BMTC achieves pension milestone under PRAYAS scheme
According to BMTC, this achievement comes on the back of dedicated efforts by the corporation's Accounts Department and collaboration with the Regional Provident Fund Office.
Launched on July 21, 2020, the PRAYAS scheme ensures the timely issuance of pension benefits to employees turning 58 within the same month.
'BMTC has now emerged as one of the top organisations in Karnataka and India for issuing the highest number of PPOs under the scheme in a month. In the financial year 2024–25, the corporation processed 338 out of 372 pension applications, achieving a 91% completion rate. In recognition of these efforts, the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) awarded appreciation certificates to BMTC on July 1, 2025,' BMTC stated in a release.
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Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
How new advertisement bylaws aim to clean up Bengaluru's skyline
Bengaluru has a new rulebook on outdoor advertising. On July 17, BBMP notified the Advertisement Bylaws, 2024 under the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act. The new system replaces outdated rules from 2006 and 2018, aiming to clean up the city's public spaces, reduce visual pollution, and formalise advertising revenue collection. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Here's what you need to know. WHY THE NEW BYLAWS? Bengaluru's ad landscape has long been plagued by illegal hoardings, plastic flex banners, and unregulated displays. BBMP now seeks to bring order with: ■ Limits on ad size & density ■ A licensed, auction-driven system ■ Clear penalties for violations ■ Measures to protect heritage zones & residential areas WHAT ARE THE LIMITS ON AD SPACE? BBMP has set strict area and length limits for advertisements along roads. Road width | Max ad area per 200m (both sides) | Max horizontal length per side 18-24m | 800sqft | 40ft 24-30m | 1,000sqft | 40ft 30-60m | 1,100sqft | 40ft Over 60m | 1,200sqft | 40ft ■ For smaller roads (12-18 metres wide) in commercial zones, the limit is 600sqft per 200 metres. On residential roads under 18m in width, ads are banned unless the area is listed as commercial or industrial in the Master Plan ■ At traffic circles, the ad space is capped at 3,000sqft per 1 lakh sqft of circle area, with a total horizontal length not exceeding 120ft WHAT KINDS OF ADS ARE ALLOWED? ■ Billboards & hoardings (on roads 18m and wider) ■ Electronic screens (LED/LCD) with a minimum 10-second image transition. No flashy or moving videos allowed ■ Building wraps (on non-heritage structures) ■ Eco-friendly posters, cloth banners, & bio-degradable flexible materials ■ At least 10% of screen time on digital displays must be given free for public service content. The maximum hoarding height is 40ft, with at least 175m spacing between hoardings. No ads are allowed above 30m elevation. V-shaped or back-to-back hoardings are permitted, but clubbing of multiple hoardings isn't. Use of diesel generators for lighting is banned. WHERE ARE ADS BANNED? BBMP has declared strict no-ad zones, including: ■ Within 50-100m of religious places, heritage sites, lakes & parks ■ On trees, footpaths, electric poles, flyovers & lakesides ■ On buildings without BBMP khata or those on the B-register list ■ Specific stretches such as Kumara Krupa Road, Raj Bhavan Road, Palace Road, Cubbon Park environs, KR Circle, and Lalbagh surroundings WHAT'S THE FEE STRUCTURE? Road width | Monthly fee (per sqft) Up to 12m | Rs 25 12-18m | Rs 35 18-24m | Rs 50 24-30m | Rs 65 30-60m | Rs 75 Over 60m | Rs 100 | (Premium and heritage areas attract 50% higher charges | Note: In some places, BBMP uses FAR instead of road width) HOW WILL BBMP ALLOT AD SPACE? ■ Rights are auctioned via Karnataka e-Procurement Portal ■ Only licensed advertisers can bid; a Rs 5 lakh licence fee covers five years ■ Bidders must pay a five-month security deposit and advance monthly fees ■ Metro piers & BMTC spaces are excluded from these rights and will be tendered separately WHAT ABOUT MOBILE & SELF-ADS? ■ Vehicle ads need BBMP approval; BMTC & Metro ads require NOC ■ No vehicle ads are allowed near traffic junctions or flyovers ■ Self-advertisements (displaying business names on the same premises) are free if within size limits PENALTIES & ENFORCEMENT ■ Illegal ads attract penalties of twice the auction rate, plus removal costs ■ Delay in payments draws 18% annual interest ■ BBMP can seize property, blacklist agencies, or initiate criminal action for violations ■ Legacy ads have six months to comply with the new norms WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? For Bengaluru residents, the new bylaws could reduce visual clutter and bring transparency to advertising. For ad agencies and property owners, it means tighter rules, digital tracking, and higher compliance costs. How well BBMP enforces this will decide if the city's skyline finally gets cleaner.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
