Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: A cloudy day with a couple of spells of rain.
🧐 Did you know? St Joseph’s College was founded in 1854 by the Foreign Missions of Paris. It was initially a seminary on a quarter of land called St John’s Hill.
🏙️ Twin cities
The state government will implement infrastructure projects to develop Bengaluru and Mysuru as twin cities.
What’s it about? Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh said the government wants the IT city and Heritage city to be developed as twin cities. The government will initiate projects to develop places like Mangaluru and Belagavi on par with Bengaluru.
- Across the outer ring road, four to five grade separators will be built to connect the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway. There’ll also be a Peripheral Ring Road around the city.
- These projects have been designed to ease the traffic situation in the region. The work will be done by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), or the state will pick up the mantle.
Election timing: The term of the current Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) ends on November 16, and the elections will be held as per schedule. While there might be a 15-20 day delay, the elections won’t be postponed due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year.
🧨 Crackers crackdown
In the run-up to Diwali, officials are keeping a check on noise and quality levels of crackers on sale.
What’s it about? Officials are mulling imposing a sound limit of 125 decibels for Diwali, while the Bengaluru district administration has already stated that only green crackers will be permitted. It remains to be seen how these rules will be implemented and monitored.
- Officials will continue to do random checks. The police have also established checkposts to curb illegal shipments from outside the city and state. Despite the emphasis on green crackers, non-green ones continue to be sold across the city.
- Cracker godowns will see inspections from officials. Any non-green crackers will be seized and criminal proceedings will be initiated against the dealers. The green crackers will have a QR code and a distinct logo.
What do the guidelines state? According to a Supreme Court directive, only green crackers will be allowed. Officials will monitor the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (AAQM) and noise levels. Bursting crackers are not allowed near hospitals, educational institutions, and other restricted areas.
🚍 Metro influencing travel patterns
With the expansion of the metro, passengers are adjusting their travel patterns.
What’s it about? A recent analysis by the Corporation has shown that over 50% of passengers use the bus to travel about 4 km, and 80% of them travel 10 km or less. Once the entire Purple Line became operational, the average distance travelled on the metro was about 13 km. Before, it was 10 km.
- As the Namma Metro expands its reach, people prefer it for long-distance travel and the bus for relatively shorter distances. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is augmenting its service to run parallel to metro corridors.
- Despite the metro’s expansion, there hasn’t been any significant impact on the BMTC’s business. The city’s buses carry 43 lakh passengers daily. The metro recently reached the 7.5 lakh mark.
Distances and costs: On a state-wide basis, about 25% pay ₹5 to travel up to 2 km, while 26.1% pay ₹10 to travel up to 4 km. The BMTC operates buses from 2 to 72 km with the fare ranging from ₹5 to ₹30.
🐾 In defence of pet owners
The BBMP will intervene in cases where resident associations are forcing pet owners to abide by rules that supersede guidelines.
What’s it about? In light of an incident where the resident welfare association (RWA) of an apartment complex introduced a rule for pet owners to pay ₹10,000 as treatment costs, the Animal Husbandry Department of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to step in for future cases.
- Residents can contact the BBMP’s zonal officers to raise a complaint. Several RWAs across the city have introduced illegal rules for pet owners, like not providing access to lifts and other amenities.
- Several of the rules and laws implemented by the RWAs are discriminatory and go against the guidelines of the BBMP and the Animal Welfare Board of India.
What are the RWA’s rules? Per some of the rules, dogs and pets with no vaccination certificates will be fined ₹1,000. Dogs aren’t allowed in lifts and should only use the staircases. If the apartment complex has a recreational area with swimming pools or a jogging/walking track, dogs aren’t allowed there. Violations carry a ₹250 fine.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you purchased something from a ration shop?
- I have purchased from a ration shop.
- I haven’t purchased from a ration shop.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the most scenic spot in the city?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- To boost collection and curb evasion, the BBMP has begun to digitise properties in 4 wards.
- Various weather phenomena contribute to Bengaluru’s recent rainy weather.
- BBMP will relax criteria to help recruit disaster management officers.
- The Finance Department has given the green light for preliminary work on the metro’s phase 3.
- The BBMP will send SMS alerts to those with arrears and overdue property tax payments.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have attended a literature festival in India: 25.0%
- I haven’t attended a literature festival in India: 75.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s the best place for breakfast in the city?
Himanshu: “Sidappa Hotel, Sampangi Rama Nagar, if you guys haven’t tried it, you must.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!