Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Generally cloudy with some light rain.
🧐 Did you know? Trees like the Jacaranda and Tabebuia, now associated with Bengaluru, have been in the city for over 150 years.
🌃 Revised Master Plan
The Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2041 is moving toward a 2025 deadline for its completion.
What’s it about? The much-delayed RMP 2041 now has a new deadline of 2025. It recently received a boost as the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC) decreased its charges by nearly a quarter from its earlier quote.
- Thanks to the KSRSAC’s reduced charges, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Town Planning Committee can call for initial tenders and have a chance of getting a ₹5 crore exemption.
- KSRSAC will generate a base and land use cover map using drones to survey the landscape. Bengaluru currently uses the 2015 Master Plan. The plan is to have a draft of the RMP ready by next October.
What’s been the story so far? The RMP 2031 was approved in 2017. However, the provisional approval was withdrawn in 2020. The government asked the BDA to submit a revised plan to include transit-oriented development and revise the floor area ratio. In December 2021, a tender was released for RMP 2041, but there were no bidders. A second one was released last year, and Rudrabhishek Enterprises was the successful bidder.
📚 Filling bookshelves
The BBMP is looking to fill its school libraries with books in light of a failed tender.
What’s it about? The BBMP withdrew its latest tender for the supply of textbooks to its schools after the bidders failed to meet the selection criteria. The original tender was for the supply of ₹36 lakh worth of books for its school libraries.
- The BBMP has retendered for the supply of 429 textbooks across 145 schools, including PU colleges. The tender is for the supply of specific books.
- Activists say the books provided by the BBMP should be graded and categorised according to age groups and learning levels. Some also said kids should be asked what kind of books they’re interested in.
Creating a reading environment: Reading in a library should be different from reading in class. By sharing books, games, quizzes, and interactions with parents, the experience can be better for kids.
👁️ Eye injuries post-Diwali
Many city hospitals saw an increase in eye injuries across different age groups.
What’s it about? Several hospitals received a record number of eye injuries post-Diwali. Most of them were bystanders, including children and teenagers.
- At the Minto hospital, there were five cases. Four of them were deemed minor cases. An 18-year-old suffered a rupture due to a bijli cracker.
- At the Sankara Eye Hospital, there were 28 cases on November 12 of firecracker-related eye injuries. Among them were two infants aged 1.
Different age groups: The eye injuries reported weren’t only in kids, youngsters, and teenagers. At the Sankara hospital, there were five other injuries in the 35-50 age group.
🎶 Music, art, and conservation
The Echoes of Earth festival this year will highlight the Western Ghats.
What’s it about? The theme of this year’s music, art, and conservation festival is “Ensemble of the Wild”. It will spotlight the interconnected beauty of the Western Ghats and the balance between the flora, fauna, and ecosystems.
- The festival has been working with several artists to help transform urban waste and scrap into art installations. The festival is also aiming to become carbon-neutral and zero-waste.
- The 6th edition of the festival, taking place on December 2 and 3, will feature a diverse lineup of performers across two days to deliver on its unique live music experiences.
For nature: This year’s festival includes installation artists Haribabu Natesan, the Aravani Art Project, and Siddharth Karawal. The Aravani Art Project is a transformative art collective led by transgender and cisgender women who focus on creating a safe space for artistic collaboration.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you visit a library often?
- I do visit a library often.
- I don’t visit a library often.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite Diwali memory from childhood?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Additional vehicles resulted in massive traffic jams across the city at night.
- IISc researchers have developed a new way to rupture bacteria and prevent its spread.
- A special team has been formed by the city police to curb the illegal sale of firecrackers.
- Air India Express increases Bengaluru-Mangaluru connectivity with two new flights.
- No break for Pourakarmikas as they’re made to work overtime to clean up accumulated waste after Diwali.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!