Records, Bengaluru (Bangalore) – Page 3

KARNATAKA: TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT: AI IMPLEMENTED: Bengaluru introduces AI traffic management systems across 41 junctions: Report

Bengaluru has implemented an AI-driven Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS) at 41 junctions, reducing the need for manual traffic management.

Motorists in Bengaluru are set to see a reduction in traffic police manually managing intersections and adjusting signal lights due to a new technological upgrade. The city has introduced an advanced AI-powered Adaptive Traffic Control System (ATCS), which has been implemented at 41 junctions, automating traffic signal operations in real-time, the Deccan Herald reported.

This upgrade is part of Bengaluru’s broader initiative to fully automate its traffic control systems, reducing the need for human intervention and aiming for more efficient traffic management. Among the 41 junctions now equipped with the ATCS, seven have received entirely new signal systems, while 34 others have been modernized from older camera-based models, the report noted.

By the end of December, Bengaluru is expected to have 165 junctions operating with these state-of-the-art AI-driven signals. This expansion includes 136 upgraded junctions and 29 newly installed systems, focusing mainly on areas in the southern and western regions of the city, which are less affected by major construction projects, according to MN Anucheth, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), who spoke to the publication.

The new ATCS signals offer three operational modes: a manual override mode for emergency scenarios such as ambulance or VIP passage; a Vehicle Actuated Control (VAC) mode that utilizes computer vision technology to monitor and adjust traffic light timings based on real-time vehicle counts; and the ATCS mode, which coordinates signals across multiple intersections for improved traffic flow, the publication said.

Initial implementations of this system have been observed on KR Road, Rose Garden Road, and Hudson Circle, where the VAC mode is now operational. Key junctions now featuring the ATCS include NR Square Junction, Town Hall Junction, BMTC Junction on KH Road, Minerva Circle, and RV Teachers College.

As of September, Bengaluru has approximately 900 junctions managed manually by traffic personnel, with around 405 equipped with signal systems. By year-end, the city expects to surpass 500 signalized junctions, including the new ATCS installations and additional adaptive signals, the publication added.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: FIRST IN INDIA: Bengaluru’s electricity body first in India to allow payment for EV charging via WhatsApp

The new interface to EV Mithra app will provide a seamless charging experience for electric vehicle (EV) users, said the Managing Director of BESCOM.

The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) has introduced the ability to start and pay for EV charging sessions via Whatsapp.

BESCOM has also launched an innovative AI-based customer support bot called https://ev.bot powered by Pulse Energy, said a press statement from the company on Tuesday.

The new interface to EV Mithra app will provide a seamless charging experience for electric vehicle (EV) users, said Mahantesh Bilagi, Managing Director, BESCOM.

“As the nodal agency for developing EV charging infrastructure in Karnataka, BESCOM is committed to expanding our network and improving the management of charging stations. The new interface of the ‘EV Mithra’ app is a step in that direction, and it’s encouraging to see over 15,000 downloads already. We invite all EV users to take advantage of this enhanced experience,” said Bilagi.

The app is compatible with both Android and iOS devices and is available in nine languages, including Kannada.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: AVIATION HUB : Air India commences construction of mega MRO facility in Bengaluru

This will strengthen the Base and Line Maintenance facilities across the network to achieve self-reliance in fleet maintenance

Air India Group has announced the commencement of construction of a mega Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, at a groundbreaking ceremony in Bengaluru, reiterating its commitment to building a strong self-reliant aviation ecosystem for India.

The upcoming MRO facility, being built on a 35-acre land parcel at the Bangalore International Airport will become an important hub for Air India group airlines’ aircraft maintenance operations in the region, as the airline modernizes its fleet and expands its global operations.

Earlier this year, Air India had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Karnataka to establish MRO facilities in Bengaluru. Air India has also signed an agreement with SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) to be its strategic partner for the development of this MRO facility.

