Business
A 24/7 office sans doors in Namma Bengaluru!
RMS (Railway Mail Service) works as a chain between people who use the postal service. Every office has a working schedule which entails shutting down for a certain period in 24 hours. But the RMS office at the central railway station in Majestic remains open 24/7. Interestingly this office does not have doors at all. Employees of RMS work round the clock. The lights of the office goes off only during power cuts. Mail distribution workers take care of the office in shifts. (Prajavani, Monday, Mar 30)
Flower market fragrant with jasmine
Bangalore markets are filled with the fragrance of jasmine flowers. The flower traders in KR Market, Yeshwanthpur, Malleshwara and other markets are happy with the demand for this flower. However for farmers the flower has not brought much profit. That’s because the production has broken all records this time, and markets are receiving more jasmine flowers than usual. This will continue to rule the market till the end of May. (Vijaya Karnataka, Thursday, May 26)
No demand for earthen pots yet
Come summer, the demand for earthen pots usually increases. But not this summer. Vendors claim that they have registered a 50 per cent decrease in sale of earthen pots. Bangalore gets these pots from nearby towns like Banawara, Channapatna, Chikkaballapura, Doddaballapura, Hoskote and Magadi. Summer has not yet affected Bangalore in full. This may be the reason for the poor sale of pots. People use these clay pots mostly to store drinking water, a healthy alternative to refrigeration. (Vijaya Karnataka, Wednesday, Mar 25)
Civic
Illegal mining a threat to residents
The illegal mining in Kasavanahalli village of Mahadevapura constituency in Bangalore east is posing problems to people living in the neighborhood. Though people complained to the concerned department and local MLA- minister for Higher Education Aravinda Limbavali, little action has been taken. There is an engineering college nearby where over 2000 students study, and many high rise apartments. Mining poses a danger to all of them. (Vijaya Karnataka, Wednesday, Mar 25)
Ashwathanagar lacks basic facilities
If you want to see the rampant encroachment of Raja channel, you must visit Ashwathanagar in Dasarahalli zone of BBMP. Despite warnings by netas and officials, influential people continue to encroach the channel area and construct buildings. Moreover this area lacks basic facilities. They have to depend on private tankers for water and need to walk at least two kilometers to catch a bus. (Prajavani, Thursday, May 26)
Education
Traffic woes hit SSLC exams
SSLC exams are challenging not only for students, it is so for guardians and officers of the Karnataka Secondary Education Board as well, thanks to traffic. Question papers to all exam centers in Bangalore north and south education districts are sent from central office of the board. Last year an exam was delayed as the question paper did not reach the center on time. To avoid such situations, this year the board has decided to start working from 6.45 AM itself. (Prajavani, Tuesday, Mar 31)
Election
Cab owners set terms for election commission
Delay in payment of rent towards cabs used for electioneering has irked cab owners. They have now set terms for election officers, and have demanded advance payment for election duty. Owners claim that they are yet to be paid hiring charges for the last elections. Though the election commission had released the money immediately after the election, various departments delayed the payment for reasons best known to them. (Kannada Prabha, Tuesday, Mar 31)
Confusion over electoral list continues
Confusion over voters’ list seems to continue this election too in Bangalore. Bangaloreans will vote in the first phase of voting, that is on April 23. With only a few days left for elections, the bogey of confusion over voters’ list surfaces again. There are instances of removal of names from the list without a valid reason. With people complaining against this, election officials are planning to add their names again. To avoid last minute hiccups the department has set up a helpline to deal with all complaints about the voters’ list. The number is 080- 22114293 (Kannada Prabha, Friday, Mar 27)
Environment
Negative side of development
If you consider widening roads and building infrastructure facilities as development, you need to think again. The series of road widening works and Metro project have claimed more than 30,000 trees in Bangalore so far. Bangalore is known for its pleasant weather. The green patch has kept silicon city alive. A survey conducted by Environment Support Group last year said that about 60- 70 trees in every one kilometer were cut to make way for roads. (Prajavani, Monday, Mar 30)
Government
Auto drivers defy law
