Food delivery agent assaulted by 5 men in Bengaluru for ‘late delivery’

The food delivery driver was found unconscious on the side of a road and was later taken to a hospital by passers-by.

TNM Staff

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Bengaluru police have arrested five persons who beat up an online food delivery agent accusing him of delivering food half an hour late on Saturday.  The incident occurred in Domlur Layout in the city. Tilak Kumar, 28, who works as a food delivery driver was found unconscious on the side of a road. He was later taken to a hospital by passers-by. After he recovered, he filed a complaint at the Halasuru police station, as per Deccan Herald. He accused Krishna, Appu and three others living in Domlur Layout of assaulting him for delivering food late. In his complaint to the police, Tilak stated that the accused had ordered food at around 6:45 pm. When he reached the address near Agarwal Hospital, Krishna and others with him abused him for delay in delivering the order and started assaulting him when he tried to explain. “They started kicking and punching, and even broke my fingers before snatching the food packets,” Tilak Kumar said in his complaint, as per The Hindu. Police officials said that Krishna and his associates were employed at a private firm. The group did not want to pay for the food and decided to assault the delivery driver by claiming that he had delivered the food late.  Food delivery drivers are paid by a system of incentives based on the orders they delivered. Both Swiggy and Zomato provide medical insurance for its driver partners and also encourage their drivers to log off from the platform whenever they intend to take a break. However, the drivers work on a gruelling, competitive schedule in order to meet the demands for incentives and to increase their earnings. Read: More orders, more money: The gruelling, competitive life of food delivery agents  

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2 trucks fall off Bengaluru flyover in 2 years, IISc prof suggests solutions

Transport

Ashish Verma, a professor at the Indian Institute of Science, explains that a combination of both horizontal and vertical curve at the same time is a reason for the drivers to lose control of their vehicles.

Soumya Chatterjee

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Three weeks after two people died when their truck fell off Yeshvanthpur Flyover in Bengaluru while negotiating a sharp bend, city-based Transport Engineering experts have recommended corrective measures to avoid such tragedies in the future. The accident which took place in the wee hours of April 13 killed the driver, 38-year-old Kenche Gowda, and 23-year-old Srinivas Rao. The duo was coming to Bengaluru from Pune when the lorry they were travelling in fell off the flyover after the driver lost control of the vehicle. While Srinivas died on the spot, Kenche Gowda succumbed to injuries later that evening at a nearby hospital. That was not the first instance of a truck falling off in Bengaluru; in November 2017 a similar incident occurred when a truck full of poultry fell off a flyover. Fortunately, there were no human casualties in that incident. Ashish Verma, Associate Professor, Transportation Systems Engineer at the Indian Institute of Science, carried out a voluntary academic road safety audit exercise of Yeshvanthpur flyover following the recent accident. Verma explains that a combination of both horizontal and vertical curve at the same time— a poor design element— is a reason for the drivers to lose control of their vehicles.   “The flyover was built keeping in the account of a maximum speed of 30 kmph but vehicles tend to exceed the design speed in the non-busy hours, especially due to the downward slope of approaching roads on both ends of the flyover and then eventually lose control over the wheels while taking a turn. Additionally, vehicles approaching the flyover from both ends are unable to see the clear alignment of the road and this poor visibility is one of the major factors causing fatal accidents, especially at night,” Verma told TNM. He added, “While in one direction (towards IISc), the vehicles have a risk of falling out of the flyover, the other direction they have a chance of crossing the median if the speed is exceeded. As explained in the study, either the mass or the speed increases, there is a problem.” The recommendations *Installation of a Height Restriction Barrier on the starting of the flyover in both the directions so as to restrict the entry of heavily loaded commercial vehicles. *Installation of Rumble Strips to restrict the speed of vehicles * Road sign and markings— Appropriate sharp bend (right hairpin) signage and speed limit signs,  Appropriate road markings of speed limit can be painted at the beginning of the flyover at both ends, to remind the drivers of adhering to speed limit *Crash or Rolling Barrier – Crash barrier can be put on the sharp turn so as to restrict a speed vehicle and prevent them from tilting or passing through the flyover in case of travelling at high speed and unable to control the vehicle. *Speed enforcement cameras can be put on the road to keep a check on vehicle speed and fine can be charged in case a vehicle goes beyond the stipulated speed. The study has been submitted to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad and Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Harishekharan. Besides Verma, Mahim Khan, Shubhayan Ukil and Hamnthini Allirani also worked on the study as research staff.

