The Observer An IIJNM publication
Dental care took a back seat amid the pandemic, revives as Covid cases come down | P 2
Vol. 21, Issue 9
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Moving online has opened new front for them By Chhavi Vohra
B
The pandemic has helped companies wield their potential and adopt a fresh approach towards business I Courtesy: pexels.com tele. We shifted our operations online, made a website for our brand. So it was no longer important for me to be constantly present at the shop. We linked ourselves to e-commerce portals like Amazon and Meesho and our
sales increased. In the end, the pandemic helped us wield our... potential. Moving online opened a new front for us,” he added. Workers are moving back to cities from their villages as work has gained momentum.
Amit Kumar, a worker who manages Canyon Mart’s factory said: “ Trains stopped functioning. I stayed in the city for a few days. But I wanted to go home. I was scared of the growing Covid cases. So I went back on foot. When my boss called me back, I couldn’t because of fear. My family wanted me to stay with them. I received my salary from my boss and did not face any difficulty on that front. Now, work is going well. My boss has given me a room in the factory. I no longer have to travel to work. This saves my time as well as room rent.” Customers are adjusting to the new normal. Some are adapting gradually, while many are already accustomed to the online world. They belive that this was an inevitable change. Abhishek Gupta, a customer at Canyon Mart, shared: “Now I can order stuff online. Pictures of belts and locks are displayed on the website. This makes it easy for me to decide what I want. “ Exporters were badly affected with the government permitting the export of only essential commodities during the pandemic. Continued on page 3
Post-lockdown, people going for cheaper items They are now not purchasing goods in bulk By Ayndrila Banerjee
A
s consumers look for ways to cut costs, shop owners say they are noticing a shift in consumer behaviour. Customers are now buying low-priced commodities rather than the more expensive ones. Divya Palleda, a consumer, informed The Observer : “I always think twice before buying goods that are on the expensive side. Before choosing, I think about the worthiness of an item. I am okaycompromising a little on quality as long as it saves money.” Divya wants to wait two or three years before she goes back to her
Customers are drifting away from expensive goods as an after-effect of the pandemic I Courtesy: Divya Palleda old shopping habits, at least until she fully recovers financially. Shoppers, unlike before, are not buying goods in bulk. The concept of monthly shopping has mostly diminished. Mishad K.K., owner
https://twitter.com/ observer_weekly Epaper: https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in
Irregular waste collection, citizens’ negligence and lack of enforcement create garbage menace | P 3
Businesses start to revive after pandemic dealt a crushing blow usinesses in Karnataka are making a comeback after a complete or partial termination of operations due to lockdowns. They are attempting a fresh start after experiencing low consumer demand, supply fluctuations and lockdown restrictions. Nishit Arora, owner of Canyon Mart, which sells belts and padlocks, informed The Observer : “We had to close our shop. Fewer customers came around. Most of them went online. Labour got scared of the pandemic. They avoided work. Most went back to their villages.I still had to give salaries to my employees to help them cope with the situation. I couldn’t have abandoned them.” “Luckily, we had a warehouse away from the main market which gave us an edge over our competitors. We were able to function and supply to our clien-
https://facebook.com/ iijnmbangalore
of Royal Mart, a supermarket in Banashankari shared with The Observer : “People are not willing to buy goods in bulk. Most customers set a budget before coming to the shop. Such customers
stick to their budgets and buy commodities enough for 15 days only, not for 30 days.” Customers are more attracted towards items that offer discounts. Owing to this competition, most shops are coming up with cost-effective offers on almost every item. About this, Mishad said: “Now people are looking for offers. Earlier, these customers purchased whatever they wanted, offer or no offer.” Sarvesh Giri, General Manager of the D-Mart supermarket chain, has observed a different trend. “There are some customers who are ‘brand loyal’. Such people don’t easily change their taste.... So in order to cut their cost and at the same time not compromise on the quality, they consume less and therefore buy less. They buy only what they require and do not go on hoarding stuff.” Continued on page 3
News briefs Sensex crashes 1,158 pt, Nifty drops to 17,857 The stock market on Thursday saw heavy fluctuations towards the month-end as the BSE Sensex touched a low of 59,984, down 1,158 points, and the NSE Nifty crashed to 17,857. Markets generally see volatilty towards the month-end due to the expiry of Futures and Options contracts. Another reason behind the current performance of the market is the global crude oil situation.
