The Observer Volume 19 Issue 15 by IIJNM Bangalore

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The Observer An IIJNM publication

Bengalureans face trouble as there are not enough traffic signals | P 3

Vol 19, Issue 15

Observer exclusive

40-50 buses will be fiited with the new cameras | Credit: Adilin B

be fitted with such cameras. “Unlike cameras that record the scene inside, the new cameras will capture what is happening outside the buses. Photographs captured will be uploaded to the cloud to enable police to take action against violators of traffic rules.” The dashboard cameras will also enable proper use of the bus priority lanes and prevent

private vehicles from using them. However, not all Bengalureans agree with the new initiative. Rahul, who regularly travels from the Shantinagar depot, informed The Observer: “I don't think it will be of any use. People who want to flout the rules will do so. The poor condition of roads is leading them to do so in the first place. Even if cameras record vio-

Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in

Monuments in the ancient town of Aihole face brunt of harsh weather | P 4

Fitted on dashboard, they will capture flouting of traffic rules too he BMTC will introduce cameras on some of its buses to catch private vehicles using bus priority lanes, as well as to record traffic violations, the corporation has announced. BMTC PRO Deepak N. informed The Observer that 40-50 buses, both AC and non-AC, will

Epaper:https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs

Friday, November 22, 2019

Cameras in BMTC buses will record bus lane violations

Nissim Jacob

@theweeklyobserver

lations, how will they trace the person who flouted traffic rules? The cameras may capture number plates only in some instances. “Even for regular traffic violations, police take bribes and let people off. So how will it work in this case?" he added. Puttaraj, a BMTC bus driver, said: “It will be good to have these cameras, which will record traffic violations. They will help us in courts when inaccurate complaints are filed against us. But I don’t think traffic police will do anything when we file complaints. They only hear complaints from private owners.” Suhel, a migrant from Mumbai, supports the BMTC proposal. “It will be good to have cameras that will record traffic violations by other vehicles. We have these in Mumbai, and are very effective. The buses have cameras there are

able to capture vehicles that don’t stop at signals. Public transport must keep up with the emerging technology to give citizens the best facilities,”Suhel said. There have been complaints about the existing, inward-looking cameras. Rahul said he does not find cameras inside buses. “That’s why I think this scheme will not be that effective. If they are able to install the new cameras, they may achieve their purpose to some extent.” According to a report in the Deccan Chronicle, a BMTC reply to a Right to Information Act application said that only 500 buses were fitted with CCTV cameras in 2014 at a cost of Rs 3.4 crore. The cameras cannot livestream, and the footage can be stored only for two weeks. nissim.j@iijnm.org

News Briefs BHU’s Sanskrit dept reopens The Sanskrit Vidya Dharma Vigyan at BHU reopened on Friday, the university announced, after days of protests by a section of students over the appointment of a Muslim professor to teach Sanskrit at the department. Although BHU has backed him, the professor Feroze Khan has been unable to take classes. Nithyananda flees India After the arrest of two of his disciples on charges of kidnapping, wrongful confinement and using children to collect donations from followers, controversial godman Nithyananda has fled the country, Gujarat police said on Thursday. 13m farmers could lose out Nearly 13 million farmers in Uttar Pradesh could miss out on the fourth instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. Delhi air quality improves The air quality in Delhi on Friday was in the “'very poor” category, improving slightly from the “severe”' level a day ago.

Lack of qualified faculty worries Staff shortage delays schools for specially abled people transport dept services Ankita Mukherjee

eachers who apply for jobs in schools for the specially abled are not qualified enough to teach. Laxmi Narayan, a math teacher at the Karnataka Welfare Association for the Blind, Bengaluru, informed The Observer that they have 11 teachers, but only one of them has holds the degree required to teach the students. Some have 6-8 months of training which is not enough for the students to understand what they are taught. “I do not have a special DEd; I have done BSc and BEd, and undergone 10 months of training. I have taught here for three years. It was difficult at first but now the students are very comfortable with me,” Laxmi Narayan said. M.N. Srinivasan, the math, English and Kannada teacher at the association, shared: “I am a special child who cannot see, and

