The Observer, Edition 2, Volume 22

The Observer An IIJNM publication

There is a serious threat of electrocution as uncovered electricity wires dangle in Jayanagar | P2

Vol 22, Issue 2

By Yashaswini Sri

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Shop owners want to return to old Jayanagar complex

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hop owners in the new Jayanagar shopping complex want to go back to their old place, reports Yukta Mudgal.

The traders have complained to BBMP that they are paying high rent and earning less profit in the new complex as customers are not familiar with the new building.

Five floors of the new building have been vacant for the past four years littered with cigarette butts, paan stains and garbage.

Out of seven floors, only two are occupied, rest five are vacant with cigarette butts and paan masala stains.

The BDA, which is reconstructing the old complex building, has missed its deadline by 18 months. The new complex was inaugurated in 2018.

Full report on page 2

Drunken riding by passengers is one of the most recorded violations on the Metro Credit: Yashaswini Sri threatened by their presence.

There was a huge commotion at Majestic when the participants disembarked. They left the station without being questioned by Metro staff.

Satya, a 28-year-old techie who lives in Electronics City, shared:

“I never had any encounters with drunk people while travelling on the Metro, but I have heard stories about how unsafe it is during weekends at the MG Road and Indiranagarstations because… drunk people board the Metro at night.”

According to a Deccan Herald report, drunken riding by passengers is one of the most recorded violations on the Metro.

Though BMRCL has a rule to not allow drunk people inside Metro stations, its staff lack breathalyzers.

“Using alcohol testers will create long waiting lines at baggage check areas. We are trying to come up with a solution to nab drunk people before entering Metro stations,” a BMRCL official said.

Namma Metro, introduced in October 2011, has given lakhs of peoplea break from tortuous traffic jams on roads that have more vehicles than they can accommodate. yashaswini.s@iijnm.org

Delivery agents were hit hard when Yulu pulled bikes during pandemic Bike company has gone through a financial crisis

By Vindhya Pabolu

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he suspension of Yulu bike service during the pandemic led to many users losing their jobs. The company’s net worth declined by 35.16 per cent.

Yulu bikes are often used by delivery workers of Zepto, Swiggy and other delivery companies.

Most of these delivery persons lost their jobs after Yulu halted its services.

“I left my job in Zepto and started to work in D-Mart since I had no vehicle to continue my job as a delivery person since Yulu centres were closed,” Mohamad

Epaper: https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver

Bengaluru man becomes the first to get cured of hemophilia by liver transplantation | P3

Staff at stations lack checking equipment

able. Many of her co-passengers felt stifled until the group left.

On August 15, The Observer found participants in the Congress Freedom March travelling on the Metro drunk. The coaches reeked of liquor. Other commuters felt uncomfortable and

Website: theweeklyobserver.in

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Drunken travel on Metro trains leaves passengers queasy everal people drink and travel on the Metro on a daily basis in violation of the rules drafted by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL).

Officials at BMRCL believe drunk people invade other travellers’ privacy and disrupt their peace. “We are against letting drunk people use the Metro. Our rules and policies clearly state we are against entertaining drunk people inside Metro stations,” Raj Gopalan, a BMRCL official said.

A passenger who travelled on the Metro to Majestic informed The Observer she saw a group of drunk men. The group stayed within their limits, but the smell of alcohol made her uncomfort-

@theweeklyobserver

Many Yulu workers lost their jobs.

Credits: Vindhya Pabolu Rihan, a delivery person,informed The Observer.

Omesh S, a delivery person with Zomato, said: “I have been using Yulu for more than a year now. Covid has been one of the hardest times in my entire life. It made me to leave my job as a delivery person. Yulu had closed its

centres which made it harder to continue. After Covid (subsided), Yulu resumed their services. I applied for a job and Zomato allowed me to rejoin their company. It is good to be back.”

Two other delivery agents working for Zomato and Swiggy said they left their jobs as Yulu had decided to suspend its services at the peak of the pandemic.

Bengaluru’s 3,000 battery swap stations were shut down during the pandemic.

“Even though we have customers who wanted to use our bikes, we were instructed to stop doing battery swaps. It eventually led us to close our station. I went back to my native since I did not having any work to do,” said Hilal, who works at a Yulu battery swap station near the Sandal Soap Factory Metro station.

Continued on page 3

News briefs Protesting Iranians burn their hijabs, cut hair Mass protests erupted in Iran on Sunday over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, following her detention by the country’s morality police.Women protesters cut their hair and burnt hijabs to protest against the mandatory veiling of women, media reports said.

2 new Indian sites on Unesco list

Two landmark decisions were taken during the 44th session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in Fuzhou, China, with the inscriptions of the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Telangana, and Dholavira temple, Gujarat, included in the World Heritage List.