BMTC steps in to solve ORR agony
Pic: Chethan Shivakumar For years, Bengaluru has been trying to find a solution to the severe traffic congestion on Outer Ring Road (ORR), along which some 10 lakh employees work across 26 tech parks. A metro line is being constructed on the road, which could at least partially be ready by late next year. But Manas Das, president of Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA), is sceptical about whether this will have the desired impact on the road, given the way tech parks and employee numbers are growing, and the trend of companies increasingly mandating work from office. A new bus initiative has raised hopes. In 2023, ORRCA started a programme called personal-to-public (P2P), encouraging people to give up their private vehicles and get on to public transport – at least twice a week. That has had some impact. This could now get bolstered with two initiative BMTC has just launched. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru BMTC's Vajra Express Service and chartered buses to ease traffic congestion Most techies would find BMTC's Vajra Express service extremely affordable. A ride from Hebbal to Marathahalli costs Rs 50, and up to Silk Board is Rs 70. These air-conditioned electric buses with limited stops, Das says, are plying empty most of the time. So ORRCA is creating a campaign around it to build awareness. BMTC has also offered chartered bus options to the tech parks and companies in the parks. 'These buses will be exclusively for people working in these tech parks. At an agreed rate, the tech parks and companies can subscribe to the services of BMTC instead of running their own private vehicles. Replacing 1,000 cabs with 50 buses would significantly reduce traffic congestion on the road,' Das says. With the supply-side logistics addressed, the focus has shifted to generating demand. 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Why can't they promote access to their campus from bus stops through dedicated (overhead) pathways?,' he asks. Kamesh Rastogi, an IT professional who works with Oracle on ORR, agrees. He believes MNCs must contribute to ORR by investing in service roads and private buses connecting major tech parks to city hubs. Poor civic body coordination A huge complaint, like in much of the city, is also about civic bodies like BMRCL, BBMP, BMTC, KPTCL and Bescom not working in a coordinated manner. The worst of this is when BBMP restores a road, after which one of the others promptly digs it up again. There's an ORR coordination group that includes ORRCA and all the civic bodies that has had some impact. But not as much as tech parks and companies would like. Das notes that ORR unfortunately has no parallel road to share the traffic burden. What it does have are arterial roads that can serve that purpose to some extent. But that project to widen and improve those roads has been on-going for years. Das says some 14-15 of them have got some attention, and a few more are making progress. Police promise on DB Halli Probably the biggest congestion point on ORR is the DB Halli junction, close to the entry points to the Ecoworld and Ecospace parks. Karthik Reddy, joint commissioner of police (traffic), says he will call a meeting with ORRCA and other key stakeholders to find immediate and long-term solutions to address the issue. VOICE BOX The primary bottleneck on ORR are the entry points to Ecoworld and Ecospace. These choke points are also causing a spillover effect, leading to congestion on surrounding roads. We will work towards finding both immediate and long-term solutions to address this issue. Karthik Reddy I will soon call a meeting with ORRCA and other key stakeholders to discuss actionable steps for decongesting these critical stretches. Karthik Reddy, JOINT COMMISSIONER OF POLICE (TRAFFIC), BENGALURU Metro's Blue Line that connects Silk Board to K R Puram will be operational by mid-2026. Maheshwar Rao It will help improve connectivity and reduce travel time. Maheshwar Rao M, CHIEF COMMISSIONER, BBMP, AND FORMER MD, BMRCL The BBMP is currently undertaking widening work on eight of the 22 arterial roads identified by ORRCA to take some of the load off ORR. We hope they will also make it really