BBMP to pilot blockchain-based solution to address Bengaluru’s garbage complaints

Civic Issues

The pilot will be funded by a non-profit CITAG -- Citizen Involved & Technology assisted Governance, which is mentored by senior Karnataka-based IAS officer Captain Manivannan.

Soumya Chatterjee

While there is no end to the garbage problem in Bengaluru, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will start a pilot project of using blockchain technology to make its complaint redressal systems more transparent and accountable. The pilot will be funded by a non-profit CITAG -- Citizen Involved & Technology assisted Governance, which is mentored by senior Karnataka-based IAS officer Captain Manivannan.The project will be funded by the fellowship that Manivannan has obtained from Harvard University. “CITAG approached us with a proposal that they would develop a blockchain-based complaints grievance system at their own cost. Blockchain technology will make it tamper-proof. So all players on the platform can see actions that have been taken regarding a complaint. There is a lot of data integrity and transparency involved in having such a blockchain-based helpline. Different stages of the redressal will be visible to everybody,” Randeep D, BBMP Special Commissioner told TNM. He added, “The complainants can post their reactions vis-a-vis their satisfaction to the steps taken to address his/her complaint. This level of transparency will exist so that there is some pressure on officials also to deliver on the ground and so that it reflects online as well.” Based on the success of the pilot project, the BBMP will decide if it will be expanded. GR Chandran, co-founder of CITAG, said that they have got a green signal from the BBMP and the pilot is expected to begin in the first week of June. “The key differentiating factor will be — you will have better information about the complaint you are raising, that is not just the status of the complaint but also exact information of who is currently handling the problem, when it is expected to get resolved. If it is not resolved within the expected time period, it will be escalated and will get more traction within BBMP,” he said. “We also plan to launch a rating/ review system with respect to complaint redressal based on jurisdiction or staff member,” he added.  

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Metro construction threatens B’luru heritage structure, activists file online plea

Environment

An online petition seeking an alternate plan to the metro construction, fearing damage to the All Saints Church on Hosur Road has gone viral.

Soumya Chatterjee

More than a century old, the All Saints Church in Richmond Town on Hosur Road in central Bengaluru is a reminiscence of what the Garden City used to be. The church complex alone is home to more than a 100 trees, with lush green lawns that are dotted with benches. Other than the greenery, there is also a school for children with learning and cognitive disabilities and an old age home. But with the planned metro construction for the Dairy Circle to Nagawara line (part of the Namma Metro Phase II), some fear all of this will be lost. While the stretch will be mostly underground, a proposed station will replace this school and old age home along with the tree cover. Many fear that the construction activity will impact the heritage church structure itself. “Half of the church complex will go. With all the tunnel digging and drilling, it will affect the heritage structure of the 150-year-old church,” activist Arun Prasad said. Activists concerned with conserving the remnants of Bengaluru’s famed green cover have lent support to the cause. A Change.org petition seeking a change in plan from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited has been supported by more than 6,400 people within a day. Joseph Hoover, a conservationist and part of the United Conservation Movement, said, “As many as 80 trees, some over 100 years old, are expected to be cut at All Saints Church compound. This could be avoided as Bengaluru is already in the throes of a severe water crisis. We cannot afford to lose so many trees. Also, the pollution level is barely 2 PPM away from irrecoverable disaster. Already the children and elderly are choking. The trees are a roosting spot many species of birds. The rare Paradise Flycatcher is a common sight in this micro-climate ecosystem.” The activists also fear that the lush green campus will be converted to a dumpsite. The petition states that the church has already given over two acres of land to Bangalore Metro Water and through which the surrounding areas like Ashok Nagar, Langford Town, Richmond Town and Austin Town get drinking water. The commercial property the ground owned, which housed a petrol pump, Toms Hotel, Fatima Bakery and Daniel Garage, has already been handed to BMRCL for the same metro project. Hoover added, “BMRCL could possibly use the open, barren space at the Central Military Police for its temporary workshop. This would be a win-win situation for all concerned. Trees could be saved. Birds could continue to roost and thrive. Development also could be done and pollution could be controlled.” Read: B'luru's Fatima Bakery, Hotel Tom's may shut shop in May for Namma Metro Officials allay fears However, BMRCL MD Ajay Seth has tried to allay fears, stating that there will not be any damage to the church building. “The fears are entirely misplaced. There won’t be any damage to the church building. We have done this kind of work in Bengaluru, especially in the busy Chickpet area earlier during Phase-I. We have done several underground stations then, like in front of HAL office, Vidhan Soudha and nothing has happened to any of the buildings. The station will come in the vacant area adjoining the road and not below the church. And another part of the station will come in the Army land," BMRCL MD Ajay Seth told TNM.   ”We have been talking extensively to the church authorities and have taken their suggestions. Regarding the school and old age home, we have suggested that we can help them in hiring an adjoining building for the next couple of years and if they want us to build those buildings once the metro station is ready, that can also be done,” he added

