To increase passenger capacity, Bengaluru metro adds more cars to its Green Line trains

Transport

While three-car trains carry 975 passengers at a time, the six-car trains carry 2,000 passengers.

TNM Staff

In what will be a boost to Bengaluru’s metro rail usage, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has converted two three-car trains to six-car trains on the Green Line (the Nagasandra-Yelachenahalli route) from Monday. With this, the number of six-car trains is now eight.  Out of the 18 trains plying the Nagasandra-Yelachenahalli route, the rest 10 are three-car. All 18 trains on the Purple line (Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru Road) are six-car trains.  Passengers plying the Green Line route have been complaining of crowding during peak hours as the capacity of the trains have only increased partially since the operations began, while all trains on the Purple Line have been converted to six-car trains.   Until June 2018, all Namma Metro trains plying in the city consisted of three coaches with a total capacity of 975 passengers at a given time. This caused a space crunch during peak hours. The six-car train, in comparison, can accommodate as many as 2,000 passengers. The six-car trains are expected to ease the rush hour journeys. The first compartment is reserved for women in all six-car trains. This additional capacity is also expected to increase the average daily ridership of the Bengaluru metro, which is now at around 4.54 lakh across the Purple and Green Lines.  While the Green Line between Nagasandra and Yelachenahalli spans 24.22 km, the Purple Line between Baiyyappanahalli and Mysore Road runs for 18.08 km. However, ridership has been consistently higher for the Purple Line than the Green Line. Recently, the metro had reached its highest ridership on the eve of Deepavali when more than 4.83 lakh people used the metro. Out of these, the Purple Line recorded 2.63 lakh passengers, while the Green Line saw 2.19 lakh passengers.  By March 2020, the metro rail authority is expecting to ready 50 six-car trains for the two lines together.

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4 killed in accident near Bengaluru as drunk two-wheeler rider tries to overtake truck

Accident

Police said that the truck driver had fled after the accident.

TNM Staff

A truck ran over four persons including a Bengaluru-based businessman and his wife, in an accident that involved two scooters on the Tumakuru-Doddaballapura Road on Sunday afternoon. Satish (54) and his wife (Shantamma), were on their way home in Someshwar Badavane on their Honda Activa on Sunday afternoon when a truck driver tried to avoid another scooter, that was trying to overtake him and rammed into the Activa, TOI reported. Manjunath S (35) and Narasimha Murthy M (32), both painters from Ajjanakatte village in Doddaballapura, were trying to overtake the truck when the accident took place at around 1.45 pm at Menasi village.   Bengaluru Rural SP, Sajeeth told TNM that Shanthamma and Satish had gone for a family function and were on their way back home, when the incident occurred. “The truck, and two scooters were travelling in the same direction and were coming from Dobbaspet. Satish and Shanthamma were riding on the Activa and Manjunath and Narasimhamurthy were on a Yamaha Fascino scooter. The two men on the Yamaha were drunk,” he said. SP Sajeeth said that Manjunath was riding the Yamaha scooter and tried to overtake the truck from the right side. The truck driver tried to make way for Manjunath’s scooter to pass. However, he did not notice the Activa at the tailend on the left and hit the scooter. The Honda Activa came under the wheels of the truck and the couple was crushed to death, SP Sajeeth added. Manjunath, who tried to overtake the truck also lost control of the two-wheeler and rammed into the truck. His vehicle also came under the truck’s wheels and the two men on the scooter too died on the spot, he added. “Manjunath and Narasimhamurthy had gone to a friend’s house in a nearby village. The two men had also hit a pedestrian near a petrol pump nearby. We contacted their friends who confirmed that the two men were drunk,” he added. “The truck driver had left the spot by the time we arrived. We are tracking him down and will make an arrest soon,” SP Sajeeth added.    

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‘BJP will win bye-polls in all 15 constituencies’: CM Yediyurappa

Politics

Speaking at a campaign in Shivajinagar, the CM also rubbished claims of a possible Congress-JD(S) alliance post the bye-polls.

