Bengaluru tops list of cities with highest Private Car Ownership: Overtakes Delhi
Bengaluru, Jan 16: Bengaluru has recently surpassed national capital Delhi to become the top Indian city with the highest number of private cars. Bengaluru has exceeded Delhi in private car ownership, registering a total of 22.3 lakh private cars as of March 31, 2023 as per the Karnataka Transport Department. This reflects a notable 7.1 per cent increase from the figures recorded on March 31, 2021.
The surge in the number of vehicles in Bengaluru has also led to a rise in traffic rules violations. In another notable report by Dutch location technology specialist TomTom, Bengaluru was the second most congested city globally in 2022 after London. In light of such issues, on Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced that artificial intelligence would be employed to monitor and address these violations.
Speaking at the National Road Safety Month-24 event, he revealed that over the past three years, more than 6,000 driving licences have been revoked.
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According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, two-wheelers are most frequently involved in accidents. The Deputy CM also stressed on the importance of two-wheeler riders wearing helmets consistently. He further cautioned the public against overconfidence, stating, "One should have confidence but not over-confidence. Life is precious, follow traffic rules. Don't indulge in footpath riding and signal jumping."
The east division of Bengaluru Traffic Police had initiated a unique pilot program along the city's Information Technology corridor, covering areas such as Outer Ring Road and Whitefield about a month ago. As a part of this initiative, if any employee from an IT company was found breaking traffic rules, details of the violation were sent directly to their respective companies via email or WhatsApp.
"We started this drive on a pilot basis in the east division of Bengaluru. So, if any of the IT company employees are caught violating traffic rules, information about the specific violation will be sent to their respective companies through email or WhatsApp. This is just to make them more aware and conscious of traffic rules and road safety while riding," Deputy Commissioner of Police (East Division - Traffic), Kuldeep Kumar Jain, explained.
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AI to operate new Dreamliner with limitations; awaits certain FAA approvals
New Delhi (PTI): Air India will operate its new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with certain limitations as the Tata Group-owned airline is awaiting approvals from the US watchdog FAA for the sliding privacy doors in the plane's business class suites and for 18 economy class seats, sources said on Friday.
The aircraft, also the first custom-made Dreamliner to join the Air India fleet after takeover by the Tata Group in January 2022, will enter commercial operations on the Mumbai-Frankfurt route from February 1.
The plane has 296 seats, comprising 30 business class, 28 premium economy and 238 economy class seats. Out of them, 18 economy class seats will not be available for use till the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) give its approval, the sources told PTI.
In a statement to PTI, an airline spokesperson said the new B787-9 will enter commercial operations on February 1 with certain limitations.
"The sliding privacy doors in our business class suites will remain securely fixed in the open position and unavailable for passenger use, as this specific seat feature awaits regulatory approval. We expect to receive the necessary approval in the near future. All other seat features are available for passenger use," the spokesperson said.
Separately, a total of 18 specific economy class seats are blocked from sale and are also physically blocked from use.
"The seat product itself (RECARO 3710) is fully certified and in regular operation on many airlines worldwide; however, there is a regulatory interpretation affecting the 18 specific seats that we are working with the manufacturer and regulator to resolve.
"The 18 specific seats will only be offered for sale once full certification is received," the spokesperson said.
When contacted over e-mail, an FAA spokesperson told PTI, "We don't comment on ongoing certification work".
There was no comment from Boeing.
In 2026, five more wide-body aircraft -- three Boeing 787-9s and 2 A350-1000s -- are set to join the Air India fleet. The airline, currently, has 188 planes, and the legacy Boeing 787s are undergoing retrofit progressively.
According to the spokesperson, the product limitations due to pending certification apply only to the new B787-9 aircraft, and not to the retrofitted B787-8 planes.
These are two different variants, and their interior fitout undergoes a separate certification process. The certifications for seats and features on the B787-8 are complete and have been approved by relevant regulators and will be available for customer use, the spokesperson added.
The sources also said that some global airlines are awaiting certain regulatory approvals for their business class seats. These include Lufthansa, which is awaiting regulatory certification nod for some of the business class seats in their new Boeing 787-9 aircraft, they added.
At present, Air India has 33 Boeing 787s -- 26 legacy Boeing 787-8s and 7 Boeing 787-9s, including 6 from Vistara and the new one.
In 2025, Boeing delivered 14 Boeing 787s to various airlines, including 12 Boeing 787-9s.
