The Observer An IIJNM publication
Sale of fake electronic items thrives in absence of a clear law; customers feel cheated | P 2 News Briefs Lankan Navy arrests 24 Indian fishermen The Sri Lankan Navy has arrested 24 Indian fishermen and seized five trawlers for allegedly poaching in the country’s territorial waters, an official statement said on Tuesday. The fishermen were arrested on Monday evening in a joint operation by the Navy and the Sri Lankan Coast Guard off the coast of Karainagar in the northern Jaffna peninsula, the statement said. PTI
Drone shot down near India-Pak border
A drone was shot down by the BSF on the India-Pakistan border near Amritsar. The drone entered Indian territory from Pakistan. The drone was shot down near Chaharpur village in Amritsar Rural district, an official statement from the PRO BSF said, adding that the area has been cordoned off. Police and other agencies have been informed. ANI
Kerala cops up security after Adani port clash
Kerala police on Tuesday ramped up security around the Vizhinjam port, being built by the Adani group, after scores of people were injured during clashes with protesters from a fishing community over the weekend. Reuters
Ex-spymaster Asim Munir is new Pak army chief
General Asim Munir, Pakistan’s former spymaster, on Tuesday assumed charge as the country’s new Army chief, replacing General Qamar Javed Bajwa who retired after two consecutive three-year terms. Munir assumed charge at an impressive ceremony at the General Headquarters, becoming the 17th Chief of the Army Staff. PTI
Cong targets govt over The Kashmir Files
The Congress on Tuesday attacked the government over Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s criticism of The Kashmir Files at IFFI, calling it an “embarrassment” and saying that hate eventually gets called out. "PM Modi, his govt, BJP, the RW ecosystem feverishly promoted The Kashmir Files, A movie rejected by International Film Festival Of India. Jury Head Nadav Lapid called it 'propaganda, vulgar movie - inappropriate for the film festival',” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said. PTI
Vol 22, Issue 18
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
@theweeklyobserver
Website: theweeklyobserver.in Epaper: https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver
BBMP’s delay in Ejipura flyover construction has led to traffic jams, making travel hard | P 4
With awareness low, stem cells freezing yet to catch on in India The therapy can treat many diseases: Doctor By Vindhya Pabolu
M
ost couples in India are unaware about the benefits of storing stem cells.Those who have heard about it say they are not interested in it. Dedeepya Sai, who recently gave birth to a girl, said:“I am neither familiar nor interested in these processes. Even the doctor I consult with didn't mention it. The knowledge I gained was from advertisements and pamphlets in the hospital I visited.” Lakshmi Likitha, who recently gave birth to a boy,said: “We (she and her husband) initially wanted to store stem cells but weren’t aware of how to do this. It turns out we need to register in the early stages of pregnancy.” Stem cell freezing was found to be preferred only by 24 per cent of people, according to a research paper published by the Depart-
Less than 2,000 stem cell transplants have been performed in India over the years as per data by Life Cell Bio Bank | Credit: Yukta Mudgal ment of Biotechnology, National Library of Medicine, India. Vinod Sakala, who recently became a father, said: “Yes, I have made arrangements to store my
child’s stem cells…. In the early months of pregnancy, I started the process and made sure everything was set up correctly. We weren’t given any pointers by the
doctor, but I made sure to store them for unexpected scenarios in the future for our baby.” Less than 2,000 stem cell transplants have been being performed in India as per data by Life Cell Bio Bank, a storage bank with centres all over India. Gynaecologist Laxmi Vani T explained: “Stem cells are beneficial in a variety of ways. There are an estimated 7,000 diseases that can affect today’s birth parents, but 10 per cent of them are treatable with stem cells. There are many diseases… that are not properly treated but can be cured by stem cell (threrapy). That’s the greatest gift anyone can give their babies.” Pharmabiz, a news website, reported that the government of India has helped set up state-of- the-art stem cell research facilities in 40 premier health research and educational institutions. ICMR has provided Rs 8.13 crore for research projects over the last three years. A prominent stem cell banking, research and therapy company, ReeLabs has earmarked Rs 50 crore to establish a base near Bengaluru for its research operations. Continued on page 2
Gross Shraddha memes flood social media Some memers say a line needs “ to be drawn
By Siddhi Chauhan
T