Once completed, the MRO is expected to generate over 1,200 new job opportunities for skilled aviation engineers in India, and support over 200 SMEs in Karnataka through an enhanced supply chain. These new ventures are projected to create further employment opportunities, strengthening the MRO ecosystem in the state. The MRO will also support Air India’s plans to make Bengaluru as one of its key hubs, boosting direct connectivity to global destinations.

The upcoming MRO will feature a mega hangar to accommodate wide body and narrow body aircraft under a single roof for Base Maintenance. The facility’s capacity will be further expanded to include additional hangars for servicing more aircraft, including paint hangar. Equipped with latest aircraft maintenance technology, including overhead tele platforms, cranes, universal docking systems, and the largest vertical lift hangar doors in the country, this MRO facility will be setting a new standard in aviation maintenance at par with any MRO in the world.

The Bengaluru MRO facility, expansion of in-housed Line Maintenance (routine maintenance of aircraft in operation) facilities across the network, and the recently refurbished wide body aircraft hangar in Mumbai, will make Air India more self-reliant in the maintenance of its entire fleet from 2025.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development & Director, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka, Hari Marar, Managing Director and CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), Chin Yau Seng, CEO, SIA Engineering Company, along with a senior leadership team of India leadership.

Gunjan Krishna, Commissioner for Industrial Development and Director, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka, said, “It is heartening to see the quick turnaround that Air India has made in starting work for the MRO. This is not only a milestone for Indian aviation, which is growing at a rapid pace, but also for the state of Karnataka, which is taking a lead in the aviation sector with Bengaluru set to emerge as an important global aviation hub in the coming years.”

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said, “India’s aviation sector is on a growth trajectory and Air India is playing a leading role in this. The Bengaluru MRO facility is coming up at an opportune time to help strengthen India’s aviation ecosystem, while enhancing our in-house capabilities to maintain our fleet. This is a step ahead in our mission to make Air India a world-class airline.”

Hari Marar, Managing Director and CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), said, “As we work towards developing the Airport into a major aviation hub, this marks an important step towards strengthening the fleet maintenance capabilities and infrastructure offering. This development will not only enhance regional connectivity and drive economic growth but also create valuable opportunities for local talent and businesses, reinforcing Bengaluru’s position as an important player in the aviation ecosystem.”

Air India also plans to build a new wide body hangar in Delhi to cater to Line Maintenance requirements. This will help develop a complete maintenance ecosystem at all major airports. Air India is also ensuring availability of trained type-rated personnel for maintenance function of different type of fleet by obtaining approval for CAR-147 for its training academy.

Besides, Air India plans to open a Basic Maintenance Training Organisation (BMTO) in 2025, in Bengaluru, to ensure continuous inflow of trained personnel for aircraft maintenance and engineering activities. This will create opportunities for engineering students to receive training to become type-rated engineer for certification.

source/content: traveltrendstoday.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: SWIMMING RECORDS: Bengaluru’s Siddhartha Agarwal becomes oldest Indian to swim solo across English Channel

Siddhartha Agarwal, a 49-year-old swimmer from Bengaluru, has made history by becoming the oldest Indian to swim across the English Channel. Agarwal successfully navigated the 42-km stretch between England and France on August 29, completing the grueling swim in an impressive 15 hours and six minutes.

Reflecting on his achievement, Agarwal said he wasn’t sure about achieving this feat.

Agarwal’s quest in the freezing waters of the English Channel first began in 2018 when he crossed the Channel as part of an eight-member relay team. Incidentally, this was the same year when Srikaanth Viswanathan, also from Bengaluru, entered the Limca Book of Records for becoming the oldest to swim the English Channel solo at the age of 46.

Six years later, Agarwal, affectionately known as “Sid” in the swimming community, surpassed his compatriot’s record. The final 10 km of his swim presented the greatest challenge, as he battled rigid conditions and high tides, exacerbated by winds reaching approximately 25 miles per hour. Despite these obstacles, Agarwal successfully completed the swim, solidifying his place in the record books.

“Until I actually completed the swim, I never believed that I could actually do this. It took me a while for it to sink in. What worked for me was that I trusted my coach, I believed in the process and just focused on what I needed to do that week and that month,” Siddhartha was quoted as saying in a release from Swim Life.

