Broken ‘Pelican’ crossings shows lack of concern for Bengaluru pedestrians: Experts

Civic/ Transport

The pedestrian-controlled road-crossing signals first appeared in the city in 2005.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Pedestrian Light Control Activation (PELICAN) crossings — the pedestrian-controlled road-crossing signals used where there are no signals otherwise — are popular all over the world, and Bengaluru has also tried to implement this system in the city. But many have been broken and unusable for months, and there is the disappointment that nobody respects the pedestrian crossing system. Pelican crossings first appeared in the city in 2005, at busy intersections where people need to cross. Despite that, there is still little awareness of how to use them, or they can’t be used like they should be. In fact, The News Minute has previously reported that drivers don’t stop for the pedestrian crossings, ignoring road users who are rightfully trying to use the pelican crossing system. Read: We tried to use Bengaluru’s new pedestrian crossing system: Here’s what happened Anusha Chitturi with the Foothpath Initiative, a group which works on pedestrian safety, says that first, basic infrastructure should be in place. “On many roads there are no proper demarcations for the people to cross, and this basic infrastructure should be in place before this expensive equipment is used. If people don’t know where to cross and cars don’t even know where to stop, then what is the point? We need more tabletop speed-breakers as well to control the speed of traffic in the city.” She says that the initiative had previously filed an RTI regarding the number of pelican crossings in the city, and got the information that there are 55 such crossings in the city. Out of this, 35 don’t work. Which means that there are only 20 working pelican crossings in the city. “People keep using it, and so it breaks through wear and tear, so some of the pelican crossings are out of use. We are putting out a tender in 2 weeks to fix around 35 pelican crossings in the city.” says Ravikanthe Gowda, the Joint Commissioner of Police for traffic. “In a city where a third of the population walks, the city should take pedestrian safety more seriously. Pedestrians are risking their lives just by walking.” says Pawan Mulukutla, an urban mobility expert. How can the city better accommodate the people who walk? “The time given for crossing should be extended. All people cannot cross within the duration as it is inadequate.” He also went on to say that there should be more pelican crossings at every junction, so that people have the option to cross when they need to. Read: Over 40 per cent of road accident victims in Bengaluru are pedestrians

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Karnataka's financials good in 100 days of BJP rule: CM Yediyurappa

Politics

The BJP government completed 100 days in office on November 2.

IANS

File image

Karnataka's financials in the first 100 days of the BJP government's rule are good and financial discipline is also well maintained, said Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday. "The state's financial situation and tax collection is as per the target in all departments except transport department. Financial discipline is also well maintained," Yediyurappa said to mark the occasion. The 76-year-old Yediyurappa became Chief Minister of the southern state for the fourth time on July 26, days after the JD(S)-Congress coalition government fell on July 23 when its Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy lost the trust vote in the state Legislative Assembly after 17 rebel legislators from both parties resigned and did not attend the 10-day monsoon session. The BJP government completed 100 days in office on November 2. Yediyurappa, who also holds the finance portfolio, however, did not share the financial numbers, including the target set and achieved in the first 100 days of his government. As the over three-month-old fledgling BJP government passed by voice vote on July 29 the state budget for fiscal 2019-20, presented by Kumaraswamy on February 8 before the general election in April-May, the estimates have not changed. Burdened by Rs 12,650-crore farm loan waiver and other exigencies, Kumaraswamy projected a deficit budget for the present fiscal. The estimated tax revenue of Rs 1,18,993 crore, including Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation from the central government was projected to be 11.9 per cent over the revised estimate of fiscal 2018-19. Though the budget has projected Rs 258 crore revenue surplus for 2019-20 as against revised estimate of Rs 194 crore for fiscal 2018-19 and reduced the burden on the capital account to Rs 174 crore from the budget estimate of Rs 579 crore for 2018-19, the budget estimates Rs 687 crore deficit for 2019-20. "We came to power with new concepts for development and to provide corruption-free governance. But sudden floods in two-thirds of the state in August forced us to provide relief works, restore normalcy, provide shelter, housing, essentials and resume services that were disrupted by the trail of disaster by heavy monsoon rains and flooding," said Yediyurappa. Titled "Dina Nooru, Sadhane Nooraru" in Kannada (Hundreds of efforts in 100 days) in the service to the people, the chief minister said the government's priorities changed as floods persisted across the state although the objective to protect their interests remained firm. "In addition to Rs 4,000 to beneficiaries of the Prime Minister's Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana scheme to 25-lakh farmers, we have waived loans of fishermen and weavers to reduce their burden," the chief minister recalled. As Karnataka is the second most arid state after Rajasthan with more dryland for growing crops round the year, the state government has given priority to irrigation to spur the farm growth. "The Union Ministry of Environment has given clearance to Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project in the state's drought-prone northwest districts of Belagavi, Hubli-Dharwad, Gadag and Vijauapura. Work is on for the upper Krishna project to irrigate more farms for boosting production," he added. The BJP government approved the treatment of 1,29,305 patients under the centrally-sponsored Ayushman Bharath Arogya Karnakata scheme during the last 100 days at a cost of Rs 197 crore. The state government has also signed an agreement to allow the state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) to operate and maintain the newly-built Kalburagi airport in the state's northern district, about 650km from Bengaluru. "Bids have been invited for the development of runway at Shivamogga in the state's Malnad region for feeder air connectivity through the state-run Karnataka Industrial Investment Development Corporation (KSIIDC)," said the chief minister. The state cabinet has given consent to build Shivamogga-Shikaripur-Ranibennur railway line in the Malnad region, which falls in the assembly segment of the chief minister. The industries department has approved 34 proposals during the last 3 months with combined investment of Rs 1,414 crore and prospects of generating 8,390 jobs across the southern state.        

