Articles by Akshatha M

Most of the buildings in Bangalore have bye-law violations - some minor, others major. Pic: Shree D N Two days after the State government announcing the implementation of Akrama Sakrama scheme, there are all indications the issue will yet again face legal hurdles. Mangaluru-based Citizens Forum for Mangalore Development has already filed a fresh petition in the High Court of Karnataka questioning the implementation of Akrama Sakrama. Bengaluru-based Citizens Action Forum too has decided to file a separate petition. Vidya Dinker, Convener of Citizens Forum for Mangalore Development, who is the main petitioner in the case dismissed on February 3rd,…

Even as the State government is gearing up to implement the Akrama Sakrama scheme that allows the regularisation of the building byelaw and certain land use violation in urban areas including Bengaluru, the new rules have raised several concerns. While a section of the civic society opposes the concept of regularisation as a whole, a few others find lacunae in the new rules which they say might prove disastrous if the scheme is implemented. In fact, there are serious doubts over the new rules of being big developer-friendly, rather than being people-friendly. There is not much difference between the 2007…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) told the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday that it has released Rs 118.15 crore out of the total pending amount of Rs 150 crore to be paid to the garbage contractors and the civic workers. The BBMP counsel assured that the remaining Rs 32 crore will be released soon after contractors submit the bills for the work done. The BBMP has come up with the statement after the High Court had slammed the Palike while hearing a batch of petitions on Solid Waste Management on February 13, 2015 for not releasing the due of…

The state government has told the High Court that they will amend the Bengaluru Development Authority's Revised Master Plan-2015 Zonal Regulations to conform to the BDA's affidavit submitted recently to the court. The government’s counsel agreed before the Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice D H Waghela and Justice Ram Mohan Reddy to make necessary changes within 10 days. Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) had filed a writ petition in the High Court questioning the changes made by the state government in the Zonal Regulations which were not in line with BDA's affidavit. BDA had said: Not me In the earlier…

Swine Flu has resulted in the death of 11 persons in Bengaluru Urban district, as on February 23rd, 2015, according to State Health Department reports. The Department also puts the total number of disease-affected in the district at 207 and critically ill patients at 8. An CNN-IBN report stated that the total death toll in India has crossed 800 since mid-December 2014. In this backdrop, here are some commonly asked questions about Swine Flu and the answers. What are the common symptoms of H1N1? Clinical symptoms of swine influenza include fever and upper respiratory symptoms such as cough, running nose…

The high decibel sound emanating from the fighter planes, the stunning aerial displays and the ballet of the moving aircrafts —all these have brightened up the Bengaluru skies, as the 10th edition of Aero India has entered its fourth day at Air Force Station in Yelahanka. After the successful completion of the previous nine editions, Asia’s premier air show Aero India-2015 has been organised in Bengaluru yet again. Scheduled from February 18th to 22nd, Aero India, which includes the aircraft show and an exhibition, has everything to offer for aviation enthusiasts. Demonstrations and mind blowing stunts by civil and military…

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) submitted an affidavit to High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday February 18th 2015, in which they held the State government responsible of making changes to the Revised Master Plan (RMP)-2015 recently in which the conditions for commercial use of land were relaxed. The BDA had come under fire from civic groups for making changes in the Zoning Regulations of Bangalore’s Revised Master Plan - 2015 in contrary to the affidavit submitted to the High Court of Karnataka last year. The background It was exactly a year ago that the High Court had given an order…

The BBMP elections are fast-approaching. If you thought BBMP election is not as important as the state or parliamentary elections, you are wrong. It is the local municipal administration, in Bengaluru’s case, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), that is responsible for the mess that you experience because of potholed roads, uncleared garbage or the streets with no light. Being the election that decides who rules the city, this is the most important election of all which can change the way you live in the city. Irrespective of whether BBMP is divided into multipe municipalities or not, indications are that…

With only two months left for the BBMP council’s term to end and the election likely to be held this year - in 2015, there are all indications of the BBMP polls witnessing an interesting fight between conventional and the new political parties. Though almost all the political parties say it is a bit too early to predict the structure of electoral battlefield, specially when the State government is allegedly trying to delay the polls, they admit that the BBMP election this season is going to be different from past. The victory of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi election…

The State government is likely to face the wrath of the judiciary, having made visible changes in violation of the Karnataka High Court order while amending zonal regulations in Revised Master Plan, 2015. The Citizen Action Forum (CAF) which has been fighting against commercialisation in residential areas, has filed a contempt petition in the High Court against the government for not abiding by the affidavit submitted by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) promising to curb commercialisation in residential areas. The case is likely to come for hearing in the court next week. Land use classification by the BDA is often…