The Observer An IIJNM publication
Traditional art of puppetry is witnessing a gradual decline as the youth are unenthusiastic about it | P 3
Vol 22, Issue 6
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Commuters say ‘regular autos’ charge extra By Yukta Mudgal
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Long wait at railway crossings causing distress to commuters By Suryash Kumar itizens await the widening of railway underbridges at level crossings as traffic jams hold them up for considerable time. Alternatively, they want overbridges constructed. People get stuck at the crossing for 15-20 minutes during peak hours on weekdays, although during weekends, it’s manageable, said Rajesh Kumar, a daily commuter at Malleshwaram. Multiple areas in Bengaluru are facing the same situation and commuters lose considerable time at these crossings. Shiv Kumar, who often passes Malleshwaram crossing said, “there is always a traffic jam, at this place for 10-15 minutes.”, it’s a hassle for people. Continued on page 2
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Rapido stated that it will continue to operate in Bengaluru despite the Transportation Department declaring it illegal | Credits: Yukta Mudgal ter, but now that Rapido might be banned in Bengaluru, it will affect him financially. Rapido does not take much commission; in fact, it gives its employees regular good incentives, Kumar added. K.R. Nagaraju, a full-time Ola autorickshaw driver, said “rowdy” auto drivers do not let the outsiders come to where they wait. They even charge Rs 200-300 for
much shorter rides. He said he will have to incur losses due to the ban as finding passengers is difficult. Daily commuters in Bengaluru find the app-based aggregators economical and convenient. Naveen Kumar, a regular commuter, said: “Banning them (aggregators) is not the right thing to do. Rather fares should be regulated. Bengaluru already has is-
sues with transportation.This ban will add to our woes.” Anmol Sharma, a financial educator, said: “The government claims these apps charge high.. But the truth is that the auto drivers charge even more when it rains or if there’s more demand, especially during weekends.” The drivers do not accept bookings via these apps; they demand ridiculous amounts, “say Rs 400 for a destination 3km away. People do not have any option but to pay them,” Sharma added. Another citizen said Ola and Uber autorickshaws are not perfect, but “90 per cent better” than “regular autos”, which never adhere to the standard rates prescribed by the government. They charge Rs 50 or Rs 100 over what the meter shows. Debjit Naskar, a worried citizen, said: “I welcome this step as all these companies take a lot of hidden charges which common people are not aware of. A lot of corruption is involved. I feel some…regulatory body must be there to control the aggregators.” Continued on page 2
With marital rape not recognized as a crime, cases are hushed up By Siddhi Chauhan allavi Das (name changed) cries in bed every night after her husband inflicts pain on her while sexually abusing her. She is not even sure if it is right to call it “sexual abuse” as her husband says it is the foundation of a healthy marriage. According to The Better India website, 106 countries including Poland, United States of America have recognized marital rape as such. India is among the nations that do not consider marital rapes as a criminal offence. Manisha Sharma, who has been married for more than 24 years, informed The Observer: “Marital rape is nothing but unwanted intercourse between a man with his wife based on the threat of force or violence without consent. It is not justifiable, and
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Stagnant water in potholes and garbage dumps are creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes | P 3
Proposed ban will hit us hard, say drivers of aggregator autos rivers of Ola, Uber and Rapido autorickshaws are worried about their livelihood after the Karnataka government declared the aggregators’ autorickshaw services illegal. The transport department cracked the whip following complaints from commuters that the aggregators were charging more than Rs 30 for 2 km. Another complaint was that they were charging more commission from the drivers. It said the aggregators were not adhering to the On-Demand Transportation Technology Act, 2016. Kiran Kumar, a part-time Rapido employee, said: “My family was going through a hard time financially which is why I joined Rapido.” He is saving money for the marriage of his younger sis-
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Marriage is not a license for sexual intercourse should be criminalised to protect the rights of women in this patriarchal society.” Aiswarya Saji, a criminal advocate, informed: “In India, rape in marriage is not considered as a crime. We don’t have
laws against marital rape…. Section 375 states that if a man has sexual relations with his wife who is not 10 to 15 years old, it is not considered as rape.” Before criminalising marital rape, our country should have proper laws for rape in general without any loopholes. This will ensure that a victim will not hesitate to report the incident to the police, Saji added. Abhinav Gupta, a criminal lawyer, informed The Observer: “According to World Bank data, India is one of the 35 countries where marital rape is legal, and that’s surely is not a good list to be on but it does not seem like it will happen anytime soon because the outcomes can be unexpected and problematic. Continued on page 3
News briefs CJI Lalit recommends Chandrachud name Chief Justice of India UU Lalit on Tuesday set in motion the process of the appointment of his successor by recommending to the Centre the name of Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, the most senior Supreme Court judge. Justice Lalit handed over a copy of his letter of recommendation to Justice Chandrachud, who is set to become the 50th Chief Justice of India on November 9. PTI
Yellow alert issued for several K’taka districts
The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert (64.5 mm to 115.5 mm of rain) for several districts in Karnataka on Tuesday and Wednesday. These include Belagavi, Bidar, Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Chamaranjanagr, Chikkamagaluru, Chikkaballapur, Hassan, Kodagu, Kolar Mandya and Tumakuru. It has also issued a yellow alert for Bengaluru on Thursday and said the city will receive light to moderate rain on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. PTI
India’s gems, jewellery exports rise 27%
India’s gems and jewellery exports witnessed a 27.17 per cent growth in September to Rs 30,195 crore as compared to Rs 23,743 crore during the same month last year, data released by Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council showed.. PTI
Ukraine to seek more arms from G7 nations
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to ask the leaders of the G7 group of nations to urgentlysupply Ukraine with weapons to defend itself from Russian missiles, a day after Moscow launched retaliatory strikes that killed 19 people. Reuters
EC allots ‘two swords and a shield’ as poll symbol
The Election Commission on Tuesday allotted 'two swords and a shield' as the poll symbol to the Eknath Shinde led faction of the Shiv Sena. The Shinde faction, which is now named as 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena', will be able to use the symbol for the Andheri East assembly bypoll, should it decide to contest the election scheduled for November 3. EC wrote a letter to Maharastra CM. PTI