After Sumanahalli, another Bengaluru flyover on verge of developing hole

Civic Issues

Meanwhile, the Sumanahali flyover has been closed for vehicular movement until the hole is fixed.

TNM Staff

The gaping hole in the Sumanahalli flyover has raised several questions about the Bengaluru civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s oversight in maintaining the city’s infrastructure. Soon after the Sumanahali flyover incident was reported, alert residents of the city’s Gorguntepalya locality (near Yeshwantpur) have now raised concerns over the condition of the Gorguntepalya flyover. Like the Sumanahali flyover, there are several potholes with the iron rods exposed on the Gorguntepalya flyover. It is only a matter of time before the concrete chips off and the potholes turn into a hole. The Gorguntepalya flyover connects BEL Road to Tumakuru Road via the Outer Ring Road. The flyover is located across the railway bridge near Yeshwanthpur.  Narendranath, a resident of Gorguntepalya who uses the flyover for commute every day, says that he noticed that the concrete had chipped off the flyover and the iron rods that hold the concrete together were visible, especially at the gradient level. Speaking to TNM, BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar says that the contractors have been brought in to fix both the flyovers. “Both Sumanahalli and Gorguntepalya flyovers were constructed when it was being managed by the BDA (Bengaluru Development Authority). On Saturday, when I had gone for inspection of Sumanahalli, I also conducted an inspection of the Gorguntepalya flyover. There was a pothole, with the concrete chipped off due to heavy rains. It is being fixed now,” he said. While some potholes have been fixed, many are yet to be repaired. ‘Will inspect Sumanahalli flyover’ Commissioner Anil Kumar said that the Sumanahalli flyover, which was constructed in 2010, was being maintained by the BDA until it was handed over to the BBMP in 2016. The Gorguntepalya flyover was also handed over to BBMP at the same time.  “In 2016, when the transition happened, officials were supposed to conduct inspections and see whether repairs were required; that did not happen. The Sumanahalli flyover developed potholes eventually and in the recent rains, it was further damaged,” a senior BBMP official said. Even while the repair is underway, the BBMP has also hired Bureau Veritas Pvt Ltd, a company that deals with testing, inspection and certification of big infrastructure projects to conduct a probe into the matter. A team of experts from Bureau Veritas will visit the spot in Sumanahalli on Monday to conduct an inspection. Commissioner Anil Kumar said that the team will check whether the quality of the raw materials used for constructing the flyover was up to the mark and a detailed report would be submitted by the end of the week. “They have to check the original drawings and see what went wrong. The (Sumanahalli) flyover is nine years old and it should not have crumbled so soon. There are many factors that could have led to the erosion of the concrete. The report will give us answers. Once the report comes in and if it proves negligence on behalf of BBMP officials, action will be taken,” Commissioner Anil Kumar said. The Sumanahalli flyover has been closed for 10 days until the hole can be fixed. Read: Hole on a Bengaluru flyover, authorities close it for repair

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With not many options left, Kumaraswamy shows signs of warming up to the BJP

Politics

Behind Kumaraswamy's new strategy is his fear that more prominent members of his party will defect to the BJP.

Theja Ram

Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday said that he does not want the ruling BJP government to fall owing to the issue of flood relief. With the bye-elections slated to be held on December 5, there is much pressure on the BJP to win at least eight out of the 15 segments to retain power. Behind Kumaraswamy's new strategy of wishing well for the BJP government is his fear that more prominent members of his party will defect to the BJP. Several disgruntled JD(S) leaders including party loyalist and Chamundeshwari MLA GT Devegowda are reportedly in talks with the saffron party. “The bye-elections are coming up and we will contest independently. We don’t want another election and the current government should not fall or be unstable because there is much work to be done in terms of flood relief. For the sake of the victims, if need be, I am willing to support the government in any way I can,” he told the media on Saturday during an interaction at Press Club. Soon after Kumaraswamy’s statement, JD(S) MLA Basavaraj Horatti on Sunday said that Kumaraswamy may be willing to hold talks with the BJP to extend his support. “Kumaraswamy does not want the government to fall and he may be willing to hold talks with BJP to extend his support,” Basavaraj Horatti said. These ambiguous statements from two top leaders of the JD(S) has led to speculation that the JD(S) may be warming up to the BJP in Karnataka.  The BJP and JD(S) had formed an alliance in 2006 after Kumaraswamy took several JD(S) MLAs to a resort and orchestrated the break up of the Congress-JD(S) coalition. At the time, Kumaraswamy and the then Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (who was with the JD(S)), had a massive fallout. Siddaramaiah had quit JD(S) and had threatened to break up the party. Sources with the JD(S) say that several disgruntled MLCs and legislators have openly expressed their concerns regarding Kumaraswamy’s alleged mismanagement of party affairs to supremo Deve Gowda and have threatened to resign and join the BJP. MLC Basavaraj Horatti has on multiple occasions expressed his displeasure over Kumaraswamy’s ways of handling party affairs. “GT Devegowda is likely to quit and join the BJP. If the BJP does not win enough seats on bye-polls, they may ask a few JD(S) MLAs to resign to balance the numbers. Then, there will have to be another round of bye-polls that Kumaraswamy wants to avoid. Hence, he wants to hold talks with BJP regarding offering support in exchange for not poaching JD(S) MLAs,” a JD(S) leader told TNM. However, BJP sources say that the party does not want to forge any kind of agreement with the JD(S) as past experience has made Yediyurappa wary.  When the JD(S)-BJP alliance was forged in 2006, Kumaraswamy and Yediyurappa had agreed to be Chief Minister for 20 months each. Kumaraswamy became the CM first and when his 20-month period was up, he refused to let go of the Chief Minister’s chair. The alliance broke up soon after.    