It was the mammoth preparations for the solo swim under a taskmaster of a coach Satish Kumar, a former international swimmer himself, that was the most challenging.

“I was never a swimmer; at best I would splash around in the pool at my school as a kid. To inculcate the discipline and clock those regular hours in the pool despite my role as an entrepreneur in real estate and family commitments was the real challenge that excited me,” Agarwal said.

“The preparations would start with 3km swims, at a pace of 2min 15secs per 100m. The distance would increase and the pace would reduce as we got closer to the date of the solo swim. Satish was a real taskmaster, his rules were simple: If you can’t achieve that day’s target of distance and pace, he would cancel out the enter session as invalid and start afresh the following day,” he added.

With the growing popularity of endurance sports among Indians across age groups, open water swimming is truly catching on with professional set-ups like Swim Life opening doors for amateur swimmers to take up a new challenge and pursue a fitness regime that promises a lifestyle change.

Satish, who trained Siddhartha, believes this feat will inspire several others to take up open water swimming.

“Sid is really a man on a mission when he sets his sight on a goal. It wasn’t easy swimming the channel. Though the swim was for 15 hours, the training was for 15 months. We had trained and mastered every aspect of the channel before the swim,” Satish said.

“With his incredible discipline and dedication, Sid could fight the most challenging situations in the sea on that day. This success comes as a huge inspiration for amateur swimmers, regardless of their age, who are dreaming of achieving similar feat in their lifetime.”

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: SPORTS-SWIMING: S Sharanya Wins 04 gold medals at National Aquatic Championship 2024, Bhubaneswar-Odisha

S. Sharanya, a native of Uginahalli in K.R. Nagar taluk of Mandya district, has secured gold medals in four categories of the 40th Sub-Junior and 50th Junior National Aquatic Championship-2024 (Swimming) held at Bhubaneswar in Odisha recently.

He won the first place in 1,500 mts Freestyle (16.45.40 minutes), 800 mts Freestyle (8.53.89 minutes), 400 mts Freestyle (4.14.63 minutes) and 4×100 mts Freestyle (3.45.86 minutes).

A 9th standard student of Jain Heritage School at Kampapura in Bengaluru, Sharanya had previously won gold medals in Khelo India Swimming Championship and Swimming Contest held at Rajkot in Gujarat.

Sharanya is the son of Sridhar, a Computer Engineer and Dr. H.K. Lakshmi, a Gynaecologist at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS-ATHLETE: A silver lining. Para-athlete Nishad Kumar clinches ‘Silver in Men’s High Jump T47 , Paris Paralympics 2024

Para-athlete Nishad Kumar, who lost his right hand in an accident at a very young age, talks about clinching the silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024.

Reflecting on his silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 at the Paris Paralympics, Nishad Kumar recalls focusing on staying calm and composed just before the competition.

Although aware of the expectations, he tried to ‘shut all the noise in his head to focus on himself.’ “I was not trying to overthink and was keeping myself calm. I was going through all that we had planned and where to take the jump. I had prepped well; at that point, I was just focusing on implementing all that I had learned from training,” says Kumar, speaking to us from Paris.

The 24-year-old, who trains in Bengaluru, achieved a season-best jump of 2.04 metres, finishing behind the USA’s Roderick Townsend. “I was never intimidated by anyone. I knew where I stood and was hoping for a silver. Anything more than that would have been a pleasant surprise, but I am quite happy,” says Kumar, who trained in the USA under coach Jeremy Fischer, coach of Olympic medallist Will Claye, before the Paris Paralympics.

Among the long list of congratulatory messages that followed his podium finish was one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took to X to hail Kumar’s achievement, calling it a ‘remarkable’ at the ongoing Paralympics.

Kumar, originally from Badaun village near Amb in Himachal Pradesh, called his mother after clinching the medal. “They were happy and quite proud. My mother promised to make kheer when I returned home; that’s my favourite dessert. Now I am looking forward to reaching home,” says Kumar.