Maharashtra, four other states see Covid spike
India on Thursday reported 16,156 cases in 24 hours, showing an increase of 20 percent over the previous day. The death toll was 733. The states that have registered maximum cases are Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. The active cases account for 0.47% of the total infections while the national Covid-19 recovery rate improved to 98.20%.
SC gives nod to release NEET-UG results
The Supreme Court has cleared the way for National Testing Agency to release NEET-UG examination result, staying the recent Bombay High Court order which had directed the agency to hold the exam again for two undergraduate candidates. The apex court said that results of 16 lakh students cannot be put on hold.
Cruise drugs case witness Kiran Gosavi held in Pune
The Pune police on Thursday arrested Kiran Gosavi, an independent witness of the NCB in the drug-on-cruise case whose photos with Aryan Khan had got viral after the NCB raid. Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta said they had arrested Gosavi in connection with a 2018 cheating case registered against him.
Truck runs over three farmers in Haryana A speeding truck ran over three women farmers near the DelhiHaryana border, killing two instantly. The third one died in a hospital. The women were sitting on a divider when the truck hit them. Reports said the truck driver fled after the incident. The accident happened close to the Tikri border, where farmers have been protesting for months.
CITY
2
The Observer Thursday, October 28, 2021
As Covid cases recede, pending dental procedures start again Clinics were shut during peak of second wave By Kashish Sharma
T
anisha Kannan of Mysuru experienced severe toothache in mid-March. At that time, the second wave of Covid-19 was just around the corner. Terrified, she decided to postpone her visit to a dentist and tolerated the pain for some more time. To her horror, the tooth had begun to decay. There was no other way but to see a doctor. After a couple of virtual checkups, she was able to meet her doctor, who straightaway recommended extraction. “My condition had got bad and I was experiencing excruciating pain. There came a time during the lockdown when I thought I couldn’t bear it any longer. It took me four virtual sessions with my doctor to finally meet her in person,” Tanisha said. Sonia Chandok, a teacher who was suffering from a toothache, had to wait for nore than three months before she could meet a dentist. “The pain was due to a troubling wisdom tooth. It had to be extracted, but reaching out to a dentist was quite difficult. I tried connecting with a dentist over the phone. He had put me on painkillers that had reduced the pain. Later, I went for extraction when the lockdown was lifted three months later.” More patients with pending den-
Across the city Dandeli River Rafting Plan, 8th Phase, Kalena Agrahara, Friday, 29 October Connecting Ideas with Money, 1st Cross Rd, Indiranagar, Friday, 29 October Seminar on Mid-Career Transitions, Swami Vivekananda Rd, Someshwarpura, Halasuru, Saturday, 30 October Kangita Kunita Live Performance, Art Complex, 1, Kumarakrupa Rd, near Lalit Hotel, Saturday, 30 October Yakshagana Live Performance, Art Complex, 1, Kumarakrupa Rd, near Lalit Hotel, Sunday, 31 October
Quiz 1. How many bones does a shark have? 2. How many time zones are there in Russia? 3. What is the first ever film produced by Disney? 4. What was the clothing company Nike originally called? 5. Who invented the World Wide Web, and when? 6. Where was the cocktail Mojito created?
