Bengaluru civic body mulls making reusable packaging mandatory for e-commerce sites

Civic Issues

BBMP is looking at 2 options – either enforcing a policy on reusables, or making it mandatory for companies to take responsibility for recycling the plastic items used for deliveries.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is now mulling policies to curb the use of plastic for online delivery items. The BBMP’s plastics committee is thinking about making reusable materials for online delivery services mandatory. BBMP Assistant Commissioner for Solid Waste Management and the chairperson of the plastics committee Randeep Dev told TNM that the BBMP is looking at two options – either enforcing a policy on reusables, or making it mandatory for delivery services to take responsibility for recycling the plastic items used for deliveries. “When the topic of using reusable items for food delivery was discussed with stakeholders, they said that liquid items like curries cannot be transported using reusable items. If plastics are being introduced, then those who are introducing these plastic items into the environment, must take up responsibility to recycle it,” Randeep said. However, the BBMP is looking to hold talks with stakeholders of online delivery services like Myntra and Flipkart to see if reusables materials can be used for packaging items. “Clothes and other items can be packaged with items other than plastic. Everyone must become responsible in plastic usage and must try to avoid using plastic as much as possible. We are discussing what is to be done in this regard and will have a comprehensive policy in a couple of months,” Randeep added. According to BBMP officials, Bengaluru currently produces 5,757 tonnes of garbage per day – double what it produced just two years ago. Of this, 28% is dry waste and over 15% of the dry waste is plastic. “The amount of plastic the city is generating in the last ten years had quadrupled. This is because of the online delivery services and the plastics used in packaging. Be it Amazon, Swiggy, Flipkart or other brands. Online delivery boom has also had a major fallout. Although Swiggy and Zomato have introduced certain measures to cut down plastic use, it is simply not enough. Those running these businesses must become conscious of the repercussions,” a senior BBMP official said.  The BBMP has appointed 233 marshals for enforcing the plastic ban that has been effective since Sunday. In addition, health inspectors including Assistant Executive Engineers and Medical Officers of Health in each ward will also be monitoring the sale and use of plastic. “Even normal people who are seen carrying banned plastic items will be fined. The plastic marshals and health inspectors will be given machines, where they will have to enter the details of the person and impose a fine on them immediately,” Randeep added. Read: Is the waste from your online deliveries choking Bengaluru?    

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With 4.58 lakh travellers on Friday, Bengaluru Metro reaches new milestone

While there is an issue of overcrowding, the metro faces instances of snags resulting in temporary stoppage of services.

TNM Staff

PTI/ File image

In another ridership milestone, Namma Metro in Bengaluru transported 4.58 lakh (4,58, 238) people in a single day on Friday ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, making it the busiest day for the public transport service. This was higher than the previous record (4,52, 563) achieved just two weeks ago on the occasion of the annual and popular flower show held in Lal Bagh ahead of the Independence Day. Incidentally, the highest ridership day in 2018 was also the pre-Independence Day week with the highest ridership coming on August 13 at 4.25 lakh (4,25,198). Currently the city has two metro lines as part of phase 1 interconnected at the Majestic station. While the Green Line between Nagasandra-Yelachenahalli spans 24.22 km, the Purple Line between Byappanahalli-Mysore Road runs for 18.08 km.  The Bengaluru metro train service was inaugurated seven years ago. Only one train in the Green Line has six-car trains as of now -- all the other trains in this line run with three coaches. There has been a consistent demand from riders for newer six-car trains especially with crowds increasing during peak hours, as more passengers opt for the metro to travel in and out of the Central Business District. BMRCL MD Ajay Seth had earlier said that all trains in the metro will be converted to six car trains only by March 2020. However activists closely following the matter wonder if the metro that has been prone to many delays will manage to stick to this deadline.  Speaking to TNM earlier, experts had that if the metro could convert all its trains into six-coach trains and operate with a three-minute headway, the designed capacity of the metro could double to 8 lakh passengers in a day . “A lot of investment has happened, but due to the lax approach of the BMRCL, it is not being utilised properly. They are delaying the acquisition of additional coaches, and connections to bus stops and railway stations are not being done making it easy to use,” Sanjeev Dhyamanavar had said. While there is an issue of overcrowding, the metro faces instances of snags resulting in temporary stoppage of services. Incidentally on Saturday evening, there was an hour-long interruption on the Purple Line. Due to this, passengers travelling from Baiyapannhali side were forced to get down at Vijayanagara and trains again went back at Baiyappanahalli from Vijayanagar. BMRCL in a statement, said, “Due to a technical failure at Mysore Road station at 6.43pm, short loops services were done between Baiyappanahalli & Vijayanagar stations. Full services normalised at 7.38pm. Inconvenience caused is regretted."