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Cong calls for K'taka govt's dismissal, Yediyurappa rubbishes Operation Kamala claims

Politics

A video showing BS Yediyurappa allegedly admitting to carrying out Operation Kamala in the state, on the instructions of BJP's national leaders, had emerged on Friday.

TNM Staff

After a video of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa went viral — in which he is allegedly heard saying that BJP leaders in New Delhi had orchestrated the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition in Karnataka — the CM has clarified that he was asking the BJP party workers in Hubballi to speak respectfully about the disqualified MLAs as they had “sacrificed” their seats in the Assembly to bring down the coalition. A video allegedly showing Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa admitting to carrying out Operation Kamala in the state on the instructions of BJP's national leaders emerged late on Friday night. While the audio was captured, one could not confirm if it was Yediyurappa who was addressing the meeting.   However, on Sunday, BS Yediyurappa told the media, “Yes, I had spoken to the party workers in Hubballi and I told them to say good things about the disqualified MLAs.”   He added, “Everyone knows that they resigned and were staying in Mumbai. They did this because they were not happy with the coalition government. They are responsible for our government to come to power. That’s why I asked the party workers to support them and not create problems for them.”  In the video, which was shot during the BJP core committee meeting in Hubballi, Yediyurappa can be allegedly heard saying: "Don't you know that Yediyurappa took the decision for 17 MLAs? The national leaders knew and they (rebel MLAs) were kept in Mumbai for two months. For three months, they didn't go to their constituency or even see their wives or children. You know that they were there. Whether we win or lose, it is a different issue. We gave it a shot.” Congress demands CM’s dismissal  Several leaders of the Opposition have lashed out against the Chief Minister. Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah has submitted a memorandum to Governor Vajubhai Vala, stating that the 17 disqualified MLAs were coerced into resigning. Members of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) submitted a memorandum to the Governor, seeking Yediyurappa’s dismissal as the Chief Minister. They also demanded the Governor write to President Ramnath Kovind, to take action against Home Minister Amit Shah for his alleged role in toppling the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka. “There is video proof,” Siddaramaiah alleged, “In the core committee meeting, he has clearly stated that he did not carry out Operation Kamala by himself but Amit Shah also helped him. He also said that Amit Shah had taken the responsibility of housing them at a hotel in Mumbai. This is against the Tenth Schedule (of the Indian Constitution). It is unconstitutional and undemocratic. Yediyurappa and Amit Shah are trying to destroy our Constitution.”  Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged that the BJP had bribed the disqualified MLAs into resigning. “Amit Shah helped with Operation Kamala. Yediyurappa himself said it. They bribed the disqualified MLAs and made them resign. We have requested the Governor to dismiss the Yediyurappa government. I hope he makes the right decision,” Dinesh Gundu Rao alleged. Joining the bandwagon, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of misusing democratic institutions to topple the coalition. “We’ll be submitting this clipping to the Supreme Court, where the disqualified MLAs’ case is being heard. Let the court also see what Yediyurappa has done,” he said. BJP defends Yediyurappa BJP leaders, on the other hand, came to Yediyurappa’s rescue and maintained that the rebel leaders had resigned of their own volition. Speaking to the media at Hubballi on Saturday, Deputy CM Ashwathnarayan said that the Congress leaders were misusing the controversy for political mileage. “We don’t know if it’s Yediyurappa’s voice or someone else’s. People (referring to the Congress) levelling false allegations against him is wrong. No one has established the authenticity of that video,” Ashwathnarayan said. However, BJP MP from Belagavi, Suresh Angadi said that Yediyurappa had “only told party workers that the disqualified MLAs resignation had helped BJP come to power”. “He did not say anything about giving them money to resign. He only told party workers that their resignations helped us come to power. The decision to give them tickets is up to the party’s national leaders,” Suresh Angadi said. Even the disgruntled JD(S) MLC (Member of Legislative Council) Basavaraj Horatti in Hubbali defended Yediyurappa’s stand to protect the disqualified MLAs. “I expressed my opinion that CM should protect disqualified MLAs and ensure that justice is done to them for their sacrifice. The CM should keep his word,” he said.    

