Vodafone Idea down in Bengaluru, many users take to Twitter to complain

Vodafone Idea

It is suspected that Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) may have been damaged in the city.

Shilpa S Ranipeta

Several Vodafone Idea users across Bengaluru have been facing connectivity issues with little or no signal. Users got a notification on their phones that read, “Temporarily turned off by your carrier for SIM.” Users from Kumaraswamy layout, Indiranagar, Electronic City and Shantala Nagar took to Twitter to complain about a loss of network, no signal, and some reporting that their “voice service has been restricted.” “Vodafone Idea network down for the past 1 hour in Bangalore. When will this be restored,” one user tweeted. Some users said that network has been down for over two hours. Vodafone Idea has been responding to tweets saying that the issue is temporary, and that they are working on it. It is suspected that Optical Fibre Cables (OFC) may have been damaged in the city. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Anil Kumar told TNM that it is on a drive to remove Optical Fibre Cables, which are above the ground.  “We have been asking telecom companies to move their OFC underground. These companies cannot lay OFCs wherever they want on electric poles and trees which make it visually ugly. We cannot differentiate between OFC of different companies and we want to ask Vodafone in which area, the OFC was removed. We don't know which area this has happened. The question of blaming BBMP does not arise,” Anil Kumar said. The BBMP, after amending the permissions given for installing OFCs, had earlier stated that October 15 is the deadline to lay cables underground. This was done to ensure cables are not hung in public places. The BBMP had also fined Airtel and Reliance Jio for digging up newly laid roads in October 2019 to lay OFCs underground. After this issue was resolved, the BBMP gave telecom companies six weeks till February 7 to remove OFCs which are above ground and take them underground. TNM has reached out to Vodafone Idea and will update when it responds. Within hours, #Vodafonedown began trending on Twitter. No network in Bangalore since two hours @VodafoneIN.. Pathetic service. #Vodafonedown #vodafoneidea #vodafoneindia — Manoj Gunasekaran (@manoj_g1992) February 7, 2020 Pathetic experience. How can you guys be so irresponsible? Forget about internet! What are we supposed to do without network? #Vodafonedown — soma (@deadlysoma) February 7, 2020 #Vodafonedown @VodafoneIN Can anyone update why the Vodafone Network in BLR is completely down since an hour now? What's going on? You guys want us to change service provider? Do we get discount on postpaid bills due to no service or you will still charge for full month@TRAI — Shanto Banerjee (@banerjeeshanto) February 7, 2020 @VodafoneIN you should pay penalty to the customers for this downtime #Vodafonedown — Jatin Seth (@imjatinseth) February 7, 2020 #Vodafonedown @VodafoneIN Such pathetic service. No internet connectivity .. This is the era of 5G and you are giving not a single G. — Vizzy (@vizzyno1) February 7, 2020 So I joined Vodafone services thinking they will be better, unfortunately, it is even worse. Network is down in Bangalore!! #Vodafonedown — Toyesh Shukla (@toyeshshukla) February 7, 2020 If you pay the bill a min late you are charged 100 rs.. Who will compensate for this outage?#Vodafonedown @VodafoneIN — shortee1 (@shortee1) February 7, 2020 Vodafone network goes blank across Karnataka. Company says it will take two more hours for it to be restored, blames BBMP for cutting its OFC and disrupting its network. Two terrible service providers having a great day. @VodafoneIN @BBMPCOMM #Vodafonedown — Harish Upadhya (@harishupadhya) February 7, 2020 This network outage is the latest in a whole slew of troubles for the telco, which has been teetering on the verge of collapse, and is desperate need to be bailed out. Following the Supreme Court’s AGR verdict, the company reported the biggest ever quarterly loss in India’s corporate history, and is in need of aid. With both parent companies saying that they will not be infusing any new capital into the Vodafone Idea joint venture, its existence has been in question. Amid this confusion, the company has also rapidly been losing subscribers. With inputs from Prajwal Bhat

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Bengaluru police joins TikTok video sharing platform

