Parks in Bengaluru to remain open from 5 am to 10 pm henceforth, says D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Parks in the city would henceforth remain open from 5 am to 10 pm, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who is also in-charge of Bengaluru Development, said on Tuesday.
He said some people had complained that parks were being closed in the afternoon hours and wanted them to remain open without a break.
"Now it is from 5 am to 10 am and then from 1:30 pm to 8 pm. So we have now decided that all parks in Bengaluru city will be open from 5 am to 10 pm. For the benefit of the citizens, we are extending it," Shivakumar told reporters here.
Referring to concerns over parks being used for "illegal or unwanted" activities, he said cameras have been installed at their entry and exit gates.
Bengaluru has more than 1,200 public parks, probably the highest in the country, officials said, adding that the new timing particularly covers the parks that come under city civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) jurisdiction.
Speaking on the Climate Action and Resilience Plan for Bengaluru (BCAP), Shivakumar said under the flagship `Hasiru Rakshaka' project, sapling plantation programme has been successfully completed across all BBMP zones.
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"Our aim is to raise awareness among school children toward the environment and they responded with great enthusiasm and active participation. Last year, BBMP planted one lakh saplings and distributed 50,000 saplings to the public. 250 schools participated in the programme and their students planted 52,000 saplings," he said.
These schools and students also signed agreements to take care of these trees in the coming years. A website and mobile application have been developed for children to monitor the health of their plants.
"This year, we are increasing our targets and planning to plant two lakh saplings by involving even more schools and children. This year we will have an agreement with 250 schools, targeting about 75,000 students. Rest will be done with police and public. 25000 saplings have already been distributed and 25000 more will be distributed soon," the Minister added.
Further noting that BBMP already invited eight tenders for conducting Tree Census across the city, Shivakumar said the work under the programme is in progress.
"Till now, 94,000 trees have been enumerated. Two wards have been fully completed in Bommanahalli zone -- Vidyapeeta ward with 4600 trees and Katriguppe ward with 4300 trees. The entire exercise is to be completed in this financial year," he added.
Noting that Bengaluru is joining the Cities4Forests platform- A global alliance of more than 95 cities, Shivakumar said the move will facilitate technical support and knowledge sharing with cities across the globe. "With WRI India as a knowledge partner, Bengaluru becomes the 4th city in India to be a C4F member."
To seek help from citizens in addressing water scarcity, he said, the Climate Action Cell is launching a crowd-sourcing activity for mapping of open wells. "Open wells have traditionally been an integral part of Bengaluru's water security.
"Once identified, steps will be taken to rejuvenate open wells through a scientifically developed standard operating protocol. More details will be published soon on the BBMP website," the Minister said.
The main challenge of the Climate Action Cell is to coordinate activities of many departments, Shivakumar said.
He announced the 'Fellows of Climate Action Cell' programme.
"Under this programme, we will recruit youngsters with passion and relevant experience to work on the ground to support implementation of climate actions and support the Cell in project preparation to improve resilience, adaptation and mitigation actions across the city of Bengaluru. Each of these Fellows will be paid a stipend and will work under the supervision of Climate Action Cell. I am encouraging young professionals to use this unique opportunity to work with the Government on the Climate Action Plan," he added.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