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Lok Sabha 2019: Only 27 women to contest from Karnataka

Lok Sabha 2019

On an average, there is less than one woman candidate per Lok Sabha seat in the state. The mean is much higher for men at 18.

Soumya Chatterjee

Women’s representation is cutting a sorry figure in Karnataka this Lok Sabha election, with a total of only 27 women contesting from 28 seats in the state. Only 15 women will be contesting from 14 seats going to polls the first phase on April 18, and 12 women will be seeking mandate from the remaining 14 constituencies voting in the second phase on April 23. These numbers stand out in stark contrast to a total of 497 male candidates in the fray in the state this general election. The seats that go for polls in the first phase are Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Mandya, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagara, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkaballapura and Kolar and will have 227 male candidates in the fray. Meanwhile, Chikkodi, Belagavi, Bagalkote, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Ballari, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere and Shivamogga are the Lok Sabha constituencies going to polls on April 23. And seven among these —Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Bidar, Gulbarga, Haveri and Shivamogga — have no female candidates contesting. Therefore, while there is less than one woman candidate on average per Lok Sabha seat in the state, the mean is much higher for men at 18. Out of the 26 women candidates, only three are from prominent parties – the Congress, JD(S) and the BJP. The Congress, which is batting for 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, has only fielded Veena Kashappanavar from Vijayapura. She is the wife of former Congress MLA from Hungund, Vijayananda. Their ally JD(S) has fielded Sunitha Chavan from Bagalkote, who is the wife of Nagathan MLA Devanand. The BJP has stuck with incumbent Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje from the constituency. However, this is not the first time that Karnataka has seen such a low representation of women during elections. In fact, in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, only 20 women were in the fray from the state. Of them, BJP’s Shobha Karandlaje was the only woman to win a seat in the state. Even in the 2018 state assembly elections, barely 8% of the candidates were women and only seven of the 200 who contested got elected into the Assembly.  

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To combat air pollution, environment groups set up air quality monitoring devices in Bengaluru

Pollution

With this, Bengaluru became the first Indian city to participate in the global BreatheLife campaign to combat air pollution.

TNM Staff

A coalition of like-minded environment groups held an inaugural function in Bengaluru on Friday, making it the first Indian city to participate in the global BreatheLife campaign. An initiative by the World Health Organisation, UN Environment, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, BreatheLife campaign aims to mobilise citizens to bring air pollution to safe levels by 2030, and has a network of 55 cities, regions and countries worldwide. Kicking off the campaign in Bengaluru, D Randeep, BBMP's Additional Commissioner for Public Health, along with the 'Healthy Air Coalition' of European non-profit Health & Environment Alliance (HEAL), and Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA), announced the setting up of 40 air quality monitoring units at different places in the city. Of these, 15 are already functional. “We are happy to support initiatives that improve air quality and enhance the quality of life in the city. Bengaluru is the first major Indian city to join the global BreatheLife Campaign, in collaboration with the WHO. We are committed to improve the air quality in the city. Access to data is key in understanding air quality and the availability of data on a centralised platform that is open to the public is the need of the hour. We have extended our support to the initiative and are keen to understand the necessary interventions possible at the local level for improving the health of the public,” said D Randeep at the event held at St John's Research Institute. The network of 15 monitors already in place was set up by HEAL, in collaboration with St John’s Research Institute at Brigade Road, Mathikere, MS Ramaiah City, St John's Research Institute, BBMP Head Office, Bannerghatta Road, Indiranagar, Sarjapur, Ulsoor, Doddanekundi, Banashankari, Springfield Society, JC Road, Basavangudi and Srirampura Referral Hospital. "Air pollution planning and mitigation in the country has been largely limited to improving, monitoring and data collection with very little emphasis on the associated health impacts,” said Aishwarya Sudhir, Air Quality Program Lead, HEAL. “If the data needs to translate into action, the health sector needs to step in as an important stakeholder in addressing the issue of air pollution in the city and we believe that, through this initiative, we will be able to prioritise public health and place it at the centre of air quality planning and mitigation in the city.” Live air quality readings from each location which has a monitoring device are available at healthyaircoalition.org. The devices have been installed at a time vehicular population on Bengaluru roads is increasing. A 2012 study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) stated that there were 68 lakh vehicles on the city's roads. However, recent estimates suggest that the number of vehicles in Bengaluru has crossed 80 lakh. The Karnataka government's proposed elevated corridor project has also come under criticism from environmentalists and residents who say it facilitates personal vehicles over public transport.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore bat for waste segregation at Chinnaswamy stadium