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Bengaluru woman allegedly murdered father as he objected to her affair, arrested

Crime

Police have also arrested her paramour and another accomplice.

TNM Staff

A woman in Bengaluru was arrested on Saturday by police in Hassan district for allegedly murdering her father with the help of her paramour and his accomplice. The other two accused are also in the custody of the police. The accused trio are all residents of Byadarahalli and nearby areas in the city. The Times of India reported that the woman has been identified as Vidya. The police said she allegedly killed her father Muniraju with the help of Chidananada, her paramour and his accomplice Raghu. According to the police, Muniraju was a cab driver. The Alur police in Hassan started investigating the murder on August 26 after they found Muniraju’s body in the backwaters of Hemavathi in Hassan district’s Maniganahalli.  Police said the body had ligature marks and evident signs of stabbing. He was reportedly murdered on August 23.  Incidentally, VIdya had given a missing complaint’s case in Bengaluru and subsequently identified the body when Alur police discovered the body. After beginning their probe, the police tracked call records of Muniraju, which led them to Chidananda.  After being picked up by police, Chidananda spilled the beans during interrogation and said that Vidya had given him Rs 15 lakh to kill her father. Vidya was unhappy with her father objecting to her relationship with Chidananda. A Daijiworld report said that Muniraju did not approve Vidya being with Chidananda and told her to end the relationship as she was married for the second time. Vidya was unhappy with her father objecting to her relationship with Chidananda which led her to plot the murder. Police said Muniraju was killed with the help of an axe, cable and a knife.  

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With no bridge or road, these K’taka villagers travel in coracle to cross river each day

Infrastructure

The alternative route by land from Holekudige village of Chikkamagaluru district, too, has been encroached by a sprawling estate.

