Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 30 ℃ | Low: 20 ℃ | Generally cloudy sky with light rain.
🧐 Did you know? Alipur in Chikkaballapur has its own sign language called the ASL (Alipur Sign Language).
✡️ IISc faces global ire
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is facing criticism for hosting the India-Israel Business Summit amid the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
What’s it about? Activists and academics, led by the Bengaluru Palestine Solidarity (BPS), protested against IISc, as well as other institutions like IIM Bangalore and IIIT Bangalore, for supporting the event.
- Over 1,600 individuals from global universities wrote to IISc’s director, urging the cancellation of the summit, claiming it amounts to support for Israel’s genocide in Palestine.
- The summit, organised by Think India, the Indian Chamber of International Business, and the Mysore Lancers Heritage Foundation, aimed to foster cooperation between business leaders, entrepreneurs, and policymakers from India and Israel.
Police complicit: The BPS has also criticised Bengaluru police for attempting to suppress the protest by demanding the removal of the Palestinian flag and disrupting a press conference. The protesters argued that such actions stifled freedom of expression and supported a controversial geopolitical stance.
🚗 SAFE Convention held
The Society for Automotive Fitness & Environment (SAFE), under the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), hosted its 25th annual convention in the city.
What’s it about? Focusing on road safety and mobility initiatives and themed “United Efforts for Road Safety: Our Roads, Our Responsibility”, the event brought together government officials, industry leaders, and experts to discuss strategies for improving road safety.
- Chief Minister Siddaramaiah highlighted ongoing road safety efforts, infrastructure investments, and plans to introduce 5,000 electric buses as part of sustainable mobility efforts at the event.
- Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar emphasised the importance of technology in tackling traffic congestion in Bengaluru and encouraged collaboration with the automotive industry.
Event launches: During the event, the SIAM SAFE Context Paper titled “Analysing India’s Imperatives for Road Safety” was released, offering insights into India’s road safety preparedness. Various initiatives were launched, including a slogan competition, free eye check-ups for bus drivers, and a helmet awareness drive.
💦 Cauvery Phase 5
Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has announced the launch of the Cauvery Phase 5 Water Supply Project for the upcoming Dasara festival.
What’s it about? The project aims to make Bengaluru a water-surplus city, supplying water to about 5 million residents. It includes India’s largest water treatment plant, with a 775 MLD capacity, and advanced booster pumping stations at TK Halli, Harohalli, and Tataguni to pump water over a 110-kilometer distance.
- The project will utilise 145,000 metric tonnes of steel and 2.4 crore man-hours, making it a significant engineering achievement.
- Water will be distributed through steel trunk pipelines to reservoirs in Gottigere, Kadugodi, and other areas, reaching households across Bengaluru’s suburbs like Yeshwantpur, Mahadevpura, and Bommanahalli.
Financing details: The ₹5,550 crore initiative, approved in 2014, is financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and includes a ₹1,000 crore investment in sewage management.
🏗️ Prestige’s new project
Prestige Group has launched a new residential project, Prestige Pine Forest, in the Whitefield area, targeting ₹1,100 crore in sales.
What’s it about? The project spans 9 acres and includes 316 luxury residences across four towers, offering 3 and 4 BHK apartments ranging from 2,442 to 3,556 square feet. The project’s emphasis is said to be on luxury, comfort, and craftsmanship.
- In the April-June quarter, Prestige launched two other residential projects in the city, valued at ₹1,400 crore.
- Despite a 3.4% drop in consolidated net profit to ₹307 crore in Q1 FY25, Prestige Estates have reported revenue of ₹1,862.1 crore, up from ₹1,680.9 crore in the same quarter last year.
Sales numbers: The company’s CMD, Irfan Razack, has noted strong sales across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. However, total sales volume for Q1 FY25 has decreased to 2.86 million square feet, down from 3.83 million square feet in Q1 FY24.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you ever seen an airbag in action?
- I have seen an airbag in action.
- I have not seen an airbag in action.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
How would you describe the taste of Bengaluru’s water?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- DCM DKS undertook several midnight rounds across the city to carry out inspections.
- Indigo will launch direct daily flights from the city to Jeddah from September 30.
- Malleswaram’s Venu Gopala Swamy Temple has decided to go plastic-free.
- The BBMP will commence its street vendor survey next week.
- The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks has informed the Karnataka HC that it is working on making its website disabled-friendly.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have a High-Security Registration Plate: 90.9% 🏆
- I do not have a High-Security Registration Plate: 9.1%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s one thing Bengaluru could learn from Mumbai?
Yogita: “To start using local trains”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!