Free power for SC/STs continues: CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has denied claims made by opposition parties that his government had discontinued a programme that provided Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families with 75 free units of power each month.

India, UAE, France hold meeting in US

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, India, the UAE and France held their first trilateral ministerial meeting where they discussed a new and more modern approach to diplomacy with an emphasis on an "active exchange" of ideas between strategic allies and UNSC members.

Aussies lock in Nitschke as new head coach

After being named as the head coach of the No. 1 team in the world for the upcoming four years on Tuesday, Shelley Nitschke will be in charge of the Australian women's team during a hectic time of opportunity and transition.

New potential drug for breast cancer identified

Scientists, including an IndianAmerican researcher, have identified a molecule that can help treat breast cancer, giving hope to patients who have become resistant to traditional therapies. The first-in-class molecule shuts down oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer in a new way, researchers said.

SPOTLIGHT ON JAYANAGAR

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Five floors in new Jayanagar complex building lie vacant Our business is down, complain shop owners

By Yukta Mudgal

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he new complex building in Jayanagar, inaugurated four years ago, still has five floors vacant. The seven-storey building has the first two floors occupied by the shopkeepers who were shifted from the old complex building, which is being reconstructed.

“We were shifted in 2019 to this new building. Since then, our business is low,” K. Suresh, secretary of the new complex building, informed The Observer.

Suresh, who also runs a stationery shop in the new building, said the old complex had more customers coming in. “I had a 137 sqft shop in the old complex. Now BBMP has allotted me this 80 sqft shop in the new complex, but the rent remains the same with very low business.”

The construction of the new complex building, started in 2012, concluded in 2018. The Rs 57 crore building was inaugurated in 2019.

Venkatesh KV, owner of the 40year-old Nagasri book house in the old complex, shared: “Between 2016 and 2019, they had put barricades in front of my shop because of the ongoing construction process.

In those years, the sales went really down and my book

Jayanagar’s new dumping zone. Credits: Yukta Mudgal house kind of lost its identity.

Now that the new complex has been inaugurated, it is still vacant and nefarious activities are going on inside those floors.”

The vacant floors are littered with cigarette butts and garbage.

The shopkeepers raised this issue with the authorities concerned, but they have not taken any action yet.

The Observer found cigarette butts and paan masala wrappers.

The walls of the five non-functional floors of the new complex

building bore paan stains. An empty bottle of ‘chlorpheniramine maleate and dextromethorphan hydrobromide’ syrup and a transparent plastic bottle filled with a yellow liquid were also found on one of the floors.

The Observer noted that the elevator in the new complex building does not travel beyond the second floor. The steps leading to the third floor are barricaded with wooden blocks.

Nazia Sultana, an old customer at the Jayanagar complex, said: “I

have a problem with my knees. I cannot climb so many floors to buy something.”

Customers who come to the new complex find it difficult to recognize shops which were earlier present in the old complex building. “We find the new complex very messy, sometimes we do not know where to go”, said another customer.

A. Prashanth Rai, an old-time customer at the complex, said: “We often used to visit Jayanagar when our children were younger.

But, over the years, we have limited our visits as street vendors have occupied both sides of the road. Traffic has increased and the shopping complex does not have enough parking space. Constructing a multi-storey building is not a problem, but it cannot solve the Jayanagar vendor issue.”

Anil Kumar, Assistant Executive Engineer at BBMP, said that the floors of the new shopping complex building are vacant because the business is low. A court case is going on between contractors and the BDA regarding the renovation of the old complex building.

The Observer tried to reach BDA officials for their comments, but they were unavailable to talk.

According to the shopkeepers, BBMP had earlier promised an 18 months deadline to complete the renovation of the old complex building, but it has not been met.

The shopkeepers are eagerly waiting to go back to their respective old complex shops. yukta.m@iijnm.org

Uncovered hanging electricity wires pose a great danger to citizens

By Suryash Kumar

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ayanagar, one of Bengaluru’s prime residential localities, has a shocking situation: Uncovered wires hangfrom electricity poles and junction boxes.

From 2015-16 to 2021-2022, according to BESCOM, around 700 fatal accidents occurred in Bengaluru due to electrocution.

Chetan, who lives near Cool Joint in Jayanagar, said BBMP takes temporary measures but does nothing concrete.

Pawan, who owns a shop at Jayanagar, informed The Observer: “The live wire situation is dangerous, and it must be repaired on high priority.”

Alok, who lives in J.P. Nagar, said: “I have lived in J.P. Nagar for 30 years, and have observed wires hanging from streetlights…

Wires dangling from transformers aredangerous.”