The 6-foot-4-inch para-athlete credits his success not only to his coaches but also to his mother, who never gave up on him after he lost his right hand to a freak accident in 2007 involving a fodder-cutting machine. As a young child, Kumar had always wanted to serve his country and aspired to join the Indian Army.

Although that dream was cut short by the accident, it did not stop him from achieving his goal of representing the country. “It is always an honour to represent India. You become the face of the nation at that point, and that is not something small. I cherish it,” says Kumar, who also won silver at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago.

Kumar plans to stay in Paris until September 9 before returning to India for a grand welcome. “I am planning to first go to my village to meet my mother. But before that, I am looking forward to climbing the Eiffel Tower,” says Kumar.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: KARNATAKA / ROAD TRANSPORT: Germany’s FlixBus expands to South India, offers Rs 99 fares from Bengaluru for intercity routes

FlixBus to commence operations in South India on September 10.

FlixBus India will connect a total of 101 cities and 215 stops nationwide.

Germany-based travel-tech firm FlixBus India announced its expansion into South India on September 3. The company will begin operations on September 10, offering services from Bengaluru to Chennai and Hyderabad.

Subsequently, services will be extended to Coimbatore, Madurai, Tirupati, Vijayawada, and Belagavi.

FlixBus has partnered with six bus operators so far, and plans to expand further by adding 33 cities across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala and more than 200 connections throughout South India. FlixBus India will connect a total of 101 cities and 215 stops nationwide.

As part of its Bengaluru launch, FlixBus also announced a special promotional fare of Rs 99. “This offer is exclusively available for the new routes launched around Bengaluru, with the booking period running from September 3 to September 15 and the departure period spanning from September 10 to October 6,” said a statement from FlixBus.

Karnataka Minister for Commerce & Industries, Infrastructure MB Patil, global FlixBus leaders Max Zeumer, COO, and Daniel Krauss, Co-founder, were present at the launch.

Patil said, “We welcome FlixBus not only as a foreign investor in Karnataka but also as a partner in our journey toward sustainability.”

Surya Khurana, Managing Director of FlixBus India, said, “After the success of our operations in North India, expanding to South India is the next step in our journey to revolutionise intercity travel”,

“In South India, FlixBus will continue its strategic collaboration with local bus operators, employing its proprietary technology platform to enhance business operations. Through network planning, revenue management, and yield optimization, FlixBus ensures an efficient and seamless travel experience for both passengers and operators, committing to quality, safety, and exceptional customer service,” the company stated.

“These standardized buses, equipped with BS6 engines, adhere to stringent emission norms, significantly reducing pollutants and reinforcing FlixBus’s dedication to environmental sustainability. Each bus is outfitted with state-of-the-art facilities, including ABS (anti-lock braking system), ESC (electronic stability control), and 2-point seat belts for all seats, ensuring the highest level of passenger safety and comfort”, it adds.

source/content: moneycontrol.com (headline edited)

KARNATAKA: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) : SAC/ISRO, Ahmedabad and AlphaMERS Ltd. Bengaluru Sign MOU

Remote Sensing and AI for marine plastic and oil pollution

Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad and AlphaMERS Ltd. Bengaluru signed an MOU on 4th July 2024 with the broad objective of bringing the resources of both the parties together, to develop and fine tune a robust model of Artificial Intelligence, to identify and profile marine pollution, including macro plastics and oil spills, using remote sensing, along the coastal waters of India.

(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Newsvoir. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)

source/content: ptinews.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: C V Raman’s tablas, explosives used in World War I: Bengaluru’s Sci560 exhibition showcases city’s scientific heritage

Karnataka Science and Technology Minister N S Boseraju inaugurated Sci560 at Science Gallery Bengaluru on August 24.

Science Gallery Bengaluru began an exhibition at its Bellary Road premises to showcase the city’s science history. The exhibition named Sci560, after the city’s PIN code of 560, was inaugurated by Karnataka Science and Technology Minister N S Boseraju. Other prominent guests at the event included Rohini Nilekani and Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who sit on the Gallery’s board, and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi.