PTI

Ahead of the bye-elections which will be held in Karnataka on December 5, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Sunday asserted that the BJP’s candidates in all the 15 assembly constituencies going to polls would all be victorious. "People will give them the answer, once the results are out Congress and JD(S) will realise that people are with us (BJP)," Yediyurappa said. Speaking to reporters during campaign in poll bound Shivajinagar assembly segment here, he said, he was 100 per cent confident that BJP candidates would win all 15 constituencies going for by-elections. The senior BJP leader also rubbished claims of a possible post bye-poll alliance between Congress and JD(S) leaders in Karnataka. “Such talks don’t have any value. Those who are insane are saying such things and it doesn’t have value,” he said to a query about the possibility of a coalition between the BJP’s opponent parties. Sounding upbeat after forming a coalition government in neighboring Maharashtra, the Congress in Karnataka made it clear that it was not averse to joining hands with JD(S) once again, in case the ruling BJP fails to garner required number of seats to remain in majority, after December 5 bypolls. JD(S) leaders have already dropped enough hits about the party being open to such a possibility. Later in the day, speaking to media in Belagavi, Yediyurappa said, 100 per cent there would be political polarisation in the state after the bypolls as claimed by the Congress, as they would bite the dust and remain in opposition, while BJP would continue to govern the state for remaining 3.5 years. "Once the results are out on December 9 it will be clear, people will teach a lesson to Congress and JD(S) leaders. People have decided that Yediyurappa should be given an opportunity for remaining 3.5 years," he said, adding Congress and its leader Siddaramaiah were "day dreaming" about coming to power and becoming Chief Minister. The ruling BJP, led by Yediyurappa needs to win at least six seats in the bypolls to 15 constituencies to remain in a majority in the 224-member assembly, which would still have two vacant seats-- Maski and R R Nagar. Among 15 constituencies going to the bypolls, 12 were held by Congress and three by JD(S), whose coalition government collapsed due to rebellion by the disqualified MLAs. With winning majority of seats being crucial for the government's survival, BJP has fielded 13 of the 16 disqualified legislators who joined the party as its candidates from their respective constituencies.

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Bengaluru man, 2 others arrested for abducting cousin for Rs 50 lakh ransom

Crime

Moin Khan was allegedly upset with his father and uncle for not allowing him to take over the management of the family restaurant.

TNM Staff

The Bengaluru Police on Sunday arrested a 32-year-old man for allegedly abducting his 13-year-old cousin and demanding a ransom of Rs 50 lakh. The Banaswadi police, who nabbed Moin Khan, rescued the boy within 12 hours of receiving the ransom call. Moin Khan was allegedly upset with his father and uncle for not allowing him to take over management of running their family restaurant. An aspiring hotelier, Moin Khan allegedly decided to set up his own business with the ransom money, TOI reported. The Banaswadi Police arrested Moin Khan and two autorickshaw drivers, Ayaz (35) and Mubarak (30) for allegedly assisting Moin in the abduction. The little boy is the son of Javed Ali, Moin’s uncle. At around 2.30 pm on Saturday, allegedly upon Moin’s instructions, Ayaz and Mubarak drove a car and stopped at the street where the boy’s house is located. While he was playing outside, Ayaz and Mubarak allegedly asked him the directions to the family restaurant and asked the boy if he would guide them. The boy allegedly got into the car and the duo took him to a house in KG Halli, The Hindu reported. Ayaz and Mubarak then called Javed Ali and informed him that his son had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh, The Hindu reported. Banaswadi Police say that Javed Ali initially disregarded the phone call as a prank and did not believe Ayaz and Mubarak. However, a few minutes after the phone call, Javed received a message on WhatsApp, which contained the picture of his son and a ransom demand. The message also instructed Javed to pay the ransom of Rs 50 lakh within 12 hours. An unsuspecting Javed reached out to Moin Khan for help and the duo went to Banaswadi Police Station and filed a complaint. “The accused was trying to mislead the investigation. To divert us from suspecting him, he kept misleading the probe,” Banaswadi police told TNM. The Banaswadi Police formed three teams under ACP Ravi Prasad and began checking Javed’s call record details. After finding the number, they extracted call records of the abductors’ phones and found that they were in touch with someone within the police station,” The Hindu reported. The Banaswadi police immediately took Moin Khan into custody and began interrogating him on the suspicion that he contracted the abduction. By 5.30 pm, Moin had given up the boy’s location to the police. The Banaswadi Police reached the spot in KG Halli, where the boy was held captive. Mubarak allegedly tried to assault the cops when they opened fire and injured his leg. According to the TOI report, Moin’s father and Javed had allegedly refrained from handing over the responsibility of running the business to Moin. He allegedly promised Rs 3 lakh to Ayaz and Mubarak and had decided to open his own restaurant with the ransom money. Moin allegedly offered the names of Javed’s rivals by giving the police information about former employees of the restaurant, who may have held a grudge against Javed. Moin, Ayaz and Mubarak have been booked under sections 359 (kidnapping), 186 (obstructing a public servant from performing duty) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.  

