The Observer An IIJNM publication
BBMP’s failure results in delay of storm water drainage construction at Ecospace, Bellandur | P3
SC: All women can have safe and legal abortion
Digvijay to contest Congress chief election
Digvijay Singh has announced that he will be filing his nomination for post of Congress president, probably on September 20. Shashi Tharoor is also contesting the election, to be held next month. ANI
Myanmar court jails Suu Kyi, her adviser
A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Thursday jailed deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her former economic adviser, Australian Sean Turnell, for three years for violating a secrets law.Reuters
Jaishankar hopeful of Security Council reform
The need to reform the UN Security Council cannot be denied forever, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said even as he noted that India never believed that revamping the top organ of the world body will be an easy process. PTI
CBI cracks down on drug cartels
In a major crackdown on drug peddlers, the CBI led an operation in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau and police of multiple states, arresting 175 people and seizing a huge quantity of drugs, officials said on Thursday.Operation Garuda, which started earlier this week, also involved Interpol. PTI
Time limit to hold NeXT extended by a year
The government has invoked provisions of the NMC Act by which the time limit for conducting the National Exit Test (NExT) for final-year MBBS students has been extended till September 2024.NExT exam a will not be held in 2023 PTI
Thursday, September 29, 2022
Website: theweeklyobserver.in Epaper: https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver
The virtual world leads to young people picking up irregular eating habits, impacting their health | P2
Coffee industry plunges into gloom after erratic rainfall
News Briefs
The Supreme Court on Thursday, in a landmark judgment,held that all women — whether married or unmarried — are entitled to safe and legal abortion.The court also said the meaning of the offence of rape must include marital rape for the purpose of the MTP Act.ANI
Vol 22, Issue 4
@theweeklyobserver
Growers incur loss; 1.25L acres of plantation hit By Shruti Banerjee
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wing to heavy and uneven rain, Karnataka’s coffee plantations have been badly affected. Crop cultivation has dropped across varieties: 25 per cent in Arabica and 35 per cent in Robusta, said Ram Karrekolli, a coffee grower in Kodagu. Since Karnataka is the largest coffee producer in India, this doesn’t augur well for the country’s coffee production. C.C. Thimmaiah, another coffee planter in Kodagu, informed The Observer: “It is not that many acres are affected. The area where there is excess rainfall may have a lot of coffee dropping and, therefore, there may be a loss of production for the year. Arabica is susceptible to black rot disease due to excess rain… the leaves and berries may rot.” During the past three years, he said, “I must have lost about two tonnes of coffee on the plant.” Nanda Belliappa, Vice Chairman of the Codagu Planters Association (CPA), said almost 60 per cent of the coffee-growing area has been affected, causing losses to around 2.5 lakh farmers.
Since Karnataka is the largest coffee producer in India and heavy rain has ravaged the state, it doesn’t augur well for the country’s coffee production | Courtesy: Ram Karrekolli Further, 1.25 lakh acres of cof- Board of Karnataka, M. Senthil fee plantation has been affected Kumar said normal rainfall is due to the heavy rain in August necessary for coffee crops. But and early September. when rain is excessive and distriFormer Vice Chairman of the bution uneven, the crop is damCoffee Board of India Bose Man- aged, and there is crop drop. danna said the rainfall was erCrop drop refers to the reducratic this year. In 2022, the tion in the estimate from the time Western Ghats received heavy when the estimate was first rain. Coorg and Chikmagalur made, i.e., during the blossom, have been the worst affected. and the final estimate. This year, Black rot has aggravated the sit- the crop drop is 35 per cent. uation. In June, Kumar said, there is a Director of Research, Coffee crop drop in all coffee crops. A
Most children living in slums drop out of school, do odd jobs By Yukta Mudgal
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hildren in various slums of Bengaluru attend school but only a few make it to higher education. The Observer noted that most schools near slums impart education only till grade seven. Children, especially girls, find it difficult to continue their education after grade seven. Laxmibai, 24, a slum-dweller in Pantarapalya,Nayandahalli, informed The Observer: “I attended
The Observer found that girls in the age group 10-14 study only up to class 3 school till class seven in nearby Prathamika Shale as the school only had grades till seven. I wanted to pursue higher education in a school in Rajarajeshwari Nagar but at that time the area was a jungle and I did not feel safe.” Kaala Bai, 22, another slumdweller, said she stopped going to