People say that the fear of Covid gave them strength to bear the aching teeth | Credit: Kashish Sharma tal issues have started to revisit clinics with Covid cases reducing. During the second wave, many dental clinics were shut down due to nature of service that requires close physical proximity between the doctor and the patient “We had to shut down for a month. We had to wait for one and a half months to analyze the situation before opening up. We wanted to keep in mind the safety of both the doctors and the patients,” said Dr Ramya who works at Sabka Dentist, a dental chain in Bengaluru. Dr Malini Bhaumik, an experienced dentist, said: “For me, Covid protocols are just a step-up.
I was particular earlier, and I am a little more particular now. I can’t sit at home forever, so I had decided long back to open up my clinic and face my fears. Opening the clinic or keeping it closed is an individual choice, but for me, I have always been Robinson Crusoe. “However, I was extremely careful with high-risk groups which included elderly patients and those with comorbidities. They were strictly advised by me to stay at home for as long as possible,” she added. Asked about people’s approach towards dental care during the pandemic, Bhaumik said: “Dental care has never been a priority
in this country. One reason for this is the lack of mediclaim policies that support the expenses and encourage routine checkups. During the pandemic, when salaries were halved, such treatments would have been much more difficult to bear.” Asked how doctors differentiated between emergency and nonemergency cases, Dr Ichita Joshi, a dentist, said aesthetic procedures requiring scaling of teeth and putting up braces were postponed as they didn’t require immediate attention. However, serious issues like swelling of gums, bad cavity and pus formation were given preference. She recalled incidents where procedures were left midway due to the pandemic. This led to further problems such as chipping away of the dental cap in cases of an unfinished root canal. Dr Navneet Kaur, a senior lecturer at the Army School of Dentistry, said: “Dentistry is different from other physical procedures. A dental ailment requires physical intervention and cannot be solely treated with medicines. Also, it makes use of aerosol procedures which bring a practitioner in direct contact with the patient’s discharges such as blood, saliva and mucus, making the procedure conducive for Covid-19 transmission for doctors and patients.” According to the Dental Council of India, keeping in mind the current pandemic induced scenario, dentists must treat dental emergencies only after knowing the detailed dental and medical history of the concerned patient. kashish.s@iijnm.org
Citizen’s Voice Therapy, medicine needed for the mentally ill A rise in the cases of anxiety, stress and clinical depression makes me think about the need for a healthy mental state in people. Living with conditions like these gets complicated if there is no medical intervention. Anxiety, in particular, makes a person feel intimidated, exhausted; every moment feels like you are falling into a bottomless pit. It is important to recognize the need for therapy and medicine because it helps and is the need of the hour. Varnika Thakur
Misleading reports about Dravid as head coach Rahul Dravid applied for the position of the head coach of national cricket team on October 26. However, some news outlets had already published reports about him being appointed as the head coach a week earlier. In fact, he was just persuaded to become the head coach by the BCCI top brass. Is this what journalism is supposed to be? Bansal Shah
BJP’s politics is liked but raises concern The BJP’s shock-and-awe politics is liked by many Indians, as seen in the way they vote. The party’s willingness to take bold and swift action, notwithstanding unexpected consequences, demonstrates a sense of urgency in pushing forward a particular development agenda. At the same time, concern over diminishing lines between the state and religion, along with insecurity among the minorities, cannot be totally ignored. Hari Jackson
Craze for organic food products rises They aren’t better than conventional food, say experts By Anwesha Singh
T
he trend of purchasing organic food products has increased among Bengaluru’s residents, but nutritionists don’t consider them any better than conventional food. According to a report published by the Expert Market Research, a US-based company, the Indian organic food market was valued at $849.5 million in 2020. The forecast for 2021-2026 shows a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 20.5 percent, predicting the industry will $2.6 billion by the year 2026. Ranjini Guruprasad, owner of Kashyapi Naturals and Organic Food, informed The Observer: “Health has always been the priority of people. During the first lockdown, there had been a big demand for organic products, par-
