It’s official now. The IT Act had already made the documents stored in DigiLocker and mParivahan app legitimate, but now is the time to make the most of these mobile apps. Pray why? Because the fines have doubled, tripled and quadrupled starting from September 1, 2019. If you are caught speeding or not wearing a seat belt, it’s Rs 1000. If you are a disqualified driver, the fine goes up to Rs 10,000. And if you are driving without a licence, it’s Rs 5000.
If the traffic cops stop you and ask you for documents you don’t possess like the vehicle registration certificate, pollution certificate or even your insurance policy, you don’t have to worry.
According to the road transport ministry officials, just showing the digital documents stored in DigiLocker or mParivahan app should do the trick. Showing a scanned or photographed digital copy in your photo gallery will not do. Only the digital documents stored in these apps are considered authentic as they are digitally verified.
The police has begun recruiting traffic wardens across Bangalore. “You cannot be more than 60 years old. It’s a voluntary service; there is no salary,” says HSR’s traffic warden Sukesh Nayak. “You should be a graduate and put in 16 hours of duty every month on the minimum and should not have any police record.”
All you need to do is fill this application form, attach two passport size photos in addition to the requisite degree certificate to substantiate your educational credentials and courier them to the address given below:
On August 20 at 8.45am, 24-year-old Chinta Ravindra, a resident of Singasandra, rented a bike and took the Harlur Road from the side of Sobha apartments and proceeded towards Sarjapur Road. He was a Denzo delivery boy on the job. However, another unknown vehicle driven allegedly by a rash driver rammed into the right … Read more
The Silk Board junction, one of the most busiest intersections in India, might soon lose the infamous tag.
On June 21, the first step was taken to end the traffic nightmarish section of Outer Ring Road and Hosur Road. Today, vehicle users have to wait for up to 45 minutes sometimes just to cross the signal junction.
Renaatus Projects is given the tender by The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to build 2.8 kilometre flyover over the existing flyover. The Rs 134-crore project will greatly help commuters from HSR Layout, BTM Layout and Electronic City.
Estimated to be completed in 2022, this junction will also have two Metro lines passing through it: Bommasandra-RV Road and Silk Board-KR Puram-Airport.
Bikers and pedestrians are being run over by water tankers. Similarly, bikers are running over pedestrians and injuring other pillion riders in HSR Layout police station limits.
ACCIDENT ON OUTER RING ROAD
On July 23 at 9pm, near the 9th main bus stop on Outer Ring Road (ORR), 54-year-old Renappa G Karadi was trying to cross ORR. He was moving from HSR towards teacher’s colony near Baby Shoppe when a motorcyclist, Vivek S (30), travelling from Agara towards the Silkboard on the HSR flyover, ran over the right leg of Renappa and broke his bone.
Renappa also incurred minor bruises in other parts of his body. The biker took the help of onlookers and rushed Renappa to Greenview Hospital. Later, he was taken to Hosmat Hospital for further treatment. The cops have charged the biker for rash driving and causing grievous hurt.
BIKER INJURES A PILLION RIDER ON SARJAPUR ROAD
On July 9, at 7.30pm, one biker injured another biker and pillion rider with his alleged rash driving, but promised to take care of all the expenses if the police was kept out. However, once the victim was in the hospital, the accused switched off his phone and refused to keep up his promise. Therefore, the complaint was filed six days later on July 15.
The accident took place near Motherhood hospital on Sarjapur Road. A Vinay (20), a resident of Bellandur, was riding with Asha on pillion, when another biker Santhosh, a Swiggy delivery boy, allegedly drove rashly from the opposite side by overtaking a car and hit Vinay’s bike.
The impact was such that both Vinay and Asha fell off their bike. Asha’s leg was broken while Vinay sustained minor bruises. The cops took the help of onlookers and rushed the two injured bikers to Levin Memorial Hospital for treatment. Later, Asha was taken to Greenview Hospital and St John’s Hospital for further treatment.
The cops have charged the accused for rash driving, and not attempting to save the victim. If convicted, Santhosh could be in jail for three months or pay a fine of Rs 500 or both. If this is his second offence, the jail term could be six months and Rs 1000 fine.
On Monday, Chevrolet Enjoy, a multi purpose vehicle launched in 2010, caught fire under the Agara flyover on Outer Ring Road. The HSR cops say that the air conditioned duct started to smell, alerting the six passengers who immediately got out of the vehicle and escaped an excruciating death.
Driven by Shivanna, a businessman from Dommasandra, the incident occurred around 5pm on June 24, 2019. The fire force officials extinguished the fire within 20 minutes after receiving the complaint. Traffic was naturally disrupted as a large crowd gathered to witness the rare incident.
