Debris dumped on Bengaluru’s Hennur bridge impacts traffic, poses safety risk

Civic Issues

According to regular commuters, the waste was dumped on the bridge 3-4 months ago but no action has been taken by the authorities since then.

Soumya Chatterjee

Dumping of construction and demolition waste on the Hennur bridge, which connects Kalyan Nagar and Nagawara over the New Airport Road in north Bengaluru, has made driving agonising for regular commuters on the stretch. With frequent rainfall, not only has this forced all vehicles to move in a single file resulting in traffic snarls but also made the area prone to accidents. Sampath Ramanujam, who was driving down the stretch on Wednesday evening, had a stroke of luck narrowly escaping an accident.  “It was raining heavily and all vehicles were plying in a single lane due to this debris on the bridge. While I was wondering how come someone used a bridge to dump waste materials, my car went over the divider as I tried to avoid crashing into an overtaking lorry. Fortunately, I was able to prevent my vehicle from toppling as I was on low speed,” he said. “But discarding construction material on top of the bridge is atrocious and looks like the BBMP is overlooking this. This can cause many such accidents for sure and it is a risk to the bridge itself,” Sampath added. Nadia Zaccharia, a resident of the area who uses the stretch for her regular commute, said that the dumping has been an issue for some time now and the rains have made it worse. She said, “It’s most problematic for people who are driving towards the Outer Ring Road.” According to locals, the debris was dumped overnight on the bridge 3-4 months ago and since then no action has been taken by authorities. In a recent directive by BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad, the zonal commissioners of each zone in the city is responsible for the upkeep of major roads. TNM could not reach the East Zonal Commissioner or concerned officials for comment. The BBMP has also recently identified a site for setting up its own Construction & Demolition waste recycling plant.

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Main access road to Bengaluru Airport to be closed for next 2 years for expansion

Airport

The main access road which is currently four lanes wide will be expanded to a 10-lane.

TNM Staff

For the next two years starting from June 10, the 1.4 km main access road to the Kempegowda International Airport terminal will be closed due to expansion work. During this period, traffic will be directed through the south access road which was opened recently. The road runs parallel to the main access road and is six lanes wide. This means vehicles coming to the airport from the city side will turn right after the Trumpet Interchange and reach the South Access Road (SAR).  Vehicles heading out of the Airport from the departure gates, will follow the existing exit path from the Terminal and head towards P6 parking to reach the SAR. Vehicles returning from Arrival Gates, will continue using the existing route towards SAR. The main access road which is currently four lanes wide will be expanded to a 10-lane road. As part of the same expansion plan, to manage increasing cargo traffic, the secondary road leading to the Cargo Terminals will be widened to four lanes later this year. The Trumpet interchange, too be will be expanded – from the existing three to five lanes, on either side – without causing any disruptions to traffic movement. “Owing to a sharp rise in passenger volumes and cargo transportation, vehicular movement at the BLR Airport has witnessed a rapid surge. The trend will increase as the passenger volumes are expected to grow at an intense pace in the coming years. To cater to this stupendous growth, BIAL has invested Rs. 13,000 crore to construct a Terminal 2, second runway and other associated projects,” Bangalore International Airport Limited, the company that manages the airport, stated. Kempegowda International Airport is currently the busiest airport in south India and the third largest in the country. It was built as a private-public partnership. Private promoters hold 74% (Fairfax 48% and Siemens Projects Ventures 26%) stake in BIAL, while the government holds the remaining 26% – through Karnataka State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited – 13%, Airport Authority of India – 13%. The Airport began operations in May 2008 with over 37 passenger airlines and 12 cargo airlines connecting Bengaluru to the rest of the country and world. For financial year 2018-19 it clocked 33.30 million passengers registering a 23.8% year-on--year growth.  

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Only 2 more days’ worth of water in Udupi: Residents wait for monsoon

Water

Lack of pre-monsoon rainfall led to unprecedented levels of water scarcity in the two districts prompting authorities to begin rationing water supply to its residents.