Social Media

The Bengaluru Police's entry into TikTok comes after other state and city police departments such as Kerala Police, Uttarakhand Police, Durg Police joined the platform to connect with its citizens.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru Police are known for their quirky and effective social media presence after experimenting with memes and pop culture references in 2017. Now, the city police has debuted on another social media platform - TikTok. The first video uploaded by Bengaluru police highlighted safety with messages like " If you jump the signal, someone may never be able to jump again". The TikTok page also showed a video of Bengaluru South East DCP Isha Pant singing the popular Kannada song 'Jotheyali'. The Bengaluru Police's  entry into TikTok comes after other state and city police departments such as Kerala Police, Uttarakhand Police,  Durg Police joined the platform to connect with its citizens. @blrcitypolice Talent hits a target no one else can hit! Our intention to be with city and citizens! This melody interprets the same... Jotheyali Jothe Jotheyali... ♬ original sound - BENGALURUCITYPOLICE Speaking on the development, Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru Police Commissioner  said, “Bengaluru Police has always believed in the power of social media to build a connect with citizens. We were one of the first city police departments to come onto social media to create fun and informative content. TikTok is the latest platform and has immense potential for us to communicate about social issues in short, creative and engaging videos.“ @blrcitypolice Bengaluru City Police now Officially on TikTok . Follow us Right now. #followtrafficrules ♬ original sound - BENGALURUCITYPOLICE An official from TikTok stated that they were delighted with the news of Bengaluru police joining the platform. “We are delighted to have Bengaluru City Police on TikTok. TikTok as a platform allows for creation of hyper-local content, thus helping law enforcement agencies stay local and relevant in their communication with citizens. In the coming time, we look forward to welcoming more such agencies onto our platform and harnessing the positive impact the platform can have on society,” a TikTok spokesperson said. In 2017, Bengaluru police's other social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter became popular after a marketing company Crowd Kart took over the pages. The social media pages turned Game of Thrones theories into safety tips to reach out to the young audience between the ages of 18 and 30 in the city. Read: Turning GoT theories into safety tips: Bengaluru police’s social media feed has swag  

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Bidar sedition case: MP, state minister justify police action, want school blacklisted

After primary school students in the school in Bidar district staged a play on the CAA and NRC, they were subjected to five rounds of questioning by police officials.

Prajwal Bhat

Justifying the actions of Bidar police, which has come under fire for questioning school children, BJP MP Bhagwanth Khuba and district in-charge minister Prabhu Chauhan criticised Shaheen Primary and High School and asked that the state government blacklist it.  After primary school students in the school in Bidar district staged a play on the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and voiced dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they were subjected to five rounds of questioning by police officials. The widowed mother of an 11-year-old student, who took part in the play, and a teacher of the school were arrested on charges of sedition. Calling the play 'seditious,’ BJP MP from Bidar Bhagwanth Khuba said it was an offence to tell children to shame the country and its laws. "I request that the education department should take action as per the law and this school, which is run like a madrassa, should be banned. The school is disturbing social harmony. If this school is not shut down, then there is no doubt that it will threaten the sovereignty of this country. The education department should blacklist the school and the accused persons should be charged with anti-national activities," reads the statement issued by the MP dated January 27.  Prabhu Chauhan, who is MLA of Aurad and Minister of Animal Husbandry and Minority Welfare, echoed Khuba's words in an interview with a television reporter. "What has happened at Shaheen College should not happen again. An enquiry will happen and it will be found who is responsible," Prabhu Chauhan said.  Reacting to the news of Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad visiting the school, he said, "That is what I am saying. No pimping (bh**wagiri) will be allowed here. I am capable, I will look after my district. So whatever he does, won't work here. Our police is doing very good work. Whoever is guilty will be punished. Shaheen college will not be allowed to go scot-free. Whoever writes dirty things, we will not leave them," he added.  Child rights groups have condemned the police's questioning of school-going students in Bidar. Police officials led by Bidar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Basaveshwar Hira have turned up at the school five times to question students and staff members connected to the play staged on January 21. The Karnataka State Commission for Child Rights sought a report from the Bidar Superintendent of Police over the questioning of school students in Bidar. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Bidar district has also issued a notice to police officials regarding their conduct in investigating the incident. Karnataka's DG and IGP Praveen Sood said that though he would not defend the actions of Bidar police, the interrogation of children took place before he took charge as the DG and IGP. He assured a delegation of lawyers and activists who met him in his office on Thursday that the police would be sympathetic to the accused in the case.  Meanwhile, the Bidar district and sessions court, which is hearing the bail petition of the accused, posted the hearing to February 11. Until then Nazbunnisa, the mother of the 11-year-old student, and Fareeda Begum, the head-teacher of the school's primary section will continue to languish in jail.  