school after grade three as she lost her interest in studies. Kaala, married when she was 18, and now has a three-year-old son. Laxmi and Kaala said politicians knock their doors during elections or only if they require any sweepers. Both are Marathi-speaking migrants. In their caste, sweeping and picking garbage is considered a disgraceful job. There is a school near Pantarapalya, but not all slum children attend it. Continued on page 2
normal drop is 10 per cent. That time the crop adjusts according to the nutrients present in the plants. When rainfall increases, crop drop goes up to 15-20 per cent; if it goes beyond 30 per cent, crops get damaged. During that time, the government lends monetary support to coffee growers. Also, the Disaster Management Committee conduct surveys and assesses the losses growers have incurred. Kumar shared that this year, the crop drop was 35 per cent. Production has suffered as the coffee crops have contracted diseases like black rot and stalk rot due to excess and uneven rain. This year, the wet field condition that happened is mainly responsible for the loss of crops and will most likely affect exports. Lauren Saldanha, a coffee estate owner in Chikamgalur, said different parts of Karnataka receive different degrees of rain, and as the harvesting season hasn’t begun yet, it is difficult to say to what extent the excessive rainfall will affect the production. Hard time for coffee industry means hard time for a lot of labourers.More than 50 per cent of India’s coffee labourers work in Karnataka. Coffee cultivation provides them good earning opportunities, housing, medical care and education. shruti.b@iijnm.org
Progress or regress
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engaluru metro has reduced the travel time, but 9,000 trees have been cut for building the green and pruple line. As Bangalore metro expands, more trees will be axed Environmentalist are concerned with the government’s indifference towards the environment. The responsibility of government doesn’t end with planting saplings and can a sapling planted at another place offset the ecosystem loss of a tree. Full report on page 2
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CITY
The Observer Thursday, September 29, 2022
Metro construction work has cost Bengaluru 9,000 trees Governments have diluted law to protect trees By Suryash Kumar
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wing to the extension of Namma Metro’s Purple Line and the construction of the Yellow Line, BMRCL has cut around 9,000 trees so far. Bangalore Environment Trust chairman A.N. Yellappa Reddy informed The Observer the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act was enacted in 1976 to preserve trees, but subsequent governments have diluted the Act. “Bengaluru’s forest areas have been diverted for development, and environment is getting affected. What kind of development is it? The courts are being misled in environmental cases. Are human beings the only ones who have rights over the resources…,” he said. In 2018, the Bangalore Environment Trust filed a writ petition before the Karnataka High Court highlighting the government’s failure to implement the Preservation of Trees Act. The petition argued that the government had diluted its rules. Following the petition, the High Court recently asked the government to submit a report on the health of saplings planted by BMRCL as part of its afforesta-
Quiz 1. The great Victoria Desert is located in? 2. Tripitakas are sacred books of? 3. Who wrote the line: ' A thing of beauty is a joy forever'? 4. Who invented the ball point pen? 5. The famous Dilwara Temple is situated in? Answers on page 3
Did You Know? Hummingbirds are fascinating and impressive birds. They are not only the smallest migrating bird, measuring 7.5–13 centimeters in length, generally, but they are also the only known birds that can fly backward. The hummingbird moves its wings in figure eight, which allows the bird to easily move backward in the air. Source: CGTN
Weather Maximum: 29°C Minimum: 21°C SUNRISE/SUNSET Rise: 6:09 AM Set: 6:11 PM Wind: WNW 15 km/h Wind Gusts: 37 km/h Probability of Precipitation: 22% Cloud Cover: 94%
An amendment to the law by the government has made a notice necessary only if 50 trees are cut. | Credit: Yukta Mudgal tion project. Earlier, a public notice was required if any public project required the felling of trees; but through an amendment, the government has made a notice necessary only if 50 trees are cut. Vijay Ranjan Singh, Additional Principal Chief Conservator, Karnataka forest department, said: “Ask the public whether they want traffic or trees. The Metro will ensure that Bengaluru has fast traffic. Regarding environmental concerns, the government
