With a promise to make the people’s life easier, Karnataka made phenomenal progress in expanding the frontiers of technology in diverse sectors of public life during 2015.
Even as the Metro kept up its pace linking different corners of the huge metropolis, information technology made deep inroads into health, education, transportation and even culture.
Metro keeps pace
While the ongoing Metro work is awaiting a big leap with an entire wing becoming operational as the New Year arrives, the BMRCL threw open a 6.4 km stretch between Magadi Road and Mysore Road ( on October 20 ).
Earlier in the year ( on May 1 ), it had extended the operational area by 3.5 km on Reach 3B by connecting three more stations on the Nagasandra-Sampige Road section.
Drones come into play
The year 2015 saw drones fitted with aerial cameras being deployed by the City police to monitor crowds of revellers in the central business district ( on Jan. 1 ).
The flying machine also found an unconventional use when the Department of Forest brought in a drone to monitor unauthorised entry or detect fires in the Bandipur forests ( on March 19 ).
The battery operated vehicle, it was said, can fly upto a height of 900 metres and for 40 minutes before being charged.
Digitising health record
The Kidwai Cancer Hospital began digitizing medical reports in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in order that the entire record and medical history of the patients is available online and they need not carry records while visiting the hospital for the second or subsequent time. The hospital, which already provides online appointment, receives 1,000 patients a day, of which 800 are follow-up cases.
IT made forays into medical record-keeping in Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences too. The government-run hospital in Bangalore commissioned a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) on February 28 . Under the system medical images including angiogram, ECG, ECHO, X-ray CT scan and nuclear scan of patients are archived for precise diagnosis and effective decision-making by doctors.
Transportation
The transportation sector made some significant strides by bringing in the latest facilities. The KSRTC launched its first Bio Bus, run on bio-fuel, on the eve of Gandhi Jayanthi ( October 2 ) in Bengaluru. It also commissioned its first in-house bus washing machine with ability to wash a bus in seven minutes using automatic soap and oil sprayer and six brushes, one of them for brushing the roof ( June 1 ).
Automated ticket vending
In order to lessen the ticket booking hassles, the South Western Railway installed ten Automatic Ticket Vending Machines at the City railway station ( on October 29 ). The Mysuru railway station installed ( Oct. 28 ) navigation maps in Braille to help visually challenged people find their way.
Online DL testing
The Transport Department introduced ( on January 23 ) Screen Test Aid for Learner’s Licence (STALL), an online test in Kannada / English for those seeking a learner’s licence as a part of the project to computerise its service, network all offices and extend online services across the State in a phased manner.
Tapping solar power
A solar plant producing 400 kW of power was installed at the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium in the heart of the city ( on April 10 ). The plant, capable of producing around 6 lakh units of electricity a year, is enough to power 200 all-electric homes (AEH) using 3 kW power annually and cutting down about 600 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. The surplus power is being sold to BESCOM at a rate of Rs. 9.56 per unit. The project was executed by RenXSol Ecotech company in 50 days.
ATM by India Post
The India Post installed its first ATM in the GPO on Raj Bhavan Road in Bangalore on March 17 as part of the IT modernisation drive in post offices.
Downloadable classes
The Department of Collegiate Education began implementing ‘virtual’ and ‘smart’ classes for students in 100 of the 411 Govt. First Grade Colleges in the State. The facility enables the students to access video-lectures on their smartphones, tablets and laptops. It made the classes downloadable without internet if the colleges have a wi-fi premises. The initiative was inaugurated in the Govt. Science College in Bengaluru (Jan. 16 ).
Precast for social housing
The first two precast flats by the BDA were shifted to construction sites at Alur and Doddabanahalli from the factory ( June 1 ). This is the first time the technology was used in Bengaluru. It has been certified by IIT Roorkee.
Labour software
‘Labour All’, a software meant for commercial and industrial establishments to assess their compliance with 69 labour laws in the State, was launched by Kartel Innovation in Bengaluru on Labour Day ( May 1 ). The software was developed by advocate Sribhoomi Yesaswini.
Published - December 25, 2015 06:50 pm IST
