Bengaluru traffic cops want Ola, Uber to have own parking spaces for cabs

Civic Issues

Speaking to TNM, an official with Ola said that it would be logistically impossible for Ola to construct its own paring spaces.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru Traffic Police is now in talks with cab aggregators including Ola and Uber regarding parking spaces for cabs in areas with high commercial activity. On Friday, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) met with Ola and Uber representatives and discussed various policy-related issues of cab aggregators including parking spaces. The meeting comes in the wake of the Karnataka Transport Department’s decision to ban share taxi services. “There was a discussion on a proposal where Ola and Uber would have to provide parking spaces for their cabs in commercial areas like CBD, Koramangala, Jayanagar and the like. We have also discussed various passenger-safety issues and have asked Ola and Uber to give us an action-taken report,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) South-East division, Siddalingappa ST said. Speaking to TNM, an official with Ola said that it would be virtually impossible for Ola to construct its own paring spaces. “This is logistically impossible. Ola will have to register itself as a real estate company. There are no properties available to convert into parking spaces. Besides, this is the job of civic agencies. In larger vehicular zones like airports, major bus stations, it would make sense to have a designated parking spot but not in commercial areas, especially in Bengaluru,” the Ola official said. However, traffic police say that the proposal was meant to reduce vehicular congestion on the roads, especially in commercial areas where the roads are small and vehicle count is high. “Ola and Uber cab drivers have their vehicles parked along the roadsides. In commercial areas, this becomes a hassle for pedestrians and vehicles to move. Besides, the roads are not wide enough to allow for parking. So, it was discussed. If Ola and Uber find alternatives then we welcome suggestions,” a senior Traffic Police official said. An Ola spokesperson, however, said that the company had introduced the share taxi service as a measure to fight vehicular congestion in the city, which was recently banned by the state’s Transport Department. “We have always focused our efforts to build mobility solutions that ease traffic congestion. Shared mobility offerings such as Ola Share and Ola Bike had reduced the number of vehicles on the road and are also popular in cities where regulation exists. We are engaged in constructive conversations with relevant authorities and look forward to collaboratively build a sustainable transport ecosystem for Bengaluru,” a statement from Ola said.

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Amidst speculation of poaching, JD(S) MLA claims BJP offered him Rs 40 cr to defect

Politics

Periyapatna MLA K Mahadeva also claimed that Ramesh Jarkiholi who recently resigned from his assembly seat, demanded Rs 80 crore from the BJP to defect.

TNM Staff

Amidst speculation that the BJP is trying to poach legislators from the ruling coalition in Karnataka, a JD(S) MLA has claimed that he was offered Rs 40 crore by the BJP on multiple occasions to jump ship. Periyapatna MLA K Mahadeva, who attended a public meeting in Mysuru also claimed that MLA from Gokak, who had recently resigned – Ramesh Jarkiholi demanded Rs 80 crore from the BJP to defect. “Ramesh Jarkiholi has asked BJP leaders to pay him Rs 80 crore to switch over. They (referring to BJP leaders) also offered me money to switch sides thrice. They also kept Rs 40 crore in my hotel room. When I found out, I informed them that I would call the ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau),” K Mahadeva said. Mahadev alleged that the BJP leaders were trying to poach both Congress and JD(S) MLAs by offering them huge sums of money and that the legislators in the coalition are “not weak-willed to accept the offer”. “If I wanted money, I would have accepted the Rs 40 crore, moved away from Periyapatna and lived somewhere else for the rest of my life. I chose not to sell my body and soul for Rs 40 crore,” K Mahadeva added. Meanwhile, JD(S) leader AH Vishwanath, who recently resigned from his post as state President, set off speculation after he met with BJP leaders BY Raghavendra and BS Yeddyurappa in New Delhi on Wednesday. JD(S) insiders say that Vishwanath was unhappy when he was not offered a ministerial berth during the cabinet expansion, which happened earlier in June. “I did not go to meet the BJP leaders. They came to meet me. They have not asked me to join the BJP. If I decide to quit JD(S), I will inform everyone,” Vishwanath told the media. Soon after the Lok Sabha election results were announced on May 23, speculation was rife that Vishwanath was being lured by BJP leaders. Vishwanath had also met with Chamarajanagar BJP MP V Srinivas Prasad, who had joined the BJP earlier in 2017 after an open fight with his former party man and Congress leader Siddaramaiah. Soon after this meeting, Vishwanath had resigned from his post as state President. With party supremo HD Deve Gowda’s attempts to pacify Vishwanath being unsuccessful, the party is now mulling over appointing HK Kumaraswamy, a Dalit MLA from Sakleshpur, as the new state President. HK Kumaraswamy is a six-time MLA from Sakleshpur, a reserved constituency in Hassan. JD(S) sources also say that Madhu Bangarappa, JD(S) leader from Shivamogga, will be appointed as the party’s working President. Bangarappa is currently heading the youth wing and is being removed in order to make way for Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, sources said.    

