Good morning, Bengaluru!
☁️ Today’s weather: High: 28 ℃ | Low: 20 ℃ | A generally cloudy day ahead.
🧐 Did you know? Bengaluru once had a thousand lakes, some dating to the 8th Century and earlier. Now, it has only about 400 in the metropolitan region.
🖼️ A proud exhibition
Pushpa Dravid’s retrospective exhibition takes visitors down memory lane.
What’s it about? Pushpa Dravid’s exhibition, Srishti, was inaugurated at the National Gallery of Modern Art by none other than her son, Rahul Dravid. Among the works on display include abstract oil canvases, watercolour landscapes, and pencil sketches of Cubbon Park.
- The exhibition has over 250 artworks and is something of a culmination of 70 years of work. The event saw renowned artists like SG Vasudev and Rekha Hebbar Rao in attendance.
- The extensive range includes work from Pushpa’s early days in the 1960s to her latest works. There’s a section dedicated to the folk art and tribal life of Madhya Pradesh and digital visuals of her terracotta murals.
A trip down memory lane: For Rahul Dravid, it was a proud and nostalgic moment. He recalled his mother’s murals engraved in terra cotta installed at the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). They included tributes to Brijesh Patel, Anil Kumble, and Dravid himself.
🩸 Demand for platelets increases
The rise in dengue cases has increased the demand for platelets.
What’s it about? There has been a post-Covid dip in blood collection at private blood banks across the city. It’s now having a ripple effect as the demand for platelets has increased with the surge in dengue cases.
- Private blood banks have reported a 10-15% decrease in blood donations. The reasons are more people working from home, rejection of blood donors, and post-Covid health conditions.
- Given the dengue spike, there’s a daily demand for 40-50 units of platelets, but the supply has fallen short. For the Red Cross, the primary sources of blood donations were drives at MNCs.
Previous numbers: In 2019, the Red Cross collected 37,000 units of blood. Last year, it was only 26,000. So far this year, 15,000 units of blood have been procured.
🛣️ Kickstarting the PRR project
The BDA has formulated a new compensation model to kickstart the PRR project.
What’s it about? The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has come up with a plan to share a portion of the area to be developed for the much-delayed ₹27,000-crore Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project with the land-losing farmers. The project has been on the books since 2007.
- The issue was that the acquisition cost of over 2,500 acres of land was about ₹21,000 crore with an overall budget of ₹27,000 crore. Now, out of the 100-metre width proposal, the road will be built for only 50 metres.
- The land developed for the remaining 50 metres will be given to the land losers. The developed land will have drainage, water supply, lighting, and signages.
Other options: The BDA had proposed other options. One was a loan with interest to be paid by the state government. Another was to hand over 30% of the land acquired to the concessionaire for commercial purposes. The third option was a PPP model.
🚇 New metro depots
Bengaluru metro is readying five new depots to house and maintain future trains.
What’s it about? The new depots will augment the operations of the three existing ones to maintain trains that will be put into operation till 2041. The location of the Baiyappanahalli depot will be retained and remodelled. It will be the first one in the network with two levels.
- The five depots are the Shettygere depot near the airport, the Kothanur depot, the Challaghatta depot, the Hebbagodi depot, and the Anjanapura depot.
- The new depots will cater to the Pink Line, the North-South Green Line, and the R V Road-Bommasandra Line. Most of the operations of the Baiyappanahalli Line have been shifted to Kadugodi.
Metro expansion: Bengaluru Metro is expected to have 159 trains by 2026-28. New trains will be introduced in phases as new lines begin to open. The depots will be necessary to house the expanding fleet.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you consider Bengaluru to be cleaner than other Indian cities?
- I consider Bengaluru to be cleaner than other Indian cities.
- I don’t consider Bengaluru to be cleaner than other Indian cities.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
If you could master any instrument, which one would it be?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- BBMP’s Namma Clinics have a shortage of free medication.
- An online petition has demanded that the BBMP hold elections without delay.
- To promote sustainability, citizens and activists are encouraging people to mark a green Independence Day.
- The Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association (CPWA) commemorated Friendship Day by paying tribute to the recent landslide victims.
- Independence Day flower show at the Lalbagh Garden will celebrate BR Ambedkar.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I would go skydiving if given the chance: 57.1% 🏆
- I wouldn’t go skydiving if given the chance: 42.9%
That’s it for today. Have a great day!