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42-year-old US national surrenders for shooting Indian man in California

Crime

Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Saturday visited the family of 25-year-old Abhishek, who lived in Mysuru.

Soumya Chatterjee

Two days after 25-year-old Mysuru man Abhishek Sudesh Bhat was shot dead in California in the United States, police have arrested a suspect after he himself turned him in. The accused has been identified as 42-year-old Eric Devon Turner, reported San Bernardino Sun. The reason or motive for the crime is yet to be ascertained. San Bernardino police are yet to give a formal statement other than the arrest was made after Eric turned himself in. Abhishek was studying for his Masters degree in Computer Science from California State University (CSU) in San Bernardino and worked part-time in a motel. Multiple reports said that Abhishek was killed as he had objected to Eric overstaying on his property. His colleagues in the establishment had found him lying in a pool of blood at around 11:30 pm local time. Also read: Indian man studying in California shot dead by unknown assailant It was earlier reported that he had completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Vidya Vikas Institute of Engineering and Technology in Mysuru and had shifted to the US around 18 months ago to pursue higher education. He was president of Kuvempunagar in Mysuru and is survived by his family comprising of his father Sudesh Chand, who is a yoga instructor at the Upanishad Yoga Centre in Kuvempunagar, and mother, Nandini Aithal, who is a housewife. Speaking to Star of Mysore, “After killing Abhishek, the killer fled towards Los Angeles in a vehicle and efforts are on to nab him,” Ramnath, a member of the family said. He added that the local police in the US have informed the family that the post mortem procedures will take another eight days and further details about the cause of death will only emerge after December 9. The family was visited by Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Saturday who assured that the government will help in every possible way. The family has expressed their wish to carry out the final rites there itself but they are yet to be given a go-ahead by the US and Indian authorities. Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha had also offered help and assured that he had held talks with top leaders of the government to expedite the family’s passage to the US.

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Karnataka bye-polls: Not averse to joining hands with JD(S) again, says Congress

Politics

In the upcoming bye-polls, the BJP needs to win at least six out of 15 seats to remain in power.

PTI

Sounding upbeat after forming a coalition government in Maharashtra, the Congress in Karnataka made it clear on Sunday that it was not averse to joining hands with JD(S) once again, in case the ruling BJP fails to garner required number of seats to be in majority after the December 5 bypolls. JD(S) leaders have already dropped enough hints about the party being open to such a possibility. The Congress and JD(S), who ran a coalition government for 14 months in the state and contested Lok Sabha polls in alliance, parted ways after the collapse of the HD Kumaraswamy ministry in July following the rebellion by 17 MLAs, and are contesting the bye-polls independently. The ruling BJP, led by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, needs to win at least six seats in the bypolls to 15 constituencies to remain in a majority in the 224-member assembly, which would still have two vacant seats -- Maski and RR Nagar. "In order to protect the constitution, democracy and to provide social justice with secular principles, when the situation arises, we will take necessary steps after discussing with our allies and UPA partners on such a matter," veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said. Speaking to reporters, he said, "Let's see what happens in the future... winning in 15 seats is what we are looking for.. we will let you know. We will give you a correct picture on December 9.. we will give you good news." Kharge, who is also Congress General Secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, where the party formed a coalition government in alliance with Shiv Sena and NCP and successfully managed to keep BJP out of power, noted that the party took such a decision in the neighboring state to "protect" democracy and in the interest of the people. "Look at Maharashtra, where Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have formed a government together. To tell you the truth, our President (Sonia Gandhi) was not in favour of it and wanted us to be in opposition, but the people, parties with progressive thinking told us to look at keeping BJP away from power..," he said. Under pressure from legislators, and other parties including leftist parties, a decision was taken with an intention to keep out BJP, which is "fascist" and functions against the democracy, he added. Another senior Congress leader G Parameshwara too said there was a possibility for Congress and JD(S) coming together if the situation arises, and it would be examined and decided by the high command. He said, "After results are out on December 9, if Congress gets more seats and BJP gets less, government will collapse, then we will have two options - one not forming the government and staying out, while the second was to join hands with JD(S) to form a coalition government again." "There is possibility of coming together.. Are we in a position to face mid term polls immediately? Should we impose another election on the people? I think we may look at the possibilities of going for a coalition government once again, but the decision will be taken by the high command looking at pros and cons, as they did in Maharashtra," he added. Parameshwara, a former state Congress chief was the Deputy Chief Minister in the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by Kumaraswamy. JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda in a cryptic remark made in the context of the by-polls had recently said Congress President Sonia Gandhi's decision after the bypolls should be watched out for, leading to speculation about the possible coming together of the two parties once again, if the situation arose. Gowda's son Kumaraswamy too had said there would be a stable government in the state after the bypolls, but not necessarily that of BJP, as he asked media persons to wait for December 9 bypoll results.