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Appeals court takes up fresh challenge to Trump abortion 'gag rule'

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Sexual assault video of young woman circulated in K’taka, 5 college students held

Crime

After the video surfaced, in which the identity of the young woman is quite evident, the police approached her to file a complaint against the men.

Prajwal Bhat

The country has barely recovered from the horrors of the Pollachi sexual assault case, in which four men had assualted and videographed women in a bid to blackmail and silence them. A similar case has now surfaced from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. The case came to light when a video of a 19-year-old college student being sexually assaulted by four men began doing the rounds on Tuesday. The video shows the young woman lying in a car, with four men surrounding her and assaulting her. After the video surfaced, in which the identity of the young woman is quite evident, the police approached her to file a complaint against the men. The incident occurred sometime in late March or early April. An FIR has been registered in the case and police have arrested five men – Prajwal, Kishan, Prakyath, Gurunandan and Sunil - in connection with the incident. All of the accused are residents of Puttur, and all of them are 19 years old. "According to the woman, the incident occurred at the end of March or the start of April. She did not reveal this to anyone at home since she was scared. They were threatening her with the video," BM Laxmi Prasad, Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police, told TNM. According to police officials, the five men and the victim were students of a college in Puttur and were friends with each other, although they were not classmates. The district police decided to take suo motu action in the case to stop the circulation of the video. In a statement issued on Wednesday, BM Laxmi Prasad said, “We have taken note of a video involving 3 to 4 boys with a girl is being circulated via WhatsApp. The police will take up a suo motu case in this regard. We urge members of the public not to broadcast referenced videos on social media or to save referenced videos on their phones /computers." The statement further said that those found circulating the video, including admins of WhatsApp groups, will be charged under section 354 C (voyeurism) of the IPC, and sections 66 E (violation of privacy) and 66 A (sending offensive messages through communication service) of the IT Act. The police have also registered an FIR at the Women's Police Station in Puttur, under section 376 D(gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections under the The Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

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IISc Bengaluru students protest, demand justice for security guard who died on campus

Protest

The students are calling for action to be taken against authorities after the death of 23-year-old old security guard Gowtham Biswal.

Geetika Mantri

On June 30, Gowtham Biswal, a 23-year-old security guard at Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, died after a sliding metal gate weighing about 500 kg fell on him. A case of negligence was registered at the Sadashivnagar police station against the concerned authorities under section 304A of the IPC. Three days since however, students allege that no action has been taken by authorities to punish those responsible. Hundreds of students have been protesting against the IISc Director Anurag Kumar since Monday, demanding justice for Gowtham and that the Centre for Campus Management (CCMD) engineer Col Arun Sharma be suspended for approving the installation of the gate, and not heeding complaints by students as well as security personnel that the gate was not functioning properly. On Wednesday, police officials were called to campus, allegedly by college authorities. "We do not understand why this has been done. It is a peaceful protest," one student told TNM.  No action taken  Some of the nearly 600 protesting students spoke to TNM on the condition of anonymity, describing the developments since Gowtham’s death. There appears to be little official communication from the authorities. Students have been protesting on the campus since Monday, and Wednesday marked the third day of protest. They alleged that the name CCMD engineer’s name on the FIR is incorrect – the first name is recorded as Ajay instead of Arun. However, when some students went to the Sadashivnagar police station to get officials to rectify the same, they were turned away. Seema*, a student protester and PhD student, told TNM that the director had been delaying taking action against Col Sharma. “He says that they will have a council meeting and then take a few weeks to decide on the matter. We don’t want them to wait for 2-3 weeks. Justice delayed is justice denied.” Transparency in investigation Student have also been demanding that the committee that will be set up to investigate the circumstances behind Gowtham’s death should have some student representatives. However, this has not been accepted. Towards the evening on Wednesday, after hundreds had been protesting with cries of “We want justice!”, director Anurag Kumar told students that they will form an internal committee with two external representatives and a report will be given within two weeks. But they are not willing to make the minutes of the meetings public or include any student representatives or even as an observer. Student protester Hari added that the director had told students that Col Sharma would be suspended, but nothing had been given in writing. “The request for transparency is turned down,” he said. Previous incidents of negligence In December 2018, IISc had made news for an accident at the Aerospace Engineering Department’s Laboratory for Hypersonic where a cylinder blast killed a research student, Manoj Kumar, and injured two others. Seema alleges that as a premiere institute in the country, there are protocols for storing sensitive equipment that are to be followed. She alleges that this too was likely a case of negligence. Another student told TNM that a month ago, a part of the ceiling in the new Biological Sciences building had also fallen. There were no injuries, however, students allege that projects are being approved without proper safety measures in place. “It happened to a Gowtham under that gate, but it could have been anyone. It could have been one of us too,” Hari points out. Students also say that they have been receiving indirect threats from authorities against their protest, with authorities saying their degrees and doctorates will be held ransom if they don’t disperse. No clarity on compensation to Gowtham’s family Ramesh*, a PhD student at IISc, says that there has been no clarity on whether Gowtham’s family is going to be given any compensation. Another student, Hari, says that the director had verbally told the protesters on Tuesday that they would award a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased, but still, there is nothing concrete. 

