The Weekly Observer Vol 16 Issue 5

Volume 16 Issue 5

An IIJNM Publication

THE WEEK THAT WAS NATIONAL PM postpones government’s participation in Indus Water Treaty meetings Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed his government to step up exploitation of India’s share of water in the Indus Water Treaty, and called off India’s participation in meetings of Indus water commissioners. He said “Blood and water cannot flow together” at the meeting on sharing of Indus river water

Source: Livemint

REGIONAL State moves apex court to modify order on release of Cauvery The Karnataka government had moved to Supreme Court seeking modification of the September 20 order to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till September 27, on the ground that its reservoirs do not have sufficient water.

Source:The Hindu

INTERNATIONAL Isolate Pakistan, Swaraj at UNGA

Sushma

Courtesy: The Hindu External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday at the United Nations, asks the world community to hold countries that “nurture, peddle and export” terrorism to account. India took its campaign to diplomatically isolate Pakistan at UNGA (United Nations General Assembly). She added saying “Any nation refusing the unified global strategy of defeating terrorism, must be isolated”, in Hindi.

Source: The Hindu

SPORTS Ashwin’s day out at Green Park Ravichandran Ashwin, off-spinner , who played his 37th test in Green Park on Sunday, took New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson’s wicket and became the second fastest to reach milestone of 200 wickets after Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett (36).

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Water Supply & Sewage staff lack training and don’t deem it necessary Rishiraj Bhagawati rishiraj.b@iijnm.org BENGALURU : A vast majority88 percent- of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board staff have not undergone any training in the last three years, and 83 percent of them felt that they did not need any training.

This finding emerged in a seven-month study conducted by Public Affairs Centre, a non profit organisation hired by BWSSB to assess its work culture and water and sanitation facilities.

This survey was conducted among 502 BWSSB staff members at various levels, from meter readers to executive engineers.

The fields of training that workshops are organised for are related to human resource development, technical skills, personality development, management skills, soft skills and safety measures.

The table reveals that apart from the 22 percent that were personally uninterested, the rest were likely to attend a training programme if presented with an appropriate opportunity.

The most popular reason quoted by the staff members- 33 percentfor not undergoing training was the lack of opportunity to attend such programmes. Other reasons varied from not being aware to not being selected by a senior officer for such

programmes.

“A citizen-catering civic body like the BWSSB which caters to over 1.2 million Bangaloreans needs continuous training programmes in order to operate at high and reliable standards,” said Sridhar

Facing lack of maintenance, HMT quarters now in ruins Ayushee Choudary ayushee.c@iijnm.org BENGALURU: The Hindustan Machines Tools quarters for government officials faces problems ranging from drainage to security.

“There exists no drainage system in these quarters and during rains, there is water all over the place,” said Sharda, a 15-year resident of the quarters and a junior assistant in the transport department at Vidhan Soudha. She has been at the company for 20 years.

“Apart from the drainage, garbage is another issue due to irregular visits of the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) lorries, which many a times leave the trash lying down for two months leading to diseases,” said Sharda.

“The renovation of the quarters is on the residents themselves.”

The people of Hindustan Machines Tools (HMT) do not have adequate water supply though the small houses have constant electric supply. “We receive water on alter-

native days and even that water is accessible only for an hour in the morning between 6 to 7 a.m.,” said Shiv Kumar a resident.

“We have a water supply network where we have a water reservoir and tank from where we get the water pumped. Majority water issue is handled through bore well and if there is a shortage, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) are contacted,” said an HMT Welfare Association official.

Another resident, Amulya, said, “There are no street lights in the lanes of the quarters and as it grows dark, it gets too difficult and risky to step out, especially for women and children.” She added that there is neither a proper entrance gate nor any security to safeguard residents.

“These things have led to various thefts and robberies in the area and the people do not feel safe,” said Amulya. Recently, a burglar entered a home and stole 3 lakh rupees, said residents.

Mr. Umesh, deputy chief engi-

neer of human resources and equal opportunity at HMT Ltd., said HMT is responsible for maintenance and repairing of the quarters.

“Complaints which are registered with the common service division are solved as and when there is availability of finances,” he said. On a daily basis eight to 10 complaints are reported. All the problems are prioritized and accordingly attended to said Umesh.

