Issue23theobserver

The Observer An IIJNM Publication

‘People who throw acid should hide their faces’| P2

Vol 18, Issue 23

Thursday, March 15, 2018

The Observer

@theweeklyobserver On the web: issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs/the observer

Seed laddoos help to bring back city’s greenery | P2

City stuck in traffic, gasps for breath

HEAVY DEMAND FOR ISL FINAL TICKETS

Data: Rising No. of vehicles has fouled the air Pracheta Panja

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n alarming rise in air pollution, contributed largely by an increasing number of vehicles, has caused Bengaluru to gasp.

Data for 2017 released by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) says Bengaluru’s poor Air Quality index causes “breathing discomfort to the people with lung, heart disease, children and older adults”.

Bengaluru’s PM2.5, recorded at different parts of the city, was calculated at 40 μg/m3, way above the World Health Organisation (WHO) guideline limit of 10 μg/m3 annual mean. PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter that have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers.

“The levels of PM10/PM 2.5 are attributed to the vehicular emissions/ movement, resuspension of road dust and construction activities,” the KSPCB data said.

Dr Nagappa B, a scientific officer at the KSPCB admitted that the traffic is rapidly growing, but denied that the condition in Bengaluru is critical with respect to air pollution.

“I agree traffic is too much in the city, but Bengaluru’s air quality is moderate and PM lev-

Traffic conjestion increases vehicular emission and degrades air quality. | Pracheta Panja el is under control. Bengaluru is in a better state than Kolkata, Mumbai and, of course, Delhi,” he informed The Observer.

According to a study conducted by Urban Emissions, which researches air pollution, traffic in Bengaluru is going out of control, causing pollution levels to cross WHO’s safety limits.

According to the Urban Emissions study, “Bangalore’s rapid growth, mostly associated with the growth of the IT industry, has created problems relating to traffic congestion. The unplanned nature of growth in the city boosted the infrastructure and other construction activities in the region, and also resulted in massive traffic gridlocks that the municipality attempted to ease by constructing a flyover system and by imposing oneway traffic systems, which were unable to adequately address the on-road issues and associ-

ated increase in air pollution.”

The pollution level is directly proportionate to the size and growth of the city. Disproportionate growth is posing major hazards for Bengaluru, which has expanded beyond its estimated boundaries.

Prof. Kshithij Urs, who teaches public policy at the National Law School of India University, said to The Observer, “In respect to the national context, Bengaluru is still in a better condition than other cities; but that situation has been worsening in the past 20 years. The city has become one of the fastest two- and four-wheeler selling cities in the country. This reflects a lack of public transport and urban planning.”

Urs added: “As the city is not in a condition like Delhi yet, we can use this as an opportunity and improve the condition.” pracheta.p@iijnm.org

Kidwai contract nurses continue their protest for equal salary and benefits Manikankana Sengupta

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lmost 200 contract nurses and lab technicians have been protesting at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology since Tuesday against the lack of equal pay and access to benefits. They are hired on a contract basis and not provided with even identity cards.

Shamshira Bano, a protesting nurse, informed, “They do not want to put us on the permanent payroll. They suddenly want us

to sit for examinations to become permanent. I have been working here for the past four years. But we have no increase in salary.

We all get Rs 15,000 which has increased over the years from Rs. 7,000. They had given written promises that we would be provided identity cards and biometric registrations, but nothing has happened. We have not been going to work for the past three days.” K. Guru, a contract ward attendant said, “I have been working here for 30 years but I

have not been promoted once.”

Lingappa Badiger, a staff nurse for more than seven years, said: “Whenever we need to renew the contract, we have to wait for a couple of days during which we are not paid. There has been no increase in my salary. I have been paid Rs 15,000 for years.”

Dr K.B. Linge Gowda, director of the hospital said, “They have been asked to move the protest outside the hospital, and police have been informed,” he said. manikankana.s@iijnm.org

Two days before Bengaluru hosts an ISL final for the first time, a huge crowd gathered outside Kanteerava Stadium on Thursday to buy tickets. The ticket-seekers started queuing up at the venue as early as 6am. They became uncontrollable by 10 am, forcing the police to resort to a lathi charge. Bengaluru Football Club (BFC), the host, will face Chennayin FC, the 2015 champions. Eight points ahead of Chennayin FC on the points table, BFC is fancied to win the final. | Credit: Rayan Mitra

Women happy with BMTC ‘Request Stop Service’ Athul. M

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omen in Bengaluru have welcomed the BMTC’s Request Stop Service, an initiative to enhance their safety.