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Tree felling, illegal dumping of debris destroying river in Bangalore Uni campus

Environment

In 2017, then University Registrar KN Ningegowda had estimated that more than a thousand acres of the University land was encroached.

Soumya Chatterjee

The Bangalore University campus which is one of the last remaining open spaces in the once Garden City of Bengaluru is now under threat. Along with the destruction of the green habitat, the pristine Vrishabhavathi river which flows through the campus, has turned into a drain in recent years and is being further encroached upon. Illegal dumping of construction debris on the edge of the river and felling of trees at night are the principal reasons, as the civic authorities have turned mute spectators.  TJ Renuka Prasad from the Department of Geology, Bangalore University and coordinator of the Biodiversity Park inside the campus, spotted the miscreants recently and stopped one tractor full of debris from reaching the river bank. “This dumping is going on unabated. The river is shrinking in width as a result of these activities and it will lead to large-scale flooding. This is a matter of real concern for us. The river comes from the north (Peenya  side) and then flows through the campus for 2.2 km and goes along down the Mysore Road. Vehicles are making their way through the unguarded compound of the university premises from Nagarabhavi and Mysore Road sides,” he said. He added, “The most affected area is through a parcel of disputed land near the Gandhi Bhavan behind the NLS (National Law School). I have written to the BBMP Storm Water Drain Department and also requested the University Registrar to complain to the Forest Cell of police.”  Vijay Nishanth, an urban ecologist who visited the spot said that Bangalore University has become a hub for land mafia. “Dumping happens day and night. In every nook and corner, they are dumping the debris and trying to reduce the area of what used to be Vrushabhavathi. Today, it is called Kengeri mori (gutter) because of all this.” “Other than this, there is the issue of sand mining in the river bed which is happening even in broad daylight,” he added. Encroachment of the university land is however not new. Recently, to check these encroachments, the University administration had decided to geo-tag the entire campus with the help of CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds. In 2017, then University Registrar KN Ningegowda had estimated that more than a thousand acres of University land was encroached upon by politicians, BBMP, temple committees and real estate companies. Previously, Renuka Prasad, when he was working as a special officer for land protection (additional charge) in 2012, had also prepared a detailed report on 227 acres of land getting encroached. Read: After four-day search, 66-yr-old Bengaluru woman with cognitive disability found

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3-year-old boy run over by autorickshaw in Karnataka’s Vijayapura, dies

Death

The autorickshaw driver is yet to be arrested.

Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran

A 3-year-old boy from Vijayapura was killed by an autorickshaw when he was crossing the road. The incident took place in the Basavana Bagewadi taluk in Karnataka’s Vijayapura district. CCTV footage shows four persons including the boy walking across the road. But the toddler suddenly dashes across unaccompanied, when an autorickshaw fails to break, colliding into the boy. It drags him a few metres, before it comes to a halt. The three-year-old identified as Bheemangauda M died on the spot. Visuals show onlookers rushing to the spot to help the boy, who was killed.   A complaint has been filed with the Basavana Bagewadi police who are yet to nab the driver responsible for the accident. However, an FIR has yet to be registered, according to the police. Police say the boy was playing on the side of the road when he ran across. Several people took to protesting on the road, demanding for speed breakers to be fixed on the road to prevent such accidents from occurring. Officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) went to the protest site to assess the situation. Earlier in September, a video of a toddler who fell out of a moving jeep and crawled himself to safety was caught by CCTV cameras. The incident took place in Kerala’s Idukki district when the girl’s family was travelling from Palani in Tamil Nadu. After falling out of the jeep, she can be seen crawling across the road to a safe spot on the side. As per reports, an employee at a nearby checkpost noticed the baby on the road and picked her up. The child was later reunited with her family by officials of the forest department. The family had been travelling from Palani to their residence in Kerala when the incident occurred. They were nearing their home in Kambilikandam when they noticed that the child was not in the jeep. 

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Residents use mosque loudspeaker to raise alarm about gas leak in Dakshina Kannada

Gas leak

The residents were also urged to shift to safer areas until the leak was plugged and the issue was resolved.