Prajwal Bhat

Baje reservoir, Udupi | Photograph via Twitter

“We have almost run out of water and we are hoping and praying that the monsoon rains arrive and save our district,” Udupi MLA Raghupathi Bhat speaks on behalf of almost everyone in the coastal Karnataka district while describing the unprecedented water scarcity that has seen residents struggle this year. District authorities in Karnataka’s Udupi and neighbouring Dakshina Kannada are hoping that the monsoons arrive before the water supply from the Baje and Thumbe reservoirs, which supply water to Udupi and Mangaluru respectively, runs out. The situation in Udupi has reached a tipping point with the water at the Baje reservoir, built on the Swarna river, set to run out in the next two days. “We had hit dead storage on May 4 and we have been pumping water out of the dam ever since. This will run out in one or two days. Even today, we are yet to begin supplying the water because we need to be careful that we save some water in the river otherwise it will affect the marine life here,” explains Raghavendra, environmental engineer with the Udupi Municipal Council. Dead storage refers to water in a reservoir that cannot be drained by gravity and has to be pumped out. Baje reservoir, Udupi in May 2019 | Photograph via Raghupathi Bhat The situation is slightly better in Mangaluru. Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) executive engineer KS Lingegowda told TNM that the water at the Thumbe reservoir, built on the Nethravati river, is set to last one more week. “The water level at the dam is currently at 2.3 metres. The dead storage at the dam is 1.3 metres so we have a 1 metre cushion but we are praying for the rains to arrive before the water runs out,” Lingegowda says. A lack of pre-monsoon rainfall led to unprecedented levels of water scarcity in the two districts prompting authorities to begin rationing water supply to its residents. In Mangaluru, water is being supplied for four days followed by a three-day break. In Udupi, water is being supplied once in three days since the start of April. Read: Mangaluru gripped by water scarcity, unprecedented situation sees residents struggle The lack of water availability has even forced some schools to postpone reopening for the new academic year while other schools have decided to send students back home after the morning session. “We are having severe problems because there is no water anywhere. We are waiting and praying for rains to arrive through the monsoon. This time around, there has been negligible pre-monsoon rains and this has hit Udupi badly,” Raghupathi Bhat says. Baje reservoir, Udupi in May 2019 | Photograph via Raghupathi Bhat Read: Water scarcity forces schools in coastal Karnataka to postpone reopening The monsoon, which usually begins at the start of June, has also been delayed this year. However, in what will come as a relief to the residents of the two districts, meteorologists at the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) predict that the monsoon will arrive in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi by Monday. “The monsoon is expected to arrive in Kerala on Saturday and it may take a maximum of two more days to bring rains in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu. It is expected to bring a good amount of rainfall coupled with heavy winds of up 30 km/hr,” Sunil Gavaskar, a meteorologist with KSNDMC stated. The water scarcity in the district has even forced authorities to plan rain-water harvesting during the monsoon this year in order to avoid a similar situation in the future.

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Alert in 8 Karnataka districts against Nipah virus

Health

The districts put on alert are Chamarajanagara, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi and Uttara Kannada.

IANS

Representational image

Eight districts in western and southern Karnataka have been put on high alert to check the Nipha virus infection from neighbouring Kerala, an official said on Thursday. "Though no case of Nipah virus has been reported in the state, we are on alert to ensure the infection does not spread from Kerala," state health joint director Shivaraj Sajjan Shetty told IANS.. The districts put on alert are Chamarajanagara, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Udupi and Uttara Kannada across the Western Ghats. "Doctors are checking patients visiting state-run and private hospitals in the districts for any suspected case and precautions have been taken to isolate any one showing symptoms of the infection," said Shetty. The state government has also not stopped the movement of the people across the border to Kerala where a few patients affected by the Nipah virus have been reported. "The administration in these districts are equipped with medical staff and diagnostic kits to detect Nipah symptoms as advised by the Union Health Ministry. Allaying fears of the infectious disease spilling over into the state from Kerala, Shetty said the health and veterinary departments would conduct tests in case of any patient reporting its symptoms in the state-run clinics. The new virus is suspected to be transmitted to humans from animals or through contaminated food or from infected people causing respiratory illness or fatal encephalitis. The virus is an emerging infectious disease of public health importance in the South-East Asia region. It is named after the Malaysian village where it was first detected. The virus has infected 477 people and killed 248 over the last two decades since 1998. Outbreaks of Nipah in South Asia have a seasonal pattern and a limited geographical range. In 2018, 18 cases and 16 deaths were reported from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in coastal Kerala. The state-run National Institute of Virology at Pune in Maharashtra will diagnose the suspected Nipah virus samples if detected.  

