1. Helipads, 400 WiFi Spots in BBMP Budget
Helipads, bungalows for the mayor and the commissioner, tabs for all 198 corporators, 400 WiFi zones, bus stands where only Kannada is used and a wooden skywalk are some of the major programmes announced in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) budget 2018-19 on Wednesday.
With Assembly elections round the corner, the budget presented by JD(S) member M Mahadev, who is also the chairman of the standing committee on Tax and Finance, the budget focused more on social welfare schemes while just reiterating infrastructure projects mentioned in the state budget.
Eight helipads for air ambulances, the longest five-way "engineered" wooden pedestrian skywalk at Hudson Circle under PPP model, construction of a 'Kannada Bus Stand' to promote Kannada with WiFi and toilet facilities, free WiFi hotspots at 400 major roads, and construction of a 'dobhi' ghat at a cost of Rs 1 crore were announced.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
2. Railway Tickets in Kannada Soon
In a move that could bring cheer to activists opposing the Centre’s alleged Hindi imposition in southern India, railway tickets will soon be printed in Kannada. This is besides English and Hindi.
South Western railway officials said the tickets will be available at counters in stations across Karnataka. However, tickets booked online won’t be in Kannada. Unreserved tickets with information in Kannada will be available in computerised passenger reservation counters in Bengaluru.
Last year, Indian Railways’ passenger amenities committee approved a proposal to print tickets in the local language, apart from Hindi and English, from 1 January, 2018.
(Source: Times of India)
3. Refurbished, Landscaped Church St Opens Today
A renovated Church Street is all set to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday. The BBMP says it has finished all the work.
A landscaped island – with palm, areca nut and Ashoka trees, and a lawn – has come up in front of Empire Restaurant. The road has been paved with cobblestones while the footpath has become wider. Smart LED lights adorn the street. The landscaped island was created at a cost of Rs 10 lakh in just two days, an official in the BBMP's horticulture department told DH.
The work on the 750-metre-long road began on 22 February, 2017, but the civic body missed several deadlines to open it.
(Source: Deccan Herald)
4. Man Stabs Wife Over 10 Times, Leaves Her to Die
A man stabbed his 22-year-old wife repeatedly at a cemetery in Ashoknagar and left her critically injured there, allegedly because he suspected her fidelity.
Nadeem Pasha is said to have been fighting with his wife Ayesha Bhanu frequently, because of which she had gone off to her parents’ house. Pasha had gone to his in-laws’ place in Neelasandra on Sunday to get her to come back as they had a six-month-old baby girl, who was being nursed. However, on the way he took her to the cemetery and tried to kill her.
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)
5. KV Teacher Faces Charge of Corporal Punishment
The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has issued a summons to the principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Hebbal, following a parent’s complaint that the Hindi teacher had ‘hit’ his son in class.
According to the complaint filed by the parent on Tuesday, this is not the first time that the student had been subjected to corporal punishment.
Kripa Alva, Chairperson of the Commission, said she had received an online complaint and that the matter would be probed. The commission has summoned the school principal and the teacher on 5 March. “We will hear the facts of the case from the parents and the child, after which we will give an opportunity to the school authorities to respond. If the charges are proved, we will write to the authorities to initiate action against the teacher,” she said.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. 3-Year-Old Leopard Strays Into Wonderla, Caught
A three-yearold female leopard, escaping a forest fire, strayed into amusement park Wonderla near Bidadi, around 40km from Bengaluru, on Wednesday afternoon.
After being alerted by visitors around 4pm, forest department and police officials managed to catch the big cat after three hours. There was some panic among the 800 visitors and 700 staff, but luckily, no one was injured. Wonderla general manager HS Rudresh said, “Visitors were quickly shifted to safe zones, and the fact that it was a weekday helped as the crowd was less.”
About 15 officials of the forest and police departments traced the leopard to an artificial anthill.
(Source: Times of India)
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