Jalahalli Police Constable Anand said police received complaints “once in awhile.

“The HMT residents do not report many complaints to us but we are still enhancing the patrol through the area,” Anand said.

“We post our complaints at the HMT office but the follow up is not always assured,” said Amulya.

There are four sectors at HMT that include a total of 1,547 quarters; only 658 are occupied by HMT workers and government employees.

Source: The Hindu

SCIENCE PSLV places eight satellites in two orbits Indian space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched the SCATSAT-1, an advanced weather satellite, and seven other payloads of 675kg weight on board the 44.4 metre tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on Monday. IIT Bombay students launch two academic satellites- PRATHAM, to estimate the total electron count.

Source: Live Mint

Pabbisetty, Cheif executive of Namma Bengaluru.

“Although training doesn’t solve all problems, you can’t expect an efficient running of a civic body without organising adequate and frequent training programmes for its staff,” he added.

“I do not question the merit of the report but I also do not think it reflects the reality very accurately,” said Narasimha Murthy, Chief Engineer Projects, BWSSB. He added that most of the staff members have been in service for a long time and hence do not require regular training workshops. “For the new recruits, we do require them to go through training” he said.

The survey undertaken by the PAC which commenced on 13th January 2016 is a project aimed at improving the work culture in BWSSB and the service extended to the public.

Absense of street lights and lack of security at HMT quarters

Courtesy: Staff Photo

NH-275 experiences heavy traffic

Negligence increases yearly death toll on National Highway-275

Cherry Agarwal cherry.a@iijnm.org

BENGALURU: From January 1 to September 1, 2016, Kumbalagudu saw 25 fatal traffic accidents compared to a total of 27 for all of 2015.

Meanwhile, non-fatal accidents are set to surpass the 201s record of 102 with 94 accidents so far this year.

The number of traffic accidents in Kumbalagudu this year could surpass that of last year, according to police statistics for the first eight months of 2016.

“The delay in the highway’s development, absence of street lights or the on-going metro construction is not amongst the reasons for the accidents,” says Suresh Kumar HK, investigation writer, police constable, Kengeri Police Station.

“Accidents only happen due to the negligence of the driver,” said Kumar adding, “Negligence includes rash driving, over-speeding and drunken driving.”

Officials said that, most of the accidents occur on NH-275, also known as the Bangalore-Mysore highway. Construction to upgrade the highway from a four-lane to six lanes due to increasing traffic was to begin in 2015, but has not been done till date.

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

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India ranks third in world in alcohol Heavy vehicles found on arterial consum p tion, wh isk y top s tab l ist roads, despite 2014 December ban

Source: The Indian Express Supriya Dedgaonkar supriya.d@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Over the past two decades, there has been a 55 per cent rise in consumption of alcohol, according to a report by the ‘Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).’ The increased consumption has also distinguished India as the largest consumer of whisky in the world.

The country on an average consumes 1.5 billion litres of whiskey

a year, reports OECD. The report further states, among 40 countries, India ranks third after Russia and Estonia in increase in alcohol intake from 1992 to 2012. China and Israel were fourth and fifth, respectively.

A report by the World Health Organisation said, “30 per cent of Indians consume alcohol, out of which 4-13 per cent are daily consumers and up to 30 per cent of these fall under the category of haz-

ardous drinking.’’ It also revealed that more than 11 per cent of Indians were binge drinkers, against the global average of 16 per cent.

According to the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (AIDC), on an average, 40 per cent of road accidents have occurred under the influence of alcohol and most of the deceased and drivers were young.

Alcohol is also a major factor in many domestic violence and rape cases, said AIDC. Heavy consumption of alcohol leads to various cancers including those of mouth, liver and oesophagus. ‘‘The rapid rise in alcohol consumption is an alarming statistic for public health,” said Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, Oncologist at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

“So far alcohol has not been considered as a public health problem and no alcohol control policies are in place from a public health point of view. Reports and studies underline the need for a comprehensive national policy on alcohol control,” says Dr. Chaturvedi.