Umesh, Assistant Executive E ngineer, BBMP(electrical depart-

Ticking time bomb, nightmare for many. Credits: Suryash Kumar ment), Jayanagar, said BBMP is replacing sodium vapour street lights with LED streetlights, and

all wires will go underground when that happens.

“The tender process should

take 40-45 days, after which work to replace the streetlights will begin,” he added. “We have daily inspections of dangling wires from streetlights. BBMP has mobile vehicles that look after maintenance. If BBMP finds bare live wires, the electricians tape them.”

Umesh maintained: “Jayanagar has around 9,000 streetlights…. the wires dangling from the streetlights are dummies.

These wires don’t have power, and are disconnected. Cables or insulated cables are being drawn over poles to keep wires away from the ground.”

The Observer was told that BBMP’s LED streetlight plan has received setbacks. It is yet to finalize the entity undertaking the replacement work.

The electiricity to street lights is provided by BESCOM, which is working to prevent electrocution. suryash.k@iijnm.org See Full Story:www.theweeklyobserver.in

The Observer Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Citizen’s Voice Citizens need to be aware of their rights As leaders of tomorrow, it is important for us to be aware of the rights enshrined in the Constitution. For long, Indian citizens have remained passive citizens, but now it is time for them to turn into active citizens and strengthen the functioning of world's largest democracy. For citizens to actively participate in politics, they must be aware of their fundamental rights, which are protected by the Constitution.

Anupreksha Jain

Mental health should not be romanticized

One of the biggest problems with our generation is romanticizing mental illness through social media for greater attention. Unlike our previous generations, which almost entirely neglected the existence of mental health issues, ours have dived deep into it, often exploiting or conjuring them for greater social media attention. In turn, the people who in reality suffer through and live with severe mental health problems like depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and anti-social behaviour are not given the required treatment or help as the issues at large seem normative.

The tendency to romanticize psychological anguish gravely affects those who need help and are afraid to reach out for fear of not being taken seriously.

Shireen

Around the city Spaceshift: project X. Ft. Alar, Sept 24 (6:00 p.m)- Sept 25 (1:00 a.m) Hyatt, Centric Mg Road, Bangalore.

8th All India Under 15(Boys) & 6th All India Open Women's 5 A sideFootballTournament, October 8th, Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, taluk, Bengaluru.

Quiz 1.Who is the author of the book ‘Nineteen Eighty Four’?

2.‘Natya Shastra’ the main source of India’s classical dances were written by?

3.The Salal Project is on the river?

4. Which element is used in pencils?

5.In which year was Pulitzer Prize established?

Weather 27°C°F Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 61% Wind: 11 km/h Foecast: 29°C°F Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 64% Wind: 19 km/h

HEALTH

Recipient’s wife donated 60% of her organ

By Shruti Banerjee

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resident of Bengaluru has been cured of hemophilia, a bleeding disorder that can lead to serious health complications, through a liver transplant surgery.

Prem Roop Alva, a hemophilia patient, underwent a liver transplant surgery in a private hospital in Bengaluru in March.

Alva informed The Observer he was suffering from HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) and diabetes which worsened the condition of his liver. The only cure he was left with was a liver transplant.

Alva’s liver transplant surgery lasted 12 hours. Consequently, his liver started producing the necessary protein which it lacked earlier.

According to Medanta Healthcare, within the first 18 months of birth, a child shows symptoms which help in determining whether he or she will have hemophilia or not.

Hemophiliacs have primarily bleeding in the head at the time of birth. Other symptoms can be having bruised or swollen joints

Swapping stations closed Continued from page 1 Krishna Swamy Nagaraju, a Traffic Constable, said: “The government did not allow any private services like Yulu to function and to provide rental bikes to the citizens. At the initial stage, some Yulu bikes were seen here and there; but as time flew, people also stopped using these bikes as all battery swapping stations were closed.”

Yulu saw a financial crisis as all its services were suspended.

According to the Tofler website, the net worth of Yulu Bike Private Ltd for the financial year ending March 31, 2021, decreased by 35.16 per cent, EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) by 59.02 per cent, and total assets by 19.9 per cent.

However, Yulu denied this, insisting the company earned a profit. Ankit Taparia, marketing head of the company, informed The Observer: “We didn’t face any loses.”

Bounce, another bike rental services, has seen similar fate. A report in The Economic Times said: “Shared mobility and EV company Bounce's revenue fell 83% to Rs 14 crore for the financial year ended March 2021.” vindhya.p@iijnm.org

Hemophilia, an inherited bleeding disorder, is also called ‘the royal disease | Credit:Dhananjay Gautam while learning to walk, frequent nose bleeds and bruises due to minor injuries, bleeding in gums or in urine and stool, and signs of obesity.

Usually, hemophiliacs get infected with Hepatitis C owing to the use of contaminated blood products. They suffer from acute liver damage, sometimes making it necessary for them to undergo a liver transplant.