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Bengaluru civic body begins razing down 5-storeyed building that tilted

Infrastructure

Located on Vinayaknagar Street in Hebbal's Kempapura, the five-storey building being used as a hostel for boys tilted on Wednesday morning.

IANS

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ordered the destruction of a tilted building in the city after evacuating about 150 people from 35 families in the vicinity, an official said on Thursday. "The top portion of the building has been destroyed 70 per cent today (Thursday). Later, the destruction contractor will allow machines to be used," Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Yelahanka joint commissioner Ashok said. Located on Vinayaknagar Street in Hebbal's Kempapura, the five-storey building being used as a hostel for boys got tilted on Wednesday morning, spreading panic in the neighbourhood. Though the tilted building owned by one Rahul, a jeweller, was a sound structure, Ashok said a neighbour, Babu, hired a JCB excavator to dig deep beside the affected structure to build his own structure. "Babu not only dug very deep but also damaged the foundation pillar of the tilted building, weakening the structure and leading to its slant," said Ashok. Babu has been booked and arrested even as the police are on the look-out for the JCB owner and operator. The titled building erected five floors unauthorisedly and falls into the B Khata category. It was constructed without the civic body's plan, said Ashok.  A Khata and B Khata denote the two types of khatas that exist under BBMP. Khata is a document which shows a property owner having an account with the municipality to pay taxes. An A Khata denotes that the building owner has paid relevant property taxes and that the building conforms to building bylaws and government rules. A B Khata denotes that the building is in violation of government regulations regarding properties in Bengaluru, even when the civic charges for the property have been cleared by the owner. "As per procedure, we issue notice, but such constructions are rampant in the city. Under the BBMP jurisdiction, there are 15 lakh B Khata structures," said Ashok. For all B Khata sites, the civic body does not give any plan and there is no proper control on them, he said. Ashok said the case to regularise the B Khata buildings to A Khata buildings is currently pending in the Supreme Court. Luckily, no injury or loss of life has been reported from the tilted building. The civic body arranged alternative accommodation for the affected families, but most of them chose to stay with their relatives, said Ashok.

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Fisheries dept dumps fishes illegally into Bengaluru lake, half of them die

Lake

After an inquiry was conducted by the BBMP, it turned out that a member of the Fisheries Department had released a group of fishes from another lake to Halage Vaderahalli lake.

Prajwal Bhat

Residents in Rajarajeshwari Nagar near the Halage Vaderahalli lake were alarmed on Wednesday when they noticed a few dead fishes floating on the lake. The residents feared that the fishes died due to the contamination of the water in the lake.  However, after an enquiry was conducted by the BBMP, it turned out that a member of the Fisheries Department had released a group of fishes from another lake to Halage Vaderahalli lake. "We have photos of a member of the fisheries department releasing around 30-40 fishes in this lake and out of them 15-20 fishes have died. The fishes cultured in this lake are safe," stated a BBMP official who inspected the lake.  This was confirmed by activists who visited the lake along with BBMP officials. "We want prompt action to be taken on the member of fisheries department for illegally dumping fish from elsewhere in this lake," Joseph Hoover, an activist told TNM.  Activists also alleged that sewage was entering the lake on its eastern and northern boundaries from houses pitched nearby. "The lake is contaminated and it is evident from the way it looks. Sewage was entering from the eastern and northern boundaries from houses pitched near the lake," says Joseph Hoover.  However, BBMP officials reiterated that sewage is no longer entering the lake after officials from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) fortified the lake boundary.  "BWSSB officials have drawn a parallel line after they were made aware of the issue. The work is being carried out near Kenchenahalli Main Road," explained a BBMP official.  The nine-acre lake was revived by the BBMP in 2016 after spending Rs 5 crore. It is one of the oldest water bodies in the city and helps recharge the groundwater in and around Rajarajeshwari Nagar.