Karnataka Welfare Association for the Blind | Credit: Meghna C that is why I am in this profession. This school lacks teachers who have a special degree. Other than me, the computer teacher has done a special degree.” The Diploma Course in Special Education aims to develop professionals for special education within a broad framework of education. The course enables pre-service teachers to acquire knowledge, develop competencies and practice skills to impart edu-

cation to children with disabilities. Every year, they advertise in vain for teachers with special qualifications. People with these qualifications prefer to join government offices or other sectors. “Our school needs more teachers who have done the special degree,” Srinivasan added. The association, built 50 years ago, teaches six subjects – English, Kannada, science, math, social studies and geography – besides music, crafts and computers, up to the 10th standard. It has a teacher who teaches locomotion and mobility. Imtiaz Sharif, who teaches at the JSS Polytechnic for the Differently Abled, said: “My experience says if the school lacks in teaching staff, then technology should be used. There is software called JAWS (Job Access With Speech). This can be installed on PCs. Existing teachers should be sensitized.” Continued on page 2

Out of 2,806 posts, 1,370 lie vacant Aman Bhardwaj

he Karnataka transport department is unable to deliver services timely because it has a shortage of staff. Out of 2,806 sanctioned posts, 1,370 are vacant. Pradeep P, an officer at the Rajajinagar RTO, said: “We have a shortage of employees in our office and are trying to do our best to solve everyone’.” He has requested higher authorities to appoint more employees to the department. The department earned Rs 6,548.5 crore in 2018-19. Applicants The Observer interviewed complained that they had been waiting for a long time for the completion of processes like issue of learner’s licence, renewal of licence and

The department earned Rs 6,548 crore in 2018-19 | Credit: Aman B registration of vehicles. Sonu Kumar, an IT engineer, said: “As I am shifting to another state, I want an NOC from the RTO for my car. I filled the transfer form long back but I have not a transfer certificate for my vehicle yet.” Dr M.A Saleem, inspector general of police, traffic and road safety, said: “The state government should take steps to fill up vacancies in the transport department.There have been a lot of cases of unregistered cars and bikes in the past.” Continued on page 3

CITY

The Observer Friday, November 22, 2019

FB users in Bengaluru divided over trial to hide others’ likes

Adilin Beatrice C

oung Facebook users have mixed feelings about the social network’s trial in Australia which prevents users from seeing others’ likes and views on posts. This will soon be implemented across the globe. “In the current generation, the number of likes a person’s post gets determines their status. This is how immature people see Facebook. The idea of hiding likes is good,” R. Gopi Krishnan, a web designer from Bengaluru, informed The Observer. Bharani M. Dharan, a software engineer, said: “It is good to implement the idea in all countries. This move will prevent people from invading others’ lives.” Edwin Joe Xavier, a mechanical engineer, said: “I support the idea of Facebook preventing people from viewing others’ likes and comments. But I don’t think it is going to fix the issues of depression and anxiety. If someone is sensitive enough to let a few likes affect them mentally, the problem is much deeper and requires a bit more than removing likes.” User Pradeep R said: “Facebook turned to be a place where people flaunt their lifestyle to get likes and comments. They want other people to see the number of likes they get for their pictures. But recently people are more concerned about status than posts. So this move has no impact.”

Facebook turned to be a place where people flaunt their lifestyle to get likes and comments | Credit: Adilin Beatrice C According to college student Prajna C.R., “It will surely stop people from getting addicted to likes. I’ve seen Facebook users who get obsessed over others’ pictures that got a good number of likes, and I’ve even seen people who compete with each other on getting likes. This is going to end that all.” When there are people who support the trial and want it to be implemented across the world, there are others who think the move is not so good. Prakash Perumal, who works in a private firm, said: “If someone shares a good post, I want to see how many people like it. I

want to know how many people feel the same way as I do.” Ashwini C, a student, said: “It will make me not see what others like. I won’t be able to know how many people have the same thoughts as mine. Facebook should drop the idea.” Facebook began hiding the number of “likes” for posts in Australia, a trial designed to ease social pressure. Account holders across the country were also blocked from viewing the number of reactions and video views on other people’s posts. But they were able to see how people responded to their own posts. In Australia, one in five chil-

