1. More Than 2,500 CCTV Cameras to Watch Over Black Spots
The city civic body is spending ₹20 crore to install more than 2,500 CCTV cameras to monitor reckless waste disposal known ‘black spots’ in the city. Each of the 198 wards has been given ₹10 lakh to set up CCTV cameras and a monitoring centre at the ward and zonal level.
The move to install cameras comes in the wake of several instances of garbage and debris dumping at vacant sites, lake beds and wetlands in the recent months.
Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Solid Waste Management, BBMP, said zonal joint commissioners and ward committees that have already been tasked with drawing up SWM plans for their wards by the High Court will select the spots where cameras must be placed. “A centralised selection of these spots may render them useless,” he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Traffic Cops Start Fresh Probe Into Nine-Month-Old Accident
The case of a US-returned Bengalurean, who was found dead next to his scooter on February 15 after partying with two women friends on Valentine's Day, is testing the investigative skills of traffic police nine months later.
Dinky Thomas Mathew, 28, was found dead on a road in Nyanappanahalli near Hulimavu. Police registered a case of unnatural death and the probe pointed to the scooter having rammed an electric pole before falling. Though police say it was an accident, Dinky's brother Vicky insists there is foul play.
On Thursday, traffic police sought the help of citizens to trace three suspects captured by CCTV camera of a Koramangala bar and restaurant where the deceased had partied on the fateful night. "Help us in identifying this unknown person. He could be a resident of Kormangala area. Identity of informer will not be disclosed. If you have any info, pls contact on 9480801805 or dcptebcp@ksp.gov.in (sic)," tweeted Abhishek Goyal, Deputy Commissioner of Police, traffic (east), along with the suspects' photographs.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Winter Session Ends on a Stormy Note
The 10-day-long Winter Session of the State Legislature in Belagavi ended on Friday, 24 November, on a stormy note with the Opposition BJP and the ruling Congress locking horns over a minister’s alleged involvement in brokering a compromise between a murder accused and the kin of the deceased family.
Amid the storm, Speakers of both the Houses completed the proceedings and adjourned the House indefinitely. Opposition BJP leaders in both the Houses demanded resignation of Mines and Geology Minister Vinay Kulkarni in connection with the brutal murder of BJP leader Yogesh Gowda in June 2016. They also demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident as the minister had allegedly used government servants to strike a deal in the case.
KS Eshwarappa, Opposition leader in the council, said, “The minister reportedly asked Deputy Superintendent of Police Tulajappa Sulfi to strike a compromise between Gowda’s brother (Gurunath Gowda) and the murder accused.”
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)
4. Karnataka to Get Its First Forensic Science University in Namma Bengaluru
Consider this: One policeman for around 700 people in Bengaluru. Now add VIP duties and special occasions such as festivals or election bandobust. Then take into account rudimentary policing skills and/or lack of training to upgrade their crime detection capability. Mix these well. What you’ll get now are the 46,000+ pending cases in Bengaluru alone.
Our modern day police official, despite his/her best intentions, is clearly no match for the modern day criminal. And to fix this problem, the state government has decided to set up a forensic university that offers specialized courses to serving police officials and officers in resolving complex crimes.
The university is likely to come up in Bengaluru, Mysuru or Hubballi. Money for the proposed university will be allocated in the 2018-19 state budget.
(Source: Bangalore Mirror)
5. Man Arrested on the Charge of Murdering 16-Year-Old Daughter
In what appears to be an ‘honour killing’, a man from a remote village on the outskirts of the city was arrested on Wednesday, 22 November, for allegedly killing his 16-year-old daughter after she eloped with a boy of another caste.
The accused, Chikka Narasimhaiah who lives in Vinayakappanahalli, is a carpenter. He claimed to murdering his daughter and burning the body on October 22.
He would have probably got away with the crime had it not been for persistent rumours in the village, which reached a beat constable’s ears. Narasimhaiah was arrested for murder and remanded in judicial custody.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. Pomegranate Export From Bengaluru Touches a Tonne a Day
Pomegranates are all the rage in many European countries – thanks to its perceived health benefits for diabetics and cancer patients – and the fruit is reaching there from farms around Bengaluru.
At least a tonne of freshly peeled pomegranates from areas around Bengaluru has been reaching European countries every day over the last few months.
“During our interaction with exporters and importers, we were informed about the increasing demand due to the fruit’s perceived health benefits,” said Venkata Reddy, Chief Executive Officer of Menzies Aviation Bobba (Bangalore), which is among the two cargo handlers at Kempegowda International Airport.
(Source: The Hindu)
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