Pollution Control Board funds to prevent elephant menace

 Finance Department decides without KSPCB permission; Government order likely to be approved in board meeting on December 2

Pollution Control Board funds to prevent elephant menace

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: The government has decided and ordered to transfer ₹426 crore from the board's account to the forest department without the approval of the State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) meeting and despite public objections.

The Finance Department has agreed to release ₹300 crore for railway barricade work in various districts of the state to prevent elephant menace and ₹126 crore for the K-Shore project without the permission of the State Pollution Control Board meeting.

'The State Pollution Control Board, which does not receive any grant from the state government, will have to bear all the expenses from its own revenue. If new staff are appointed, they will have to be given salary and allowances. Therefore, the board's ₹300 crore should not be given for afforestation and installation of barricades to prevent elephant menace. Also, the Accountant General has already objected to the board's contribution of ₹17 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Concerns were expressed in the board meeting held on September 9 that there is a possibility of objection even if ₹300 crore is given.

After this decision, the State Pollution Control Board Member Secretary wrote a letter to the board's Chief Financial Officer and said, "There is a proposal to provide money to the Forest Department through a loan. This is an environmentally friendly activity. The Forest Department is a revenue generating department and the financial decision is taken by the government's Finance Department. The board meeting that releases the money has expressed the concerns of the members. The Investment Committee held on September 19 has directed to write a letter to the government to take a decision. The objections received from the public have also been directed to be submitted to the government and the Finance Department."

The Pollution Control Board Member Secretary, who wrote a letter to the government's Principal Secretary of the Forest, Biology and Environment Department on October 9, has requested that a proposal be submitted to the Finance Department along with the Board meeting, Investment Committee proceedings, and public objections regarding the release of money.

The Finance Department, which has received a letter from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest Department, has said that ‘₹200 crore can be obtained from the State Pollution Control Board for a period of four years at 7.5% simple interest. If the Forest Department wants to get another ₹100 crore, it can be obtained as a grant from the State Pollution Control Board.’ The Additional Secretary of the Finance Department has given approval (FD/621/EXP5/2024; FEE/427/EPC/2024) on November 27.

₹126 crore for K-Shore

‘For coastal Karnataka, the Forest Department can avail ₹126 crore as an interest-free loan from the State Pollution Control Board for plastic management and use it for the K-Shore project. The approval of the State Finance Department has been obtained,’ the Secretary of the Forest, Biodiversity and Environment Department issued an order (Government Order: FEE 41) on November 26.

No proposal has been submitted to the State Pollution Control Board for providing funds to K-Shore. There was no discussion in the board meeting. Approval has been given as per the proposal of the Forest Force Chief and Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest Department.

‘The decision of the board meeting is final’

‘No decision has been taken in the board meeting regarding providing funds to the Forest Department by the State Pollution Control Board. Despite the government orders, the decision taken in the meeting is final,’ said a senior State Pollution Control Board official who did not want to be named.

‘The 247th meeting of the board, which was to be held in the first week of November, was postponed until a new chairman is appointed. A meeting was held under the chairmanship of the acting chairman in the following days. It has been decided to hold the 248th meeting on December 2. The objection was raised that the government would approve what has already been ordered since the meeting was full of officers. 

‘The government cannot take action without a decision being taken in the meeting of the State Pollution Control Board first. No important decision can be taken in the absence of a chairman who is not appointed as per the law in a statutory body,’ said lawyer Rishab Truckru and some public figures in a letter to the Forest Minister, top officials of the department, and the Board Member Secretary. 

Computer, TV, fridge for the Minister’s office: Money from the board

For the daily use of the office of the Forest Department Minister’s private branch, 19 types of electronic equipment including computers, tabs, printers, TVs, UPSs, and fridges have been supplied with the money from the State Pollution Control Board. 

Based on the note of the Minister’s Officer on Special Duty, the Board Member Secretary has approved the supply of equipment worth about ₹72 lakh. 

No harm to the board: Ishwar Khandre

It has been decided to take up the work of afforestation and prevention of human-wildlife conflict by receiving ₹300 crore from the State Pollution Control Board. This is an environmentally friendly activity, for which the board has submitted a proposal to the Finance Department. The money collected by the Environment Board should be used for environmentally friendly activities. The purpose of the Forest Department and the board is the same. This is an internal adjustment. There is no harm to the board from this,' said Forest Minister Ishwar Khandre.