dren has reported experiencing cyberbullying, according to that country’s e-safety commissioner. The problem received national attention last year when a 14-yearold girl killed herself after being bullied online, The Jakarta Post reported. “People use Facebook to know what others do,” said Anand Damani, a behavioural scientist. “They have a competition on who is popular, and who is not. Whose post gets more likes is what they are concerned about. This move by Facebook will stop people from judging others. Facebook is trying to prevent insecurity, jealousy, depression and anxiety.” Research has shown that using social networking sites can increase people’s stress levels, produce anxiety and adversely affect a person’s sense of self-respect. Using these sites might even cause a person to develop a mental health disorder or exacerbate an existing one. Shiva Prasad M, admin of Bangalore Memes, a Facebook page that has more than 1 lakh followers, said: “The basic premise is that famous page admins are heavily biased towards the number of likes. We feel if we design our product (memes), it should sell more (likes, comments). All admins are focused on that. But this move will stop unnecessary fights among pages as our distribution of payoff changes.” adilin.b@iijnm.org

Around the city l Meetup 418, a session on free-hand writing, on 23 November, from 2 pm to 5 pm at Salmon Leap Associates India (P) Ltd, M G Road. l Golang Meetup 50 (Go's 10th Anniversary), on 23 November, from 9:30 am–2:00 pm at SAP Labs India, EPIP Zone, Whitefield. l Organica brings "Back To Basics", on November 23 2019 at 11:00 am to November 24, 2019 at 10:00 pm at Phoenix Marketcity, Mahadevapura. l Startup Services Seminar, on November 23, at 11am in UB City. l NO PAPER – NO PLASTIC EVENT , a Startups Club Demo Day, from November 23, 9 am to November 25, 6pm at St Johns Auditorium, South Bangalore. l Product Thinking Conference 2019, on November 23, from 9am to 6pm at Fairfield by Marriott Bengaluru, Rajajinagar. l The Freedom to Change, a free speech session, on 23rd November, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at New Acropolis, Jayanagar. l Paradoxes - Exhibition of photographs by Pierre Poulain, from November 22 to 30 at UB City, Central Bangalore.

Teach students with technology, says professor

Encroachers on BVK Iyengar Road footpaths cause citizens inconvenience

Continued from page 1

Pedestrians are forced to get off the sidewalks

he medium of instruction is very important. “We should teach them in the language they are comfortable with. Hence, it is important to use more than one language,” Imtiaz Sharif said. A professor at the Braille centre of Bangalore University shared: “If a school doesn’t have teachers with a proper degree, it should shut down. These students need special care and attention. Teachers must know how to deal with them. If teachers don’t go through the process, they won’t be able to teach the students. Holding workshops afterwards is a waste of time. Government should allocate more properly qualified teachers to these schools.” According to Section 1, Clause (M) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, “inclusive education” means a system of education wherein students with and without disability learn together and the system of teaching and learning is suitably adapted to meet the learning needs of different types of students with disabilities. ankita.m@iijnm.org

Shoby Krishna G

ncroachment of the footpaths of BVK Iyengar Road by street vendors is causing inconvenience to pedestrians and motorists. BBMP engineer-in-chief M.R. Venkatesh informed The Observer: “In every ward, there is intensive checking and clearance of footpath encroachers once in a month. Since the vendors are small merchants whose survival depends on their carts, mostly we don’t penalize them. Instead, we remove the encroachments without any notice.” The area adjoining the Chickpet Metro station is bustling with sellers of fruits, vegetables, peanuts, jewellery, mobile covers and miscellaneous items. The road has traffic during weekdays and is congested during weekends.