Doddakannelli Lake: Residents fear encroachment Arunava Banerjee arunava.b@iijnm.org BENGALURU - The word lake, for Bengalureans does not bring up the image of a huge body of water surrounded by greenery -- a place to sit with picnic baskets. Instead, the image in most cases is either of barren lands filled with mud and rising concrete structures or a public tank carrying garbage.

The latter image recently pushed a resident of Bellandur to file a complaint with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagarika Palike (BBMP) on the online public complaint forum ‘ichangemycity.com’ after noticing water was being drained from Doddakannelli Lake and nearby trees being felled.

“There has been continuous draining of water and nearby trees are being removed ... please save our lake,” wrote the complaintant.

Doddakannelli Lake lies about 5 kilometres from Bellandur Lake, considered one of the most polluted water bodies in Bengaluru.

BBMP promptly replied to the complainant and said work is ongoing at Doddakannelli Lake.

Environmentalist and Kanadda filmmaker Suresh Heblikar said the present landscape of Bangalore is built on lakes. “The Koramangala area is a lake bed. In the last few decades numerous lakes have been encroached and filled up.

The problem is that the lakes of Bangalore are connected to each other through inlets. If a lake is filled up, all other lakes are affected,” Heblikar said.

The encroachment on storm water drains feeding water out of the lake, said Heblikar, has also led

to the death of several lakes in the city.

“Doddakannelli Lake is rain fed. This year due to shortage of rainfall, the water is less. There has been no artificial drainage of the water,” Jaganath R, executive engineer in charge of lakes at BBMP said. “There is ongoing work in the lake. In fact, recently a sewage treatment plant (STP) is being set up there.”

The little patch of green that surrounds Doddakannelli, with high risers decking its circumference, is fast depleting. While the area is a real estate hotspot, and encroachment remains a real issue for Bengaluru lakes, Jaganath said encroachment is not the real problem at Doddakannelli.

He said the BBMP is working on feeding in water to the lake, which is drying due to rainfall deficit. “We are working on recharging this lake by various methods like improving the water inlets that need some repairing,” he said.

That might explain the situation to local residents like Vasanth K. “We do not know what is exactly happening here,” Vasantha said.

“The BBMP said they are working on filling water in the lake again, but the results are not yet seen.

Trees are also being felled around the region.”

In May, the National Green Tribunal passed a judgement increasing the buffer zones around lakes and wetlands in Bengaluru to 75 metres from 30 metres. The judgement mentioned that no construction work can take place in the 75 metre buffer zone.

Following the order, the BBMP and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) conducted a survey to locate all buildings that encroached lake beds. “The buffer zones fall under the purview of the BBMP town planning department.

We clear encroachments on lake beds whenever it is possible,” Jaganath said, hinting that sometimes officials face heavy opposition by influential groups while clearing encroachments.

“Every encroachment is dangerous for the health of lakes. More residents living around the lakes, means more pollution towards it,” he said.

Heblikar is sceptical about the BBMPs efforts to restore the lakes including Doddakennalli.

“There are too many bodies looking after the lakes, but I cannot see what is being done. The first thing to be worked upon should be the improvement of the catchment areas that feed the lakes,” he said.

Jaganath R, the BBMP executive engineer for lakes, said the department is making every possible effort to conserve its lakes. “The government has big plans for Bellandur and Varthur [lakes]. We have also set up STPs in four lakes, including Herohalli Lake and Uterrahalli Lake. The results are visible.

After the STP is functional in Doddakannelli, not only will its water be replenished, it will also be treated,” he said, adding, “We have seen success with converting many lakes into tourist hotspots. It maintains the ecological balance and promotes leisurely activities around the lakes.”

Bibin Raj P B bibin.pb@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Heavy vehicles, with capacity over three tonnes, are banned between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. on most of the crowded roads in Bangalore, but such vehicles still use the roads, causing traffic congestion and delays.

According to the Central Motor Vehicle Act and Karnataka Traffic Control Act (1988) the movement of lorries, trucks and other slow moving vehicles over three tonnes on arterial roads was banned in

utes. Naga Sudheer Madduru, a daily commuter said, as per his knowledge heavy vehicles were not allowed inside at that time. Madduru further added that, Bangalore traffic is hectic, especially during the rush hours and this ban should be implemented to make our lives better.

