Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has severely criticized the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) saying that the latter has failed in providing food facilities in containment zones in the city.

The BBMP has failed in following the government guidelines regarding the food supply in about 5,000 zones, said the High Court.

The hearing of the PIL was chaired by Chief Justice A S Oka and Justice Alok Aradhe.

The BBMP has claimed to provide 25,000 ration kits but has not identified the people who are in need of food supply. It is not aware of the appropriate method of functioning in this regard, said the bench, adding that strict action should be taken against the BBMP.

Senior officer G Kumar Naik has been given charge of the food supply. The bench said that he should guide the BBMP in the supply of food items. The beneficiaries should be listed out and supplied food items. A report should be submitted by July 24, the bench instructed.

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Bengaluru: A video clip of an argument between an Uber driver and a customer over the use of air conditioning (AC) has sparked widespread discussion on social media about the challenges faced by passengers with cab drivers in Bengaluru.

The video, posted by the customer on his personal 'X' account on Sunday, shows a heated exchange where the customer requests the driver to turn on the AC. The driver responds angrily, stating that the AC was not working. When the customer insists, the driver remains silent, leading the customer to suggest that he be dropped off if the driver did not wish to accommodate him.

In a second clip attached to the post, the customer is seen rebuking the driver for getting upset over a minor issue and expressing his dissatisfaction with traveling in an Indica. The driver responds by demanding that the customer speak to him in Kannada, instead of Hindi.

Providing context for the incident, the customer posted, "Since everyone is forming an opinion, let me share the context here - 16sec video is 1st followed by the other video. I denied to sit in his friend’s Indica as it didn’t have AC and was filthy. Then I sat in his car and he talked to me in Hindi only. But the moment I asked him to turn on the AC, he got charged up. Listen to him responding in Hindi 'AC nahi hai'. It’s not about language here; it’s about an arrogant and irresponsible person using Kannada language as a smokescreen to continue scamming gullible people who travel to BLR for work."

The customer also shared the registration number of the cab and tagged Uber support in another post.

The incident resonated with many social media users, who shared similar experiences. One user commented, "I also face the same problem but not in a cab but in a hospital. He asked me why I came to Karnataka if I don't know Kannada. It happened in Karnataka."

Another user recounted, "Couple of such drivers I met in NCR & Bangalore, was taught a nice lesson by me. Those drivers will never forget me. It was during my college days."

Suggestions on how to handle such situations were also shared. One user recommended filing a complaint with the app, mentioning the driver's rude behavior to lower his ratings, while advising against bringing such matters to public attention.

This incident is reminiscent of a similar case from March 2023, where an auto rickshaw driver in Bengaluru refused to speak in Hindi and criticized a passenger for not speaking Kannada, which also went viral on social media.

Uber is yet to publicly respond to the specific complaint, but the incident has highlighted ongoing issues between passengers and drivers in the city, particularly concerning language and service expectations.