“The vehicle was old and wasn’t maintained well,” said one senior HSR cop. “The AC duct started to smell, but they kept driving.” However, the driver stopped the car at the Agara bus stop when he noticed flames coming out of the bonnet. The vehicle wasn’t that old either as it was registered with the Electronic City RTO in 2016. Only a proper probe can reveal the details.
However, the cautionary note is that whenever you are driving, if you notice a burning smell, it’s best to get out of the car and save yourself, like the six passengers did in this case. Interestingly, cases like these are never recorded by the police as a First Information Report, be it traffic or crime, as cars burning up due to some fault, are not considered a criminal offence. “Only the insurance companies will probe the case. We just file an FAR (Fire accident report),” said one HSR cop.
Traffic on 22nd Cross (HSR Club Road) is being rerouted as one stretch of it is blocked for traffic from Kodak Express junction to Kadal Da Meen junction. You will have to take the cross roads to reach the other side of 22nd Cross.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has taken up the long-pending stormwater drain work at the 18th Main-22nd Cross junction near Kadal Da Meen restaurant. Pipeline laying work is in progress. Considering that it’s a major road, the BBMP officials told Residents Watch that they will do everything possible to finish the work within a week to avoid further inconvenience to the public and vehicle users.
Congestion is going to continue on 24th Main Road for the next fortnight as the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is laying a pipeline from Lotus Hospital to KPTCL junction.
While the pipeline is now laid from Lotus Hospital to KPTCL junction, the levelling of the road is only pending now. BWSSB officials informed us that the asphalting work of the dug up stretch will take up two weeks to complete.
What is throwing a spanner in the works are the rains. The work was supposed to have finished by now but for the rain gods. Expect traffic jams during peak hours, particularly in front of Purva Fairmont on 24th Main and at the KPTCL junction. It’s best to avoid that area between 6pm and 9pm as we come across jams around this time.
With the ring road traffic using HSR Layout as a transit route, many accidents are taking place in HSR Layout. The area around Freedom International School, Greens Bar, Sweet Chariot, Mantri Apt and Coffee Day are the latest accident hotspots where severe injuries have taken place. Here is a rundown of each of the incidents where the damages were grievous.
LOCATION: In front of Cafe Coffee Day, near petrol bunk, 19th Main, HSR Layout
On February 7, 2019, 18-year-old Evaditya Singh, a resident of AECS Layout, was hit by a 42-year-old lorry driver at around 8am. At the time, Evaditya had rented a snooty pep and was riding from Agara towards Banashankari. In the same direction, a lorry driver rode negligently and came to a halt right next to the rider near the 19th Main Road-Outer Ring Road junction. And then suddenly, when the vehicles were proceeding to cross the junction, the lorry driver swerved to the left, hitting the rider, who fell and broke his hip bone. He was rushed to Sakra hospital for treatment. The lorry driver is booked for rash driving (279) and for causing grievous injury (338).
LOCATION: Near Freedom International School, 14th Main junction, Outer Ring Road
Hemanth, a 24-year-old rider of Honda Activa was hit by Srinath Elikod, a rider of Pulsar on February 20 at around 4pm.
He was on his lab collection drive from Outer Ring Road towards Greenview Hospital. When he was nearing 14th Main Road junction near Freedom International School, a rider on a Bajaj Pulsar bumped him from behind while allegedly driving rashly on the road. The result was that Hemanth fell on the road along with the bike, badly injuring his right shoulder. The Pulsar driver took the victim to the hospital for prompt treatment. The cops have registered a case of rash driving under IPC 279 and causing grievous hurt (338).
LOCATION: In front of Greens Bar & Restaurant, Agara down ramp
On February 17, at around 10.40pm, 35-year-old pedestrian L Seetharamaiah was hit by the rider of a Bajaj Avenger. He was immediately taken to the nearby Columbia Asia hospital for immediate treatment. He was not able to speak properly after the accident. The eye witnesses had to inform the victim’s elder brother L Ramakrishna about what happened. Apparently, Seetharamaiah was trying to cross the road in front of Greens Bar towards the military camp when a vehicle coming from the side of Agara and moving towards Iblur hit him while driving rashly. The victim suffered injuries on his head, both the legs, and back. The cops have registered a case of rash driving under IPC 279 and causing grievous hurt (338). For not attending to the victim, the motorcyclist whose face and vehicle registration number was captured by a nearby CCTV camera is charged with punishment that could extend by up to three months.
LOCATION: 5th Main, near Vasudev Adigas
Both the rider and passenger on a two wheeler were injured on February 21, 2019 when they were travelling at around 9.15am on their TVS bike. They were moving from Mangammanapalya towards Sweet Chariot near 5th Main junction when a car coming from Vasudev Adigas hit them on the frontside. Both the riders suffered a broken leg. The car driver rushed them to the hospital by arranging an ambulance that took them to the nearby NH Narayana hospital. The rash car driver was identified as Vivekananda Shanmugham, a resident of Doddanekkundi. The cops have registered a case of rash driving under IPC 279 and causing grievous hurt (338).