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NEET re-exam on May 20 for K'taka students who missed due to train delay

Exam

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy appealed to the centre to conduct a fresh exam for students who missed it due to a seven-hour train delay.

IANS

A total of 365 students of Karnataka will get a chance to appear for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) on May 20 as they missed it on Sunday due to the train in which they were travelling from the state's northern districts reached Bengaluru 7 hours late, said Union HRD Minister Prakash Javdekar on Monday. "Happy to announce that #Karnataka students who missed #NEET exam due to railway delay will get another chance," tweeted Javdekar. Javdekar responded a day after state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy urged him to hold the test for the students who missed it for no fault of theirs. "Thank you @PrakashJavdekar and @HRDMinistry for considering the request and helping our students," re-tweeted Kumaraswamy. The National Testing Agency (NTA) of the HRD ministry conducts the test every year in May for students to secure admission to state-run and private medical and dental colleges across the country for studying graduate and post-graduate courses The students, who travelled in Hampi Express from Hubli to Mysuru via Koppal, Hospet and Bellary, reached Bengaluru over 7 hours late at 2.36 p.m. instead of 7.00 a.m, while the test began at 2.00 p.m. "The students could not reach the test centres across the city in time and missed it," a South Western Railway (SWR) official admitted on Sunday. The students staged a protest demo outside the railway station for missing the test for no fault of them. The railways, however, attributed the delay due to the diversion of the train route from the normal route due to doubling of line work and operational reasons since May 3. The Chief Minister also wrote to the ministry to allow another 150 students who also missed the test as their exam centre was shifted to Bengaluru from Chikkaballapur at the last minute without prior intimation or information to them. "As the distance from the exam centre at Chikkaballapur to the centre in Bengaluru is about 40km, about 150 students who reached the centre in time to appear for the test there, could not commute to the city by 2:00 p.m and missed it for no fault of them," an official said. Kumaraswamy directed state Chief Secretary T.M. Vijay Bhaskar to request the HRD Ministry for holding the test again for the 150 students who missed it due to change in exam centre at the last minute from an adjacent district to the state capital. "The ministry has assured the state that a decision would be taken soon," tweeted the Chief Minister's Office.

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Karnataka students who missed NEET due to train delay to get another chance

NEET

This was announced by Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Twitter.

Soumya Chatterjee

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In a huge relief to students from north Karnataka who missed the chance to write the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) because of a train that was delayed for seven hours on Sunday, Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that they can re-take the exam. Happy to announce that #Karnataka Students who missed #NEET exam , due to railway delay will get another chance.@MoHFW_INDIA @HRDMinistry @PIB_India @MIB_India @DG_NTA @cbseindia29 @ciet_ncert @DDNewsLive @airnewsalerts @DVSBJP@CMofKarnataka — Chowkidar Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) May 6, 2019 This comes after Karnataka Chief Secretary Vijaya Bhaskar reached out to officials of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). This was preceded by a meeting held by CM HD Kumaraswamy with the Medical Education Department and the Chief Secretary on Monday. The Hampi Express from Hubbali to Bengaluru which was supposed at reach at 7 am only reached at 2.30 pm, while the exam began at 2 pm. All those who reached late were denied a chance to write the exam. The MHRD is likely to announce another date for the students who missed the exam because they were on the Hampi Express. Union Minister Sadananda Gowda also wrote a letter to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday, seeking a solution. I have spoken to @PrakashJavdekar Ji and also written a letter For Early solution with Regards to #NEET Exam in Karnataka which is attached pic.twitter.com/magm8VROwR — Chowkidar Sadananda Gowda (@DVSBJP) May 6, 2019 On Sunday, in the wake of reports of several students missing out on the exam due to the delayed train, the Chief Minister had asked the Centre to intervene. “Hundreds of students from North Karnataka districts have missed the #NEET Exam being held today at Bengaluru due to a 7-hour delay of the Hampi Express. A last-minute change in the exam centres and lack of proper communication of the same has created confusion among students,” he tweeted. He added, “I request PM @narendramodi, Rail Minister @PiyushGoyal, @HRDMinistry ,@PrakashJavdekar to intervene and ensure that students who have missed the opportunity today get another chance to write the #NEET2019 Exam,” he added. I request PM @narendramodi, Rail Minister @PiyushGoyal, @HRDMinistry , @PrakashJavdekar to intervene and ensure that students who have missed the opportunity today get another chance to write the #NEET2019 Exam — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) May 5, 2019

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Bengaluru micro-brewery staff assault customers with chairs after argument over tip

Crime

The Koramangala police have remanded three waiters to judicial custody, and are looking for two others.

