of the day, workers take the previous day’s waste to the nearest municipal waste bin. The temple segregates wet and dry waste before disposing of it to BBMP.. Shakthi Kalyana Maha Ganapathi temple in Kalyan Nagar was one of the first temples in Bengaluru to have started composting. Former temple trustee Ashok Betraj said the said thepotential for composting was obvious from the start. “We made our rules certain that noplastic was brought into the temple by devotees.” According to a Times of India report, 25 temples in Karnataka were declared zero- wastezones. The government had allocated Rs 25 crore for waste management. Sri BanashankariAmma temple is the only temple in Bengaluru to be a part of this project. The Iskcon temple on Chord Road on does not depend on BBMP to clear its waste. Continued on page 3
News briefs Congress demands Bommai’s resignation The Congress in Karnataka has demanded the resignation of chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, alleging he is directly responsible for a corrupt electoral practice by asking a private entity to collect door-to-door voter information. The charge was rejected outright by Basavaraj Bommai who said the opposition party was bankrupt with ideas. PTI
Republican Party wrests control of US House
Donald Trump’s Republican Party has wrested control of the US House of Representatives with 218 seats against the 211 seats of the Democratic Party, setting the stage for a showdown with Joe Biden in the next two years of his presidency. PTI
SC to hear fresh plea of Gautam Navlakha
The Supreme Court agreed to list for hearing on Friday a fresh plea of activist Gautam Navlakha, who has not been shifted to house arrest despite the court’s directive in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case. A Bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud took note of the submissions of a senior lawyer appearing for Navlakha that the court’s order has not been complied with so far. PTI
Army deploys new docks, upgrades speedboats
The Army has deployed new landing docks and speed boats for patrolling on the Pangong Tso lake in Ladakh, matching the Chinese deployments on the lake. This is part of an overall capability enhancement and infrastructure development taken up by India since the 2020 standoff in Ladakh to plug deficiencies and catch up with a Chinese build-up along the Line of Actual Control. The Hindu
Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Dnipro city
Russian missiles and projectiles hit Ukraine’s southern Odesa region and the city of Dnipro for the first time in weeks on Thursday morning. Air raid sirens sounded all across the country amid fears that Moscow had unleashed another large-scale attack. At least four people were killed and 11 others wounded in drone and missile strikes around the country of Ukraine authorities said. AP