LOCATION: Iblur Park, Outer Ring Road
On Sunday, February 17, 2019, a 25-year-old two-wheeler rider was hit by a cab at around 7.25am. Virupaksha was grievously hurt when 27-year-old Maruthi Kumar hit him near the BMTC bus depot without giving any forewarning that he was moving his stationery vehicle to the right and proceeding towards Sarjapur Road. The motorcycle was hit on the left, leading to the rider suffering grievous injury to the head, and unable to speak. With the help of the passersby, traffic constable Mohan K rushed the victim in an autorickshaw to the nearby Columbia Asia hospital. The cops have registered a case of rash driving under IPC 279 and causing grievous hurt (338).
LOCATION: Mantri Sarovar Apt, Sector 1
On February 14, at around 10pm, 23-year-old Shivanna was grievously injured when he was hit by a motorcyclist. The incident occurred when he was travelling from Silk Board junction towards Outer Ring Road near Muneshwara temple in HSR Layout. Near Mantri Sarovar apartment, the accident occurred when Shivanna was taking a turn to the right by another motorcyclist Rohith who was coming from the same side. Rohith took the victim to Greenview hospital. Later, he was shifted to two other hospitals before coming being sent to Nimhans hospital for treatment. The cops have registered a case of rash driving under IPC 279 and causing grievous hurt (338).
Location: Bellandur Bus stop, ORR
On February 17, at around 5pm, 30-year-old Manjusha R riding a Honda scooter was hit fatally by Rajiv Kumar (40), the driver of a Maruti Ertiga. The incident occurred when a BMTC bus slowed down in front of Golden Apartment near the Bellandur bus stand. The driver of Maruti Swift behind the bus also slowed down. Manjusha following behind the Swift slowed down as well. However, the Ertiga car rashly driven by Rajiv Kumar hit Manjusha as he was not able to control his speeding vehicle. This resulted in her death on the way to Sakra hospital. The cops have registered a case of causing death by negligence, indulging in rash driving, and imprisonment of upto three months.
The resident and vehicle users are inconvenienced by the the indescriminate parking along 17th Cross Road and 14th Main Roads that lead to McDonald’s junction. Not only do they narrow down these major thoroughfares of HSR Layout, but also cause much inconvenience to both pedestrians and vehicle users.
Says resident AB Gowda who has tweeted to the traffic cops for action: “Vehicles parked haphazardly are blocking the main roads at this junction in HSR Layout, 17th Cross Road (McDonald’s signal). It’s the same haphazard mode in all four roads leading to this junction.”
The tiger patrol towing a car on 17th Cross Road near Star Bazaar
Although the traffic department’s ‘tiger’ patrolling squad regularly tows away vehicles on 17th Cross and 14th Main, this appears to be a never-ending ordeal to vehicle users and pedestrians. The only way to stump this out is to perhaps erect ‘no parking’ signs all along the road and not just near the junctions. But ofcourse, the best recourse is to install CCTV and automatically fine drivers violating the rules if manpower is in short supply.
MLA Ramalinga Reddy inaugurating the skywalk in October 2018
Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy inaugurated the construction of a skywalk near HSR bus stand on Outer Ring Road near 9th Main in August 2018. But the work never began.
Three months later, it was inaugurated again, this time on the Teacher’s Colony side, by MLA Ramalinga Reddy. Residents thought this might have cleared all the hurdles for this Rs 1 crore skywalk to ease the road crossing woes at this busy junction. But so far, the progress is abysmal.
The escalator construction is far from over, leave alone the actual skywalk. We tried to reach the skywalk people, but they have never been accessible ever since the first inauguration. The proprietor of My Baby Store is unhappy that his shop facade is partially blocked by the upcoming escalator. The residents are upset that the overbridge is taking longer than it should have. Inaugurated in July last year, it was supposed to have come up by October. Instead, what happened was a second inauguration of the same flyover.
Every day, the pedestrians are put to much hardship while crossing the road. There have been several close encounters of pedestrians while vehicle users have also collided with each other, thanks to the peculiar positioning of the flyover ramp and the narrow road that passes under the flyover to reach HSR. In addition, the service road on the Sector 5 side of the flyover needs a complete overhaul as it’s dotted with potholes.
Says Mohan Govindiah, resident activist of Teacher’s Colony: “Accidents occur pretty much everyday at this spot. There is no value for human lives. The open drain and service roads are a death trap. No skyWalk, no public toilets, no dry waste collection centre, and no primary health centre.”
Despite some efforts made by the traffic police, Iblur junction continues to be dangerous to riders and pedestrians alike. In January, a pedestrian died when a water tanker ran over him while he was crossing the road. While a skywalk is yet to be budgeted and sanctioned, there is another death at this junction of … Read more