TNM Staff

A party at a Bengaluru micro-brewery turned violent when the waiters began throwing chairs and rods at customers on Thursday night. Around 11.30 pm on Thursday, waiters of Barleyz Pub and Restaurant in Koramangala began arguing with each other over tips they had received. According to the CCTV footage obtained by the Koramangala police, the waiters were arguing loudly and soon began hurling chairs at each other. When a customer intervened and tried to pacify the waiters, they allegedly assaulted him as well, and soon, the staff in the kitchen arrived and they too began fighting among themselves. 27-year-old entrepreneur Deepak Kalauni intervened and asked the staff to keep the noise down and not ruin the night for customers. “They did not listen to me. My friend Anand and I were concerned as they were throwing things at each other. One minute we were getting ready to leave and in the next instance, I was hit on my head with a chair. My friend Anand was hit by a rod on his head,” Deepak told TNM. Deepak says that five of the staff members were fighting at this point and the customers began running out of the rooftop pub. “We were bleeding. We had some other friends with us and we managed to get out of the bar. That’s when I called the police and waited outside the pub until they arrived,” Deepak added. Deepak and Anand were rushed to a private hospital by the Koramangala police. Deepak received eight stitches on his forehead. Deepak alleges that the staff assaulted multiple customers at the micro-brewery. The bouncer allegedly asked Deepak and his friends to get out of the bar. “Instead of helping us, they asked us to get out of the bar,” he said. The Koramangala police have arrested three waiters, who worked at Barleyz and have remanded them to judicial custody. “We are looking out for two more staff members,” the police have been added. The five staff members have been booked under section 324 (Assault with deadly weapon), 506 (Criminal intimidation) and 34 (Common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. Barleyz has been shut temporarily after the Koramangala police issued a notice to the pub owner under section 21 (Investigation under offences of Central Excise Act 1944). “The Excise Department officials will conduct an independent inquiry and if they deem fit, they will allow the pub to reopen. Until then, it will have to remain shut. We have collected the evidence from the pub. The bloodied chair and rods and other items along with the CCTV footage,” the Koramangala police added.    

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No separate tender for dry and wet waste? Disagreement brews in Bengaluru civic body

Civic Issues

The Mayoral committee made a volte-face on Thursday and said that same contractor will collect wet and dry waste.

