City vendors lack identity proof

“If I don’t earn then my family will suffer since I am the bread earner of the family”, says a vendor in JP Nagar.

Bangalore: Several street vendors in the city lack identity proof. This comes in the backdrop of the Karnataka High Court order stating every vendor on the road should possess legal documents to carry out their business. The court had said vendors have the fundamental right to carry on any business or profession, but they are also equally subject to reasonable restrictions in the form of laws, regulations and bylaws.  “I am aware of the fact that I have to produce a license and I have already applied for it but till now I
have not got one. Taking this as an advantage, the police comes for inspection and removes me. Every time, I have to find a new place to set up the business again.” says Mina Amma who has a small shop of stationery in JP Nagar.

Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014says that no person can be removed from a place unless the survey is completed and the vendors obtain vending certificates.

Small-business owners who sell a handful of fruits and vegetables will lose their daily income if they go through this costly legal procedure. “I have come from Bagalkot, to earn for my family. I am the only bread-earner for my family. If I have to go through this process of vendor license then it is very difficult. I lost my husband a few days back and no one is there to earn in my family.” says

Nagbani, who sells fruits in front of Majestic Bus Stand.
A Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), official said, said , “We are trying to remove the vendors and create a place for them to stay so that they do not face problem. But it is not guaranteed when this will be done.”

On the other hand, pedestrians have expressed their grievances.
Srikant, a pedestrian at Koramangla 6 th Block, said, “These vendors sit on the road and it becomes difficult to walk. Sometimes we have to walk on the road as there is no place on the pavement.”

Street children shine in the YMCA summer camp

Along with various activities, a free health check too has been planned.

Bangalore: The number of street children participating in the 34^th Annual Summer Camp organized by the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) has risen this year.

“Last year the number of street children participated was 86 where as this year the number is 111,” said Daniel Ratnakar, the Secretary of YMCA.

The YMCA has been organising this camp for the past 33 years and this year they are also holding a free health check up for the street children.

The theme of this year summer camp is ‘Soar high for Excellence’. Where the summer camp fee for rural children is Rs. 300 and it is free for the street children. Sports like Kabaddi, Cricket, football etc will be arranged for the participants.

Mr. Benny Augustine Chairman of YMCA said, “Every year we have come up with something new, this year we have kept free health check-up for the under privileged children.”.”

Dr. Antony Isaac, General Secretary of YMCA, Bangalore said, “The minimum fee for the rural children is Rs.300 but it is free of cost for the street children. We are aiming at making the street children equal to the normal children, so that they can be at par with the society.”

The Summer Camp will be held across the city in different places.

Isaac also said, “The sports will be coached by professional players like Mr. Yere Goud, Former Karnataka State Ranji Trophy Captain and the coach for Under-19 Karnataka cricket team too will be there.”

 

BESCOM fails to provide sufficient power in the city

Power cut in the city, Bangaloreans face the brunt

Bangalore: In different parts of the city, power cuts have become a source of great nuisance. People in the city face power cut at a stretch for almost six hours in a day.

The Bengaluru Electricity Supply Corporation (BESCOM) has said the main reason for power cut is due to a failure in high tension and low tension wire. Other than this sometimes there is a failure in the functioning of the transformer or cuts in power lines.

The report drawn up  by the BESCOM mentions more than 250 places which are daily affected by shortage of electricity.

The Deputy General Manager of BESCOM said, “Last time the power cut occurred in November due to sudden fall in thermal generation.”

Areas like Kothanur JP nagar 8th phase, Gowaravanagar, Nrupatunganagar, Shreyas Colony, Krishna Nagar, Kottanur which faced power cut for one hour due to a fault in the line. In December the Jaynagar areas like Roshan Apprtment, 30th B cross, 8th mian, Tilak nagar are also affected due to burning of the main lead. There was no power cut for at a stretch of nine hours.