plants double the number of trees if any trees are cut for a project.” Saplings planted are looked after for three-four years and sometimes 10 years, depending on the funds allotted, Singh shared. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests approves different divisions to monitor the saplings through field officers. T.L. Ravi Prakash, senior public relations manager, BMRCL, said: “For every tree cut due to the construction of Metro, ten
trees are planted by BMRCL. Some trees are translocated near lakes, parks and other areas. Until now, almost a lakh trees have been planted by BMRCL.” The saplings are monitored by BMRCL officials through its contractors. BMRCL also coordinates with BBMP’s forest department to maintain the health of the saplings planted. ”We translocate the trees at nearby places as the court has granted us the permission to do so,” the BMRCL official said. Gagan Kecharia, Manager, Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment,an independent council that evaluates a building on environmental aspects, said: “Architects are trying hard to ensure that no trees get cut while designing the project. But if trees are cut, then for each tree being cut, three trees are planted. Planting more trees and balancing them with development is the way forward.” He explained: “If 20 out of 100 trees get cut, we ensure that the project developers plant 60 trees. The remaining 80 trees on the site are preserved and protected.We ensure that no trees are destroyed because of ongoing construction activity.” Special permission is needed to translocate trees. “Therefore, translocating trees requires written consent from the technical committee council with substantial evidence,” he added. suryash.k@iijnm.org
Eating habits of young people are influenced by social media By Siddhi Chauhan
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eople tend to overlook the huge impact of social media on the lifestyle and eating habits of young people. According to Statista, over 4.26 billion people used social media worldwide in 2021. That number is estimated to increase to 6 billion in 2027. Dr Anurag Sharma, a nutritionist, explained to The Observer: “A diet that contains all nutrients and minerals is known as a balanced diet. If a person does not maintain a proper diet, they can suffer from nutrition deficiency.” According to a study by the Rochester Institute of Technology, many people have their meals browsing social media. This problem affects every age group. Neelu Saxena, mother of a 10year-old girl, struggles with the same problem. “Yashi gets so involved in watching videos on YouTube that she often forgets that there is food kept in front of her,” she informed The Observer. According to The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, when people eat unattentively, they often end up ingesting more. Akshita Singh, a 17-year-old who is accustomed to having eating while scrolling, takes 20 minutes to complete a meal. Riddhi Dixit, a 15-year-old student, informed The Observer she has a habit of watching YouTube videos while having her meals. It takes her about 15 minutes to finish a meal. According to a study, social media results in lower self-esteem among girls in the 10-14 age group. Himanshi Solanki, a psychology student, observed: “Low self-
esteem is an outcome of social media. It has created a standard of beauty which everyone wants to achieve. Little do they realise that the outcome they are seeking to achieve can be nothing but mere filters. This thereby leads to eating disorders as they try to lose weight desperately to fit into the standard beauty frame.” With the increase in social media usage, there has also been an advancement in marketing strategy. According to research conducted in 2016, advertisements not only affect our purchasing behaviour but also change our perception. Riya Agarwal, a social media marketer, explained: “Food marketing is marketing that aims at the promotion of food products and beverages. The main motive behind using food advertisements is to attract consumers by ensuring that the product is helpful for them.” Shivani Mishra, mother of a five-year-old boy, explained that her son influences her to purchase food items that he watches in advertisements. siddhi.c@iijnm.org
60% of slum children drop out due to bad influence Continued from page 1 amakshamma T, the leader of BR Ambedkar Sewa Sangh, Pantarapalya, said that out of 3,000 slum children in Pantarapalya, 1,000 attend school, but only few continue their studies to pursue professions like law, medicine and teaching. Nobody pursues engineering. Youngsters aged between 17 to 21 work as pourakarmikas or contract labourers. Kamakshamma added that 60 per cent of children drop out due to bad influences. “These children are more interested in playing marbles than attending school.” Meghana B.V., who calls herself a social welfare expert at the Karnataka Slum Development Board, said the government has constructed many community centres in Bengaluru and all children in slums attend school. “As mentioned in the Basic Service to Urban Poor (BSUP) provision, the government has constructed thousands of buildings for slum dwellers due to which their lifestyle has become better. The government has also provided free education and anganwadis,” she added. China Sheikh, a slum-dweller in Thubarahalli, Whitefield, said both her children go to college under a scholarship provided by a trust called Samruddhi. But it is very rare to see other slum children going to school. China’s son Aladdin said that out of the 150 children in the slum, only 25 go to school. Read the complete story on www.theweeklyobserver.in