Under the ‘Request Stop Service’, introduced on March 8 (International Women’s Day), lone women travelling on late-night BMTC buses will be dropped off at the bus stop closest to their residence. The buses will take a detour, if needed, during the last trip of the day.

Shanthi E, a commuter awaiting a bus on M.G. Road, informed The Observer: “Women’s safety should be taken care of. It is a good step by BMTC. I hope they extend the service hours.”

According to Manjunath, who runs a mobile accessories shop in Koramangala, “it has never been about the number of buses, or drop off location; it’s been about mentality. The day it changes, women will be safe.”

Shyamala S. Maddodi , BMTC PRO, said: “This is a step to en-

hance women’s security. It will be available on all routes. BMTC is planning to install CCTV cameras in more buses to enhance security. We are doing this in the light of a recent incident in which a person was hacked to death in a BMTC bus.”

Sayani Mitra, an IT professional who works in Koramangala, said: “I did not hear about it, but it might encourage woman to board buses at night.”

Preety Das of Indira Nagar said: “This is a much-needed service, but ultimately it depends on how BMTC manages it. There are lot of attempts by government organizations which see failing miserably.”

The Request Stop Service is an addition to BMTC’s other schemes like Indira Sarige, pink seats and Indira asses. While Indira Sarige buses ferry only women and students at low fare, pink seats are reserved for women. Indira passes are issued to women belonging to the unorganized sector. athul.m@iijnm.org

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CITY

‘Not us, acid throwers should hide their faces’ Survivors rue the paltry compensation

SURVIVORS STAND WITH DIGNITY: “Don’t ask us to tolerate, teach men to behave,” they say | Credit: Rayan Mitra but I am devastated for life.”

Makima Khatun had a similar experience. “I was in class 7 when I was approached by a boy with a marriage proposal. His mom did this to me. The society punishes a girl for being beautiful,” the braveheart said.

There are inadequate restrictions on the sale of acid. In 2013, the Supreme Court had ordered the state governments to ban over-the-counter sale of acid.

Four years later, it is still possible to procure a bottle of acid without much difficulty.

According to the apex court’s directive, minors are not allowed to purchase acid. Details of an acid sale are supposed to

be provided to police within three days. “People buy acid worth Rs 20, destroy our lives, and just sit back and watch,” Gulnas added.”

Talking to The Observer about her painful experience, Shabnam Khatun, another survivor said: “My skin was falling off, my vision was fading, I felt helpless while I screamed for help.”

Chandrahass Mishra, public relations officer of the Acid Survivors & Women Welfare Foundation, said: “We filed PIL back in 2013 regarding the amount of compensation provided, but there have been no development on the matter.” rayan.m@iijnm.org

Don’t rob our Streetlights off for weeks, residents are in danger jobs, say BSNL contract staff

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Ayushi Singh he BSNL Non-permanent Workers’ Union protested at the chief general manager’s office on Thursday against the Centre’s decision to cut their wages and numbers.

Union leaders demanded security for jobs and income. Worker who served for five years or more should be paid gratuity, they said.

Gopi Krishna, head of the union, said: “Managers and others are paid so many benefits and promoted frequently, but we receive no benefit even after serving for years. The government is running out of funds, leading to our jobs being in danger.”

Chief general manager R. Mani, asked why has the government taken the decision, said: “The government has no funds to pay the workers. It wants to reduce about 20% of the expenditure on contract labourers, which means reduction in wages and population of workers.”

The workers said they will protest again if needed. The Centre’s decision will leave them unemployed and rob their only source of income. ayushi.s@iijnm.org

Seed laddoos help to bring back Bengaluru’s greenery

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Rayan Mitra urvivors of acid attacks who came together in Bengaluru on Thursday decided to defy social discrimination and fight for their place in the society.

“Why should we cover our faces? The people who did this to us should cover their faces,” said Gulnas Khan, a survivor.

“Men should know that women, who give birth, are also capable of destroying them.”

Tired of ill-treatment at her workplace, Reshma, another survivor, said: “People in the company say how can we expect our day to go well after seeing such an ugly face in the morning.” Struggling for breath, she added: “Our surgeries cost Rs 25-30 lakh, but we are provided only Rs 3 lakh by the government. We have sold all our properties to pay medical bills. An army man wanted to marry me, but I refused. The next day, he splashed acid on my face. He was in jail for just four months,

The Observer Thursday, March 15, 2018

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G. Manashaa treetlights on 3rd Main, Shreyas Colony, JP Nagar 7th Phase, have not functioned for at least three weeks.

Residents and commuters say they find it difficult to use the road in dark.