M.D. Israel, who sells equipment to make muruku, said, “I have been here for 15 years. Since we do not have permanent space, sometimes the police threaten to remove us. I don’t intend to encroach on any space. I am just here for my livelihood.” Vishwanath Reddy, who sells western clothes for the past three years, said: “BBMP officials come once in a month to check and clear the footpaths. But even they understand that it is a matter of survival for the vendors. So mostly they don’t enforce strict removal. Instead, they ask the vendors to move to the corners so that the pedestrians have enough space.” Mohammad Tabarah, a vendor who sells imitation jewellery, said: “We have been here for a long time. The police sometimes take a bribe of Rs.10 or Rs 20 and let us be here. Sometimes, they threaten to evict us if we refuse to pay. So we pay up.” The Observer found the area crowded during weekends. Pedestrians had to get off the footpaths because their path

Encroachment is against law and rules | Credit: Shoby Krishna G was blocked by vendors and customers. Vehicles have limited space to move. Though there are traffic policemen, they are not enough to control. Chitra Sridhar, a pedestrian, said: “I come here shopping regularly .... The street vendors have been here for more than a decade. There are no problems because of them. It is inconvenient only during weekends as there is a lot of crowd, and traffic congestion is caused due to it. There is no congestion during weekdays.” Sameer, an urban planner, told The Observer: “Encroach-

ment is against law and rules. It is also against the rules of town planning. But the matter is in political hands. Since bribes are involved, there is no end to the problem.” The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, says street vendors should maintain public hygiene and not cause damage to public property around their shops. The Softcopy, in September 2019, reported that illegal parking caused traffic congestion in the area. People parked on the street as there was no or little space available for parking. In June 2019, the Karnataka High Court ordered that BBMP was obligated to keep footpaths free of any form of encroachment. BBMP occasionally conducts special drives to clear footpath encroachments. The Times of India reported in May 2019 that during one such drive between April 23 and 28, 4,000 cases of footpath encroachment were booked in just six days. shoby.k@iijnm.org

CITY

The Observer Friday, November 22, 2019

Inadequate traffic signals Free health camps cause problems for citizens reach out to people Shoby Krishna G

Pedestrians are at a loss while crossing roads

Meghna Das Chowdhury

mportant junctions and crossings in Bengaluru lack traffic signals, causing confusion. Citizens complain they have to wait long before crossing roads. Major junctions like Carmelaram, Sarjapur Road, Harlur junction, Kumbalgodu crossing and Anil Kumar Circle on Sen Marg Road do not have traffic signals. Pedestrians have to wait long before crossing the roads. Traffic jams have also increased due to the absence of traffic signals. According to a 2016 report of The Hindu, “In 2014, the traffic police did not commission even a single new traffic light. In 2015, just 10 locations — Bellandur Outer Ring, Mysuru Road toll gate, Devanahalli, Geetanjali Junction, among other choke points — got new signals.” M.S. Prakash, sub-inspector at the Bengaluru Traffic Management Centre, informed The Observer: “It has been some time now since we are looking after the traffic signal issue. It is one of the most important aspects of the Bangalore Traffic Improvement Project. We see a lot of problems and complaints filed on social media about the lack of and improper traffic signals around the city. Installation of the traffic signals is a long process. It involves approval and funding. We expect the situation to improve in the next couple of years.” Pedestrians risk their lives every time they cross roads. They

Even constables find it tough to handle busy crossings without traffic signals | Credit: Meghna Das Chowdhury don’t understand when to cross. Traffic constables find it tough to handle busy crossings without traffic signals. “I have to cross Sarjapur Road crossing regularly for my work. Every day the traffic situation is chaotic. We have to wait for long hours,” said Fayaz. K. Srinivasa Murthy, a traffic police officer, said: “Signals make the handling of traffic easy for us. Their absence means we have to handle the entire pressure of the traffic. Vehicles often do not notice us and jump the crossing. This causes a lot of risks.” Apoorv Somaya, a citizen who uses Anil Kumar Circle, said: “This crossing has a traffic signal on one side. I don’t know why authorities dis not install a signal on the other side.” Traffic expert M.N. Sreehari informed The Observer: “Lack of traffic signals not only causes traffic congestion and road accidents; it poses a great threat to pedestrians. There are places where we have to allot more traf-

fic personnel due to the lack of traffic signals. These days we have signals that work on solar power and then there are also automatic signals.” According to data of Bangalore Traffic Police, the number of cases involving jumping of traffic signals in 2019 is 9.23 lakh. According to an article in the Bangalore Mirror, “Residents of Harlur and Carmelaram might not be moving around in circles any longer. HSR Traffic police has recommended traffic signals at both the junctions as residents had complained that they have to travel long distances for U-turns.” According to the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, “Under the Persons with Disabilities (Equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation) Act, 1995, the government must provide for auditory signals, engraving on the zebra crossings, slopes in pavements for easy access of wheelchair, and warning signals at appropriate places.” meghna.c@iijnm.org