The exhibition spans a broad and varied cross-section of the city’s scientific history. For instance, the nearly two-century-old tradition of brewing is represented by an ongoing fermentation process from Scoby Labs, in the form of a container of kombucha that visitors can taste at different points in its fermentation. A couple of rooms over is a Bangalore torpedo contributed by the Madras Engineer Group. These long explosive devices were developed in World War I to remove battlefield obstructions such as barbed wire fortifications.

Other interesting exhibits are a set of tablas owned by Sir CV Raman, sitting a few feet away from a set of ‘Simputers,’ touch-screen devices developed in the early 2000s that heralded the upcoming smartphone age. Nature lovers will also be glad to see a display titled ‘Wingbeats and Warbles’, matching the sounds of birds to the parts of the city where they are likely to be heard.

According to Gallery director Jahnavi Phalkey, this exhibition is the first one at the Gallery to lean more towards the historical side, with the hope that more additions can be made as it goes on. She said, “There are many people that know far more than we do about science in this city….we have a project called Recollect, where my colleagues will be collecting stories, objects, etc. And at the end of the exhibition, we will have this entire collection of stories, objects and documents that will allow us to present a more comprehensive story of what science is in the city.”

Speaking to the media on the inauguration day, Nilekani said, “We needed some way to bring the city and its institutions close. Even people just coming to Bangalore need to feel like they are part of what is happening. This is about fostering a culture of scientific exploration along with ordinary citizens.”

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: PROJECT DIGITISATION: Close to 12,000 books digitised in Bengaluru for All India Gandhi Library project

The collection, assembled over three months and spanning 12 languages, includes Mahatma Gandhi’s collected works, publications such as Harijan and Young India and audio recordings.

The Servants of Knowledge, a non-profit group, has announced that 11,720 books from the library of Bengaluru’s Gandhi Bhavan have been digitised as part of the All India Gandhi Library project.

The group announced this at the valedictory session of a seminar held on Sunday to mark the 75th year of the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi Organisation.

According to a statement by the non-profit group, Gandhi Bhavan had already made 1,272 books publicly available online. The freshly digitised collection, assembled over three months and spanning 12 languages, includes the collected works of Mahatma Gandhi, his publications such as Harijan and Young India and audio recordings of him speaking on All India Radio.

The digitised libraries have been presented to 12 Gandhian organisations.

Among the speakers at the seminar was American public domain information advocate Carl Malamud, who is also part of Servants of Knowledge and the founder of the US-based Public.Resource.Org.

“For the last several months, we have been digitising every book here at the Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi libraries. Today we are presenting all of those books in digital format to the organisations here, making them the trustees of this knowledge….this is the first release of the All India Gandhi Library. We have offered to digitise at no cost additional Gandhi materials these organisations may possess to add to the collection. We have already assisted the Gandhi Smaraka Nidhis of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and we welcome additional materials…..as we say ‘scanning is the new spinning’,” he said at the seminar.

Explaining the digitisation process, Malamud told indianexpress.com later, “We make the scanners and frames here in India and have 17 scanners here at Gandhi Bhavan and can scan 15 lakh pages every month… Once you get good at it, you can do 500 pages in an hour. After the scan, a post-process happens where you crop the pages, de-skew it, run optical character recognition and create a PDF file—a whole chain of processes.”

Explaining the challenges of working with old books in general, Malamud added, “If the material is truly fragile, we work with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and they help us conserve the books. The same goes with fragile palm leaves. We’re careful while turning the pages with older books, but if the book is going to disintegrate we have it go through the conservation process.”

About some other work done by the Servants of Knowledge, Malamud said, “Om Shivaprakash (another archivist with the Servants of Knowledge) has been instrumental in finding old Kannada books and gotten permission to digitise old Kannada magazines from publishers…. We’re also working on Lalbagh right now and digitising their library of 6,000 books and digitising old and rare prints. There are all sorts of materials that are on the internet for the first time and that is something we’re particularly proud of.”

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)