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For speedy redressal of consumer complaints, Bengaluru agency lists 24x7 helpline no

City

There is a multi-channel complaint registration facility through phone, SMS, online, email, Facebook, Whatsapp, Mobile Mitra App & Twitter, a BESCOM statement said.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

In light of the increased frequency of power cuts in Bengaluru, the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has issued a statement advising the public about helpline numbers to raise any complaints. “To facilitate consumers and for better redressal of consumer Grievances, BESCOM has established a well integrated 24x7 Customer Helpline through the latest technology and software developments along with in-built automatic call transfer system. 1912 is the BESCOM helpline number. At present a 45 seater Call Centre is servicing through 45 concurrent lines 24x7 with Multi-Channel Complaint Registration Facility (Phone, SMS, Online, email, Facebook, Whatsapp, Mobile Mitra App & Twitter). In addition to this 45 seater capacity, additional 15 seats have been added from 06.06.2019 to facilitate speedy redressal of consumer complaints. With this, the capacity of BESCOM Helpline is enhanced from 45 seater to 60 seater,” reads the statement. In addition, a list of 12 mobile numbers have also been listed on the notice to better handle the influx of complaints. Earlier it was reported that the helpline was flooded with several calls and complaints. BESCOM was receiving around 10,000 calls every day and had sought to improve the helpline by adding more facilities through which people would be able to register their complaints. BESCOM MD C Shikha had earlier stated that individuals who had signed up via the Mithra app on their phones were getting regular notifications from BESCOM with regards to expected power cuts. She stated that once the BESCOM Mithra app was downloaded, the individual’s mobile number receives SMS alerts via a Public Grievance Redressal System. Though some maintenance had been undertaken prior to the rains, there have been complaints of transformers breaking down and several trees falling.

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Karnataka govt employees to get holidays on 4th Saturdays of every month from 2020

Government

The state government announced its decision on Thursday adding that the casual leave quota for employees would be cut from 15 to 10 as a result.

TNM Staff

The Karnataka state government decided on Thursday that all government employees will get an additional holiday on the fourth Saturday of every month from next year. Employees will continue getting leaves on major holidays, but there will be a reduction in the casual leave from 15 to 10. The employees will also continue to get holidays on birth anniversaries of religious leaders and saints (Jayantis), namely Basava Jayanti, Kanaka Jayanti, Valmiki Jayanti and Mahavir Jayanti. Earlier there were plans of scrapping these holidays altogether, but the government had opted against this, worried about potential backlash from the communities which celebrate these holidays. While the Cabinet has sought for the new regulations to go into effect immediately, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister Krishna Byre Gowda stated that he was not sure when the new policy would be implemented. Earlier, several employees had been in favour of the plan for implementing a 5-day work week. This however, has been scrapped and in its place, the new fourth Saturday holiday policy will be incorporated. “We studied the list of holidays in many other states. About 17 states have a 5-day work week whereas four states have two Saturdays off in a month. Giving a 5-day work week would lead to too many holidays,” Krishna Byre Gowda said. The move has been met with positive feedback from many including Karnataka State Government Employees’ Union president HK Ramu. “We welcome the decision of the state government to give an additional holiday,” he said to TOI, adding that the government overturned the 5-day week plan citing that work would be hampered, but had agreed to the additional holiday. 

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Lost in translation: Epic goes to Denmark

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