Waste management

To further their ‘Game for Green’ campaign, the team has urged fans to clean up after themselves before leaving the stadium.

TNM Staff

PTI photo

That Bengaluru and most major cities have a waste management problem is nothing new. So, it is always heartening when influential people take up the cause and urge their fans and followers to do their bit. IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore recently batted for the cause waste segregation and asked fans to ensure that they dispose of waste responsibly. On Saturday, RCB tweeted that segregating waste into wet and dry helps in recycling and that those coming to Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium should do so using the designated dustbins at the stadium. “Challengers, the next time you visit the stadium, stump the right bin!” RCB said. Segregating waste as wet and dry makes recycling easier. There are wet and dry waste bins at Chinnaswamy Stadium for segregation. Challengers, the next time you visit the stadium, stump the right bin! #CleanSweep #BattingForThePlanet #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/uHpHQXRQlg — Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 6, 2019 Join the RCB team on the #GameForGreen journey as we campaign to recycle, reuse and reduce waste. The large amount of waste generated each day can be converted into valuable resource, when segregated & recycled. Challengers, let’s not make a total waste of our waste! #CleanSweep pic.twitter.com/J6JiwfPWMe — Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 6, 2019 RCB followed this up with another tweet on Sunday, pointing out that one of their longest running fan associations – RCB Fan Army – was supporting this initiative as well. One of our longest running fan associations is taking this step towards a greener & cleaner city, involving as many young Challengers as possible. Kudos to @rcbfanarmy for organising this, teaching these kids a valuable lesson, and creating a new experience for them! #playBold https://t.co/H6PKHcsb77 — Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 7, 2019 RCB Fan Army, along with 40 children from Samarthanam, an NGO for the persons with disabilities, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association conducted awareness about waste segregation at Cubbon Park in the city on Sunday afternoon. The Fan Association tied up with the International Institute of Waste Management for the same. Royal Challengers Bangalore will play Delhi Capitals on Sunday. Using the match to further their ‘Game for Green’ campaign, RCB again urged fans to clean up after themselves before leaving the stadium. “Together we can make this a reality. Let’s make a #CleanSweep for a clean, green, sustainable environment.” Imagine a stadium left with no trace of litter. Fans clean up after themselves and dispose trash in the right dustbin before leaving. Together we can make this a reality. Let’s make a #CleanSweep for a clean, green, sustainable environment. #BattingForThePlanet #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/ucUfZL86wp — Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) April 7, 2019 Today we are green army!@RCBTweets ’s most vital initiatives is #RCBGoGreen – a contribution to help move the present world to a greener, healthier state. Let's do our bit and #BringBackTheGreen! pic.twitter.com/oc2EBOWGpO — RCB Bold Brigade (@BoldBrigade) April 7, 2019 #GreenDay - let us take a pledge to keep our surroundings clean for the sake of other beings and ours. ಇದು ನಮ್ಮ ಪರಿಸರ ಮತ್ತು ಅದರ ಸ್ವಚ್ಛತೆ ಕಾಪಾಡುವುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಧರ್ಮ!@RCBTweets #GoGreen #PlayBold #NammaTeamRCB #GardenCity #ನಮ್ಮBoldತಂಡ #RCB #NaavuBengaluru #GameForGreen pic.twitter.com/gg7oFSxzvF — Namma Team RCB Official (@nammateamrcb) April 7, 2019 Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by Virat Kohli, has had a disappointing run so far and are yet to win their first match. With five games in the tournament already over, Royal Challengers Bangalore, which has stars like Ab De Villers, needs to be ruthless in their remaining games to book their chance for the semi-finals of the competition.