ticularly immunity boosters.” An employee of the company shared: “I have seen that people who were not so much interested in buying ‘good’, or organic stuff, have started buying (it). They enquire about the benefits of products, and we describe them.” Customers were seen enquiring staff members about grocery products. The food section was much frequented. Hina Kouser, an employee at The Organic World, shared: “People are now more interested in buying organic food products, be it fruits and vegetables, dairy or grocery products. Even though the products are a little bit costlier, they are ready to pay…. After all, it’s about good health which people don’t ignore.” “Over the months, we have seen an increase in the number of people purchasing our organic fruits and vegetables,” Kouser added. The fruits and vegetables section at The Organic World was popular. The Observer noted customers enquiring the staff about the quality of the products. The store listed 25 banned chemicals
The pandemic led people to opt for organic food products for their perceived immunity benefits | Credit: Anwesha Singh not used in their products. Dr Savita Swami, a senior nutritionist, holds a different view:: “If organic products are really organic, then it’s OK. But, in reality, we don’t know whether the food industry selling us the products is good or not.” “It has become a matter of making lifestyle changes and making a strong immune system. Instead of people blindly following organic prod-
ucts, they can switch on to microgreens and acquire wise eating habits,” she added. During the pandemic, many people sought her advice on shifting to organic products. Her advice is to eat a combination of foods in the right proportions. Customers also believe that organic products are healthier. Jitika Anand, a regular buyer, said: “I started purchasing organic foods after the pandemic. I understood the importance of a healthy diet and recommended my family to use organic products.” Megha Bhargava, another customer, shared: “Last year, my sister had a baby. For her, we started buying organic food products. We find them healthy. For the baby, we buy organic infant cereal mixes and yogurt.” An analysis of 240 studies by a Stanford team comprising Crystal Smith-Spanglar and her colleagues in 2012 reported little difference in the health benefits of organic and conventional foods, and no difference in the vitamin, protein and fat content. anwesha.s@iijnm.org
CITY
Only poor neighbourhoods of Bengaluru reek of garbage Shopkeepers of the smelly areas feel miserable By Arshreet Singh
O
nly 3 km separate the neighbourhoods of Chickpet and D’Souza Layout. The difference in the amount of garbage on the streets of these neighbourhoods is astonishing. While the streets of D’Souza Layout resemble those in a European village, Chickpet’s streets are lined with heaps of garbage. A huge pile of garbage covering half the road was dumped in front of Kishore Kumar’s Ashok Silk Creations on Jumma Masjid Road, Chickpet. “The state of the dump is permanent,” he said. “This is a designated garbage spot. The BBMP cleans it occasionally, but since this is a designated spot, residents of this area dump more garbage the next day. I am scared of dengue and extremely tired of the smell.” Explaining why garbage collection in the area is inadequate, Kishore said there are too many people there. The streets are narrow and full of parked scooters and vehicles. “There is no way a garbage collection vehicle can enter these streets.” Rizwan Ahmed, owner of a jewellery shop on Avenue Road in Chickpet, said: “Garbage dump in front of my shop has been here for three days now. Shopkeepers dump garbage here at night, and collection is irregular.” Street vendors here also throw a lot of disposable plates and cups during the night.
As streets of Chickpet reek of garbage, residents are bothered by mosquitoes and the diseases they spead | Credit: Arshreet Singh A dump of garbage has existed in front of Prasanna Suresh’s Designer Studio ever since it opened one and a half years ago. “My shop is full of mosquitoes, and there is always a risk of dengue. I have complained to the traffic police but nothing has happened. My customers complain about the smell and the mosquitoes, but there is nothing I can do,” said Prasanna, visibly upset with the situation in the area. Chickpet, Raja Market, National Games Village and Inner Ring Road from Sony Signal to Domlur are notorious for their garbage menace. Dubbed as “black-spots”, these areas contrast many prominent neighbourhoods of Bengaluru in cleanliness. The Observer found Mahatma Gandhi Road, a popular destina-
tion, was completely clean. Multiple bins for segregated waste dotted the road. N T Ramchand, who sells clothes on the road, said: “People who come here have high standards. Even if dustbins were present in Chickpet, people wouldn’t use them.” BBMP Assistant Executive Engineer (Solid Waste Management) Santosh Kaddi, who administers Chickpet and BTM Layout, explained: “Chickpet and Raja Market have a floating population. Farmers and traders come from all over the state, and they throw garbage indiscriminately.… Even if we keep bins here, people will throw garbage around the bins, not in them.” “The real issue is ‘high-class’ vs ‘low-class’ people,” he added.