HSR division faced power cut at a stretch of 12 hours due to fault in the Low Tension wire. Padmanabhanagar near Kanakpura faced power cut at stretch of two hours due to breakdown in a pole.

Anirban Basu, a resident of Indiranagar said, “After coming back from office, when there is no electricity it becomes very difficult. I cannot do my office work. Whenever I call the BESCOM they say that some technical problem happened and they are working on it.”

K Govindaiaha, Executive Engineer of BESCOM said, “We try to fix the line as soon as possible if it is a problem in the wires but if there is a problem in the
Spur line for Cable fault then average time it takes is six hours to repair it.” He also added due to spur line which is kept open for ABC cable fault was recently seen in HSR division. The power was cut for one hour.”

“Two years back in Vidhana Soudha area the people faced power cut at a stretch of 15 hours. The reason behind the long power cut is 500KVA Transformer was kept open for LT Lead Replacement work.”added Executive engineer of BESCOM.

Earlier Bangalore had faced this problem of not having power supply for at a stretch of 20 days for eight hours a day which had caused a huge problem for the people.

The power cut has not helped Bangaloreans to be happy rather they flooded the twitter with complaints against the BESCOM.

A senior official of BESCOM said, “We are working on that and we will see that electricity is there for 24 hours. We cannot guarantee from when this will be effective.”

Kiran Siyengar, Technical Manager at Flamenco Tech twitted, “We are staying in Bangalore but every day we have power cut, then on what basis are we telling we are exceeding the target and we can export?”

Though we have invertors in our house yet it becomes a problem since sufficient charge is not there due to shortage of power supply in the house.” said Ganesh a resident of JeevanBeema Nagar.

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Recovering water challenges on Water Day

Recovering water challenges on Water Day

Bangalore: Nature based solutions for exsisting water challenges we face in the 21st century was the key point celebrated on National Water Day by United Nations. The theme of this year Water Day was “Nature for water”.

Though the population of Israel is 15 percent less than that of Bengaluru yet there is less shortage of water. Bengaluru face a huge scarcity of water compared to Israel.

“The sustainable and equitable management of shared resources is currently lacking and hence it is time for countries to come together for a common purpose combining diplomacy innovation, participation and new funding mechanisms”, said Dana Kursh, Consulate General of Israel in Bengaluru.

On the other hand there is a huge innovative methods and technologies Israel uses like hostlic water resource management and different strategies.

Israel has decided to collaborate with India and come up with a new machine Gal mobile which is a water purification machine . This machine is made to make water more purified. It can also be used during disasters, earthquake to provide purified water.

“Imparting education and awareness through events such as these on nature and environmental conversation takes prominence in our academic curriculum”. said, Fr.Manoj D’Souza, Executive Director – St. Joseph’s Institute of Management (SJIM).

The water scarcity can be solved by using water in a correct way. Preservation of water is very important.  Mandaya, a district in Karnataka faced water shortage. When the problem was investigated it was found they were utilising half of the water received in the production of sugarcane.

The only source of water for Karnataka is Cavery. The urban areas get water but the main problem is faced by the people in the rural. There is a scarcity of water.

Dr.Kshitij Urs, Head of ActionAid Karnataka said, “We can keep agreeing to long distance pipelines from distant rivers to Bangalore,
however this is a fundamental issue that needs to be addressed. We need to start democratizing the government that water belongs to the people. We need to focus on people’s participation in the conservation of water bodies and wet lands”.

 

Wheels dominate city’s footpaths

More than Rs. 200 can be charged if a vehicle is parked on the pavement.

Bangalore: Vehicles are continued to be parked on pavements across Bangalore inconveniencing pedestrians despite repeated warnings from the traffic police.

For instance, in Seshadripuram, two wheelers are parked on the pavement making it difficult for pedestrians to walk. Also, there is no parking lot in front of Cubbon Park Traffic Police Station forcing riders to park on the pavement. This scenario is not only visible in these areas but across Bangalore. According to Sec 283 of IPC, a fine of Rs.200 can be imposed on vehicles which are parked on pavements. The Bangalore Police has been giving several warnings over the years but still vehicles are being parked on the pavement.

