Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: High: 28 ℃ | Low: 21 ℃ | Generally cloudy sky with light rain.
🧐 Did you know? 57 engineering colleges are affiliated with Bengaluru University, the highest for any university in the world.
🚇 MPs take metro ride
Bengaluru MPs Tejasvi Surya and PC Mohan took a peak-hour metro ride to understand commuter issues and gather feedback.
What’s it about? Tejasvi Surya inspected the Majestic metro station, urging Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to improve safety by installing platform screen doors and addressing confusing signage. He also recommended increasing the metro fleet to handle rising ridership, expected to be addressed by inducting two trains per month from June 2025.
- Meanwhile, PC Mohan interacted with passengers on the Purple Line.
- Mohan has also suggested 11 measures to enhance metro travel.
Mohan’s recommendations: Mohan’s advice to the BMRCL included increasing train frequency during peak hours, deploying security guards to manage crowds, boosting feeder bus frequency, allowing metered autos for last-mile travel, adding more seating on platforms, introducing monthly passes, expanding smart card top-up facilities at retail outlets, permitting full-sized bicycles on trains, exploring retail and advertising opportunities, developing a Transit-Oriented Development policy, and providing last-mile travel information on the BMRCL website.
🦟 Dengue declared epidemic
The Karnataka government has declared dengue fever an epidemic and imposed penalties on house owners who allow mosquito breeding on their premises.
What’s it about? This decision comes in response to the increasing number of dengue cases across the state, with 25,408 cases reported and 12 deaths. The government has also implemented stringent measures to control the spread of dengue, including fines for non-compliance with health guidelines.
- The declaration grants authorities the power to penalise house owners, commercial establishments, and construction sites for health violations.
- The government has also directed authorities to conduct regular inspections, implement sanitation protocols, and provide medical aid to affected areas.
Delayed call? Bangalore Rural MP Dr CN Manjunath had urged the state government in July to declare dengue a state medical emergency due to the rising cases at the time and the potential for other harmful diseases.
🗺️ Trustworthy layouts
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has launched a new online scheme called “Nambike Nakshe” (meaning “Trustworthy Layouts”) to streamline the process of obtaining building plan approvals for independent house construction.
What’s it about? Property owners can now upload all necessary documents, including plot ownership, revenue records, and building plans, on the BBMP website. This scheme eliminates the need for multiple visits to BBMP offices and expedites the approval process.
- The software will automatically verify the uploaded documents and check their compliance with zonal regulations and building bylaws.
- The software also uses data from the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC) to verify buffers for lakes, stormwater drains, heritage buildings, etc.
Process explained: Once the documents are verified, the system will generate an automated fee payment challan for the applicant. Upon payment, a provisional building license and plan will be issued within 15 days. The scheme also introduces a trust-based system, where building plans are vetted by an empanelled architect or engineer, eliminating the need for initial BBMP approval.
✈️ Connected airport
Kempegowda International Airport has reached a milestone by connecting to 100 non-stop passenger destinations, including 72 domestic and 28 international routes.
What’s it about? Since its inception in 2008, the airport has grown significantly, starting with 9 million passengers in its first year and now serving over 40 million passengers annually.
- The latest addition to the airport is IndiGo’s flight to Jabalpur.
- Bengaluru airport, the third busiest in India, is expected to handle over 85 million passengers and over a million metric tons of cargo annually within the next decade.
Ownership pattern: The airport is primarily owned by Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa’s Fairfax Group, which holds a 64% stake, with Siemens Project Ventures holding 10%, and the remaining 26% split equally between the Karnataka State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited and the Airports Authority of India.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Which metro line do you travel on more often?
- I travel more often on the Green Line.
- I travel more often on the Purple Line.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What do you do to keep mosquitoes away from you?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- BMRCL has pushed the deadline for Electronics City’s metro line’s opening to 2025.
- Flying Wedge Defence and Aerospace has announced the successful maiden flight of its unmanned bomber aircraft.
- A saree thief gang has been apprehended in the city with materials worth ₹17.5 lakh.
- A 14-member house panel of MLAs and MLCs convened for the second time to discuss the Greater Bengaluru Bill.
- KSRTC will be running extra buses from Bengaluru in the run-up to Ganesh Utsav.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- The immediate road leading to my house has potholes: 81.2% 🏆
- The immediate road leading to my house does not have potholes: 18.8%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which sport/game do you play regularly?
Ashith: “Badminton”
Himanshu: “Football”
Harikrishna: “I love playing badminton. It’s a huge stress buster and allows me to improve my flexibility.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!