“We have complained to authorities, and they assure us it will be fixed. But it has not been done yet. Even though the problems may sound petty, it still is a concern for many of us who are living here.” Rajendran, a professor who lives in the area, informed The Observer.

Other residents say elderly people and children are can fall and injure themselves when it is dark. “The area was never properly lit. Now it has been months that the situation has remained the same. The lights do not function at all,” said Vimala S, a homemaker. The stretch from where the road begins to her home is completely dark.

Vimala added: “There have been cases of theft by men carrying knives who come on bikes early morning when it’s still dark. It’s a huge security risk, both in terms of risk of accidents and women’s safety.” Shyam S, who was on a motorcycle, said:

“Without streetlights, motorists use headlights with high beam, decreasing visibility and posing a risk for commuters.”

Residents hope that with assembly elections approaching, the BBMP may wake up to a problem that it ignored.

Two BBMP engineers of the Bommanahalli zone who refused to reveal their names: said: “The problem will be fixed soon. Electricity lines for streetlights extend for a few kilometers. If a line is damaged during digging, lights on the entire stretch will not get electricity. For further details, you need to contact the BBMP commissioner.”

According to BBMP information accessed by The Observer, JP Nagar has 1,878 streetlights.

Other areas, like Myrttle Lane Cross, Shantala Nagar; Ramakrishna Layout, Armane Nagar; Banashankari 5th stage (Subramanyapura) are other areas where streetlights do not function.

The BBMP plans to replace all streetlights in the city with LED lamps. While that goal seems distant, areas like Shreyas Colony suffer because of the civic body’s alleged indifference. manashaa.g@iijnm.org

Manikankana Sengupta ome citizens have adopted a novel method of increasing Bengaluru’s green cover. They mix soil, seed and fertilizer, make balls from the amalgam, and throw them into fields. The method, called seed balling, is simple, cost-effective and has high chances of success.

Siddalinga Swamy, a research and development engineer who has been a part of Uttishta Bharatha, an NGO carrying out seed balling since 2015, explained the process to The Observer. “To prepare a seed ball, we require seeds, soil and fertilizer. Normally, we use natural fertilizers like cow dung and cow urine instead of chemical fertilizers like potassium and urea.

We get the soil free; a seed costs 5-10 paise; we get 20-25 kg of cow dung for Rs 50. So the manufacturing cost is low.

“You have to get a sapling from a nursery. It could cost between Rs 50 and Rs 200. Planting seeds takes a lot of effort and time, but in seed balling, you can just throw the balls, so there is no need to dig. In one hour, a group of 50-60 people can easily prepare 30,000-35,000 seed balls.

The process of making these seed balls is simple. It’s just like making a laddoo. We take some soil, and mix cow dung with it in the ratio of 3:1…. You shouldn’t add too much cow urine or water. The preferred soil is always red soil or clay – what we get around lakes,” Swamy said.

There should be only one seed in a ball. If it is thrown on the day it is prepared, there is no need to remove the moisture

content. But if it is to be thrown after a few months, then the moisture needs to be removed because, otherwise, the seed will absorb both the fertilizer and the moisture and germinate before it is thrown.

Seed balls should be dried in the sun for a few hours. They can then be preserved for a year.

Because a seed ball contains cow dung, insects won’t be attracted to the seed.

Prof KJP Reddy of the department of aerospace engineering, Indian Institute of Science, has found a different way of dispersing seeds. He uses drones to scatter seeds. “It was first done near Gauribidanur, 60 km from Bengaluru, on a 10,000- acre land. If you have inaccessible places like Gauribidanur, you can’t go there and put seeds. So I used drones.

You can prepare a map that you can follow. Even the drone will follow that path and keep on seeding. You can monitor it with an on-board camera. It will also map how many seeds have germinated,” the professor said.

About the disadvantage of seed balling, he said: “People put a seed into a handful of mud, and squeeze it into a ball. The mud is supposed to have all the nutrients and is tightly packed around the seed. It becomes like a laddoo. But it doesn’t do the job well always because the ball is so tight that the seed is sometimes not able to break out.

We keep the seeds in water for a while before scattering them through drones, so that they are on the verge of germinating when they are thrown.” manikankana.s@iijnm.org

About 70% of the seed balls thrown germinate.The survival rate depends on rain | Credit: Manikankana Sengupta

The Observer Team Editor: Athul M. Copy Editors: Manashaa G. Page Layout: PrachetaPanja, Rachel Dammala Reporters: Ayushi Singh, Manikankana Sengupta, Rayan Mitra