“I have to park on the pavement because it is not possible for me to park on MG Road and come to work in Cubbon Park. So there is no other option for me.” said Aleen Jacob who regularly parks his bike beside Cubbon Park Traffic Police Station.

The problem is not limited to commercial areas but applies also to residential areas. For instance, cars are parked in front of house gates in Indiranagar  2^nd Stage, Harlur Road and also in Mantri Square. This makes it difficult for residents to pull out their cars.

Commuters want vehicles off the pavements so that they can walk freely. “I don’t understand why the traffic police do not impose fines on these vehicles. BBMP should create proper parking spaces in Bangalore so that the two wheeler vehicles can park their vehicles there. Instead of using the footpath I have to use the road for walking and Bangalore being a busy city it is very difficult to walk on the road, said Anirban Lahiri, a commuter.

Chinnappa, a traffic police cop said, “I have caught many times people parking on the footpath. They prefer to pay the fine instead of going and parking in the parking space. They say that fine is less and it is easier to pay the fine.”

BSNL contract workers protest reduction in wages

The decision to be implemented in April will reduce the wages of the contract workers by 20 per cent.

Bangalore: More than 200 contract workers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. staged a protest outside the Chief General Manager’s office today against the government’s decision to reduce their wages by 20 per cent.

“I am a cable worker and get a salary of Rs. 4000. We do the work and the salaries of our employers are increasing,” said Raju Hanuman Talwar a contract labourer at BSNL.

Venkateswaralu, General Manager, Consumer Fixed Access Operation said, “The proposal came in the January and it will be implemented in April. The workers have heard of it and have started the protest.”

He also added that depending upon the work, the number of contract labourers will be reduced too.

Krishna, a cable worker said, “I have a contract worker for six years. I used to get Rs. 13,000 pm as my salary which has now been reduced to Rs. 10, 000.”

This article was published in the softcopy – in house publication of IIJNM. Click Here.

Bangaloreans feel road safer than pavements

No action taken against riders using city pavements

Bangalore: Bangalore Traffic police’s move to cancel licenses for riding on pavements has done little to make pavements safe for pedestrians as bikers still ride on footpaths.

The Bangalore Traffic Police has recorded 99 cases of bikers riding on pavements and 12 such cases this year but their licenses have not yet been cancelled.

During the peak hours, bikers use the pavement to avoid traffic.

Ajeeth Rajamany, a biker at Indiranagar said, “I usually travel by bike and avoid bringing my car as I can easily sneak through the traffic by riding on pavements.”

Chinnappa, a traffic constable said that he had caught many riders near NIMHANS but no action has been taken against them.

This article was published in the softcopy – in house publication of IIJNM. Click here.

ATMs out of cash

Bangalore: Many ATMs across the city frequently run out of cash leaving customers inconvenienced.

ATMs of Karnataka Bank, India Bank, and SBI across the city have a sign hanging outside the ATM saying, “No cash”.

Siraj Kurudan, System Engineer of Time Inc said, “Most of the times I go to the ATM, but I don’t get cash.” Kurudan said it has become hard for him to get his hands on cash.

Suman Ahmed, who came to withdrew cash in the Karnataka Bank at Kumbalgodu said, “I have been coming here for the past five days but there is no cash in the ATM. I have to go to the bank to get cash.”

Raja, the Assistant Manager of Indian Bank said, “If we are out of cash, we have to bring money from the currency chest or from other branches that have cash.”

He added, “On an average we load Rs. 10-15 lakh of whatever denomination is available.”