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Bodies of Kerala techie couple found in Bengaluru, families to be questioned

Crime

The couple, who were reportedly upset over opposition to their marriage from their families, had gone missing a few weeks ago.

Soumya Chatterjee

Sreedevi Jayarajan

Police in Bengaluru are set to probe the families of a couple from Kerala whose decomposed bodies were found on November 29. The couple, who were reportedly upset over oppostion to their marriage from their families, had gone missing a few weeks ago. The couple, Abhijit Mohan (25 years old) and Srilakshmi (21 years old), both hailing from Thrissur district, were working with an IT major in Electronic City in Bengaluru. Their death came to light only when a shepherd found their highly decomposed bodies on November 29 and alerted the police. Hebbagodi police in rural Bengaluru district have so far registered only a case of unnatural death. The exact time and cause of their death is yet to be ascertained. Speaking to TNM, the investigating officer Shankar M, said, “The couple went missing 40 days ago from the Parappana Agrahara police station jurisdiction where they were both staying. The family of the woman filed a missing persons complaint in this station. Three days ago we found the bodies from the bushes in the Chintala Madiwala area in Anekal taluk. Their bodies were found near the bushes in an open area. Both bodies were highly decomposed.” Abhijit and Srilakshmi were staying in different paying guest accommodations in Parappana Agrahara Police Station limits near the Central Jail. According to reports, her family had opposed the marriage and also threatened action against Abhijit. The last call that Srilakshmi made to her family was on October 9. On October 11, the couple went missing. Based on a missing person’s complaint from Srilakshmi’s family, police had tried to trace their mobile phone locations, but failed. Even meeting their friends and colleagues yielded no results. According to one report, Srilakshmi contacted her uncle on November 23 and said thanked the family for torturing them. She became incommunicado after this.  The couple were reportedly moving locations and lived in various lodges in Electronic City and Whitefield areas of greater Bengaluru from the time they disappeared. The IO added, “We are still awaiting the post-mortem report. Based on that we will plan our investigations. We will go to Kerala in the coming days. There is nothing more that we can share as of now.” He also confirmed that no family members have been questioned yet.  "If we find enough proof we will add the charge of abetment to suicide," the IO said.

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If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. 

 

Tamil Nadu: 

State health department suicide helpline number - 104

Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in TN)

 

Telangana:  

Telangana government suicide prevention toll free no - 104 

Roshni- 040-66202000, 66202001

SEVA- 09441778290, 040 - 27504682 (between 9 AM and 7 PM) 

 

Karnataka:

Sahai : 24-hour helpline numbers: 080- 65000111, 080-65000222

 

Kerala:

Maithri helpline - 0484-2540530

Chaithram helpline: 0484-2361161

Both are 24-hour helpline numbers. 

 

Andhra Pradesh: 

Life Suicide Prevention Helpline No.78930-78930 

Roshni - 

Helpline 1: 9166202000 

Helpline 2: 9127848584

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