n India, where health care expenditure is borne by the individual mostly, free health camps by organisations help in bridging the gap of accessibility to affordable health care. The PES College of Pharmacy, Bengaluru organised a free health camp where individuals were freely tested for blood sugar, blood pressure and BMW. Dr Saravanan, Principal of PES University –Faculty of Pharmaceutical sciences said, “The free health camp has been an annual ritual. Every year, it is conducted alongside the pharma exhibition by our students. The purpose of free health camp is that people who are unable to afford the diagnosis or blood tests for diseases like diabetes and other non-communicable diseases can benefit from it. Last year, blood donation was a part of it.” He added, “Every year, we conduct such camps at least four times. We printed 1000 pamphlets to advertise the camp and we have distributed in Srinivas Nagar, Girinagar and Hanumantha Nagar. Around 100-150 people benefit from the camp.” The exhibition and health camp was inaugurated by Dr M R Doreswamy, ex- MLC who went through all of the students' exhibits with interest. The exhibits were from various departments like pharma chemistry, pharmacology and other departments with the topic of exhibits like from nipah virus to alcohol ingestion. Dr Roopa Shree, Consultant in district health and family welfare society, Bengaluru urban district, said: “We conduct health camps with specialists. There are various camps like eye checkup, mental health, cancer screening

Bescom dumps damaged Inspection of a vehicle wires into an open drain takes more than two days Meghna Das Chowdhury

escom recently dumped damaged electricity poles and wires in an open drain on HN Halli Lake Road. Residents say their request to clean the waste was unheard. Three days ago, a car hit a pole in the area. Bescom workers visited the spot to replace the damaged pole. But they dumped the damaged wires in an open drain. Residents have taken to Twitter to highlight problem. Ram Bahadur, the security guard of Mala Seldon, informed The Observer: “Three days ago, an electricity pole got damaged in an accident. We had informed Bescom. They sent workers, who replaced the damaged pole with a new one. But they dumped the damaged wires into the drain.” Residents complained that wires are left on the road as well. During night, one might easily trip over them. Till now, no acci-

Continued from page 1 agdish, a doctor in Abhaya Hospital, shared: “I purchased a second-hand car two months ago, and applied for a new registration certificate. But I have not received a single paper from the RTO. I complained to an RTO officer but no action has been taken.” He has filed a complaint in a consumer court and hopes that his problem will be resolved soon. He shared Sonu Kumar’s observation that there are not enough employees in the RTO office. Raghu, a lorry driver, said: “I have visiting the RTO since last week for the registration of my new vehicle, but the officers are delaying my work by saying it is under process and it will take some more time.” After the implementation of the amended Motor Vehicles Act in September 2019, “we can’t take our vehicles on the road before registration. The department

The wires have been lying near the drain for days | Credit:Meghna DC dent has taken place, but the wires must be cleared as soon as possible to prevent the same. The waste dumped hinders the flow of waste water. An official from Bescom’s quality and standards department informed The Observer : “We came across various tweets regarding this issue. We are already working on it. The local Bescom authority has been informed and they will take care of it.” meghna.c@iijnm.org

A common counter, manned by one person is used for registration of vehicles | Credit: Aman B takes more than two days for the inspection of a vehicle. Paper work will take another 15 days.” Mr Ramappa, who had applied for a driving licence two months ago, has not received it yet due to lack of staff in the RTO. There is a common counter, manned by one person, for the registration of vehicles and delivery of proper documents. It takes a long time to get the work done. aman.b@iijnm.org