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Citizen’s Voice Priority has been given to cheetahs over lions The induction of cheetahs in the Kuno-Palpur National Park in Madhya Pradeshreminds us of the forgotten translocation order of the Supreme Court in 2013 regarding the transfer of Asiatic lions to Kuno. Is bringing African cheetahs here and prioritizing them over native lions really worth it? Yogada Sharma
Pantarapalya slum residents cry for help
The life of people living in the Pantarapalya slum has become miserable after the recent floods. They have been awaiting help from the BBMP. Although a representative of the civic body visited the area once and noted the necessary details, the residents haven’t got help yet; they are still calling out for help. Vindhya Pabolu
CITY
Water stagnates in potholes, mosquito menace rises in city Nobody comes to clear trash, complain people By Yukta Mudgal
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itizens in the several parts of Bengaluru say the mosquito menace is increasing due to accumulation of rainwater in potholes, empty vessels and coconut shells. They blame the government for its negligence. Rajendran Prabhakaran, a social worker and resident of Rajendra Nagar, informed The Observer: “My wife was admitted in the St Philomena’s hospital with dengue two years ago. Dengue cases are rising here due to stagnated water in potholes.” Valli, another resident of Rajendra Nagar, said: “Last year, my two-year-old son was affected by severe fever. We gave him medicines, but it did not help. On the sixth day, his body became cold. We then rushed to a hospital. There he was diagnosed with dengue.” According to Valli, whose husband is a driver, they spent almost Rs 15,000 on their son’s treatment. She has lived in Rajendra Nagar for the past 31 years, but has not seen any BBMP worker coming and clearing the water and garbage. “One cannot come out after 6 pm
IPC does not have any law on marital rape Continued from page 1 he Delhi High Court feared that criminalizing marital rape will destabilize the institution of marriage and become a tool for harassing husbands. Ajeet, a constable of the Kengeri police station, said last year, two marital rape cases were reported in the station. “Since the Indian Penal Code does not have any laws regarding marital rape specifically, the cases were filed under Sections 376 and 420.” According to National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-2021) report, 32 percent of married women of the age 18-49 have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional spousal violence. Yogita Bhayana, a human rights Activist and founder of People Against Rapes in India (PARI) Foundation said: “I have worked on several marital rape cases over the years, but they usually are pushed under the carpet because women want to only talk to me instead of reporting it or filing a complaint.” Pallavi thinks taking one’s husband to police on account of marital rape is traumatizing and destabilizing for a woman. siddhi.c@iijnm@org
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Potholes with rain water become breeding zones for mosquitoes, causing the spread of dengue and other infections | Credit: Yukta Mudgal because of constant mosquito bites. pick garbage and manage waste Still not much awareness has been effectively,” he added, “but due to spread regarding dengue. They do corruption, though tenders come, not come and apply bleach powder people do not work.” or do fogging in the area.” John Gonsalves, a resident of The National Center for Ve- Langford Road, said: “People are ctor Borne Diseases Control, paying taxes but garbage collecKarnataka, had recorded 5,392 tors do not come.” Most people cases of dengue till August 31, give a stipend to the cleaners, but 2022, with four deaths. the poor who can’t afford it end up G. Govardhan, 93, trustee, dumping garbage near their Bangalore Environment Trust, houses. This creates a situation said: “Coconut shells are very where mosquitoes breed when useful items, but throwing rainwater gets collected. Not only garbage outside is our culture. dengue but cholera and fungal inThis is, of course, one of the major fections are also spreading. The reasons behind the increase in government should take the inithe mosquito menace.” tiative to tackle this problem.” “We have gone from house to Selvi, a resident of Ayyapa house to train pourakarmikas to Garha slum, Shantinagar, said:
“There are a lot of mosquitoes during night, but we never caught dengue, though fever is a common thing these days.” The Observer noted that a heap of garbage was lying in front of Selvi’s house. “Nobody from the government side picks up the garbage; we ourselves clean it once a month,” she said. The Observer saw coconut vendors carrying shells and burning them to heat water,that thrown by the residents living nearby. Dr Dwijendra Prasad, a senior consultant at Prakriya Hospital, Nagasandra, said: “We have seen an increase in dengue cases from last year, the reason being persistent rainfall and rainwater getting accumulated in potholes, plant pots and coconut shells. Wherever there is construction work, mosquitoes will breed. Problems happen when people throw coconut shells and other garbage outside their houses. This breeds mosquito larvae.” One of the prevention is putting petrol in stagnant water, which helps in dealing with this problem, he added. Explaining the spread of dengue, Dr Prasad said: “People only come to the hospital when their platelets are really down and cases become serious. People should take note of symptoms like chills, vomiting, high fever and headache, and prevent dehydration.” yukta.m@iijnm.org
With the young uninterested in it, puppetry is in decline Puppetry is struggling to retain its glory By Shruti Banerjee
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he traditional puppet theatre of India which had an immense value earlier is struggling to retain its glory. According to the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, a puppet is one of the most remarkable and ingenious inventions of mankind. Srinivas, Director of Rangaputhali Puppeteers, a prominent puppeteer based in Bengaluru, said the art of puppetry is struggling because today’s youth are more inclined to watching movies than going to a puppet show. Rangaputhali Puppeteers travels across India to do shows. Centuries ago, Srinivas said, there were around 4,000 troupes of puppetry. That number has reduced to 380. Sinde Sriramulu, a leather puppetry artist for the Dinesh Karthik Leather Puppetry show
Puppetry at folk art fairs and festivals. | Courtesy: Sendi Sriramulu group in an Andhra Pradesh village, said his team is paid around Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 for one show. The amount is divided among the eight members of his team. Each person receives around Rs 5,000, which is not enough to sustain them. Srinivas added that his team has eight members.They are paid around Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 for each performance, which also includes their transportation cost. Each member in the group receives Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000. Sriramulu shared that in order
to support his family of six, other than performing puppet shows, he also works in fields and sells wall hangings made of leather. D. Chinna Ramana, a fellowmember of Sriramulu’s group, said that apart from performing puppet shows they have to do other jobs to feed their families. Generally, his group performs two or three times in a month. However, during festivals or wedding seasons, they perform up to four to five times a month. Sriramulu has been performing leather puppetry shows for 14 years in multiple states. He believes the art of puppetry will make a strong comeback. Puppetry, a 350-year-old art form, is Srinivas’ family tradition. They perform mostly rod and string puppetry made of wood. Ramayana and Mahabharata puppetshows are appreciated by people. But sometimes the audience gets bored watching the same mythological shows. To break the monotony, Srinivas introduced Vivekananda puppetry where they portray episodes from the monk’s life. Read the complete story on: www.theweeklyobserver.in
3 Wonders of the World
The Cave Temples of Badami Situated in the North Karnataka in present day Bagalkot, Badami was the erstwhile capital of this great kingdom. Situated at the mouth of ravine, the settlement is flanked by sandstone hills. One of the fascinating sites of Badami is the set of cave temples carved out of the sandstone rocks. The set of four cave temples were built over a period of time and are dedicated to Hindu deities. www.karnataka.com
Tweetcasm Ola-Uber autos are banned in Bengaluru which means the rides that we were able to book before will not be available for booking anymore. @VishalDayama
Quote of the week “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people are so full of doubts.” -Bertrand Russel
Did You Know? According to official Olympic records, the youngest athlete to win an Olympic medal was Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who finished third at the 1896 Olympic Games when he was 10 years old.
Quiz answers 1.Seema Biswas 2.Ionosphere 3. Only the first stanza 4. Operating System 5.Cave painting
The Observer Tuesday, October 11, 2022
The Observer Produced by the Print students of the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media at Nityananda Nagar, Kumbalgodu, Kengeri hobli, Bengaluru 560074. Editor: Sneha T S News Editor: Yukta Mudgal Copy editors: Vindhya Pabolu, Siddhi Chauhan, Shruthi Banerjee Photo editor: Suryash Kumar Other IIJNM publications l The Beat magazine l CityCast l The SoftCopy