Bengaluru goes to poll amid heat wave-like situation
Bengaluru (PTI): Voters across four constituencies in Bengaluru, which were among the 14 Lok Sabha seats that went to polls in Karnataka, came out to vote in heat wave-like conditions on Friday.
Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru South are among the 14 constituencies in the state that voted in the first phase today.
“Although Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has not included Bengaluru in the list of heat wave affected areas, the city does satisfy one of the heat wave conditions – the departure from normal temperatures by at least 4.5 degrees,” said A Prasad, a scientist at IMD Bengaluru.
Bengaluru is categorised under Aw (tropical savanna, winter-dry) by the Koeppen-Geiger classification with average temperature pegged at 22 degrees Celsius. And according to Climate-data.org, the mercury in the city’s warmest month April usually never rises above 32.8 degrees Celsius.
“This April, Bengaluru’s highest temperature has surpassed the normal average almost every day,” said C S Patil, director of IMD Bengaluru.
As per IMD data, Bengaluru’s maximum temperature on the voting day will range between 36.4 and 38.4 degree Celsius.
Given that, IMD scientists said it is best that voters take precautions when they venture out.
“It is best to avoid direct exposure to sunlight between 12 noon and 3pm, when the intensity of the heat will be at its peak. Also, keep drinking water even if you are not thirsty and use an umbrella and sunglasses whenever venturing out. If one feels hot, a damp cloth to the neck will cool down the person to an extent,” said M Rajavel, a scientist at IMD.
Meanwhile, four of the districts that were issued an orange alert by the IMD – Tumkur, Mysuru, Mandya, Chitradurga, Chikkaballapura and Kolar – are also polling on April 26.
Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, Manoj Kumar Meena, while briefing about poll preparations had told reporters that the election commission is keeping in mind that many districts would be facing a heat wave on the polling day.
“We are prepared for heat-related medical issues like sunstroke and dehydration. All polling booths will have medical officers and ambulances too. Besides that, each booth will be equipped with a special medical kit,” Meena told reporters.
The unprecedented heat, which the IMD scientists attribute to El Nino effect apart from global warming, had also resulted in a subdued campaigning this election season, especially in the early phases.
“It was so hot that we had to avoid campaigning in the afternoons. We did it in the mornings, and then post 3pm. So yes, our campaigning did suffer because of the heat,” said M B Patil, Congress leader and state minister for large and medium industries and infrastructure development, to PTI.
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Maharashtra completes over 66 pc pre-SIR mapping; urban areas lag
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra has completed 66.42 per cent pre-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) mapping work, with Gadchiroli recording 90.51 per cent completion, the highest in the state, officials said on Tuesday.
Urban areas in Maharashtra are lagging in this exercise as Mumbai Suburban, Pune and Thane registered less than 50 per cent progress, they said, citing data from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
Fourteen districts have completed between 80 and 90 per cent of the mapping work, while 13 districts have achieved 70 to 80 per cent progress. Districts with lower progress include Mumbai city (51.40 per cent), Nagpur (55.57 per cent), Raigad (57.80 per cent) and Palghar (59.28 per cent).
"The urban areas are lagging in the pre-SIR work due to migration of population and an increase in the number of booths following population growth," the official said.
The districts in the 80 to 90 per cent category include Washim (80.76), Latur (80.77), Sangli (81.65), Amravati (81.90), Nandurbar (83.32), Nanded (84.06), Gondia (84.32), Dharashiv (84.62), Parbhani (85.27), Beed (85.31), Buldhana (85.97), Sindhudurg (86.47), Ratnagiri (86.70) and Hingoli (89.08).
As per the data, out of 9.88 crore voters, around 6.56 crore have been mapped so far. The pre-SIR exercise involves Block Level Officers checking the current electoral roll against the voter list prepared in 2002 by the Election Commission.
Names of current voters must be present in the 2002 list to pass scrutiny. Officials are currently matching the two electoral rolls, and this is not a physical verification exercise at present. Young voters, whose names are not in the 2002 list, will have to establish that their parents' names were included in that list.
"We are yet to receive the detailed programme for the physical phase of the SIR. Till then, we will continue mapping the electoral rolls. Until details of the ground exercise are announced, it would be premature to comment on deadlines or proof requirements. Our intention is to minimise inconvenience to voters," the official said.