Shanthi Tummala, founder of HSR Zero Waste Initiative and a member of Solid Waste Management Round Table, has been working towards reducing the waste for a decade. She gave three primary reasons for the garbage menace in areas like Chickpet and Raja Market. “The first reason is collection,” she said. “Irregular collection of waste creates garbage dumps in the neighbourhood. The second reason is that in spite of collection, people behave irresponsibly. BBMP only collects segregated waste, and people don’t want to take the pain of segregation, so they dump the garbage on the streets. And the third reason is lack of enforcement.” HSR Layout’s success in waste management is because more than 95% of the trash is segregated by its residents, she explained: “We issued nine penalties today. You can be penalized for mixing garbage, using single-use plastics or getting caught red-handed littering.” Asked why Chickpet and Raja Market are doing worse than HSR Layout in waste collection, Tummala said: “These areas have a floating population. No one believes it’s their area. What these areas need is awareness, and disciplined marshals who patrol the area at night time. A fear of law needs to be established.” There is light at the end of the tunnel. The city has Dry Waste Segregation Centres for recycling. BBMP has appointed marshals in almost every ward. Bengaluru can get itself rid of garbage problems through massive awareness campaigns and strict enforcement of the rules and laws. arshreet.s@iijnm.org
Sales continue to suffer Businesses working amidst the festive season offline still affected S A
Continued from page 1 man Malhotra, CEO of Kanha Garments, said: “We couldn’t export outside India. Foreign customers could not visit to check the quality of the garment as flights ceased. So many customers who earlier bought from us started buying from other countries.” Braja Kishore Pradha, Vice President of Aahwahan Foundation, an NGO, said: “The pandemic deeply impacted businesses and their functioning. The IT sector was still able to function smoothly as people can access information, data and services online. But some businesses have to function offline. They have suffered the most. Currently, the investments are finally being initiated. It will take another six months for everything to be back on track. In the wake of pandemic,the
Businesses rejoice as work begins | Courtesy: pexels.com central government had imposed a nationwide lockdown in March 2020 and during that time, many businesses had to cease their activities. Some of them functioned at 50 percent of their capacity. chhavi.v@iijnm.org
Continued from page 1 ales of luxury goods have gone down drastically. Giri said people are not willing to spend their disposable income “To give an example of luxury goods, the sale of Ferrero Rocher (a brand of luxury chocolates) has decreased from Rs 1 crore per month to Rs 50,000 per month,” he said. Vijay Kumar, General Manager at Metro Cash and Carry, said: “Compared to last year, we were hoping that sales would get better at least during the festive season. The value that used to be spent on gift items during the festive season has come down.” Pandemic led people to become more health-conscious. Sales of dry fruits and juices have increased. Sarvesh and Mishad said people are now buying healthier food instead of biscuits and namkeen. Sales of hand wash and sanitizers have increased. Still now, a lot of customers
have not changed their purchasing habits. Kruthika Kiran, a consumer, shared her experience: “I haven’t changed my shopping habits. I am still buying what I used to buy. I haven’t bought clothes for almost a year.” T.J Joseph, an economics professor at the Central University of Kerala, explained the reasons behind the changing scenario: “When we talk about a consumer’s demand behaviour, factors like price, current and expected income, peer group influence (demonstration effect), and influence of advertising are the major factors. During pandemic there is some uncertainty regarding current and future income, for some section of consumers. Hence, people are a little bit conscious about their spending. There was a break on the socalled ‘overspending’ that arose from the demonstration effect and ‘shopping effect’.” ayndrila.b@iijnm.org
3 This Day, That Year A 93-metre copper statue, known as the “The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World”, was dedicated on this day in 1886. The statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, signifies liberty in the form of the Roman goddess Libertas. A broken shackle and chain lie at her feet, commemorating the abolition of slavery in the United States.
