Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: The results are in! We’re still looking at scattered thunderstorms for most of the day 😐
🧐 Did you know? Bengaluru is home to the country’s only cartoon gallery! The Indian Institute of Cartoonists in the city, currently, has the only active Cartoon Gallery that promotes and preserves the art form of the people.
🌲 West Bengaluru’s first tree park
A 94-acre tree park has come up by Magadi Road. Thus, officially becoming Western Bengaluru’s first-ever tree park.
Story so far: After several delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the work on renovating the tree park by Magadi Road is finally done. Recently, the CM inaugurated the park and it will be open to the public soon.
- This park comes as a part of the state government’s initiative to increase green cover in the city.
- The CM even directed the Forest Department to chalk out special programmes that push us towards this goal.
Way forward: The state has more tree parks that are yet to be inaugurated. The next area that is going to be converted into a tree park is the JB Kaval forest. Conservationists and environmentalists, however, are opposed to this idea as exposure to human contact might adversely affect the reserve forest.
🏫 St Joseph’s university upgrade
St Joseph’s College (Autonomous) has recently been upgraded to a university under the RUSA-II.
Story so far: As of 23 February 2021, the Karnataka government passed the St Joseph’s University Bill, making the college an official university. Now, the university will be set up under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
- Till now, the university has been managed by the Karnataka Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).
- The college got upgraded under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) which was launched to upgrade colleges to universities.
Looking back: St Joseph’s College is one of the city’s oldest degree colleges. Established in 1882 by the Foreign Missions Society of Paris, it was taken over by the Jesuit Society in 1937. In 2005, the college became autonomous and received the Centre of Excellence tag in 2014.
🐟 Tunnel aquarium at Cubbon Park
Cubbon Park is ready to have a long tunnel aquarium as a “world-class attraction”.
Story so far: In association with a Bengaluru-based organisation, the Department of Fisheries is developing a tunnel aquarium in Cubbon Park. The CM is supposed to lay the foundation stone today!
- The project has been allotted 17,000 sq ft in total. In the first phase, only 2,000 sq ft will be used.
- The ticket fare will likely be ₹80 for adults and ₹25 for kids. During the weekends, the prices will be increased to ₹100 and ₹40 respectively.
Stating specifics: The tunnel aquarium will have over 30 types of ornamental aqua animals. The tunnel, sized 24 ft in length, 10 ft wide, and 15 ft high, is expected to hold 60,000 litres of ocean water. There will also be a Koi Pond with one lakh litres of water where people can actually feed the fish themselves.
🏛️ The unfortunate plight of KR Market
Shops housed in KR Market’s heritage building have been given their eviction notice. We’ve got workers panicking on one side while the other calls for development.
Story so far: For years now, the Krishna Rajendra (KR) market has been riddled with poor maintenance and faulty waste management. Now, as a part of the Smart City project, the red heritage building is getting renovated and the shop owners have been asked to leave.
- The meat market traders, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and the Institute of Urban Designers India (IUDI) are proposing a design plan for the renovation.
- Some of the shop owners have been conducting business there for generations. They are the ones who are strongly opposing this renovation.
Looking back: The KR Market was built back in 1921, in collaboration with the Bangalore City Municipality and the Mysore Kingdom – specifically, during the rule of Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. At first, it was a spot where traders would gather naturally. The Maharaja of Mysore simply thought of streamlining that gathering.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
We can now get fruits and vegetables delivered to our doorstep, thanks to quick-commerce apps like Zepto, Dunzo, etc. But some people prefer to buy them by visiting the neighbourhood stores. What is your choice?
- I order online through apps.
- I buy from the neighbourhood store.
🗞️ In other news…
- From 2017 to 2020, over 500 people lost their lives while attempting to cross Bengaluru roads.
- The BBMP is currently grossly understaffed. Around 8,063 posts are yet to be filled and even then, only 3,615 civic workers show up for work out of 17,425.
- Under the MLA Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS), state-run schools are set to receive school buses from the government.
- Agitating for better working conditions, Karnataka’s pourakarmikas (sanitation workers) have started an indefinite strike from 1 July.
- The BBMP’s delimitation process is done and the people aren’t happy about it. If the disagreement isn’t worked out soon, all of this will be for naught.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!