A doctor checks a patient’s blood pressure at a free health camp | Credit: Shoby Krishna G camps. Through health camps, we reach people who generally don’t come to the hospitals. Particularly, in today’s scenario where non-communicable diseases like diabetes are increasing, it is important to check all individuals for blood sugar. Checking BMI is also important as lifestyle diseases are also on rise.” Government’s initiative like Ayushman Bharat, Jan Aushadhi stores, Mission indradhanush are made to give affordable healthcare. Lack of awareness about the schemes and condition of government hospitals compared with private hospitals forces the average Indian to spend 70% of household expenditure on medicines, says National Health Accounts. The Business Standard in May 2018 reported that Karnataka’s per capita investment in health was the lowest among South Indian states despite being one among the first Indian states to put a state health policy in place in 2004. The Deccan Herald on November 20, 2019, reported that ‘Health Awareness and Check-up Camp was set up at the Parliament House’ in Delhi, involving extensive training. shoby.k@iijnm.org

Weather Friday Maximum: 28 degree Celsius Minimum: 17 degree Celsius Precipitation: 20% Humidity: 69% Wind: 16 kmph Saturday Maximum: 28 degree Celsius Minimum: 18 degree Celsius Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 62% Wind: 16 kmph

Quiz Corner • Which of the following is a large blood vessel that carries blood away from the heart? • Fungi are plants that lack: • The word “Agricultural shot” is known sometimes in which among the following sports? • Article 370 is drafted in which part of the Indian Constitution? • Under which ministry, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) organisation comes? • What was India’s rank in 2019 IMD World Talent Ranking? For answers see page 5

RURAL KARNATAKA

Harsh weather taking toll on Aihole temple

ASI says it is taking steps to protect the place

Maintenance of historic sites of cultural and religious significance is a big task for ASI and the state government | Credit: Shivani Priyam plex by repairing and rebuilding damaged walls. One can see the numbered bricks on the walls of temples which are marked by ASI as old or new layers. The reason is mainly weather conditions. The sandstone structure is old and is coming off in layers. It is not feasible to drain out accumulated water from the leaking roof as there is no safe passage for the flow of water.” As per a Deccan Herald report on October 22, 2019, heavy rain in the catchments of the Krishna river and its tributaries in Karnataka and Maharashtra increased flow into the river. Five low-lying bridges in Chikkodi taluk and Kuduchi bridge in Raibag taluk which provide a

vital link to the neighbouring state had submerged. The maintenance of one of the world’s famous historic sites of cultural and religious significance is a big task for ASI and the state government. Aali Kumar, a research scholar and professor of history at JNU, said: “The chemical reactions within the rock sculptures, and the oxygen present in the atmosphere, are the chief causes of damage. Pollution and particulate matter deposition are other factors that are responsible for the same. As we cannot control the weather, stringent measures need to be taken to protect our ancient landscape.” shivani.p@iijnm.org

Toilets with water, taps for drinking purpose are missing in Belawadi Reasons: No clearances and lack of funds Chirag Dutta

overnment schools in Belawadi village, Belagavi district, lack infrastructure. The school authorities say requests to the gram panchayat for supplies, constructions, and equipments are still pending. The village, 12 kilometres to the north of Bailhongal town, has about 4,000 people. It has five government schools, all of which have a lack of supplies and infrastructural upgrades. H. Vishwanath, the panchayat development officer of Belawadi, informed The Observer: “We are working to resolve the issues. There are various procedures which are to be followed before we can execute these requests. The two main factors are approval by the education department and funds from the government. Without these, we cannot help these schools.” Sujata Chalwadi, headmistress of the Karnataka Primary Boys’

Shahpur’s not heard of govt housing schemes Aarthi N

Shivani Priyam onuments in the ancient town of Aihole, Bagalkot district are bearing the brunt of harsh weather. Rainwater accumulates up to 2 feet inside the garbha-griha (sanctum sanctorum). The roof is getting damaged and water seeps in. Restoration work by the Archaeological Survey of India has helped the monument survive to some extent. However, the monuments are suffering the ravages of time. Floors and walls are dampened due to accumulated water, robbing the lustre of the monuments. Reema Singh, a school teacher who was visiting Aihole, informed The Observer: “I came to visit the place last year, but the structure seemed fit. Now, the cracks appear more prominent. As the monument is old, it is reflective of time, but the rate at which it is suffering damage is worrisome. Authorities must take measures to protect it.” Ramesh Bhajantri, a researcher and travel guide at Aihole, said: “The ASI is taking steps to protect the temple com-

The Observer Friday, November 22, 2019

Only 33% schools in the state have playgrounds and completed compound walls | Credit: Chirag D School, said: “The infrastructure of the school is very poor. We had requested the panchayat several times to construct a compound wall, install taps for drinking water, and provide us with a fitting which we can use as a bookshelf. None of these were provided. The school has two toilets without water. These were built during last year’s election. We are still waiting for a positive reply from the panchayat.” Vinay P, a science teacher at the Karnataka Primary Girls’ School, said: “We have asked the panchayat to provide us with two computers to demonstrate scientific experiments to the children. None has been provided by them.