Quote of the day “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).” — Mark Twain
Weather Maximum temperature: 27 °C Minimum temperature: 20 °C Precipitation: 8% Humidity: 57% Wind Speed: 11 km/h Forecast: Thunderstorms are expected with a 75% chance of rain.Maximum temperature will be 25 °C while minimum temperature will be 20 °C
Quiz answers 1. None 2. 11 3. Snow White (1937) 4. Blue Ribbon Sports 5. Tim Berners-Lee (1990) 6. Cuba
The Observer Thursday, October 28, 2021
Team Observer Editor: Kashish Sharma Reporters: Anwesha Singh, Arshreet Singh, Ayndrila Banerjee, Chhavi Vohra, Kashish Sharma Copy Editors: Anwesha Singh, Arshreet Singh, Ayndrila Banerjee, Chhavi Vohra, Kashish Sharma Page Layout: Anwesha Singh, Arshreet Singh, Ayndrila Banerjee, Chhavi Vohra Photo Editor: Chhavi Vohra, Arshreet Singh Supplement: Chhavi Vohra, Anisha Reddy
4
The Observer Thursday, October 28, 2021
SUPPLEMENT
Woes of the marginalized warriors Call them home, health-support workers or home attendants; they faced the brunt of the pandemic, says Chhavi Vohra
S
uraj Thakur, a resident of Delhi and a home health worker, was afraid to go to work. The pandemic had just begun. His family members too asked him to stay at home for some time. After a couple of months, he started receiving phone calls. Everybody required assistance. They had one condition: that he should stay with them and not travel back and forth to work everyday. “I started working at a place. I used to stay with them. Everybody wore masks all the time. Even I was made to wear one. The family I worked with followed all the precautions and even guests were not invited to their place. Considering everything, there was still constant fear of contracting the virus,” said Suraj. Home support workers like Suraj Thakur are essential to the health of more than seven million older adults. The pandemic presented a major challenge to their profession as well as to their personal health. They had to work in a high-risk environment and that too with older adults who, besides having multiple chronic condi-
Home-support workers fail to earn due credit for their work amidst the pandemic | Courtesy: pexels.com tions, are at a greater risk of contracting Covid-19. Suresh Wadhwa, 72, a resident of Kohat Enclave, Delhi, is one such adult who requires a personal care aide. A diabetic, he also contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic. From bathing to taking his medication, Suresh requires a constant caregiver.
Suresh’s son and daughter-in-law found Raja Sharma, a home support worker from Delhi. Despite his immobility, Suresh, a fiercely independent man, refused help. When Raja was brought in, he was confronted with an uncooperative ward. Apparently, the family had to step in every time the patient was rude
to his caregiver, and ask him to leave. Suresh says he wants Raja in his house as there was a raging pandemic and that an outsider posed a risk to the household. Raja came from a crowded slum. He did not take any proper safety measures. The Wadhwa family had to tell him to wear a mask and sanitise himself periodically. Some time after he started working, he came to work one day despite being unwell. Manish, Suresh’s son, asked him to return only after the pandemic subsided. When Suresh contracted the virus, it was Raja who took care of him in hospital. Manish said: “Raja took him inside the hospital when we could not. There was a time when the entire family got vaccinated. Raja had to take complete care of him then. At present, we have provided him with a separate room in our house. He stays with us now.” Raja spends his entire day looking after Mr. Wadhwa, taking him for walks, helping him take a bath, changing his clothes, taking him to use the washroom and, sometimes, even cleaning his spit. He is paid Rs 3000 a week.
