Good morning, Bengaluru!
☁️ Today’s weather: Generally cloudy with some light rain possible.
🧐 Did you know? The Begur Lake, one of the historic lakes of the city, dates back to the Ganga Dynasty in 890 AD.
🚯 Cleaning up
50 kg of trash was collected by joggers along the precincts of the Madiwala Lake.
What’s it about? Ploggers, those who pick up litter while out for a jog, donned their gloves and helped clean up the precincts of Madiwala Lake. After about an hour and a half, they collected about 50 kg of trash, especially at the 30th main road in BTM Layout.
- This was done to mark the 100th plog of the year by the Indian Ploggers Amry in partnership with the BBMP. The forest department manages the lake. There’s an entry fee where the money goes toward keeping the lake clean.
- Among the waste collected were plastic bags despite a sign banning plastic inside. In just 300 metres, all the bags of the volunteers were filled even though they planned to clean the entire area.
Plogging this year: The group has collected 1,500 kg of waste this year. Most of that was multi-layered plastic. Over the past few months, ploggers have been encouraged by the participation of marshals from the civic bodies who suggested other areas to clean up.
🚌 Last-mile gaps
With limited last-mile connectivity, citizens want officials to implement new services.
What’s it about? As the demand for Namma Metro increases, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has proposed increasing its feeder bus service fleet to 300. It’s part of a broader effort to plug gaps in last-mile connectivity across the city.
- The BMTC currently operates over 5,500 schedules with over 57,000 trips spanning 11.37 lakh km. An average of 43 lakh passengers use the BMTC daily. For metro users, 121 schedules currently operate on 30 routes from different stations.
- Commuters say this isn’t enough. For many, since the feeder service operates only on main roads, they still have to walk several kilometres to reach their homes and cabs and autos are expensive. It discourages people from using the metro.
What can be done? One suggestion is to get autos that are wider than the ones currently in use to accommodate more passengers. The government can also promote electric autos to keep things sustainable and environmentally friendly.
🗺️ Highlighting public safety gaps
BPAC members have identified gaps in public safety in two of the city’s constituencies.
What’s it about? Members of the Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) have identified Dasarahalli and Hebbal for gaps in public safety. They stated many of the streets were poorly lit, affecting the safety of women, children, and the elderly.
- According to the BPAC, 54% of the streets in Dasarahalli and 38% in Hebbal are poorly lit or unlit. The audit by the BPAC analysed 298 public spaces and 29 streets across several wards.
- The audit was done with the help of an app, which is expected to be used by other cities. The report’s findings will be submitted to the ward committees.
The audit’s details: The audit covered six categories of public spaces by 20 BSAFE women ambassadors. These were anganwadis, bus stops, public parks, police stations, public toilets, and primary health centres. The exercise was supported by the Canadian IT and business consulting firm CGI.
🐆 Leopard on the loose
A leopard was spotted wandering around in the city’s Whitefield area.
What’s it about? According to some reports, a leopard was spotted in the city’s Whitefield area. The big cat was spotted on CCTV cameras.
- The animal was wandering near the ACES Layout of Brookfield. Locals informed the police when they saw it in A Block of the ACES Layout.
- While forest officials have been informed and are on the lookout, people have been advised to stay alert.
Previous instance: This isn’t the first time a leopard was spotted in the city. In January, a leopard was seen at the University of Bangalore. The following month, one was spotted on the city’s outskirts and killed a calf in Dasanapura.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer to travel by private or public transport in Bengaluru?
- I prefer private transport.
- I prefer public transport.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What do you like most about living in Bengaluru?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The city’s tree census will be further delayed since the BBMP received only one bidder.
- Renaming Namma Metro after social reformer Basaveshwara has been met with opposition from the public.
- Abbigere Lakshmipura Main Road bridge construction is being halted which has inconvenienced residents of the area.
- Cybercrime victims checked in on the real-time status of their complaints at an event to empower their advocacy.
- The Bengaluru Navanirmana Party (BNP) has asked the BBMP to fix broken and damaged footpaths across the city.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!