motorable. Manas Das The govt department's idea of a motorable road is far different from ours. For them, a mud laid road could be motorable. Manas Das, PRESIDENT, OUTER RING ROAD COMPANIES ASSOCIATION (ORRCA) Operating chartered bus services is a great initiative. Mukund Kumar Those working along ORR would welcome this transportation option. Mukund Kumar, MEMBER, SAVE SARJAPURA Companies' mandatory office attendance policies are compelling employees to commute daily. The infrastructure lacks the capacity to handle this massive number of commuters. ORR is also severely damaged with numerous potholes. It is like driving through hell. With the ongoing never-ending metro construction and rain, everything just spirals out of control. Pollution and dust add to our woes. Manjjari Behal Over a decade, the traffic situation in and around Ecospace has gone from bad to worse. I remember how the traffic jam used to extend to Pritex Park inside Ecospace post 6pm 12 years ago. We haven't learnt our lessons and now the cutoff time to escape traffic is 4pm. Manjjari Behal, WORKS WITH AN MNC IN ECOSPACE We experience significant delays at the congested areas near Ecoworld and Ecospace. Gaurav Pandey The success of BMTC charter operations depends heavily on resolving the final stretch connectivity issues for passengers. Gaurav Pandey, WORKS WITH AMADEUS LABS IN PRESTIGE TECH PARK I have been working on ORR since 2007 and have seen the degradation in infrastructure over the years. Road quality has worsened, poor drainage systems lead to water accumulation, traffic is really congested. Kamesh Rastogi The commute of about 8 km from HSR Layout to the Oracle Technology Hub requires 45-50 mins in the afternoon. Major intersections such as Ecoworld, Ecospace and the multiplex regularly face traffic bottlenecks, frequently reaching up to Ibbaluru. Kamesh Rastogi, IT PROFESSIONAL, ORACLE Collective solutions would be possible only if all stakeholders – citizens, administration, traffic police and companies – come together. Organisations should implement flexible working hours for their staff. People should consider sharing rides and choosing non-peak travel times. The authorities need to ensure swift completion of ongoing infrastructure projects. Shaila Prabhu BBMP's construction work is totally shoddy. Projects drag on indefinitely without timelines. Construction debris remains scattered on roads. Corruption is the major issue. A beautiful city is in shambles. Shaila Prabhu, RETIRED BANKER, MAKES REGULAR TRIPS TO ORR TO VISIT RELATIVES The traffic congestion on ORR stems from employees accessing the area exclusively through the Ecoworld entrance. A coordinated effort is essential to create multiple access points through Ecospace, Intel and Wipro, which would help distribute the traffic flow. Vishnu Prasad Swift completion of the Blue Line metro project would significantly ease the congestion. Vishnu Prasad, FOUNDER AND MEMBER, SAVE BELLANDUR FORUM
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Karnataka government invokes Essential Services Maintenance Act, prohibits strike by transport staff
Bengaluru: In the wake of the joint action committee of Karnataka Road Transport Corporations Employees' Association calling for an indefinite strike with effect from Aug 5, the govt Thursday issued a notification exercising powers conferred under the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), 2013, prohibiting a strike by employees of all four road transport corporations in the state. The notification states that employees (of KSRTC, BMTC, NWKRTC, and KKRTC) shouldn't participate in the strike as their services are considered essential. It also mentions that considering public interest and public order, the provisions of ESMA have been exercised. The prohibition is in effect till Dec 31, 2025. The joint action committee, calling for the strike, is demanding the clearance of 38 months of arrears related to the previous salary revision, the implementation of a new wage revision effective from Jan 1, 2024, and the withdrawal of legal cases filed against employees, among other issues. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Meanwhile, another body of the unions of RTCs — Karnataka Rajya Raste Sarige Nalku Corporations Unions — said it would observe a hunger strike from July 29 at Freedom Park and the district headquarters, demanding the fulfilment of its demands. This employees' body has sought, among other things, salary for corporation employees on a par with the Seventh Pay Commission with effect from Jan 1, 2024, the clearance of arrears, and the holding of elections to unions.