Addition Commissioner of Traffic Management Centre, R. Hithendra, said that entry is banned during the peak hours, but they can’t do anything about the heavy vehicles that have entered city limits before the restricted period of time.

Heavy vehicle plying in the daytime.

2014. This was considered as a significant move to ease traffic woes.

According to a statement given by Food Corporation of India (FCI) officials in 2014, heavy vehicles carrying essential commodities like medicine, fuel, milk, etc., are exempted from the ban which affects roads such as: Hosur, Bannerghatta, Kanakapura, Mysore, Old Madras and Sarjapura to name a few.

“At Goreguntapalya signal, a lorry had hit a Toyota Innova and had caused a traffic jam for 20 min-

Courtesy: Staff Photo

“Even though vehicles are banned, the public must understand that at times heavy vehicles are necessary for transportation of commodities and resources within the city,” says Hithendra. “Fruits, vegetables and raw materials for construction rely on heavy vehicles.

Adding to this the officials said that they have installed 180 CCTV cameras at major road entry points to avoid manipulation by some police officials.

P. G accom m od ations c o u l d b e unsafe for women Aneesh Srinivasan aneesh.s@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Paying Guest (P.G.) Accommodations in various parts of the city have come under scrutiny after reports of women being molested and harassed has come to the fore.

Many women have reported that they were followed and harassed by unidentified men outside their rented accommodation. PG accommodations are flats or homes in which a group of students or working professionals rent a room, in another person’s house and stay as lodgers.

“My friends and I have been harassed many times mainly due to lack of street lights and policemen,” said Meena Shah, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar. “Our PG caretaker invites his friends many times and we always fear that something might happen to us.”

Amrita Ganguly, a software engineer, another Rajarajeshwari Nagar resident, said, “Women feel scared to go even to the nearby grocery store after dark as there are guys roaming on bikes and they grab them or touch them inappropriately.”

When asked if they have re-

ported such incidents to the police, Ganguly replied, “We cannot note down bike numbers or look at the person after dark as the streets are dimly lit. If we approach the police, they ask us to describe the miscreants. So we do not report such incidents.”Rajarajeshwari Nagar PG owner, Gangappa, says that even caretakers are helpless “to safeguard the girls and other occupants.”

“But, once they are outside the PG, we cannot assure their safety as they are on their own. We advise them to be careful and aware at all times so that such untoward incidents can be averted,” says Gangappa.

“Unless we receive a First Information Report, we cannot take any action,” says Kanak Laxmi, Police Inspector of crime at the Commissioner’s Office on Infantry Road, Bangalore.

Shiva Reddy, the inspector in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, said the police station has “never received any complaints with regards to this matter.”

Rajarajeshwari Nagar is divided into eight police “beats.” Sixteen constables patrol the area. “We have never had any untoward incidents taking place and all this is false information,” said Reddy.

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

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36,000 drink and drive cases registered Conditions of Varthur Road in 2016: Bangalore Traffic Police Twitter This Week

@AlecMc Gallis Unless I'm mistaken, we've just gone through a whole discussion of ISIS, Syria etc without the word "Aleppo." Carry on, besieged city.

Rahul Kanwal ‫@‏‬rahulkanwal Got off a hectic recording on @GeoTv_PK Pakistani anchors can't seem to understand why Indians are so angry. Betrayal must have a limit.

Shekhar Gupta ‫@‏‬ShekharGupta TV hyping Sushma at UN as if Ind were beginning the runchase against Pak in a World Cup final.

This war being fought by TV on both sides All India Bakchod ‫@‏‬AllIndiaBakchod Whenever I needed you, you were there.

Happy Birthday, Google!

Lawrence Police ‫@‏‬LawrenceKS_PD REMINDER We realize politics can make emotions run high, but being mad at a presidential candidate in a debate is NOT a reason to call 911 Donald J Trump @realDonalTrump The #1 trend on Twitter right now is #TrumpWon - thank you!

Jerry Springer @jerryspringer Hillary Clinton belongs in the White House. Donald Trump belongs on my show.

irks residents

Mitali Goyal mitali.g@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Statistics provided

by Bangalore Traffic Police show that the total number of cases booked in the first eight months in 2015 for ‘drink and drive’ were 32,260 compared to 35,299 cases recorded in the first eight months of this year.

