Bengaluru airport ships over 60 mn roses this Valentine's season
Bengaluru (PTI): As the Valentine's season drove peak demand of fresh roses worldwide, Kempegowda International Airport here shipped around 60 million rose stems, weighing more than 2,700 tonnes, across 26 international destinations, officials said on Tuesday.
The facility, operated by Bangalore International Airport Limited, also transported roses to 47 domestic destinations.
The exports mark a 38 per cent year-on-year increase in stem volumes and a 64 per cent rise in tonnage, reinforcing the Bengaluru Airport's position as India's leading gateway for perishable exports for five consecutive years, they said.
According to a BIAL statement, international shipments remained steady at 305 MT with Singapore emerging as the top overseas destination, followed by Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi, New York and Kuwait. New international destinations added this season include Los Angeles , London Gatwick , Dallas Fort Worth, Toronto and Orlando.
"On the domestic front, 2,402 MT of roses were transported, recording a 79 per cent year-on-year increase in tonnage. Delhi and Kolkata continued to anchor demand, while Guwahati, Mumbai and Jaipur maintained strong throughput," it stated.
The BIAL said that notably Kolkata, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Lucknow recorded over 150 per cent growth compared to last season.
"This momentum is further supported by expanded cargo infrastructure of BLR (Bengaluru) Airport ensuring freshness, speed, and temperature precision."
"The state-of-the-art cold chain facilities, equipped with real-time tracking and advanced technology safeguards every shipment, proactively managing temperature fluctuations for seamless storage, handling, and transport," it added.
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LPG crisis leads to apprehension of Indira Canteens’ functioning
Bengaluru (PTI): The LPG supply scarcity in Karnataka has led to apprehension about the continuity of the Indira Canteens in the city, sources in the municipal body said on Thursday.
Indira Canteens are the Congress government’s flagship initiatives which were started by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during his previous stint from 2013 to 2018.
There are about 180 Indira canteens in the city, which were built to feed the urban poor at a highly subsidised price. They offer breakfast at Rs five and meals for Rs 10.
The canteens have been functioning perfectly well till now, but the Iran-Israel-US conflict has cast its shadow on these government run canteens.
According to GBA sources, the vendors of the Indira Canteen told the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) officials that their services may be affected if the LPG crisis continues in the state.
"These vendors had come to us and communicated their hardship. Accordingly, we wrote to the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department asking them to restore the supply of LPG. Today also we raised the issue with the government," a GBA official told PTI.
He said the functioning of the Indira Canteens should not be affected because there are many urban poor who are entirely dependent on them.