Raja said: “People don’t understand that we too have a family and that we are risking our lives for our work. There were days when I didn’t feel like going but was afraid of getting my salary cut. I remember I had just taken the vaccine and instead of taking rest, I had to take care of Mr. Suresh. The sad truth is that even after doing our job with utmost sincerity, we fail to get the respect that other healthcare workers receive. Home-support workers faced the worst brunt of the pandemic. The work of a personal care aide involves close contact with the patient.They have to directly assist vulnerable adults in their day-today activities. This proved to be an arduous task due to the social distancing norm. Care-givers and home-support workers are among the many unrecognised professions in the country. Besides not being acknowledged as health-support workers, they are pushed into the informal sector where minimum wage, health cover and insurance are non-existent. chhavi.v@iijnm.org
How walkable is Bangalore city? Poorly laid footpaths and lack of streetlights present a challenge to pedestrians, says Anisha Reddy
W
alking in the streets of Bangalore on a perfect cloudy and windy day sounds like an absolute dream. But being a pedestrian in the city very often feels like running through an obstacle course. Hopping, skipping, jumping are some of the usual tactics that pedestrians use to get through their day in the city of Bengaluru. In 2019, five of the 30 people killed in road accidents in the State every day were walkers. The state witnessed a total loss of 1,880 pedestrians’ lives in road accidents in that year. That was a rise of 24% from 2018, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Additionally, according to a Street Quality survey conducted by Janaagraha, a nongovernmental organization in 2015, major footpaths in the city are not walkable due to illegal constructions, broken slabs, and electricity poles on them. “Walking 5 km to my office from my home on MG Road is a problem everyday, thanks to blocked lanes. Most of the time, the footpaths are being dug up and it takes several months to become normal,” said Vijayalakshmi .While it is an effort for the physically fit, to walk in the city, the
Pedestrians take to hopping, skipping and jumping as they try to walk near Richards Park, Frazer Town | Credit:: Anisha Reddy situation is worse for senior citizens. “How difficult is it for senior citizens to use such unscientific built footpath in BTM layout,” read a tweet from the account “BTM Layout Residents” that showed an elderly man struggling to climb onto an elevated footpath in the same area. However, footpaths are just one part of walkers’ struggles. Even
in areas where footpaths exist, there are not enough streetlights. Walking in these dark spots after sunset is a challenge. Rajkumar Dugar, founder of Citizens for Citizens, said: “These spots occur because street lights are missing, or they are not functioning or there are tree branches that are covering the lights.” The lights that work, for example in
Cubbon Park, only shed light on the roads, while the footpaths are in complete darkness. The present streetlight system is a compromise on safety, he pointed out. In fact, several incidents of eveteasing have been reported by women across the city due to lack of streetlights. “I feel unsafe to walk back home at night as there aren’t enough streetlights on my
street,” said Akshita Goyal, a resident of Bangalore . According to a survey conducted by the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), around 70% of streetlights on the 17 km stretch of the ORR are not working. There should be some kind of feedback mechanism so that organizations can know when a set of streetlights are not working, said Dugar. “Such is the situation in the heart of the city. There is plenty of work to be done to bring it to a certain standard which will make it safe for everyone,” Dugar said. Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike’s (BBMP) deadline to fix potholes in the city was initially September 30, 2021. But, it has been extended to October 10 to October 25. Meanwhile, it has been reported that BBMP is planning to build 1,000 km of footpaths across all the 198 wards that make up the city. As the Palike is yet to acquire grants for the proposal, there is no saying when the project will kick off. While plans are being formulated, it is important for the State to give pedestrians equal importance and protection that is given to motor vehicles. anisha.r@iijnm.org