he horrific Shraddha Walkar murder case has been reduced to a source of entertainment. Shraddha Walker, a 28-year old, was allegedly murdered by her livein partner, Aaftab Poonawala. According to an article published by The Quint, Poonawala strangled her and chopped her body into 35 pieces. He bought a new fridge to store the pieces. This has led to a meme, called the “fridge meme”. Apart from that, a public group on Facebook by the name “Aaftab Poonawala fridge posting” has become a medium to share memes
Just can understand mentality of "People" these days, who are creating memes on such a BRUTAL INCIDENT of muder. These people seem more retarted than the criminal. Whats wrong with the society ?. #murder #Shraddha #Cases #crime @ishrat_rajan, a Twitter user
on the crime. The group has more than 500 followers that include Indians and Pakistanis. Aditi Sharma, a 20-year-old memer,informed The Observer: “I have come across memes on the Shraddha murder case.They are all over the Internet. When I saw a meme, I was surprised. It is insensitive to make a meme on such a serious issue. There is a criminal out there who has committed
a heinous crime and people are making a joke of it.” She added: “Being a memer myself, I know the repercussions of circulating such memes. It is horrible. People get influenced by memes and news they see on social media.Somewhere down the line, this creates more problems. There are enough issues that can be circulated as memes.Why should one pull such an indecent act?”
Neelesh Talreja, who runs a meme page, said: “Nowadays people have become insensitive.In order to get famous, they will go to any extent.There are many topics which can be addressed.It is shameful that people are choosing such issues to make memes. Whenever I post something, I always make sure that it does not have any negative impact. Every memer should question their content before posting it.” Sanjay Singh, a psychologist and professor of psychology at the Dayalbagh Institute, Agra, explained the effect of such memes on society: “The case in itself is quite shocking and is an eye-opener for parents who do not stay connected with their children.Even I have encountered some of these memes and realized that they have divided people into fractions. Some people are supporting Aaftab.” Continued on page 3
2
CITY
Citizen’s Voice Who is benefiting from multitude of schemes? India, the second most populouscountry in the world, has numerous welfare schemes. But are all the schemes active? Are all the intended beneficiaries receiving benefits? However, it is not just the government's duty to see that beneficiaries gain from schemes; it is also the people's duty. Development, after all, happens with unity. Navya Sruthi
People should be aware of the Constitution
There are many people in our country who are unaware of their basic rights. Learning what our Constitution offers them as citizens is very important for the development of the country. Awareness of the Constitution and its provisions could help prevent discrimination to an extent. Shivani Thakur
Punish those who don’t leave setbacks
A common sight in Bengaluru is multi-storied buildings without setbacks. Their neighboring buildings seem to have no issues with this. Builders want to use the carpet area of the land to the fullest. BBMP officials seem to have disappeared without examining the buildings. PV Jeevan Kumar
Stem cells help in curing COVID pneumonia Continued from page 1 eeLabs, a stem cell research and therapy company, has earmarked Rs 50 crore to establish a base near Bengaluru for its operations. Rajesh K, Area Manager at Life Cell Bio Bank said: “It’s necessary to store stem cells just to be ready for any unexpected situations… Covid has shaken the entire world, anything can happen in the future. In cases where stem cells are not used by the donors, they can be donated to others based on their requirements. As for the price, it's not that expensive. Instead of spending a lot of money on fun activities we can use that money to store cells… We are spreading awareness by talking to the local hospitals and educating them about the opportunity. We even advertise on social media platforms.” For the past 60 years, over 15 lakh blood stem cell transplants have been done across the world. India’s first successful bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was done in 1983 at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Stem cells retrieved from the blood in the remaining segment of the umbilical cord and placenta are known as ‘umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells. This blood which is of no use to the mother or the baby is treated as medical waste.” Read full story on our website: www.theweeklyobserver.in
R
The Observer Tuesday, November 29, 2022
