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The Observer An IIJNM publication
Vol 19, Issue 3
Yulu and Bounce cycles are parked in a haphazard manner on Bengaluru’s footpaths | P 2
Adilin Beatrice C
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estaurants, pubs and bars in Bengaluru have smoking areas without acquiring noobjection certificates (NOCs) from BBMP. “We have a smoking zone in our hotel in the entrance area. There is no restriction for people who smoke there. We have the smoking room without an NOC from BBMP. I don’t know why we didn’t get an NOC. It is like this for a very long time,” H. Lawson, manager of a well-known hotel on Church Street, informed The Observer. Another manager, who did not want to be named, said: “We have a trader’s licence. Isn’t that enough to have a smoking room? We don’t have an NOC.” The manager refused to show The Observer the smoking room, saying it is under renovation. A year ago, BBMP implemented rules under an antismoking law, but didn’t act against entities that have illegal smoking areas. Dr U.S. Vishal Rao, an oncologist and a member of Karnataka’s anti-tobacco cell, said: “BBMP didn’t deny the smoking rooms because they thought it was a complex issue. They don’t give much importance to it. Smoking rooms are mostly seen in restau-
Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in
Pump is out of order for a year, villagers have to travel 2 km every day to fetch water | P 3
WHAT THE LAW SAYS
Despite government curbs, Ola and Uber ride sharing thrives
Smoking is banned in public places. Restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, offices, libraries, courts, post offices, markets, shopping malls, banquet malls, discotheques, coffee houses, auditoriums, cinemas, hospitals, aircraft, buses, trains, Metro trains, monorails, taxis, airports, bus stands and railway stations are public places according to the law. rants that have bars. Teens get addicted to it (tobacco). Tobacco is one of the biggest reasons for cancer. It is increasing.” Passive smokers are the worst affected; they are the first victims of people smoking in their vicinity. Some of Bengaluru’s restaurants have open smoking zones. Because of this, non-smokers inhale smoke emitted by smokers. Abith C., a non-smoker who recently shifted from Kerala to Bengaluru, said: “Smoking is not good. We are nonsmokers. Why should we inhale smoke and suffer?” On the other hand, Nikhil P, a smoker said: “You can’t tell a person not to smoke. It is an addiction. We need a place to smoke, so we do it in the smoking area. We don’t care if it is legal or illegal. The government found a way to make money out of it. So they
didn’t stop it.” The Observer tried to contact the BBMP officer concerned, but she did not answer. As per the anti-smoking law, which came into effect on October 2, 2008, smoking is banned in public places. Restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, offices, libraries, courts, post offices, markets, shopping malls, banquet malls, discotheques, coffee houses, auditoriums, cinemas, hospitals, aircraft, buses, trains, Metro trains, monorails, taxis, airports, bus stands and railway stations are public places according to the law. The law permits smokers to smoke on roads, in their homes and personal vehicles, and smoking rooms that are legal. BBMP issued a circular in August 2018 stating that all public places, including eateries and hotels, are smoke-free zones. Continued on page 3
Business Raod transport and higway minister Nitin Gadkari has said the government is looking into the matter and working on a vehicles strapping policy and will announce it shortly. Local 40,000 supporters hit the road to back DK Shivakumar, leave. Congress strongman DK Shivakumar on Wednesday caused massive. The worst hit was the route between National College Grounds.11.30 am it started. It did not take long to start chaos.
Bengaluru has a high population; the number of vehicles is high. This is the major reason why carpooling is preferred. | Credit: Aarthi N Aarthi N
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hough the government of Karnataka has restricted ride sharing, cab aggregators Ola and Uber continue to allow people to book these. People prefer ride sharing because it is are cheaper than regular taxi or autorickshaw rides. They do not know pooling is restricted. They use it because it is available on the apps of cab aggregators. “Share rides are cheap. We needn’t spend a lot on travel. Also, traffic will reduce in the city if people going to nearby places use the same car,” Ramesh G, an area manager at a private firm, said.“An Ola Share ride depends on the driver. If we want to accept
Drivers don’t bother about the seatbelt rule
News briefs National Police detained Telugu Desam Party (TDP) President N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son Nara Lokesh from taking out a ‘Chalo Atmakuru’ rally to protest against attack on TDP workers. International Meeting between Germany’s Foreign Minister Hong Kong’s Joshua Wong sent negative signals to the countries bilateral relations. Sports M C Mary Kom has been recommended for the prestigious Padma VIbhushan award,
Epaper:https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Illegal smoking rooms abound in Bengaluru BBMP has not cracked the whip on them
@theweeklyobserver
Entertainment Singer-turned-politician Hans Raj Hans has asked Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar to impose a ban on the telecast of the television series "Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush" for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Valmiki community. Health US President Donald Trump has said his administration plans to ban flavoured e-cigarettes amid increasing concerns over the health risks posed by them to teenagers
hough it is compulsory for T drivers of four-wheelers to wear seatbelts, many do not
bother. They strap on only when they approach traffic signals, or when they see police, so that they can escape fines. P3 it, we do so. We accept only if the locations of people are near each other. People prefer Ola Share because the bill amount is less,” K R Lokesh, an Ola driver, informed The Observer.Cab drivers ask a passenger to cancel the ride if her location is not close to that of another passenger.
“Cab fares are usually high and share rides are 50% cheaper compared to regular rides. Even though it is a waste of time for a passenger to reach their destination after other passengers in the cab are dropped, at the end, cost is what matters. I take Ola Share only when I have a lot of time,” Varun B., a software engineer with a private firm, said. The Observer tried to contact Ola and Uber but couldn’t reach them. “These call taxi services are monitored by disaggregated unions that do not take responsibility for anything. There is no accountability, safety and security in carpooling. It depends on people’s interest; but as far as security and safety is concerned, this method is completely unsafe,” said M.N. Sreehari, adviser to the government of Karnataka for transport, traffic, transportation and infrastructure. An official in the transport commissioner’s office said: “The Karnataka government has not banned carpooling; we have only restricted it. We have asked for amendments to be made concerning the safety of the public, especially women and children. This was the major reason why carpooling was preferred. But when it comes to safety, we do not know who will be sharing the seat with us. ” Continued on page 3