Three years ago, the transport department had promulgated a law which made it mandatory for auto drivers to exhibit their identity cards in every auto. Traffic police too supported this cause and it was successful in checking errant auto drivers. However now very few auto drivers follow this rule. Most neglect the rule or exhibit a blank ID card. Traffic police too seem to have lost interest in this. (Vijaya Karnataka, Tuesday, Mar 31)
Cabinet expansion likely after elections
The state cabinet may be revamped after the elections to induct Govindarajanagar (in Bangalore) MLA V. Somanna into the cabinet. Along with him a few new faces too may be seen in the cabinet. Three to four ministers may be required to sacrifice their portfolios for this purpose. To pacify the dissidents Chief Minister Yeddyurappa may clear appoints to all government bodies. (Vijaya Karnataka, Sunday, Mar 29)
Health
Maternal mortality high in city
Bangalore has many modern hospitals equipped with advance techniques. However these are not helping much to gyneacological complications. Compared to rural areas, Bangalore has higher maternal mortality. During 2005-06, Bangalore urban district had registered 72 maternal mortality deaths. Even now the average mortality is 70. However one cannot blame only hospitals for this. Negligence on the part of mothers too is a reason. (Vijaya Karnataka, Sunday, Mar 29)
Infrastructure
Worms in BWSSB water
Some of the residents of Banashankari were shocked to see four-inch long worms in the water supplied by BWSSB recently. Resident Nagaraj, who first identified the worms as he was filling drinking water from a tap, said that he had never seen a live worm in BWSSB water, though there were instances of dead worms being found earlier. (Vijaya Karnataka, Tuesday, Mar 31)
10,000 phone lines cut for underpass
The underpass construction on Sheshadri road near Maharani’s college is not yet complete thanks to rocks that came in the way. Apart from traffic woes, construction has created much problem for telephone users too. More than 10,000 phone lines were cut during the construction work. Government and private officers, hotels and educational institutions nearby are the worst hit. Now the work is on in full swing to set things right. (Prajavani, Thursday, May 26)
Owning a house still a dream?
Owning a house in Bangalore still remains a distant dream for most people. More than two lakhs applications are pending before BDA since 10 to 15 years. If one goes by the speed in which BDA works, the dream of having a site or a house will not be realised in next three years. Though BDA has announced construction of a couple of new layouts, the formalities are yet to be completed. BDA has not constructed any layouts after 2004. (Prajavani, Thursday, May 26)
Residents oppose road widening
The BBMP’s road widening work in Padmanabhanagar constituency has invited public wrath. The widening of the road from Kittur Chennamma circle to 9th main of ring road was started a few days ago. Authorities decided to replace electric poles and planned to construct a divider. The whole project is estimated to cost about Rs 1 crore. Local residents claim that the work is not necessary, and allege that this is an attempt to swallow taxpayers’ money. (Prajavani, Sunday, Mar 29)
When will this underpass come to pass?
The residents of Kadirenahalli and Puttenahalli in JP Nagar are fed up with the slow pace of construction of the underpass connecting these two places. The work was started in May 2008 with BBMP assuring that it would be completed in 10 months. However even the basic work of digging has not been completed so far. The dust has created havoc and the construction has created more and more traffic jams. Officials clarify that the delay is due to problem in land acquisition. (Vijaya Karnataka, Monday, Mar 30)
Grade separator at Kengeri to ease traffic congestion
Construction of a grade separator near Kengeri junction on Bangalore- Mysore road is on in full swing. One phase of construction is over. The grade separator is likely to reduce traffic jams in this junction. The construction should have been over by the end of 2007, but has been extended to June 2009. Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd (KRDCL) is constructing this grade separator. (Prajavani, Sunday, Mar 29)
Society
A dog shelter goes to dogs
The shelter for street dogs in Hennur has gone to dogs, literally. The center was started eight years ago with the intention of nurturing stray dogs. Now it shelters about 170 street dogs. However severe financial problem has crippled its operations. Dogs at the center are starving. There is no proper medical attention. If a dog gets a chronic illness, death is inevitable. The center is looking for donors who can bail the center out its status. (Vijaya Karnataka, Sunday, Mar 29) ⊕