bangalore news times

Bengaluru : The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has suspended a driver-cum-conductor after Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh’s surprise inspection exposed shortcomings in passenger service during a late-night bus journey. The suspended employee has been identified as Ramakrishna T.G. The action follows the minister’s unannounced “reality check” on July 11, when he boarded a BMTC bus travelling from Hebbal to Bhoopasandra while wearing a face mask to avoid being recognised. During the journey, the minister reportedly offered cash for a ticket, following which the conductor asked him to provide ₹6 in change. When the minister said he did not have the exact amount, the conductor allegedly asked him to get down from the bus if he could not provide the change. BMTC stated that the conductor also failed to inform the passenger about the corporation’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based digital ticketing facility, which has been available since 2024. Acco...

Bidar : A murder accused who escaped from police custody just six hours after his arrest has been recaptured by Bidar police, triggering questions over security lapses at the Khatak Chincholi Police Station. The accused, identified as Kailash, had been arrested in connection with the murder of a 32-year-old woman, Anita, in Halagorta village of Bhalki taluk. Police said the accused had been absconding after the crime and was apprehended following a search operation before being brought to Khatak Chincholi Police Station for interrogation. According to officials, Kailash managed to escape from the police station late at night, barely six hours after being taken into custody. The incident has drawn criticism from the public and the victim’s family, who questioned how an accused in a murder case could flee from a police station despite being under police watch. The victim’s family alleged that the escape reflected gross negligence on the part of the police and...

Hyderabad: Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) move to provide free bus connectivity for passengers travelling to Bengaluru is gaining praise. The initiative, aimed at improving end-to-end travel, has led to additional 60-70 ticket bookings daily, according to the corporation. The corporation launched the a facility under which passengers holding a valid TGSRTC ticket to Bengaluru can travel free of cost on Pushpak AC buses operating between various parts of Hyderabad and the Hyderabad Airport at Shamshabad According to the TGSRTC, passengers travelling to Bengaluru can avail the complimentary feeder service, eliminating the need to spend extra on reaching the boarding point. The initiative is expected to benefit a large number of commuters, including IT professionals, business travellers and regular passengers who frequently travel between Hyderabad and Bengaluru. According to a report by Times of India , apart from reducing travel cost, the ser...

Bengaluru: To understand commuter inconvenience and irregularities in ticketing practices, the Karnataka Transport Minister travelled on a BMTC bus under a disguise, only to be told to get off by the conductor as he failed to produce a Rs 12 change. On Saturday, July 11, Minister Byrathi Suresh boarded a bus from Bhoopasandra to Hebbal without revealing his identity. When it was his time to pay the ticket, he handed over Rs 100 note to the conductor instead of Rs 12/-. The conductor told the passenger that he did not have sufficient change and insisted that he first provide Rs 12. When Suresh replied that he did not have any smaller denomination, the conductor allegedly asked him to deboard. To understand commuter inconvenience and irregularities in ticketing practices, the Karnataka Transport Minister travelled on a BMTC bus under a disguise, only to be told to get off by the conductor as he failed to produce a Rs 12 change. On Saturday, July 11, Minister Byrathi… p...

Mysuru : Legendary playback singer S. Janaki had declined the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian honour, when it was announced by the Central Government in 2013, saying the recognition had come too late in her illustrious career. Reacting to the award at the time, Janaki had expressed disappointment that the Centre had failed to recognise her until she was 75 years old despite her remarkable contribution to Indian music. “I have been singing for over 55 years in several Indian languages . The love and appreciation of people are my greatest reward,” she had said. While clarifying that she held no personal grudge against the government, the celebrated singer had observed that artistes from South India often did not receive timely recognition at the national level. Janaki was also known for standing up for singers’ rights. During the 1980s, when there was no Best Female Playback Singer category in the Karnataka State Film Awards, she repor...

Kannur: Four people died in a car accident near Koodali here while travelling to attend a wedding, police said on Saturday, July 11. The incident occurred around 11.20 pm on Friday, July 10, when the car crashed into a tree and was completely wrecked. There were five youths, all between the ages of 20-23 years, in the car and only one of them survived, but is in a critical condition, police said. Of those who died, two were from Kerala, one person was from Hyderabad and the fourth was from Uttar Pradesh, an officer of Mattanur police station said. The one person who survived is a Thrissur native, the officer said. “They were coming from Bengaluru to attend the wedding of one of their relatives in Kannur when the accident occurred. The extensive damage to the vehicle indicates it was travelling at high speed,” he said. The bodies will be handed over to the families after the inquest and postmortem procedures are completed, police said. Get the la...