In the month of August 2016, 6194 cases against drink and drive were registered, being the highest so far. One week in August witnessed booking of 1607 cases.

Under the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) 185, driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence and can lead to imprisonment of the driver, who is also liable for a court fine.

The Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP), Traffic, was asked for the causes behind the increase in the number of drink and drive cases, despite fines and punishments. The (ACP), Traffic, R.Hitendra said his agency is more focused on drink and drive cases and is “keeping regular checks, which is why more cases are coming in contact now.” The commissioner added, “Through fines, we are try-

Aarohi Pathak aarohi.p@iijnm.org

Accident rate in the city going high under the influence of alcohol Courtesy: ipleaders.in ing to teach the public a lesson which they do not understand.”

The Bangalore Police in 2014 proposed a “Hall of Shame” campaign that included naming people who were caught driving drunk on its website. The initiative, however, still hasn’t been implemented and people have been violating the rules at a fast pace. “It is our personal issue and we are working on it,”

said the Additional Commissioner of Traffic Police in context to the delay in the implementation.

M.N. Sreehari, a traffic expert and an advisor to the state government on traffic issues said, “People should understand that they should not drink and drive and if they are caught driving drunk, their license should be captured if they are caught more than once.”

E-toilets prevalent, but no takers Ayushee Chaudary ayushee.c@iijnm.org

ESS is a Private Limited company that works towards developing utilities which work based on a cross platform of technologies and domains that are implemented t o assure sustainable environment.

The New Indian Express reported in 2015, about citizens being satisfied in places where the e-toilets work, even praising the etoilets as clean and hassle-free.

Manned toilets were sometimes too dirty to even step inside, they did not store enough water, and some were locked all the time.

The Assistant engineer of the BBMP in Ganganagar, Anjaneya, commented on e-toilets , “It is not easy to maintain these e-toilets.”

Rajila, the executive for opera-

tions with the Eram Scientific Solutions said that the lack of enough support from the government halted the program. “There wasn’t enough support from the municipality in terms of money as well as for the supply of water. At certain areas even the local people caused problem,” she added.

DNA reported in 2014 , the total cost of installing each toilet goes up to of Rs 5 lakhs. "Each e-toilet costs Rs 3 .7 lakh. This amount is added to the installation cost along with civil work charges to construct sewage, water and electric line.

Thus, the total cost in transporting and installing each toilet goes upto Rs 5 lakh," explained Rahul Shyam, senior service engineer with ESS, to the DNA.

BENGALURU: E-toilets set up in several parts of the city in 2014 to deal with rising sanitation problems are not working in more than half of the places, say residents.

Out of the 75 e-toilets that were due to be installed, only 40 are in place and many of the installed toilets in areas like RT Nagar and Basavana Nagar are not working.

“The e-toilets have been installed long back but do not function and are becoming a place to dump garbage around,” said Kanna, a shopkeeper in the RT Nagar Market. Market stall owners, he said, have to rush 2 to 3 kilometres to their homes to use the restroom.

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) decided to install e-toilets at various locations in Bangalore as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) launched by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 2 October 2014. Swachh Bharat ratings are given to states based on two important criteria, open defecation and solid waste management practices which the e-toilets resolve.

The Eram Scientific Solutions (ESS) defines e-toilets as India’s first unmanned Electronic Public Toilet which is p o r t a b l e , hygienically maintained and eco-friendly. These state-ofthe-art toilets are fully automatic and include global positioning system sensors to avoid trespassing. Mainten a n c e , installation and supervision of the electric and sewage connections for the project, were being handled by ESS. An e-toilet in R.T. Nagar serving no purpose

BENGALURU: Residents and shop owners who use the Varthur main road, which connects Yashomati Hospital to Munnekolala, are complaining about the bad condition of the road. Whenever it rains, the road becomes susceptible to developing potholes and, consequently, it becomes difficult to drive or walk on it, they say.

Mr. Suketu, who owns a shop beside the road, said, “I have seen many two-wheelers toppling on this road. The rains make it worse.”

The Varthur main road is located in Marathahalli, an area surrounded by Information Technology hubs like HAL Airport, Sarjapur Road, Whitefield and Electronic City, and as a result the area has seen a steep rise in population.