EVs, which are selling well, put the environment in danger Charging them is unsustainable, says expert By Yashaswini Sri lectric vehicles (EVs) cause more environmental damage than petrol or dieselrun automobiles, according to a study conducted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In spite of this, people are purchasingEVs. Sandeep Anirudhan, an environmentalist and founder of Namma Whitefield, said: “Driving electric vehicles in the city might seem… a good choice because we see no emissions and (it) benefits the user economically. But what people forget is how much damage EVs cause while they are being manufactured…. When we talk about sustainable choices, we should look at the total impact caused by a product. For example, we charge EVs on electricity, which is not sustainable in a country like ours. Before making any choice, we should
E
EV store managers receive complaints about battery and charging issues.| Credit: Yashaswini Sri evaluate the product’s life.” popular post-Covid-19. We sell 50 S. Nagaraj, owner and manager units per month. Depending on of two stores in Rajajinagar, the area, we sell two different Bounce and Benling, said: “My types of range. One is low-speed EV store is a multi-branded elec- EVs driven in cities, and the other tric vehicle store. We have 8-9 is high-speed EVs preferred for dealers in Bengaluru and 45-50 usage outside cities.” distributors in Karnataka. On an According to anET Autoreport, average, we sell 60 electric vehi- of the 1 lakh EVs registered in cles a month…. While the busi- Karnataka till April 15, 2022, ness goes smoothly, we receive… there were 73,453 two-wheelers. complaints about battery and In March 2022 alone, 7,880 echarging issues.” vehicles were registered — the Amulya HR, an assistant man- highest-ever monthly figure in ager working in My EV store, Ra- the state. In contrast, only 424 ejajinagar, said: “Our store became vehicles were registered in March
Delegates vouch for sustainable development at summit ‘Need to build solutions that are accessible to all’ By Janani Srinivas
S
ustainable and renewable energy is creating a pathway of development for the ecosystem. Speaking at the Global SouthSouth Summit 2022, held at the Indian Institute of Management, delegates from Somalia, Ethiopia and Tanzania said solar energy can play a role in bringing sustainability for African countries. Henlok Assefa, founder of Precise Consult International, said: “If we want to implement sustainable development, creating opportunities for people is important. The risk could be higher, but with the presence of entrepreneurs, things related to renewable energy and sustainability can be made available.” Winnie Terry from the Tanzania Association of Microfinance Institutions said: “The thinking should be how to make bankable projects sustainable. Although discussions are ongoing, we have several people across the world providing support to areas like building products and having the brains to build sustainable methods for sectors like agriculture
Delegates at Global South Soth Summit discuss about the promotion of solar energy usage | Credit: Janani Srinivas and science. As SDG 7 talks about providing affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern development for all, we need to keep all of these qualities in mind and move towards building solutions that would be accessible for all.” Paul T Yillia, a founding member of The Energy Nexus Network, Sierra Leone, said: “The key is to focus on where developmental finance has come from. Besides sectors like education, the health sector receives a lot of attention, and thus there is no sign of the scale moving up with regards to development. Every person requires transparency over where the actual money is
coming from. If every person had to pay for every single amenity, there would be nothing left. It is a question of what would benefit more, and here the key point being discussed is clean energy and promoting solar. India… is bringing forward ample solutions for sustainable energy, but when it comes to making the efforts over getting strategies for decentralized renewable energy, African countries are taking inspiration from India….” Jeffery Prins, head of renewable energy at Ikea Foundation said: “Are people finding it difficult to bring solutions or policies for sustainable solar energy? We may think of doing well for the world, but at the end, we forget to implement that. Although we live in a linear world, we need to push ourselves through every process and bring forward solutions that could be beneficial for every person.” Shreshta Chowdhury, project coordinator-Documentation and Analysis, SELCO Foundation, said: “In India, typology works on a systematic approach where 80% is the target point. Solar energy has been implemented, but there is still a requirement for energy efficiency.Private sectors cannot do things on their own, clearly if we need to produce more energy; there is a huge requirement for support from all across the globe” Read full story on our website: www.theweeklyobserver.in