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Bengaluru’s Corner House and others start ‘bring your own bowl’ initiative to avoid plastic

Environment

BBMP has sent a recommendation to the Karnataka government to ban the use of plastic containers for food packaging.

Theja Ram

On June 10, Corner House, Bengaluru’s popular ice-cream parlour chain, started a “Bring your own bowl” initiative where customers are advised to bring their own bowls and boxes to the outlets in order to avoid using plastic. “We want people to become more conscious about how plastic waste can be reduced by being a little more responsible. Most restaurants use disposable utensils, mostly plastic, because there is shortage of water. Though it helps reduce water consumption, it also means more plastic waste is generated. To avoid this, we have started the campaign. Reusables are the solution to cut down on generating more waste,” says Narayan Rao, owner of Corner House. Corner House is keeping a count of the number of people who are bringing their own bowls and boxes. “The only limitation is that people returning from office or those stopping by don’t come prepared with their own bowls. So, we are announcing that Rs 10 of each order placed by a person with their own bowl will go towards the welfare of dogs at CUPA’s animal shelter. On July 10, we will see how the campaign has fared as we are keeping track of the number of people who are bringing their own utensils. Based on that we will begin more awareness campaigns,” Narayan Rao added. Similarly, Ganesh, owner of By 2 Coffee in Malleshwaram, decided to avoid using plastic while packing food for delivery from his restaurant over a year ago. What began as a campaign to say no to plastic has now become a thriving meal delivery service. At By 2 Coffee, food is packed in steel lunch boxes and customers can either pick up their orders or have it delivered to them. The boxes are to be returned the following morning. “The problem is there is no guarantee whether the customers will return the steel boxes. So we started a deposit system,” Ganesh says. Each customer pays a refundable deposit of Rs 3,000 and the money is repaid once the customer stops the service and returns the boxes. “We had put up a board asking our regular customers to avoid using plastic. So some of them started bringing their own tiffin boxes to pack food. That’s how I got the idea. Now it’s become a full-scale meal delivery system. We have around 150 lunch and dinner boxes being picked up or delivered every day. Each meal costs Rs 90 and contains 15 varieties of food items including salad, sambar, rasam, vegetable curry, rice and so on. Most of our customers are now picking up on the idea and bringing their own boxes,” Ganesh says. Last week, the city’s civic body – Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike – held a consultation meeting with restaurant owners and online food delivery services to switch to reusable packaging for food deliveries. BBMP Assistant Commissioner for Solid Waste Management and the chairman of the plastic committee Randeep says that the committee has sent a recommendation to the Karnataka government to ban the use of plastic containers for food packaging. “Currently, restaurant owners say that the logistical difficulties with reusable containers will be an additional hassle. Since plastic containers are not banned by the government, restaurants continue to use them. But if one of the food delivery services like Swiggy takes the initiative, then others will have to follow suit,” he adds. According to data obtained from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, each Bengalurean utilises 16 kg of plastic per month on an average; also, 40% of the waste generated in the city is plastic waste. Restaurant owners say they will roll out a pilot project similar to the By 2 Coffee initiative in the coming weeks. “Some restaurants tried to use bagasse containers (made out of sugarcane pulp) and also areca leaves. But these are not viable for food delivery due to leakage issues. We are planning to follow the By 2 Coffee model. Several restaurant owners are keen on doing it and we will begin a pilot project. Based on whether it succeeds or not, we will decide whether it is logistically viable,” says PC Rao, President of Bengaluru Restaurant Owners’ Association. Read: 'Ice cream business is a happy business', says the man who gave Bengaluru the Corner House    

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11 dead, 3 injured after private bus rams into mini truck in Karnataka

Accident

According to eyewitnesses, the bus was speeding when it collided head-on with the truck.

TNM Staff

Eleven persons travelling to a dargah in Karnataka's Chikkaballapura died after a private bus collided with the truck they were in.  At around 12.20 pm on Wednesday, a private bus owned by SKS Travels collided into a Tata Ace mini truck at Bagalahalli near Chintamani. The impact mangled the mini truck resulting in the death of 11 people and injuring three others.  The Chintamani Rural Police say that all eleven people in the Tata Ace died on the spot. The deceased persons were travelling from Chintamani to the dargah in Murugamalla. The bus was travelling from Murugamalla to Bengaluru.  The injured have been rushed to the Chikkaballapura and Kolar district hospitals, where they are undergoing treatment.  "Eyewitness reports state that the driver of the bus was speeding and collided head-on with the Tata Ace near the bend along the road. Several eyewitnesses complained that the private buses plying to and from Murugamalla always end up speeding. The shop owners nearby say that several commuters have nearly escaped death near this bend due to rash driving," Chintamani Rural Police Sub Inspector Jagadish Reddy told TNM.  The driver has absconded from and the police are on the lookout for him.  

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