“The number of people who use the main road to commute has increased drastically over the past few years,” said Mr. Venkat, a resident of Varthur. “This is the cause behind the road giving away.

In such situations, the quality of the road matters a lot.”

Mr. Ramesh, another resident of Varthur, has filed an online complaint stating: “This road has been in a pathetic condition since six years. It is highly used by children going to Vagdevi and Sri Chaitnya School. Even little rain creates havoc on the road and it awaits fatalities.”

On being asked about the action that the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) is taking to solve the problem, Mr. Srinivas Gowda, Assistant Engineer for Varthur, said, “We have submitted a file regarding the improvement of this road and are waiting for the Commissioner’s approval to begin the work.”

According to the Rural Road Maintenance Training Module issued by the Ministry of Rural Development, rain can damage the road in several ways - by washing away soils, causing erosion and scouring; weakening the load bearing capacity of the road pavement; depositing soils, leading to silting, that obstructs the passage of water; or by washing away entire sections of the road and its structures.

Potholes can develop, especially from heavy vehicles.

“

This has been in a pathetic condition since last four years.Many twowheelers toppling on this road.

”

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

Dusshera: A tale of victory over evil The word Dussehra is derived from the Sanskrit word Dasha Hara, meaning destroyer of evil or the evil ten headed Lanka king Ravana. This festival celebrates the victory of the good over evil and is celebrated with great fervour all over the country.

Dussehra is celebrated in a variety of ways in different parts of the country. While in the north and eastern parts of India it is a matter of great fanfare and enthusiasm with Durga Puja worship and celebrations in place especially in places like West Bengal and Assam; Dussehra in Mysore and other parts of South India has gained worldwide popularity.

In Mysore, Dussehra is a symbol of harmony between religious and historical culture. The entire city has a vivacious and vibrant atmosphere with elaborate decorations. Big processions with bedecked elephants roaming on the brightly lit streets are something to look out for. The Mysore Palace is illuminated in the entire month of the Dussehra. The celebration is conducted by the Royal family of Mysore.

It is marked by a grand procession held from Mysore Palace till Bannimantap on the eve of Vijayadashmi.

The goddess Chamundeshwari is worshipped and borne on an elephant –mounted throne and is taken throughout the city, which is the centre of attraction. It is believed to be the most expensive festival.

4

UNWIND

Commercialization of festivals poses threat to environment

Mysore Palace lit up beautifully for Dusshera festival Courtesy: The Hindu Various cultural programmes will be held this year in Jagan Mohan Palace and Kalamandir among other places from 2nd -10th of October and finally on 11th of October, Dussehra procession will be held. There will also be a torch light parade at the grounds of Bannimantap.

Kridajyothi programme is the sports programme held during dussehra which is a source of entertainment for many. Colourful tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels form a part of the procession which starts from the Mysore Palace and culminates at a place called Bannimantap where the banni tree is worshipped.

The torch light parade marks the Dussehra festival finale in Bannimantap grounds with a magnificent laser show, acrobatic show of motor bikes and equestrian show. Only

military units can participate in this organized parade. The main purpose of this parade is to instil confidence in the people and also to showcase the military capability of the ruling king to the unknown enemies. It has a royal essence of its own and is much appreciated by royal dignitaries and tourists. Other than this wrestling matches are also organized on this occasion.

Many exciting Dussehra packages are also provided by the government for the public to enjoy the festival to its fullest.

In addition to the Mysore Palace, other nearby attractions in and around Mysore which can be explored during Dussehra holidays is Brindavan gardens, Nagarhole National Park, Srirangapatnam, Somnathpur, Shivana Samudra, Bandipur among others. Attractive hotels and sightseeing packages are also available for the tourists.

Burning Raavan effigies has led to 21 percent increase of toxic gases in the atmosphere Courtesy: dnaindia.com Some states in South India celebrate Dusshera by displaying Bommai (dolls) at their houses. In the

Unwind: Destination getaways for Dusshera weekend If you are wondering what to do over the weekend during Dussehra, this is your guide to 4 absolute getaways for those who need a break from the city. Plan a trip to any of these 3 places and we assure you to come back refreshed for Bangalore and its traffic.