2018; 1,085 in March 2019; 905 in March 2020; and 2,657 in March 2021 are registered. The number of EVs registered in the state increased from 6,453 in 2019 to 9,730 in 2020, and to 33,306 in 2021. Gaman S, who owns two electric scooters, shared: “I own an Ola S1 Pro and a Bounce Infinity. While both had battery and range issues initially, a little maintenance and repair improved my experience. I prefer electric vehicles because they are user- and budget-friendly.” Matta Yashoda, a housewife who rides a Benling Falcon scooter, said: “It’s slower than the previous ones I ran on petrol. While I do not have to wear a helmet, I often reach late everywhere. The other problem is charging stations; which are not enough, and I’m always worried about electic vehicle running outof charge or any damage.” A report by Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association in collaboration with EY and Indus Law says India’s EV market is projected to witness sales of 9 million units per annum by 2027. yashaswini.s@iijnm.org
Green energy is seen as the future of K’taka By Priya Pathak
R
enewable and clean energy can help reduce fossil fuel use. Besides being feasible, solar energy can also help in many ways, like generating electricity and irrigation for agriculture. According to Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Department, the state ranks first in total capacity of renewable energy.It has installed 7,863 MW of capacity in solar energy. The South-South Summit discussed ideas to make policies for agriculture and health using solar energy. Prashant Sharma a member of the SELCO Foundation,said: “Using solar, biomass and other renewable sources like hydro and wind will not help eradicate poverty but also provide options which are feasible and affordable.” According to the Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Department, the state has installed solar projects of 15,860 MW capacity till October 2022. Farmers can avail finance benefits if policies are integrated properly in the system, said Harish H, a host at the summit. The state government has planned 314 MW capacity solar energy projects for land- owning farmers with a minimum capacity of 1 MW at a nominal tariff. But awareness about solar energy is growing Read full report on our website: www.theweeklyobserver.in
CITY
The Observer Thursday, November 29, 2022
Quote of the day The most important product of a creative mind is an invention. Its ultimate aim is the rule of mind over nature and the use of its forces for the needs of mankind. -Nikola Tesla
Tweetcasm Google knows I have no life for having a search history full of weather updates. @FarziCricketer
Did you know? While studying mice, a team of Swiss researchers found that the mice’s liver cells swelled and contracted up to 40% while doing their daily activities. Though research being conducted whether that happens to that extent in humans, one study from 1986 found a person’s liver swells about 20 percent between day and night; presumably related to the fact that the liver is not working as hard when a person is sleeping.
Quiz 1.1981 was the international year of the? 2.World Literacy Day is observed on? 3.Nuclear sizes are expressed in a unit named? 4.Moment of inertia is? 5.In which festivals are boat races a special feature? Answers on page 4
3
Poor awareness makes scheme for malnourished kids useless
Malnutrition is undiagnosed as parents are busy By Priya Pathak
L
ack of awareness and facilities are rendering the Karnataka government’s Balasnehi scheme useless for malnourished children. Children get sick frequently, but their parents cannot afford medicines and are unaware of the scheme. They are reluctant to goto private hospitals, which charge exorbitant amounts. Urmila, a 29-year-old mother of four who works as a domestic help, said: “Due to low income, it is difficult to fulfil the needs of all the people in the family. Due to the poor health of the mother; even children are malnourished.” Sonali, 28, who works as a cook in homes, informed The Observer: “We try our best toprovide meals to our girls, but it gets difficult because of low income, and we do not have sssmuch information about how the schemes work. The places I work at sometimes ask meto pack and carry the extra food for my children.” The Balasnehi and Mathru Purna schemes, implemented by the state’s Women And Child Development, aim to provide meals
Schemes provided by the government for malnutrition children often remain unused due to lack of awareness | Credit: Arsha BS and medical aid to severely malnourished children. Each malnourished child is supposed to get Rs 2,000 for medications andfood, while poor lactating and pregnant women are supposed to get one free nutritious meal. Improper living conditions and lack of knowledge prevent them from seeking help. Dr Gauri Ubhaykar, a dietician, said: “Malnutrition goes undiagnosed as parents arenot free to take care of their children due to work and low-income pressure.