K-shore is a World Bank-sponsored project, under which plastic waste that is causing the death of aquatic animals in the sea will be curbed in three coastal districts. In addition, this money will also be used to grow Kandla forests to prevent sea erosion. The state government has to spend ₹126 crore, and the money will be received and spent in stages from the board. The World Bank will later repay it to the board, he said.

Ejipura Flyover: Instruction to impose fine on contractors

 Crack in Ejipur flyover: Estimates Committee orders strict action

Ejipura Flyover: Instruction to impose fine on contractors

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: ‘A segment in the Ejipur flyover work has cracked, and the previous contractors who did such poor work should be fined and legal action should be taken,’ the Assembly Estimates Committee has instructed BBMP officials.

Members led by Assembly Estimates Committee Chairman Hampanagouda Badarli inspected the Ejipur flyover work on November 22. They expressed concern about the crack appearing in the segment while it was being installed on the flyover. The BBMP officials were instructed to present all details in this regard before the committee.

M.T. Krishnappa, who chaired the Assembly Estimates Committee meeting held on Friday, took a dig at BBMP engineers for the poor work.

‘The work of the Ejipur flyover was carried out by Simplex Infrastructures Company in the initial stage. The segments built by these contractors cracked during installation. The loss due to this should be recovered from the previous contractors as a penalty. Legal action should be taken against them,’ M.T. Krishnappa told.

Three segments Crack in Ejipura Flyover Read…

‘Before the installation of all the segments built by the previous contractors in the Ejipur flyover work, an examination should be conducted by experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The Executive Engineer and Chief Engineer have been ordered to conduct a third-party inspection,’ he said.

‘The flyover work was supposed to be completed by February 2025. However, the previous contractor did poor construction. This has created concerns that it will pose a danger to the citizens. Therefore, the new contractor should be instructed to complete the work by October 2025. "Security and protection are most important above all," he said.

‘Anti Smog Gun’ to Control Air Pollution

•  8 Total ‘Anti Smog Gun’ Machine
• 45 km to 60 km ‘Anti Smog Gun’ Traffic per Day
• 6000 Liters Water Storage in Each ‘Anti Smog Gun’

‘Anti Smog Gun’ to Control Air Pollution

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: BBMP is using ‘Anti Smog Gun’ machines to control pollution on roads with high air pollution in the city.

Air pollution is increasing day by day in the city, and in the wake of controlling it, some steps are being taken by the BBMP Road Infrastructure Department. ‘Anti Smog Gun’ is one of them.

‘Anti Smog Gun’ machines are being used in areas where there is a lot of construction and areas with high air pollution. A vehicle equipped with this machine travels about 60 km every day. "As air pollution is increasing in Delhi, precautionary measures are being taken to prevent such a situation from happening in the city," said Principal Engineer B.S. Prahlad, Chief Engineer, Road Infrastructure.

"Water is being used for 'anti-smog gun' machines from the 5 MLD wastewater treatment plant built by BBMP in Koramangala-100 Valley," he said.

BDA: E-Khata Service SUSPENDED

 E-Khata application not registered for 15 days on SevaSindhu portal

BDA: E-Khata suspended; Owners in distress

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Development Authority, which is still slow in implementing the online system, has suspended issuing e-Khata. Property owners have been struggling for 15 days without getting e-Khata.

The Revenue Department has made e-Khata mandatory for sale of plots and any kind of registration. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has taken several steps to issue e-Khata. However, the BDA has woken up late and has now started the process of changing the software.

The BDA, which has fewer plots or buildings under its jurisdiction than the BBMP, has not implemented any system including plans and khata completely online except for property tax payment. Although e-khata has been provided to the plots of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (NPKL), not everything in it is connected to the ‘Kaveri Software’ of the Revenue Department.

To get e-khata for BDA plots or buildings, one could apply on the government’s ‘Seva Sindhu’ portal. After uploading some documents including purchase/lease deed, khata, there was a system to go to the concerned BDA office and verify the documents and get e-khata there. However, this process has also been stopped now.

If one tries to apply for BDA’s e-khata on the ‘Seva Sindhu’ portal, a message saying ‘Khata service is not available on November 15 and 16 due to data management’ is being received even on November 25. Due to this, property owners are facing difficulties.

‘E-khata has been made mandatory for property sales. However, BDA has stopped the process of issuing e-khata. I am facing difficulties as I am unable to sell the property and complete the predetermined financial transaction,” said Ramesh from Jayanagar.