COORG This hill station in the Kodagu district of Karnataka is only about 250 kms from Bangalore. As soon as you enter Coorg you will witness the lush green forests full of teak and small houses drowning in the mist surrounding it. The ‘Abbey Falls’ is breathtaking as it flows through a thicket of forest surrounded by coffee plantations and spices. Other sightseeing places include ‘Raja’s seat’, Dubare Elephant Camp and Golden Temple.

The ‘coorgi chicken’ and the ‘coorgi pork’ are two delicacies that one must try when you visit this place.

COONOOR This will be an overnight bus journey for those who are adventurous while you can also take a train to Coimbatore, followed by an uphill ride to Coonoor. Coonoor, a hill station in Tamil Nadu, is just 30 kms from Ooty with tea estates and silver oak trees towering the morning glories and jack fruit trees. ‘Sims

ancient times, clay dolls were used.

Nowadays, these dolls are made of hazardous materials like Plaster of Paris and plastic which is harmful for the environment.

People in North India celebrate Dusshera as a symbol of victory of Ram over Ravana by burning big effigies of Ravana, thus, polluting the environment to a greater extent.

According to a report from the Centre for Pollution Control Board, Lucknow, Ram Leela festival is celebrated during Dusshera by burning the 80 ft. tall effigy of Ravana. By burning the effigy’s the composition of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the atmosphere shoots up by 21 percent. The rates of these gases are below detection level (BDL) on the normal days, unlike the festive season.

In Karanataka, during festive seasons, the level of nitrogen dioxide which is usually less than nine microgram per cubic metre goes up to 15.7 microgram per cubic metre.

This is the air quality during festivals according to the report by the Pollution control board.

“As the Durga Puja festival is also getting popularity in Northern India the rate of idols being immersed is also increasing every year” says Centre for Pollution Control Board report with regards to cities in North India.

THE WEEKLY OBSERVER TEAM EDITOR- IN - CHIEF Ahana Chatterjee ASSISTANT EDITORS Aneesh Srinivasan Nivedita V. Naidu COPY EDITORS Yogita Chainani, Ayushee Chaudhary LAYOUT EDITORS Bibin Raj PB Mitali Goyal PHOTO EDITOR Supriya Dedgaonkar Phalguni Vittal Rao SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Karishma Jayapaul

Blissful waterfalls complementing luscious green surroundings at Coorg Courtesy: Aneesh Srinivasan Park’ is a popular tourist destination with trees and plants marked with their names and dates on which they were planted. The ‘Lamb’s Rock’ is a good 5 km trek which also covers ‘Tiger Hill’, a cemetery overlooking the hill station where the movie, ‘Kapoor & Sons’ was shot. There is also an organic cheese factory with a farm stay called ‘Acres Wild’ which allows you to experience how cheese is made. Do try the food at ‘Vivek Hotel’ and local cuisine at ‘Hotel Ramachandra’.

GOKARNA This is one of those yet to be explored beaches of Karnataka, which will give you a peaceful beach hol-

iday. This is about 550 kms away from Bangalore. You can take an overnight bus, drive down or take the train which takes lesser time.

The Gokarna beach, Kudle beach, OM beach, Half Moon beach and Paradise beach are the ones you will find here with huge rocks and spurts of coconut trees over seeing them.

The food shacks are a must try which have a range of Israeli, Italian and local sea food. The Mahabaleshwar Temple, about 1500 years old, houses the ‘Shiva linga’ in the main Gokarna town.

PONDICHERRY This place still retains the style of French India and is just six hours

away from Bangalore. The beach is just the beginning to a union territory embellished with French architecture. The Botanical gardens are gravelled and breed over 1500 varieties of plants. You could lose yourself while in the backwaters of the Chunnabar River or come alive at the Manakula Vinayagar Temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha. If you really want to be far from civilization, just cycle your way down 12 kms from Pondicherry to a small village called ‘Auroville’ to unwind at the Auro beach. Don’t forget to try the French cuisine and the delicacies of sea food while you’re here.

STAFF Sandra Branger Sumukh Ramesh Arunava Bannerjee Rishiraj Bhagawati Divya R Aarohi Pathak Mahak Dutta

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