By the time they realize the condition of their child, the child slips into severe malnutrition and ittakes a long time and extra care has to be provided for recovery as they fall sick frequently.” The Observer visited the government-run C.V. Raman General Hospital and Lady Curzon Hospital and found there were few women and children who had come to seek help formal nutrition or to get medications. Yashoda, a receptionist at C.V. Raman General Hospital, in-
Low demand for safflower oil hits production By Hamsaveni N
T
hough India is the largest producer of safflower seeds, farmers have stopped cultivating it because there is no demand for safflower oil. Maharashtra and Karnataka produce about 90 per cent of safflower seeds in India. Farmers are not getting fair profits after selling their harvest. India extracts 14 million tonnes of edible oil worth Rs 157 trillion, according to the Solvent Extractors’ Association. Experts say India should encourage the domestic oil seed farmers to reduce their dependence on the exports. UAS, Dharwad, in collaboration with its Bengaluru counterpart University, will organize ‘Mission Safflower’ on December 1, in the form of a webinar, to encourage farmers to take up the cultivation of safflower and undertake its processing. The webinar will focus on spreading awareness about the benefits of safflower oil in our day to day consumption. Hanamath Chinchali, a safflower seed cultivator, said: “I have been growing safflower seeds for a very long time. The main problem… is that we need a lot of labour force because safflower comes with a lot of thorns.
The Mission Safflower webinar, announced at the event, aims to educate farmers about the benefits of safflower oil | Credit: Hamsaveni N The demand keeps fluctuating and there is no proper security from the government for the group. Now most of the farmers have reduced the quantity of production; we grow (only) for our local consumers.” Dr Kalyan Murthy, professor of agronomy said: “These days, farmers have shifted to cash crops because of various reasons. There is very little research on safflower and many other domestic oilseeds. We need to start creat-
ing awareness by highlighting the advantages of these. Once we can create demand, the production will automatically increase and the dependency on imported products gradually decrease.” Udhaya Kumar, an agricultural economist, informed The Observer: “People are not much aware about safflower oil which has reduced its demand. Most farmers have stopped growing the safflower seed as they are not getting good profits because of few
buyers. Farmers are also not aware about the best methods of safflower cultivation. Neither are they aware of the benefits provided by the government.” “Safflower costs Rs 800 a litre in Bengaluru. The price is very high because the demand of the oil is less and farmers have stopped growing seeds. This webinar will also focus on how farmers can shift to natural farming which helps them to reduce the production cost.” Vidya VM, secretary of the BJP Raitha Morcha, who initiated ‘Mission Safflower’, said: “People these days go for quickly available edible oil and packed oil packets which are not that healthy. Safflower is suitable for cooking… The promotion of domestic oil is extremely less in our country. We should actively start promoting such oils which can reduce the oil imports.” Mahesh A.S., a farmer from Dharwad who has done natural farming for 15 years, said: “Subhash Palekar natural farming is one of the best methods I’ve been using to cultivate without using pesticides. Safflower farmers can use this method to reduce production cost and increase the yield.” Compared to other cooking oils, safflower oil has the highest content of linoleic acid. hamsaveni.n@iijnm.org
formed The Observer that there is either one or no nutritionist in the hospital to consult and help them. The previous nutritionist shifted to another hospital, so they do not have a doctor at present. A pediatrician at the Chinmaya Mission Hospital, a private hospital, said they do not receive enough cases of children who face malnutrition conditions. Nutritionist Trusha Bhatt said: “There should be a system where the information forsuch schemes reach as many people as possible.” Local government schools, anganwadis and hospitals should send volunteers to educate them about the schemes as well as the importance of proper nutrition. “There are numerous schemes which help economically weaker sections of society.Government hospitals have special staff to help children with malnutrition; they provide free supplements as well as meals to them. A majority of government hospitals treat such patients free of cost but not much people are aware about it,” Bhatt shared. There is a special department of Medical Social Workers in most hospitals.Many NGOs help and collaborate with the hospitals. According to the National Family Health Survey, 5, malnutrition is divided into three parts — stunting (35.4%), wasting (19.5%) and underweight (32.9%). priya.p@iijnm.org