Harsha Raj Gatty

On Wednesday, 29-year-old Raghavendra, who was suffering from jaundice, was declared dead by a hospital in Mangaluru. To perform his last rites, the family had to take the body to their native at Holekudige village in Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru district, which is about 165 kms from Mangaluru.  However, in order to take Raghavendra’s body to his village, his family had to travel 1 km through River Bhadra in a coracle. According to the residents, the village has never seen a bridge. As a result, the locals have to row about 1 km to access the mainland on any given day. “This has been our life for close to three decades now. There is neither a bridge to cross the river nor proper road connectivity to reach the village, without taking any risks. We have been depending on the coracle for decades,” Chetan, a neighbour of Raghavendra, told TNM. Raghavendra's body being carried across the river in a coracle For about 20 families of Holekudige village, the monsoon’s fury means being cut-off from rest of the word. The locals claimed that the monsoon season has, time and again, has exposed the lack of road connectivity in the Malnad area of Chikkamagaluru. “When the river is in spate during heavy rainfall, we cannot even cross the river even using coracle. Even children are unable to attend the schools for several days,” Kumar, another resident added. There is an alternative route via land, which passes through their village and connects to the nearby Magundi village. However, this route, the locals say, has been encroached by an influential estate owner. The sprawling estate has a fence extension that blocks the route completely. “If we had access through this route, we could have reached Magundi and subsequently to other locations,” says Kumar. Residents said that their repeated pleas to the district administration and taluk authorities for road connectivity to the village have not yielded any result. No action has also been taken by the successive governments to build a bridge. “We have repeatedly brought it to the notice of the government agencies, including the Forest Department, but they don’t seem to show any will at all in reclaiming the land,” a local resident said. Ultimately, the villagers have taken the matter to the jurisdictional court. Deputy Commissioner of Chikkamagaluru Bagadi Gautham reiterated that on previous occasions, the Forest Department told the owner of the estate to vacate the land. “But the owner had obtained a ‘stay order’ from the jurisdictional court against clearing the encroachment. Unless the stay is lifted, we will not be able to take action against the landlord,” he told TNM. While recollecting how an old man was made to sit on the plastic chair and was taken in a coracle to reach the hospital for treatment, Chetan adds, “Our condition is pathetic; we wonder about our independence, what have we attained from freeing ourselves from British 72 years ago? Our elected representatives continue to neglect our basic requirements and force us to face unseen eventualities and threat each day.” When TNM contacted Mudigere MLA MP Kumaraswamy, he said that he is in discussion with the local authorities and the state government to make temporary arrangement for the villagers. “The plan is to draw a hanging bridge over the Bhadra river. This bridge would connect them from Holekudige village to the nearby Vannekoodige settlement near Horanadu (which is about 1.5 kms from the mainland),” he said. Story by Story Infinity (Subs and Scribes Media Ventures LLP.)

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A year on, proposal to launch 100 bike ambulances in Bengaluru remains in limbo

Administration

Bike ambulances can address emergencies much quicker compared to traditional four-wheeler ambulances during peak hours.

Soumya Chatterjee

Like many of the promises made by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and governments in general, the proposal of introducing 100 bike ambulances in Bengaluru has not taken off even after more than a year since it was announced. In January 2018, Mujahid Pasha, the then Chairman of BBMP Standing Committee on Health, had said that the BBMP-run bike ambulances would be ready to hit the roads by end of the year. Read: In Bengaluru's clogged roads, 100 bike ambulances to attend to emergencies The proposal meant that Rs 1 crore of capital expenditure would be done by the BBMP to procure 100 vehicles, from the previous year’s budget of Rs 3 crore allocated for procuring hearse vans. The corporators in the BBMP council had also spoken of buying a few scooters for encouraging women paramedics. Officials of the BBMP’s health department confirmed that there have been no steps taken to make the proposal a reality so far. BBMP's Chief Health officer Dr Vijayendra told TNM, “The services have not started yet. I do not know what is the reason for the delay before my appointment. I have taken the role two months back, I am trying to pursue the matter.” The number of bike ambulances in Bengaluru currently stands at 19. Those are run by the “108” service and the numbers have not increased since 2015. In 2015, the state government’s health department, in a unique initiative, had launched 19 bike ambulances for the city to come to the rescue of accident victims. Non-profit organisation GVK-EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) which runs the operations of the 108 ambulance service in partnership with the state government, says that bike ambulances are very effective.  “Whenever there is an accident, these vehicles come in handy to provide first aid and if necessary to transport patients to hospitals. They can do the job much quicker. Except they can’t be deployed to handle complicated cases of pregnancy or cardiac arrest,” Mohammad Asif, Program Manager at GVK-EMRI had earlier told TNM.

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Coffee Day board appoints ex-CBI official to probe VG Siddhartha's letter

Crime

New Delhi-based Agastya Legal LLP will assist Malhotra in the investigation into the contents of the two-page letter found in Siddhartha's office in the city on July 30 .