According to the Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), hemophilia is usually an inherited bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot

properly.

CDC mentions that there are mainly two types of Hemophilia:A and B. Type A occurs due to a lack of factor VIII and type B occurs due to a lack of factor IX. The severity of hemophilia is determined by the amount of factors in the blood.

The lower the amount of the factor, the more likely it is that bleeding will occur which can lead to serious health problems.

The only way to administer Anti-Hemophilic Factors is through infusions which means injecting the missing protein into

the patient’s bloodstream.

Alva told The Observer that his wife was his donor. She donated 60 per cent of her liver to him.

Alva’s wife, who wishes to remain unnamed, said that the first week was difficult as her kidneys were not functioning properly.

She lost her appetite, leading to a weight loss. She was advised a month’s bed rest, but from the fourth day she was able to do small chores like cooking.

After the 15th day, she was back to her normal routine.

Dr Suresh, Professor of Pathology at the JJM Medical College said liver transplant has its risks.

If the donor liver is not healthy, then it might cause complications in the recipient’s body.

Subhajit Ghosh, a Hemophilia A patient, said: “Though initially expensive, in the long run, liver transplant is beneficial to save a patient from a crippling deformity. Moreover, it will also save him from being a burden on society at large, along with exorbitant lifelong treatment expenses.”

The National Hemophilia Foundation considers the transplant a momentous event in the history of hemophilia as the disease which was once thought to be incurable has been cured without the patient suffering any bleeding episodes post-surgery. shruti.b@iijnm.org

Increase in panic attacks is a legacy of Covid-19 pandemic

By Siddhi Chauhan

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he number of Covid cases in India has gone down, but its after-effects linger. Panic attacks have increased in people across age groups.

The WHO released a scientific brief that stated that anxiety and depression among people increased by 25 per cent since the onset of Covid.

A patient who didn’t want to be named informed The Observer: “After the pandemic , I have become more reserved and don’t like to be surrounded by many people as by being in a crowded place makes me feel anxious and I often get panic like (sic) symptoms.”

Poornamrita Jain, a student who has experienced panic attacks, shared: “I became anxious and had panic attacks on looking at the situation we were in. Being diagnosed with Covid, too, took a toll on my mental health. I used to get nervous after looking at huge crowds... in hospitals and used to think if this pandemic will come to an end or not.”

Dr Amar Bavle, professor and head of the Department of Psychiatry at Rajarajeshwari Medical College, explained: “Panic

Anxiety and epression among people increased by 25 per cent since the onset of Covid | Credit:Siddhi Chauhan attacks are episodic anxiety attacks where there is extreme fear that ‘if I die, what will happen to my family’.”

A person who undergoes a panic attack experiences a sudden increase in palpation, difficulty in breathing. Calming him/her can last from five minutes to an hour. In some cases, a person experiences five attacks in a day or five in a month.

Dr Vidya Vijay, a consultant at Another Light Counseling, said: “I had few clients who never had experienced panic attacks, the

sole reason being stuck at home, being quarantined, being locked in a room and not being able to meet with loved ones or partners.”

According to Nimhans, “in 2020, an estimated 2.9 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had at least one major depressive episode while, 66 % of US adults with major depressive episode received treatment in 2020”.

A psychologist of Rajarajeshwari Hospital who didn’t want to be named stated that several people came for therapy but never completed the course.

Dr Manivannan RJ, a counselling psychologist at Brahvishmah, said medications and antidepressants work on the brain level. Besides, he gives therapies like CBT, DBT, hypnotherapy, change life practice, Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy along with art and painting therapy.

Dr Vijay said that adopting some small practices can make the life of a person who suffers panic attacks easy.

Read the full story on: www.theweeklyobserver.in

Wonders of the world

Located in Eastern Cordillera, this 15th-century citadel of the Incas was formed atop fault lines by earthquakes. It is known for its walls of dry stone fused with boulders without mortar.

Tweetcasm

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Start-up idea: Rain water management in Bengaluru @Trendulkar

Quote of the week “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”- Oscar Wilde.

Did You Know?

The circulatory system is more than 60,000 miles long.

Quiz answers George Orwell Bharat Muni Chenab Graphite 1917

Liver transplant operation rids a man of his hemophilia

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The Observer Tuesday, September 20, 2022

The Observer

Produced by the Print students of the Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media at Nityananda Nagar, Kumbalgodu, Kengeri hobli, Bengaluru 560074.

Editor: Shruti Banerjee NewsEditor:Vindhya PaboluCopy editors: Yukta Mudgal, Suryash Kumar, Yashaswini Sri and Sneha T.S. Photo editor: Siddhi Chauhan Other IIJNM publications l The Beat magazine l CityCast l The SoftCopy