No more tobacco ads on KSRTC buses after citizen raises violation: Report
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has removed a tobacco-related advertisement from one of its buses after a concerned citizen flagged the issue on social media.
On April 8, Siraj Madaka shared a photo on X, of a KSRTC bus, with its back panel displaying advertisement of a smokeless tobacco product, which is popular among young people. In his post, Madaka expressed concern over the promotion of products harmful to public health on government-owned vehicles, as reported by The New Indian Express on Saturday.
“Displaying advertisements for products harmful to health—such as tobacco, cigarettes, and alcohol—on government-owned buses is not good for society. For the sake of society, it is better not to display such advertisements on government-owned buses. Please pay attention,” Madaka wrote.
Dr Vaishnavi K, the Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister, took note of the complaint and forwarded it to KSRTC. In response, the Chief Traffic Manager (CTM) removed the advertisement from the bus.
On April 17, the CTM issued a letter to Dr Vaishnavi stating that a notice had been sent to the advertising agency responsible for placing ads on KSRTC buses, the report added.
The notice instructed the agency not to display advertisements related to tobacco, liquor and related products, drugs, obscene content, or any items that are legally banned.
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K'taka bypolls: 11.87 percent voter turnout in Bagalkot, 9.01 percent in Davanagere South till 9 am
Bengaluru (PTI): In the first two hours since voting began for bypolls to two Bagalkot and Davanagere South assembly constituencies, the voter turnout stood at 11.87 percent and 9.01 percent, respectively, on Thursday.
The voting for the bypolls in two constituencies necessitated by the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, began at 7 am, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer said.
While the Congress faces the challenge of retaining both seats, the BJP is aiming to wrest them and deliver a setback to the ruling party, which is currently witnessing an "internal power struggle" over leadership.
A total of over 2.59 lakh eligible voters are expected to cast their votes at around 319 polling stations in Bagalkot, where nine candidates are in the fray.
In Davanagere South, over 2.31 lakh eligible voters are expected to vote across 284 polling stations, with 25 candidates contesting.
Officials said elaborate security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of bypolls.
The BJP has fielded former MLA and 2023 defeated candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath from Bagalkot, and a fresh face, Srinivas T Dasakariyappa, from Davanagere South.
The Congress has given tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. Bagalkot candidate Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, while Samarth Mallikarjun from Davanagere South is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Samarth’s father, S S Mallikarjun, is a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet and in charge of Davanagere district, while his mother, Prabha Mallikarjun, is a Member of Parliament from the region.
In the 2023 Assembly elections, H Y Meti defeated BJP’s Charantimath by a margin of 5,878 votes in Bagalkot, while Shivashankarappa defeated BJP’s B G Ajay Kumar by 27,888 votes in Davanagere South.