“I have applied for a loan on a BDA site for my children’s higher education. Everything has been approved. However, the site needs to be registered as a debt with the bank. But the sub-registrar is saying that registration is not possible without an e-khata. BDA officials have been saying for the past 10 days that the software is being updated,” said Ravikishore from Rajajinagar.

‘Everything is online: hence the delay’

‘The software is being updated to manage the entire process of issuing e-khata for sites or buildings online. The government’s e-Governance Centre (CEG) is conducting the process. The CEG had said that the process will be completed in two days. However, it is not yet complete,” a BDA official, who did not want to be named, informed.

“The e-Khata process will be completed online. For this, the information is being uploaded to the ‘Kaveri Software’ of the Deputy Registrar’s office. Once the process is completed, everything will be available online. There is no need to come to the BDA office. It may take another three to four days for this system to be implemented,” he said.

“All information including BDA plans, Khata, approval letter, tax is being made available online to the property owners at one place,” he said.

Ejipura flyover: Crack in 3 segments

 Problem in two segments installed and one in the construction unit

Ejipura flyover: Crack in 3 segments

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: The number of cracked segments in the Ejipur flyover work has reached three. The flyover work is being delayed again due to problems with the segments constructed by the contractors four years ago.

A crack was found in the segment during the Ejipur flyover work. Cement and gravel were leaking from the ‘precast segment’ constructed four years ago. Since this problem was found in one or two segments, they are being taken down. At the same time, a crack was also found in another segment in the ‘casting unit’.

The elevated corridor on the Koramangala Outer Ring Road (Ejipur) is 2.5 km long. The contract for the construction of the long flyover was awarded to Simplex Infrastructure in 2017. They have manufactured 69 precast segments. The problem was found when the work of installing them was carried out by BSCPL Infrastructure.

The segments are being replaced based on the report of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The chief engineer of the BBMP project department had also suggested replacing the segments. Since defects were found in the installed segments, a lot of time was spent on dismantling and replacing them. This has delayed the work.

‘A total of 564 precast segments have to be installed for the Ejipur flyover work. Out of these, 69 segments were constructed by the previous contractor. Since defects were found in some segments, further testing will be carried out before using all the segments,’ said BBMP engineers.

CRACK in Ejipura Flyover Segment… https://keremanju.blogspot.com/2024/11/ejipura-flyover-crack-in-segment.html

Completed by December 2025

‘The flyover work was hampered by several reasons, including the delay in handing over the casting unit. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Additional Chief Secretary M.R. Umashankar, Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath held a meeting and resolved many issues. The work is now going on at full speed,’ said Verma of BSCPL Infrastructure, which has been contracted to do the work.

‘We have given a work schedule. Accordingly, information about the works for each month has been given, and accordingly, the work has been going on for the last three months. The flyover work will be completed by December 2025,’ he said.

IISc suggests to conduct tests and use

Prof. J.M., Civil Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), who conducted the test of the case of a crack in the segment installed on the Ejipur flyover, Chandra Kishan has advised that segments should be installed after conducting all kinds of tests.

‘The strength of the segments should be tested through rebound hammer and UPV tests. If there is honeycombing in the concrete, further testing should be done on them,’ the report said.

Check the information of the tree next to your house!

BBMP's tree census information available to citizens on a trial basis

Check the information of the tree next to your house!

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: Citizens of the city can get to know the age of the tree, its species, name-biological name, and its circumference. Not only that, if there is a mistake in it, BBMP can also give suggestions for correction.

BBMP is conducting a tree census for the first time in the city and is recording comprehensive information including pictures and species of trees in the app. So far, information on about 3.25 lakh trees has been uploaded. Information on about 20 thousand trees is being added every day.

The tree census is being carried out on the mobile app prepared by the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Application Centre (KSRSAC). BBMP has enabled citizens to check the information on trees so far at 

https://kgis.ksrsac.in/test/

Its information can be obtained ward-wise along with a picture of the tree. By selecting a ward on the extensive map and clicking on the image of a tree identified on a side or main road, its information will be available. Each tree is given the ward name and number.

Eight divisions: The geographical area of ​​the city is 840 square kilometers. Eight divisions of 100 square kilometers each have been divided. These divisions have been considered as units and eight contractors have been appointed. They are entering information in the KSRSAC app. Information from all divisions is being uploaded at the end of each day,’ said Deputy Conservator of Forests B.L.G. Swamy.

Slow pace: ‘The Rasta organization, which has been contracted for tree census in Yelahanka and Dasarahalli zones, is delaying the work. A notice has been issued to them to cancel the contract, and if they do not work quickly, the contract will be cancelled. The Chief Commissioner has also been informed about this and he will take the final decision,’ said Swamy.