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How the clean-up drive in Bengaluru’s Richards Town was more than just a spot-fix

Civic issues

The wall that faces Clarence High School in Bengaluru has become one that celebrates a community initiative.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

The wall opposite Clarence High School in Bengaluru’s Richards Town, which was once a fence that was a “black spot” in the locality, has now been spruced up. It used to be a place for disposal of everything from broken commodes, to animal waste. Locals say that it even attracted perverts who would flash their genitals at children, leaving them traumatized. Being adjacent to a railway line, residents say it even used to be a suicide spot. Now, a wall has been built over the eye sore, which both prevents people’s entry, and the throwing of garbage in the vicinity. The resident’s association along with the pourakarmikas cleared the area and compacted some mud to form a footpath, and the railways built a high wall to prevent people from trying to throw their waste over it. The wall is now painted in pastel shades of blue, pink, green and yellow, thanks to the initiative of the Richard’s Town Resident’s Welfare Association, with some help from sponsors, including an arts foundation: India Foundation for the Arts. The paints were contributed by the paint company Asian Paints. It has the children’s art and the words “Richards Town” painted across the wall. Monisha Lobo, a member of the association, said that she was very happy with how the community, including the civic workers rallied together. “We usually hear about how unhappy people are with the BBMP. But they just need to be respected and appreciated, and they’re always willing to go the extra mile for you. The local officials worked overnight when we requested them to fix an overflowing pipe, and the pourakarmikas came early to help clear the place from garbage left by passersby the previous night. Grandchildren of the pourakarmika workers drew our neighbourhood landmarks, and we’re using the help of Clarence students and volunteers from the community to paint their designs,” she said. Aditya Fernandes, an artist, chose the paintings that were to go up. “We took the children around the area and got them to sketch what they saw. They spent time at important architectural landmarks in our locality: the bandstand, the railway station, the church, the old age home, and the pine tree. I liked the simplicity of the younger children’s drawings, and chose them to go on the walls.” As the residents proclaim, “A once garbage-strewn, broken-down railway wall that faces Clarence High School, and marks the entrance to Richards Town, will become a wall that celebrates community initiative, new beginnings and the imagination of Richards Town’s children.” Will more initiatives like this take place in the future? “The next stretch of the wall will have rangoli art from the pourakarmikas themselves, and we’re waiting for that part of the wall to be complete to commence work there,” says Monisha.  

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New expert committee to deliberate on Tipu Sultan chapters in textbooks: K'taka Min

Education

A new committee will discuss whether the chapters on the Mysore king Tipu Sultan should be retained, modified or scrapped completely.

TNM Staff

After Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's statement that the BJP government would "try everything they can" to remove the chapter on Tipu Sultan from school textbooks, the state government is now setting up a new committee to deliberate on the matter. The Department of Primary and Secondary Education has decided to scrap the old committee formed last week and form a new one to discuss whether chapters in school textbooks related to the Mysore king Tipu Sultan should be scrapped entirely, retained or modified. According to The Hindu, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar that the department will finalise the members of the committee and the first meeting will be held on November 7. Suresh Kumar said that the new committee was being formed to include subject-matter experts and also people who are 'neutral', TOI reported.  The decision to form a new committee came as the state government faced flak for not including any subject-matter experts in the earlier committee that was formed. Earlier in October, the Karnataka Textbook Society-empowered committee, was formed which was earlier tasked to decide on the matter. SR Umashankar, Principal Secretary of the Primary and Secondary Education Department said that the Karnataka Textbook Society did not have a panel of experts and experts are consulted only when textbooks are to be framed, the Hindu report added.    Baragur Ramachandrappa, former chairman of the textbook committee, said that the BJP government in 2008 had allegedly formed a committee to decide whether the chapter on Tipu Sultan must be included in the syllabus. At the time, the expert committee had allegedly concluded that the chapter stays, with some minor additions to the existing lesson.  BJP MLA Appachu Ranjan, whose letter to the government to drop Tipu from textbooks kick started the entire controversy, has also been invited to the committee’s meeting on November 7, the report added. However, officials from the Department of Public Instruction have not received an invitation for the meeting. The political controversy was triggered by BJP leader Appachu Ranjan claiming that Tipu Sultan was “anti-Hindu”. The issue was highly politicised after former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made Tipu Jayanti a state-sponsored celebration in 2015.  Soon after Yediyurappa took oath as the Chief Minister on July 26 this year, one of the first moves made by his government was to scrap Tipu Jayanti celebrations. Yediyurappa had on Friday also said that he was "against Tipu Sultan" and that his government would do "everything they can to remove Tipu from school textbooks."  