Soumya Chatterjee

For the first time, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had floated separate tenders for ward-wise dry and wet waste collection. The decision to have separate tenders was aimed at eliminating the problem of mixed waste ending up in landfills. The move was supported by activists and experts alike at a time when the BBMP was pulled by up courts over the city’s garbage mess. However, in a curious turn of events on Thursday, a committee headed by Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun has objected to this and suggested a plan favourable to the contractors. The Mayoral committee suggested that the same contractor will collect wet and dry waste except in colour-coded vehicles assisted by public service announcements. Moreover, these contractors are given the option of handling waste from bulk waste generators like apartment complexes and commercial establishments. However, sources said the Mayoral committee suggestions will not be accepted by the BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad. Speaking to TNM, a top source in the BBMP explained, “We have received these recommendations of the committee. Since the Commissioner is the tender issuing authority, we have to factor in certain legal aspects, including all National Green Tribunal (NGT) rulings, High Court orders, solid waste management guidelines. Besides, the solid waste management guidelines clearly state that bulk waste has to be dealt through empanelled vendors. Now, the new model proposed by the Mayoral committee would require taxpayers money for bulk waste management.” Top officials of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) department told TNM that this system will only favour the contractors and also make enforcing segregation of waste difficult. “Our initial proposal to float two separate tenders received good feedback, even from the media. The Mayoral committee had, in fact, agreed to the decision, but strangely, in the third meeting, it made a volte-face,” the source said. “Cost is a major setback here. Today, independent waste pickers carry out dry waste management, which does not cost the BBMP anything. But, if we have to manage the entire dry waste, we have to do separate calculations and the cost will go up multifold. The applies to bulk waste. We have never envisaged the scale of handling the bulk waste. Currently, bulk waste is collected by BBMP empanelled vendors who collect waste in exchange for a fee from the establishments,” the source elucidated. Incidentally, the committee headed by the Mayor also has the Commissioner, Solid Waste Management Joint Commissioner and other SWM officials with the majority of the 15 members being elected councillors, including the Leader of Opposition in the BBMP council, Padmanabha Reddy. However, none of the IAS officers, including Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad were present when this decision was taken, top sources confirmed. TNM could not reach the Mayor or the Leader of Opposition in the BBMP council at the time of writing this report. With the Model Code of Conduct still in place, a final decision is still awaited. ‘Do away with contract system’ Kathyayini Chamaraj, a civic activist, said while the initial plan was not ideal, it would have solved the problem of mixed waste to some extent. Kathyayini, who is also the executive trustee of CIVIC (a citizens’ group), said, “The initial tender would have at least solved the problem of mixed waste and the waste dumped by contractors on roadsides and landfills. But the BBMP should ideally do away with the contract system that exploits pourakarmikas and raises false bills. Besides, the state cabinet had decided to abolish the contract system for pourakarmikas. Instead of relying on contractors, BBMP should help these pourakarmikas form Self Help Groups and employ them and provide them with vehicles.” She added, “Waste management is BBMP’s obligatory function and BBMP should employ workers directly and ensure better working conditions.”  

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Bengaluru cops on door-to-door campaign to caution citizens after Sri Lanka attack

Crime

“This is being done not to create panic but just as a precautionary measure,” DCP Whitefield Abdul Ahad told TNM.

Theja Ram

In the wake of the serial bomb blasts in Sri Lanka that claimed 253 lives and injured hundreds, the Bengaluru Police have begun an initiative to include residents of the city in reporting suspicious activities. On Sunday, the Deputy Commissioners of Police of various jurisdictions held meetings with the officers in their limits and instructed them to conduct awareness programme at beat levels. Speaking to TNM, DCP Whitefield Abdul Ahad said that the beat constables were instructed to visit apartment associations in their respective beats and inform the residents to report any suspicious activities to the police. "This is a hoax. All citizens are requested not to circulate / forward such false messages." ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರು ಈ ತರಹದ ಸುಳ್ಳು ವದಂತಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಕಿವಿಗೊಡದಿರಲು & ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಜಾಲತಾಣಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳದಿರಲು ಮನವಿ. “#ಸುಳ್ಳು_ವದಂತಿಗಳನ್ನ_ನಂಬಬೇಡಿ_ಮತ್ತು_ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸಬೇಡಿ” pic.twitter.com/n3g3ft35GK — BengaluruCityPolice (@BlrCityPolice) May 6, 2019 “This is being done not to create panic but just as a precautionary measure,” he added. Soon after the police constables began the awareness drive, fake messages began flooding WhatsApp groups in Bengaluru that a group of five people are being suspected of carrying out a terror strike in Bengaluru. “That is fake news and misinformation is being spread to create panic by some mischief makers. Please do not believe this. We only created the awareness programme as the Police Commissioner had issued an alert a week ago after the Sri Lanka attack,” DCP Abdul Ahad said. The beat constables have asked the residents to report any suspicious activities and to also conduct background checks on any new resident moving into the apartment. “We have given a few examples for the kind of things people should look out for, such as large gatherings and a suspicious bag or box. We have asked them to conduct background checks on any new tenant or residents moving into the apartment. This is being done as the city has been put on alert since the past one week,” says Devappa, a police constable with the Bellandur Police Station. Residents of Bengaluru, however, said they are waiting for an official letter. “Yes, the police did reach out to us on Sunday and asked us to coordinate with other apartment associations and create awareness programmes to make residents alert and report suspicious activities in the wake of the Sri Lanka attacks. But we are waiting for an official letter from the Commissioner as we do not want to spread panic," says Kishori, a resident of Bellandur and member of citizens' group Bellandur Jothege.    

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