Karnataka to run electric-battery buses in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Aug 29 : Karnataka would switch over to battery-driven electric buses in Bengaluru and phase out polluting diesel vehicles for public transport over the next five years, a senior Minister said on Wednesday.
"The move to use battery-driven electric buses is to curb vehicular pollution caused by diesel and reduce operating cost of the state-run public transport," said state Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara at a trade event here.
Noting that the number of private vehicles in the city has shot up 100 per cent to 70 lakh over the last 20 years, the Minister said efficient and frequent electric buses would not only reduce air pollution, but also make more people use them for commuting.
The state-run Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates about 6,500 diesel buses across the city, ferrying about 50 lakh commuters, which is 50 per cent of its over 1-crore population.
"Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy discussed the BMTC plan with officials to replace all buses of the state-run public transport service with electric battery version to reduce depending on polluting fossil fuel and the operation cost," said Parameshwara at the 8th edition of "Busworld India", a bus-cum-coach expo in the city.
Organised by Busworld International at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on the city's northern outskirts, the three-day expo is showcasing products, technology, services and solutions of about 120 bus and coach makers, component suppliers and technology providers.
"As the main issue in many countries and cities is congestion and pollution, the expo is the right platform to find solutions to the urban menace," said Busworld President Didier Ramoudt on the occasion.
Leading passenger-cum-freight transport vehicle maker Tata Motors is displaying five new maxi and mini buses for commuter services.
The Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech has unveiled three new vehicles in partnership with BYD automobile manufacturer in China for public transportation.
Force Motors, BYD, MG Automotive in association with Bharatbenz, Bridgestone, MRF are among the leading OEMs showcasing their electric 12-22 seater buses for public and private transport service.
Overseas exhibitors are from Austria, Belarus, Belguim, China, Germany, Korea and Turkey flagging their latest products and services.
Held every alternate year from 2005 to 2015 in India, the expo shifted to Bengaluru from Mumbai in 2016 in view of the huge response from the stakeholders.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