IANS

Former CBI top official Ashok Kumar Malhotra will investigate the letter that Cafe Coffee Day owner V.G. Siddhartha purportedly wrote to the company's board on July 27, two days before he went missing and was then found dead on July 31, a CCD official said on Saturday. "Though the board on August 8 appointed global audit firm Ernst & Young (E&Y) to investigate the letter's contents, it has decided to engage Malhotra's services after the former recused itself from the probe citing conflict of interest," the official told IANS here. Malhotra is a retired Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). E&Y was also to scrutinise the books of accounts of the company and its subsidiaries. "As E&Y is also our external auditor, adviser on taxation, providing software and does due diligence of the company and its subsidiaries, a conflict of interest was found in probing the letter," said the official, citing a regulatory filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange. New Delhi-based Agastya Legal LLP will assist Malhotra in the investigation into the contents of the two-page letter found in Siddhartha's office in the city on July 30 when a search was carried to find out if he left any suicide note. Siddhartha, 60, is alleged to have committed suicide on July 29 night by jumping off the road bridge into the Netravathi river, as his body was found on its banks on July 31 morning. In the signed letter, Siddhartha claims to be solely responsible for all the mistakes he apparently committed. "I am solely responsible for all mistakes. Every financial transaction is my responsibility. My team, auditors and senior management are totally unaware of all my transactions. The law should hold me, and only me accountable, as I have withheld this information from everybody including my family," the letter, which was found in Siddhartha's table drawer, said. The state police is investigating the case to ascertain what drove Siddhartha to commit suicide, and a forensic audit of his personal accounts and company books will reveal the mistakes he claims to have made and the transactions his team, auditors and senior management were unaware of. The Income Tax department, which was inspecting his office and personal accounts for compliances, claimed Siddhartha's signature in the letter was not the same as in his annual reports, though the company's board confirmed that it was authentic. "My intention was never to cheat or mislead anybody, I have failed as an entrepreneur. This is my sincere submission, I hope someday you will understand, forgive and pardon me," said Siddhartha, sounding apologetic for omissions and commissions that ended his life. Malhotra handled high profile cases ranging from investigations involving banks and securities-related cases of late stockbroker Harshad Mehta. "Malhotra shall appoint and take support of any other professional/firm to expedite the investigation into the letter," added the filing.

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CBI registers case over allegations of phone-tapping during Karnataka’s Cong-JD(S) govt

Controversy

An official said, "A team of CBI official has gone to Bengaluru to collect all the related documents related to the probe into illegal phone tapping case from the Karnataka Police."

IANS

In a major trouble for the former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, the Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case of alleged illegal phone-tapping against several unknown public servants and others on the request of the ruling BJP state government. The CBI registered the case on Friday under several sections of the Information Technology Act against unknown public servants and others on the basis of a letter from the Karnataka government dated August 20. According to the state government order, the CBI was asked to probe associates and relatives of political leaders belonging to the ruling and the opposition, besides government servants whose phones were tapped.  A CBI official told IANS: "A team of CBI official has gone to Bengaluru to collect all the related documents related to the probe into illegal phone tapping case from the Karnataka Police." The order further said that because of illegal phone tapping in the state, it is apprehended that crucial and personal information of many senior political leaders and government servants might have been leaked, which is likely to infringe upon their right to privacy. The CBI action comes after Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa earlier this month had recommended a CBI probe into the allegations that the phones of several Opposition leaders, ruling party leaders, their relatives and public servants were illegally tapped during the previous JD-S-Congress regime in the state. "All political leaders, including Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah, has sought a high-level probe into the scandal. So I have ordered a CBI probe into it," Yediyurappa had said in Bengaluru. After the leak of an alleged intercepted conversation, the Bengaluru Police also registered an FIR on August 19. Joint Commissioner (Crime Bengaluru) Sandeep Patil also submitted an interim report, suggesting a high-level probe into the matter. Former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy has been accused of sanctioning phone tapping during his tenure when his government was facing crisis after a series of resignation by 17 MLAs of then ruling combine of Congress and Janata Dal-Secular. Kumaraswamy had denied the charge.        

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