Good morning, Bengaluru!
⛅ Today’s weather: Partly cloudy skies with sunny weather!
🧐 Did you know? Lal Bagh, a favourite tourist spot in Bangalore, has one of the oldest rock formations in the country called ‘Peninsular Gneiss’. It is made up of rocks that are 3,000 million years old and is a Geological monument.
🚗 Seat-belt violations at an all-time low
In 2022, while traffic violations were high overall, seat-belt violations were their lowest in five years.
Story so far: Compared to 2020, last year saw a 60% fall in the number of cases filed for drivers not wearing their seatbelts.
- This sharp fall is due to various factors, which range from cops doing fewer physical checks to better public awareness and an increase in the fine charged.
- According to the police, there was greater enforcement by the traffic police last year, and there was also an increase in the number of cars that have seatbelt alarms. They also remark that there has been an improvement in commuter behaviour over time.
Violations in outskirts: Most seat-belts violations were recorded in the outskirts of Bengaluru, notably along Bannerghatta and Tumkuru roads. This has occurred due to a driver’s lack of awareness and lack of traffic police in the area. There are fewer violations in core areas where all the traffic cameras have been set up.
✈️ Special flights for political leaders
The current chief minister likes to travel in style, using special chartered flights within and outside the state.
Story so far: In over a month, the current chief minister has used chartered flights and helicopters to attend various programmes organised both by the government and the party.
- According to an official, due to elections being around the corner and the various programmes that have been planned. The CM’s packed schedule has forced him to use chartered flights and helicopters.
- Keeping the status of the CM and his cabinet ministers in mind, they are mandated to use twin-engine jets with a VIP pilot.
The cost? A special flight from Bengaluru to cities like Belgavi and Mangaluru in the jets that are mandated costs around ₹11 lakhs per trip. A flight from Bengaluru to Delhi costs around ₹20 lakhs per trip.
💐 Protecting the beauty of Lal Bagh
To conserve one of Bengaluru’s major attractions, activists and changemakers push the fight to make Lal Bagh litter-free.
Story so far: More than a century after Lal Bagh was set up, the original botanist Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel’s granddaughter Alyia Krumbiegel has been putting in major efforts to make sure the garden remains trash-free.
- In her opinion, the horticulture department is not accountable for all the problems, and users should stop littering. She believes that there should be a complete ban on plastics entering or being sold inside Lal Bagh.
- Joining her fight, many residents have started campaigning for a litter-free zone. The Beautiful Bengaluru group has combined with the horticulture department to reduce plastic waste, spitting and littering.
Bouncers in Lal Bagh: To control surging crowds, for the first time, the horticulture department has hired bouncers near the glass house.
🚦 7-km Bengaluru-Mysuru bypass open for traffic
The Srirangapatna bypass part of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway has been opened by the government.
Story so far: The Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway was proposed to reduce the commute time between the two cities from 150 minutes to 90 minutes.
- The news of the Srirangapatna bypass opening came three days after the news of the Mandya expressway being declared open. With the Srirangapatna bypass opening, all 52 km of the greenfield section of the 117 km bypass is officially functional.
- However, the toll plazas near Bengaluru and Mysuru have yet to be opened and made accessible to the public. The 10-lane project takes into consideration the neighbouring towns and villages by ensuring that two lanes on each side are meant for them.
The cost? The massive 117-km expressway is being built for a grand total of ₹8,408 crores. This money is distributed totally in two packages.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer to eat out for lunch or dinner?
- I prefer to eat out for lunch.
- I prefer to eat out for dinner.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What is your go-to food to eat when you are feeling down?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The Aam Admi Party on Sunday demanded that more information should be made public about the arrest of ‘Santro Ravi’.
- As the revaluation results have just been posted, students are pushing to postpone their MBBS exams.
- A building in Byraveshwara Layout is taking up maximum space on a 40-metre road, leaving no space for commuters.
- An additional 1,700 CIF personnel are to be posted at Bengaluru airport.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!