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Bengaluru residents form human chain to protest cutting of 1800 trees for road widening

Environment

The KRDCL begins work on the road widening in Sarjapur after a public consultation which took place in a great hurry.

Alithea Stephanie Mounika

Images courtesy Deepten Sarkar

'Bengaluru has become unlivable already, what future do you promise us?' asked students who were at the protest against road widening and the cutting of trees on the Sarjapura-Attibele road, on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Thursday evening. About 1800 trees are set to be cut to accommodate the road widening, which residents say is completely unwarranted, as the road has already been widened. The KRDCL has already issued the tenders for road widening to a private company, says Deepanjali Naik, from Voice of Sarjapura. They have also started marking the trees which are to be cut, she added. “We found that RNS infrastructure has been given the tender. While we were holding the protest, the contractors were taking our pictures while working. They were surveying the road just opposite to the protest site,” she said. Workers surverying the road while the protest was ongoing. The work has begun despite residents being deeply unhappy with the public consultation, and had opposed the proposal to cut the trees, all of whom are more than 100 years old. The trees are native species trees like Banyan trees, which are tough to transplant. Deepanjali adds, “Trees are our external lungs, we can’t survive without them. It is suicidal to chop down few last trees in Sarjapura area, which already has a very bad water table and suffers from increasing air pollution.” One of the large trees that is set to be cut during the road widening project. People attending the protest shouted slogans, saying “Mara Kadi Bedi”, (don’t cut trees) that road widening is destroying the environment, and does not actually address congestion. They cite induced demand, wherein more people buy private transport vehicles because of the availability of space on the road for them. Instead, they have been demanding better public transportation and connectivity. According to a statement released by the protesters, they asked that “…sustainable alternatives be found instead by improving mass transit, such as suburban rail and better bus services so that people don't use cars.” Protesters stressed that “Ecology should be at the center of planning. Bengaluru has already lost green cover beyond danger levels, and it cannot afford to lose any more trees.” Disha A Ravi, from Fridays for Future said, "The government doesn't seem to have a clear plan on how this is going to help Bengaluru's traffic; and instead of looking for ecologically sustainable development, they are killing our environment and putting our health at risk.” Organisers say that this protest is a precursor to a larger mass protest being planned to save trees in Bengaluru.

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An automatic coach washing plant will now clean exterior of trains in Bengaluru

Transport

Inaugurated on Wednesday, the Automatic Coach Washing Plant will use lesser water and reduce the labour required for the manual method of cleaning a train.

Prajwal Bhat

A mechanical facility that can clean the exterior of train coaches was inaugurated at the Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna railway station in Bengaluru on Wednesday morning. The Automatic Coach Washing Plant (ACWP) will use lesser water and reduce the labour required for the manual method of cleaning a train. It was inaugurated by AK Singh, General Manager, South Western Railway, on Wednesday. “Take a look at Karnataka’s first Automatic Railway Coach Washing Plant installed at Bengaluru City Railway Station. Reducing water, cost, time and manpower required, the plant paves the way for clean coaches for passengers in an efficient and eco-friendly manner,” Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, tweeted. Take a look at Karnataka's first Automatic Railway Coach Washing Plant installed at Bengaluru City Railway Station. Reducing water, cost, time & manpower required, the plant paves the way for clean coaches for passengers in an efficient & eco-friendly manner. pic.twitter.com/nKb52ZTFXg — Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) February 5, 2020 Officials claimed that the automated facility uses 300 litres of water to clean one coach as compared to 450-500 litres used when manual cleaning is done. The automated facility requires just one person to monitor the control room as opposed to six people who are usually involved in cleaning the exterior of a train.  Officials added that a 24-coach train will be cleaned in eight minutes while it is moving at a speed of 5-6 km per hour. The facility chooses the use of detergents and cleaning agents, and uses a high pressure water jet. It will also recycle waste water and use it for washing purposes again and barely use 15% of fresh water, an official from South Western Railways stated. Similar train washing facilities will be introduced in the Yeshwanthpur railway station and the New Baiyappanahalli railway station. The facility was manufactured by Oriental Manufacturers in Vadodara. It has been procured by the Indian Railways at a cost of Rs 1.67 lakh.

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