Prajwal Bhat

Tension prevailed in Karvelu village in Dakshina Kannada on Monday morning when liquified petroleum gas (LPG) started leaking from a tanker travelling on National Highway 75. The tanker came to a halt at Karvelu near Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada around 8:45 am on Monday. Residents of the village noticed that gas was leaking from the tanker and immediately made a public address through the loud speakers of the mosque, which was around 200 metres away from where the tanker was stationed. "There was a lot of smoke coming out from the tanker. We immediately told people of the village to not light gas stoves or burn firewood. It is our luck that nothing untoward happened," says Razak, a resident of the village. The residents were also urged to shift to safer areas until the leak was plugged and the issue was resolved. The leakage was plugged by a Quick Response Team (QRT) which arrived on the spot. "The QRT is kept on stand-by and employed by oil companies for emergencies like this. Members of the team reached the spot and managed to plug the leak. The tanker continued to travel towards Bengaluru after that", a police official from Uppinangady told TNM.  The residents however rued a delay in the fire department's fire engine reaching the spot. The fire department was notified at 8:46 am but due to a roadblock, it arrived at the spot in Karvelu only after 9 am. The delay was confirmed by a police official from Uppinangady. Residents were up in arms about the lack of responsiveness from fire officials. "What if there was an emergency situation? The fire department should be quicker to respond to situations and if there is a road-block, it should be communicated so that a nearby fire department can be alerted", Razak added. National Highway 75 connects Bengaluru with the port city of Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada. All vehicles on the route were diverted to Puttur on Monday morning. 

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After four-day search, 66-yr-old Bengaluru woman with cognitive disability found

Human Interest

66-year-old Uma went missing on Friday on her way to visit a hospital near her house in Sanjaynagar along with her brother.

TNM Staff

After a four-day search, Uma, the 66-year-old Bengaluru woman who went missing on Friday evening, was found on Tuesday. According to her family, Uma has a cognitive disability since childhood. Her family members, who accompanied police officials in the search, said that Uma was found walking towards Abbigere near Chikkabanavara (towards Tumakuru) around 3 pm. "It seems she has gone walking all the way there but she is in good health. She recognised our family members. It is a huge relief to know that she is safe and fine,” Janaki, a family member, told TNM. Abbigere is 8.5 km away from Sanjaynagar in Bengaluru. Before she went missing, Uma was going to visit a hospital, which is a five-minute walk from her house in Sanjaynagar, along with her brother Neelakantan. He had asked Uma to walk ahead to the hospital and that he would follow her. However, by the time Neelakantan reached the hospital, Uma was missing.  Neelakantan's son Mani and daughter-in-law Janaki, who are both software engineers, organised a search party looking for Uma. A missing persons complaint was filed in Sanjaynagar police station.  According to CCTV footages obtained by RT Nagar police, the day she went missing, Uma was seen loitering around in Gangenahalli (Bengaluru South) and then walking towards Mekhri Circle. Around 8.50 pm, she was seen talking to a person on a two-wheeler and then got on to the vehicle. On Monday, Uma was spotted at a rice shop near Abbigere.  The police officials, who kept the family updated, spotted Uma crossing the road towards Geddalahalli on CCTV footage obtained from a shop nearby. Mani and Janaki also sought help from street vendors in Geddalahalli to track Uma, who, by then, had travelled further away from Bengaluru city. Uma was given first-aid and food to eat as soon as she was found, Mani told TNM. 

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BSY audio leak creates rift within party, BJP launches internal probe

Politics

The leak has intensified the rift between Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar.

Theja Ram

The BJP's Karnataka unit has launched an internal probe into the leaked tape that allegedly has the voice of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa stating that the party's national leaders helped orchestrate Operation Kamala. Yediyurappa had however told the media that he was only asking his party workers to speak well of the rebel leaders as their resignations had helped bring the BJP to power. BJP sources say that the internal probe was ordered by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who has instructed state leaders to find out who leaked the video of the party's core committee meeting. Party insiders say that the controversy surrounding the leaked tape has given rise to infighting in the BJP. It has intensified the rift between Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar. The core committee meeting held in Hubballi last week was organised by Jagadish Shettar, who is a legislator from the region. "Yediyurappa has blamed Shettar for not deploying efficient security personnel. He has accused Shettar of trying to sabotage his political career," the source said. Shettar had allegedly handed over the responsibility of handling the security for the event to one of his close associates Mahesh Tenginakai. "Those conducting the internal investigation are of the opinion that the person who shot the video may have been sitting in the last row or standing behind the seating area. So far, they have identified five people as the ones who were sitting in the last row. But there were a lot of party workers who were standing too. There is also suspicion that a Congress plant may have entered the venue to shoot the video," the source said. BJP insiders say that there is suspicion that the tape could have been leaked by Yediyurappa's detractors within the party. "Some of the BJP leaders do not want the rebel leaders to get tickets to contest the bye-elections. There is suspicion that the leak was an attempt at discrediting Yediyurappa's stand that he had nothing to do with the resignations' of the Congress and JD(S) leaders. The high command has issued instructions that internal probe report must remain confidential and that the findings must not be made public until after the bye-elections," a BJP source close to Yediyurappa said. Read: Cong calls for K'taka govt's dismissal, Yediyurappa rubbishes Operation Kamala claims Read: Viral video allegedly shows Karnataka CM Yediyurappa admitting to Operation Kamala                  

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