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Alliance University V-C Ayyappa Dore murder: Bengaluru police make three more arrests

Crime

Police say that the prime accused, Suraj Singh, had offered to pay the three persons Rs 20 lakh each.

Theja Ram

Deceased Alliance University V-C, Ayyappa Dore

The Bengaluru police probing the murder of Ayyappa Dore, the former Vice Chancellor of Aliiance University, have arrested three more persons in connection with the crime. Ayyappa Dore was hacked to death with machetes and knives on the night of October 15 at HMT grounds in Bengaluru's RT Nagar.  Manjunath alias Manju (26), a resident of Bengaluru's JC Nagar; Srinivas (18), from Munireddypalya; and Mahendra (31), from Anekal, were arrested on Saturday. Investigating officers say that the prime accused in the case, Suraj Singh, an employee of Alliance Unversity, hired the trio to allegedly conduct reconnaissance missions before the murder. All three of them are unemployed. “They are all college dropouts and Suraj Singh had offered each person Rs 20 lakh," a senior police official said.  Suraj Singh had allegedly assured them jobs at Alliance University. Manjunath, Mahendra and Srinivas were allegedly in-charge of scouting the area surrounding the grounds and were also in charge of surveilling Ayyappa Dore. "They also arranged for the vehicle that brought in all the accused to HMT grounds. The weapons were also arranged by these three persons," the police official added.  Suraj Singh, who worked as a legal affairs manager for Chancellor Sudhir Angur, had allegedly been promised Rs 1 crore to carry out the murders of Ayyappa Dore and Madhukar Angur, Sudhir's brother. Sudhir had allegedly promised Suraj the money so he could leave the country with his girlfriend, Salma, who is also an accused in the case. Both Sudhir and Suraj were arrested on October 16. “We have questioned Madhukar Angur and he informed us that he had met Ayyappa Dore two days before the murder. Ayyappa Dore had informed Madhukar about his suspicion of being followed and watched all the time. Madhukar told us that he too felt that he was  being followed," the police official added. The police had earlier arrested other accused persons — Ganesh, Sunil Rao, Anil Kumar, Fayaz, Rizwana, Kantharaj, Vinay and Salma.  Police say that Sudhir allegedly confessed to contracting the murder of Ayyappa Dore on October 10 after he received a call from the latter on October 9, where Ayyappa had demanded that Sudhir repay Rs 4.5 crore that he had borrowed from within 24 hours. Sudhir allegedly tasked Suraj to hire men to kill Ayyappa Dore on October 10, after the phone call. Also read: Murdered Alliance Uni ex-VC allegedly had financial tiff with Chancellor Sudhir

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Hole on a Bengaluru flyover, authorities close it for repair

Civic issues

The pothole was noticed on the Summanali flyover that connects Nagarabhavi and Dr Rajkumar Samadhi.

Soumya Chatterjee

A pothole on a flyover in Bengaluru is the latest example of the deplorable condition of the city's civic amenities. The pothole was noticed on the Summanali flyover in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar Zone in the southwestern part of the city. The flyover connects Nagarabhavi and Dr Rajkumar Samadhi. Thankfully, no one was hurt as the concrete from the flyover fell below onto Magadi Road. According to residents nearby, the flyover has been in a bad condition for a long period of time. But now with the iron frames exposed, the Traffic Police  has closed the flyover for vehicular movement. Officials at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike said they will take more than three days to repair the damaged portion. Speaking to TNM, H Balasekhar BBMP Joint Commissioner RR Nagar, said, “It is a 6x4 area on the flyover where the concrete has become weak. It has been replaced and after consulting with experts, it will be patched up. The flyover will be open for traffic in ten days. We noticed it at around 6:30 pm last evening. We went to the spot immediately.” He added, “The admixture or the mixture of the concrete while building the bridge was not right in that particular spot.” As a result, there is increased congestion on Magadi Road which is a state highway. Once the BBMP officials finish work, the bridge will be examined by independent experts before it is opened for traffic again. Prior to this, in October 2018 there were complaints of cracks on the city’s Hebbal flyover and officials addressed the issue once alerted by the public. Over the last few years, there have been numerous complaints of potholes in the city’s flyovers especially on those situated in the Outer Ring Road. This has been attributed to poor engineering by experts.  

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