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Karnataka Today newsletter: Bengaluru cops devise annual plan to tackle pedestrian deaths, and more

Concerned over the growing number of pedestrian deaths in the IT city, Alok Kumar, Additional Director General of Police, Traffic and Road Safety, in association with the Bengaluru Traffic Police, is preparing an annual plan to minimise the casualties.

According to Mr. Alok Kumar, 33% of the total number of victims of fatal accidents in Bengaluru are pedestrians. He has proposed long term, medium and short term plans, which, according to him, should go side by side to reduce pedestrian deaths.

According to statistics, a total 247 pedestrians were killed in the city in 2022 compared to 161 deaths reported in 2021. Officials said the maximum number of deaths had occurred due to bad roads and poor infrastructure, and lack of coordination between different civic agencies.  

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated a three-day training workshop for 70 legislators, who have entered the 16th Karnataka Legislative Assembly by winning elections for the first time. He urged the first-time legislators to read the Constitution and understand its basic tenets, in order to become good legislators or Parliamentarians and serve the people well.

“If there was no Constitution, people like me, C.T. Ravi and K.S. Eshwarappa could not have become legislators. I would have ended up being a shepherd somewhere. That is why it is important to understand the Constitution given by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar,” he said.

The CM Chief also recalled the taunts he had received upon becoming the finance minister for the first time, and how The Hindu had appreciated his well-researched budget.

Eid-Al-Adah, or Bakrid, is just around the corner and Muslims in Bengaluru are gearing up to celebrate the much-awaited festival. However, farmers and shepherds — who had travelled to the city from across the State — are heading back home, disappointed with the poor demand for sheep.