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Mangaluru horror: 17-year-old allegedly raped by father and uncle

Crime

After the arrest of the girl’s uncle, who has been accused of raping the minor, the girl told the police that her father too has been sexually assaulting her for nearly a year.

Theja Ram

A harrowing case of child sexual abuse has come to light in Karnataka's Bantwal region where a 42-year-old man has been accused of repeatedly raping his minor daughter. The Bantwal Police, who are investigating the case, learnt of the abuse suffered by the 17-year-old girl after the arrest of her uncle, who has also been accused of raping her. On Thursday afternoon, the girl's mother approached the police in Mangaluru and filed a complaint alleging that her brother-in-law, Pradeep*, had raped her daughter. "On Wednesday, the girl and her mother had travelled from Bantwal to Ullal to visit Pradeep's ailing mother. Pradeep's mother had taken ill and was admitted to a local hospital. The girl and her mother visited her in the hospital and later gone to Pradeep's home," the Ullal Police told TNM. On Wednesday night, Pradeep allegedly raped the minor girl and threatened her with dire consequences if she spoke about it. "Pradeep is said to have told the victim that she is old enough to be a woman. The next morning, the girl informed her mother about the incident after which her mother approached us," the Ullal Police added. The police have registered an FIR under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and sections 4 (penetrative sexual assault) and 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. Pradeep was arrested on Thursday and upon questioning him, the investigators found that the minor girl's father Dinesh* (42)  too had been raping the girl for nearly a year. "When we questioned Pradeep, he told us that he had information that the minor girl's father had been raping her for nearly a year. Pradeep said he thought that he too could force the girl to have sex with him since her father was doing the same. We immediately informed the Child Line officials," the Ullal Police added. On Friday, the Child Line officials visited the girl's home and asked her about Pradeep's accusations. "The girl confirmed to Child Line officials that her father Dinesh had been raping her as well," the police said. The Bantwal Rural Police have registered an FIR against Dinesh as well, under section 376 (rape) of the IPC and sections 4 (penetrative sexual assault) and 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. The father is on the run. "So far, the father has not been arrested since he absconded. We are looking for him," the Bantwal police added. (*Names changed)

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Yeddyurappa’s slum stay before K’taka polls cost us Rs 11,000 says host

The BJP leader had reportedly requested that a western-style commode be fitted instead of the existing Indian one as it would be uncomfortable for him.

TNM Staff

State BJP President BS Yeddyurappa's stay in a slum at Laxmanapuri slum in Gandhinagar in the run-up to the Karnataka Assembly elections last year has proved costly for the host Muniratna, an autorickshaw driver. The visit appears to have cost the family Rs. 11,000. Yeddyurappa had decided to stay in a slum for a night in February 2018 to gain first-hand experience of the problems suffered by people living in slums. However, he requested that a western-style commode be fitted instead of the existing Indian one as it would be uncomfortable for him. The BJP bore the cost of modification. However, Indrani (64), who lives in the house with her son Munirathna, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, was not impressed when neither Yeddyurappa nor the BJP contacted the family after the visit. The family, which was uncomfortable using a western-style commode, decided to revert to using an Indian commode which cost Rs. 15,000 to be put in place again. "We are not used to the western commode. In fact, I fell and hurt myself. Then we decided to change it to our old style. We removed the western toilet and constructed a new Indian style one and had to spend Rs 15,000 from our pocket. When we asked our local leaders, they paid us only Rs 4,000,’’ Indrani said, speaking to The New Indian Express. Residents of Lakshmanpuri slum in Bengaluru experience several problems including uneven roads, frequent power cuts, irregular water supply and Indrani says she had to add a toilet to this list. The visit to the slum was an attempt by the BJP to woo voters in urban areas. Other senior leaders like Jagadish Shettar and KS Eshwarappa had also slept in houses in slums in Hubballi and Shivamogga respectively in the run-up to the state elections and the party also released a socio-economic survey of slums in the state.

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