Insensitive memes hurt sentiments
Continued from page 1 anjay Singh, a psychologist and professor of psychology at the Dayalbagh Institute, Agra, explained the effect of such memes on society: “The case in itself is quite shocking and is an eye-opener for parents who do not stay connected with their children. Even I have encountered some of these memes and realized that they have divided people into fractions. Some people are supporting Aaftab (mentioning the incident where Vikas who claimed to be Rashid posted a video in support of Aaftab), while some are blaming it on liberals who took a soft stand stating it to be a case of violence.” Adesh, an advocate, said: “There is a fine line between freedom of expression and sentiments being hurt. People make fun of literally anything and everything, but where you draw the line is an important question. One must think about the sentiments that are being hurt, and if there is a ground to protect them. If one makes such insensitive memes should not be posted then where do you stop, what and where is the line that should be put?” He said that he would like to stress on the purpose of the meme: Was it to incite tension or was it just to humour people? siddhi.c@iijnm.org
S
4
The Observer Tuesday, November 29, 2022
CITY
Work stalled for 5 years, Ejipura flyover is a pain point for many
Wonders of the World
‘No MLA or BBMP officer has come to see the situation; they just talk’
Around the City Education Worldwide India Fair :International Conference on Advancements in People Management, 1 December to 2 December 2022, Christ University World Marketing Innovation Summit The fifth World Marketing Innovation Summit will be hosted as Face to Face conference Streamed in India.Ibis Bengaluru, Opposite, Manyata Tech Park Rd, Nagavara, Bengaluru, 60045 Thu, 1 Dec, 9:00 am – Fri, 2 Dec, 4:30 pm Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights The project is organized by the National Law School of India University (NLSIU),Bangalore International center, Domlur, Bengaluru. Wed, 30 Nov, 6:00 – 7:30 pm Kashyapa Vahini - Breakfast Business Meeting Eshanya Street Food Cafe & RoofTop Cafe, Above Cakewala, No.33, 36th Cross, 26th Main, Jayanagar 4th T Block,Bangalore, Wednesday, November 30 2022 at 07:30 am Bangalore Arts And Crafts Mela Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, ,Bangalore,, Fri Dec 2 2022 at 11:00 am to Dec 11 2022 7:00 pm
Long time residents of Ejipura complain about the road becoming a narrow and congested. | Credit : Janani Srinivas There was even a court case about this issue, but nothing has been resolved as of now. “The BBMP has started construction here despite knowing that a flyover was not needed. I know that they will take four years to complete this work, but hope they complete it soon to avoid further inconvenience.” Residents and vehicle owners expressed their frustration over the incomplete work. Subrata Ghosh, a citizen, said:
“The work has been going on for a long time and several people have complained about this to BBMP. But what is the point of complaining when they have not been attending to this issue? Before the flyover was built, people could cross the road easily, but now due to increasing traffic, it takes 30 minutes for a person to cross the road. The situation has been made hard for people…” Sadir Ahmed, an autorickshaw driver, said: “It has been five to
Enrolling in voters’ list is not tedious: Chief electoral officer By Arsha BS
T
he procedure of enrolling in the electoral rolls has become easier. Citizens do not need to go through a long official process, Karnataka’s chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Meena said at an event on Tuesday. “Citizens from any part of the country could enroll themselves through the National Voter’s Service Portal, we do intense revision of the list twice in a year. So, I request you all to get enrolled and check if your name is enlisted in the website,” he added. P.S. Vastrad, former election commissioner, informed :“Elections are important for democracy. We need people to enroll themselves. Voting comes later. The process is quite simple especially with our app Voter Helpline Portal.” “Even if people have cards, it doesn’t serve the purpose. They need to make sure that they are enlisted in the rolls,” he added. Suresh V. Nadagoudar, dean of the University Law College, in-
10-12% people the state are still not enrolled. Credit: Arsha B S formed:“Many youngsters are unaware of the electoral enrollment process. In addition to the awareness programme, we’ll have a training session.” The event, attended by students and faculty of BU, emphasized on the importance of participating in the electoral process. Arsalan Zaidi, a sturEdent and
