Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 28 ℃ | Low: 21 ℃ | Generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers.
🧐 Did you know? The Freedom Park used to be the location of the Central Jail for Indian freedom fighters.
⛲ Park timings increased
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced that all 1,200 neighbourhood parks in Bengaluru will now be open from 5 am to 10 pm daily.
What’s it about? This change aims to make the city’s green spaces more accessible to the public, catering especially to working individuals who previously struggled to visit within limited hours. While parks maintained by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will adhere to the new schedule, iconic parks like Cubbon Park and Lalbagh will retain their unique timings.
- This decision comes in response to citizen groups advocating for more inclusive park hours, emphasising the importance of these spaces.
- Alongside this initiative, DK Shivakumar also highlighted his efforts to fix streetlights, enhance park security, and increase green cover.
Inclusive parks: By ensuring that parks remain open from early morning until late evening, the Karnataka government is addressing the needs of its diverse populace, providing more opportunities for relaxation, exercise, and social interaction. These efforts are part of a broader initiative to increase the city’s green cover, improve environmental sustainability, and foster greater citizen engagement.
🪓 Tree felling opposed
Over 2,000 residents have protested against the proposed felling of approximately 33,000 trees for the Bengaluru Suburban Railway (BSR) Project.
What’s it about? The Rail Infrastructure Development Company-Karnataka (K-RIDE) is overseeing the BSR project, which has sparked significant environmental concerns. Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Jhatkaa.org, two prominent NGOs, have jointly addressed the Forest Department, the BBMP, and K-RIDE, emphasising the project’s potential adverse ecological impact.
- They advocate for a compensatory plantation strategy that includes details on species and locations for replanting, as per the Karnataka Tree Preservation Act, 1976.
- The NGOs also suggest optimising the existing railway network through signal automation and track doubling to mitigate the need for extensive tree felling.
Ecology over mobility: While both the protesting organisations acknowledge the project’s importance for sustainable mobility, they are stressing the need for ecological considerations to be prioritised.
🥭 Mango Mela success
Farmers sold approximately 500 tonnes of mangoes at the mango festival held at Bengaluru’s Lalbagh Botanical Garden.
What’s it about? The event saw participation from over 100 farmers across various regions of Karnataka, featuring more than 50 stalls with a diverse array of mango varieties. Organised by the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL), the festival witnessed a significant improvement in turnout compared to previous years.
- Among the mela’s highlights was the Kari Ishad mango variety, which boasts a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
- KSMDMCL Managing Director CG Nagaraju expressed satisfaction with the event’s success, noting the farmers’ happiness and the increased interest in the Kari Ishad variety.
Postal mangoes: The festival also saw enhancements to the Mango Board’s online sales platform, ‘Karsiri,’ which facilitates direct purchases from farmers via India Post, further broadening market accessibility.
🚇 Driverless metros
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is nearing the crucial signalling integration phase for its first driverless train.
What’s it about? The BMRCL received the first batch of six coaches from China on February 14, and these coaches are currently undergoing a series of rigorous tests at the Hebbagodi metro depot. According to a senior BMRCL official, the new rolling stock requires extensive testing, including static and electrical circuit assessments.
- The next step involves mainline testing to ensure system integration with signalling, telecommunications, and power supply.
- With 37 tests already completed, the remaining evaluations will focus on ensuring safety and operational readiness.
Yellow line by year-end? The Yellow Line, which spans 18.82 km and connects RV Road station with Bommasandra, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This line aims to improve connectivity to key areas, including major IT and biotech hubs, and features significant infrastructure projects like a 3.13 km metro-cum-road flyover to alleviate congestion at the Central Silk Board junction.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you visit BBMP parks often?
- I visit BBMP parks frequently.
- I am not a frequent BBMP park visitor.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s a unique experience you had while travelling on a metro train?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Auto drivers of the city launched the Nagara app to “bring back the meter culture”.
- A tribute to Ustad Rashid Khan titled ‘Barsega Sawan’ will take place at Chowdiah Memorial Hall on June 14.
- Bengaluru-based cinematographer Nethra Gururaj has been selected for the 2024 Oscar Academy Gold Rising Program.
- Bengaluru shared the 21st spot in the world’s top 40 global startup hubs along with Sydney.
- BMTC and BMRCL will now open up real-time transit data to help mobility startups.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I studied in a government or government-aided school: 12.5%
- I did not study in a government or government-aided school: 87.5% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great day!