The compound wall of our school is under construction for three months.The workers had stopped coming since last month. We sent two letters to the MLA and the panchayat. None seems to have got their attention.” Vinayak B., a health assistant at the Belawadi central health centre, shared: “Children in the village fall sick very often. More thancommon illnesses, they are prone to digestive disorders and water-borne diseases. Last week, three children had to be given saline because of dehydration caused due to dysentery. Not only the schools, but the entire requires separate taps for drinking water. This is a reason to why the schools never have full attendance. Children suffer and are forced to skip classes.” Y.D. Yulmani, a shop owner in the village, said: “My younger son goes to the primary boys’ school. We have toilets in our house. I don’t want him to use the school toilet because it is poorly constructed and lacks water. I have told him to not use the school toilet even it means he has come home in the middle of a class. My son has already suffered twice from diarrhea due to poor hygiene.” chirag.d@iijnm.org

illages in Shahpur taluk, Yadgir district, do not have proper houses. They live in dwellings made from tin sheets. “We borrowed money from a person and built this house for Rs 1 lakh as we did not have a house to live in. Six persons live in this house. We do not have any facilities. Also, we are unable to pay the money as we do not have proper jobs. The government does not help us either. We do not know what to do,” said Sulthana, a resident of Rastapur village. Nagaraj, a gram sevak from Hursgundgi said: “We had no other option than building our own houses with this

government. Most of the people in the villages are into agriculture or work as agricultural labourers. To build proper houses, a lot of money is required. So we build houses with tin sheets.” Under government schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana (PMGAY) and Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Ltd, the rural poor get funds to build proper houses. PMGAY aims to provide rural India with proper housing by 2020. Anil Bhaskaran, an architect and urban planner, informed: “The distribution of wealth and resources in our country is unequal. There are people living in a 25-floor building and there are

There are various schemes to provide houses to the rural poor, but they have not helped the villagers of Shahpur taluk | Credit: Aarthi N material. We buy these tin sheets from Shahpur.” Most of the people interviewed by The Observer said they did not receive any funds from the government. Some did not even know about the existence of the schemes that are available to help them build houses. Those who have applied under schemes a few years before said they did not receive anything. “I applied under a scheme three to four years ago but have not got anything. Many like me have applied, but nobody got anything. The government does not notify us about anything,” said Shiva, a resident of Saidapur village. M.D. Sharmudhi, panchayat development officer, Rastapur village, said: “This is a very poor village. There are many other villages like this in Yadgir district. We do not receive any schemes or facilities from the

people who do not have proper houses to live in. This is not fair. The way the policies are formulated should be changed. When it comes to building houses for the poor, the government can introduce factory-made houses with basic facilities like water and electricity. With today’s technologies, plug- and-stay houses, which are more like caravans, are possible. Visions for the future should always include the poor.” PMGAY, previously known as Indira Awaas Yojana (started in 1985) is a government scheme that aims to provide housing to the rural poor. These houses are equipped with basic facilities like toilets, cooking gas, electricity connection, and drinking water. There are various other schemes meant to provide houses to the rural poor, but they have not helped the residents of Shahpur taluk.

Team Observer Editor: Aman Bhardwaj Copy Editors: Ankita Mukherjee, Chirag Dutta, Meghna Das Chowhury, Nissim Jacob, Shivani Priyam, Shoby Krishna,

Tamanna Yasmin Reporters: Aarthi N, Adilin Beatrice C, Ankita Mukherjee, Chirag Dutta, Meghna Das Chowdhury, Shivani Priyam, Shoby Krishna