coordinator of the event, said: “We have people from 200 colleges joining us. We need to make our juniors aware of importantance of voting.” Nagendra Kumar, 18, said: “I don’t know anything about the voting process. I want to know how it works. I plan to enroll myself before the upcoming elections.” Shilpa A , 19, said: “I don’t have a voter ID card. I haven’t enrolled myself in the electoral rolls and am not sure how the process works.” According to data shared by the EC, 10-12% young adults in Karnataka are yet to enroll themselves in the rolls. Kavya Hebbar, a professor at the Law College, said: “As people who work in the field of law, it is our responsibility to make others aware of these fundamental processes. Every vote counts in a democracy. With this, we expect to see a change.” The awareness programme was conducted ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. Read the complete story on theweeklyobserver.in
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a mile deep, 277 miles long and 18 miles wide. While the park doesn’t include the entire canyon, it does measure in at a whopping 1,904 square miles in total. In comparison, Rhode Island is around 1,212 square miles. The Grand Canyon has an elevation spanning from around 2,000 feet to over 8,000 feet, allowing it to experience a variety of weather conditions. As a result, the temperature generally increases by 5.5 degrees with each 1,000-feet loss in elevation. Tucked within the Grand Canyon is an estimated 1,000 caves, and of those, 335 have been recorded. Today, only one cave is open to the public -the Cave of the Domes on Horseshoe Mesa. Geological activity and erosion by the Colorado River created the Grand Canyon as we know it today. Source: Thw US Department of Interior
Quiz answers Disabled September 8 Fermi Tensor Onam
T
six years since I have lived here. All of this is happening for money. Unless the authorities don’t get money for the work, they will not do anything. The work will remain unfinished and the common people like us will keep suffering. This is a fight between the government and the civic authorities, and the people are stuck in between.” Prof. M.N. Sreehari, a road expert, said the total estimation, cost and how the funds for the project are being utilized should be taken into importance. “For the convenience of people, the flyover work should have started immediately and ended as soon as possible so there could be less traffic congestion. Any government organization strives to complete the work by a year or six months, but the BBMP is taking way too long for completing the flyover work, which is a very unfortunate situation.” Vinayak G Sugur, chief engineer, Central Project, BBMP, commented: “The flyover work is at a standstill due to the previous contractor, Simplex Infrastructure Limited, getting bankrupt. We have issued two fresh tenders for the project. By next month, we should start work on the flyover.” The BBMP has assured that the 2.5-km-long flyover, which will connect Ejipura to Kendriya Sadan, Koramangala, is expected to be completed in ten months. janani.s@iijnm.org
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
By Janani Srinivas raffic jams are rampant at Ejipura as work on a flyover remains unfinished. Suresh Kumar, who lives in the area, informed The Observer: “The work has been stalled for five years. It has been difficult as there is so much traffic on the road. The road has become even more congested and narrow. The BBMP cannot ignore this issue for long as, in the end, we become the major sufferers.” Raju Laskar, a car driver, said: “Because of this flyover, the road has become congested.This situation has been prevalent for five years. Nobody from the BBMP nor any MLA has come yet to see the situation. All they do is deliver promises, but those promises turn out to be fake because nothing is resolved. it is difficult to drive on this route because of BBMP’s ignorance.” Long-time residents of Ejipura said that BBMP needs to look into the issue closely rather than prolong it for a long time. Dora Swamy, a shopkeeper, said: “I have been living in this area for 15 years. Before the flyover construction commenced, the situation wasn’t like this. Due to a contract issue between BBMP and another party, the work has stopped. This is simply causing inconvenience not just to those living here, but also to those who have been travelling to their workplaces through this route.
Weather Temperature:26 ° C Humidity :53% Indoor Humidity: 53% (Slightly Humid) Dew Point: 15° C Pressure:↓ 1016 mb Cloud Cover:81%
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: Suryash Kumar Copy editors: Siddhi Chauhan, Yukta Mudgal, Vindhya Pabulo, Shruti Banerjee Photo editor: Suryash Kumar Reporters: Janani Srinivas, Hamsaveni N, Yashaswini Sri. Ahona Roy, Priya Pathak, Arsha B S Other IIJNM publications l The Beat magazine l CityCast l The SoftCopy