‘Rasta has taken the contract for the tree census in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, West, East and South zones. The work is going on fast there. But they are slow in two zones. Jeevan has taken the contract and is working in Bommanahalli and Mahadevapura zones,’ he informed.

‘The tree census survey work is going on at a very fast pace and information on 25,000 to 30,000 trees is being uploaded daily. Thus, the entire tree census will be completed in the next two or three months,’ he said.

‘Available in Kannada too’

‘The information on trees in the tree census has been published on the website on a trial basis. Citizens can view the information on trees in their jurisdiction. If any information is wrong, they can comment on it,’ said Swamy, Deputy Conservator of Forests, BBMP Forest Department.

‘The website is in the experimental stage and any changes can be made. Therefore, citizens can send suggestions. Right now, the information is available only in English. "Eventually, when the website is officially launched, information will also be available in Kannada," he said.

Swimming pool: No safety guidelines

 BBMP map required for construction; no safety standards

Swimming pool: No safety guidelines

Kere Manjunath ಕೆರೆ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ 

Bengaluru: There are no safety standards to be followed in swimming pools in the city. BBMP and fire brigades do not have safety system guidelines to be adopted in swimming pools.

Swimming is a sport that everyone wants to learn. Swimming pools are a favorite for children. Even those who do not know to swim want to spend time in swimming pools and have fun. As the depth increases, swimming pools cause anxiety instead of fun. Government agencies have not indicated what kind of safety measures should be in swimming pools, which can only be enjoyed if they are safe.

Although BBMP has 16 swimming pools in the city, the number of these in luxury hotels, clubs, shopping malls, and apartments exceeds a few thousand. Although so many swimming pools are attractively built, the question arises as to how safe they are. What safety measures have been taken? Senior and junior officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike are not aware of the standards.

The BBMP, which has sufficient guidelines for the construction and maintenance of hotels, restaurants, bars-pubs, and paying guests (PGs), does not have separate guidelines for safety measures in swimming pools.

There are general standards that ‘the water level in the swimming pool should be entered on both sides of the pool, cleanliness should be maintained, there should be a tube system, and there should be a supervisor at all times’. However, no organization has given mandatory instructions that all this must be in place.

Luxury hotels, clubs, and some apartments have swimming instructors. Staff are always present to maintain them. However, this does not apply to all swimming pools. Most swimming pools do not have supervisors. In case of danger, there are no helpers nearby.

In 2023, a girl died of electric shock in a swimming pool on the outskirts of the city. At that time, some talk was made about the safety of the swimming pool, but no action was taken in the days that followed.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath refused to answer the question, ‘Are there standards for the safety of swimming pools?’

BBMP Swimming Pool Private Management

‘There are 16 swimming pools in the BBMP area. Their management has been given to the zones. However, they are not being managed by the corporation. They have been given to private individuals or organizations on an agreement. It has been said that necessary safety measures should be taken. But what measures have not been mentioned,’ said BBMP officials.

‘The complete information about the swimming pools in the corporation is not in the office of the Chief Commissioner or the  Engineer in Chief. They have been given to the zones, and information should be obtained from them. I do not know what measures have been taken regarding safety,’ he replied with a haughty tone.

Entry in the building plan

‘Apartments in the city have identified the area as a swimming pool when they get the building plan and have obtained permission. After that, it is not built everywhere as a swimming pool. It is used for other needs. We do not give much emphasis on it,” said BBMP urban planning officials.

“If any kind of construction including a swimming pool is to be done, it must have a plan approval. If it is not on the plan, then it must be approved before construction. However, we do not have any conditions regarding the implementation of safety measures,” they informed.

“We only see whether the safety measures that can be taken in the event of a fire disaster are implemented in buildings. The safety of the swimming pool does not come under our purview,” said fire department officials.

“There is an instruction for diseased control”

“The health department can issue instructions for the control of diseases that can arise and spread from swimming pool water. There is a rule that the cleanliness of the swimming pool can be maintained without harming health in any way. However, we need to check what rules are in place regarding safety and security,” said BBMP Health Department Special Commissioner Suralkar Vikas Kishore.

‘There should be strict measures’

‘Safety in swimming pools is of utmost importance. The same care that is taken while constructing a swimming pool should be given to its maintenance as well. Water can pose any danger. For this, safety measures should be strict. Government agencies should monitor to ensure that strict action is taken,’ demanded Chandrappa, a resident of Vijayanagar.