This article was published in the softcopy – in house publication of IIJNM. Click here

Brands profit while local traders lose

Small businesses are losing out due to sales offered at branded outlets

Bangalore: Sales are the highest for branded outlets during the discount period as garments are available at cheaper rates. The yearly sale of Pantaloons is Rs. 80 crore and during the discount period alone the sale is Rs. 50 crore.  More than 80 million pieces of garment are sold every year by Pantaloons. Out of this, 72 million pieces of garment are sold during the sale period. The discount is either given at 60 per cent or sometimes up to 70 per cent.

“We have maximum sales during the discount period as compared to the usual days. During the non-sale period, the store is not over crowded but it’s not completely empty either,.” said Ashish, an official at  the sales department of Pantaloons, on  MG Road.

Whereas, in K. R market the sales have fallen by 25 per cent since Pantaloons has started giving more discounts.  This results in the businessmen suffering losses.

“Every year, I sell more than 1.2 million cloth items but this is during the normal days. When Pantaloons or any other big companies provide sales, we suffer great losses, said Sahil, a shopkeeper of Garment shop at K. R Market.

“The Pantaloons outlets remain crowded during the sales period. There is hardly any sta2ff that is free during this time. The cash counters are flooded with people.” added the official at the sales department.

“It is very difficult to state the exact number of people who visit the outlet during the sale period as it is overcrowded and the staff is busy at work,” said Pujarini Ghosh, HR Manager at Pantaloons.

“I prefer to buy clothes from Pantaloons during the sale because it is cheaper. But on usual days I go to K.R Market to do the shopping.” said Mahesh, a frequent customer at Pantaloons.

“If I sell a pair of jeans at Rs. 1800 during a normal working day, during the sale period, Pantaloons sells the same pair of jeans at Rs. 1000. It is not possible for me to afford because I will run a loss in my business.” said Pankaj, owner of Garment shop at K. R Market.

This article was published in the softcopy – in house publication of IIJNM. Click here.

 

5000 Out-of-State Car Owners In Karnataka are yet to get their road tax refund

Visitors face problems as road tax refund gets delayed

Bangalore: More than 5000 out-of-state registered vehicles are yet to receive their road tax refund following Supreme Court’s order that was passed on March 10, 2016.

The Central Motor Vehicles Act states that when a vehicle which is registered in one state and moves to another state, they have to pay a lifetime tax. However, if they stay   for one year, they can do without paying the lifetime tax but they have to change to Karnataka’s registration number.

But the new law states that non-Karnataka vehicles do not need to change their registration number. But within one year they have to pay lifetime tax. Failing to do this, will attract a fine.

On the other hand, the apex court said if the order goes in the favor of Karnataka government then those who received the tax refund will have to return it to the government.

There were 190 applicants but the number has now increased to 357 applicants. Among these 357 applicants, there are people who have stayed on for more than a year and they did not pay any road taxes. These people will be imposed with a fine.

A total of Rs. 40 crores has been collected in taxes from the out-of-state vehicles which have been in Karnataka for the last10 years.

Karnataka charges more road tax as compared to any other state in India.

Raju Reddy, who is a car owner from Delhi said, “We are being harassed when we bring our vehicles to Karnataka. We have to pay extra road tax. The government should impose equal road taxation in all the states.”

The Public Relation Officer of the Transport Department said, “We are trying to keep a track the  out-of-state vehicles which have entered the state in the last 30 days. This will help us to know the number of vehicles which are not paying tax. In the past three months, we found that 239 vehicles evaded the road tax and were fined with minimum of Rs. 1000.”

An officer of the Regional Transport Office of Electronic City said that around 500 cases are pending where people have not got their road tax refund. They have to first prove  that they had stayed in the city for not more one year and only then the process of the tax refund can be initiated.

“I have given my receipt to the RTO officer of Rajajinagar two years back. But still, I did not get my money back. I don’t know when I will get my money back.” said Avirup Sen, who is a car owner from West Bengal.

Prayag Roy Chowdhury, another car owner from West Bengal said, “I had to pay Rs. 50,000 for the road tax. This caused immense problem for me.”

This article was published in the softcopy – in house publication of IIJNM. Click here.