Articles by Navya P K

A week after Bengaluru's police department said that the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) for Karnataka did not exist, the Home Department says that the authority does exist. It turns out that in December last year, the state government quietly setup the body through a government order. The PCA is meant to be a state-level independent authority to inquire into public complaints against police officers. On November 11, civil society group IAC (India Against Corruption), Bengaluru, had submitted a petition to the city Police Commissioner's office, demanding setting up of a PCA. Additional Commissioner of Police Suneel Kumar, who had accepted…

BMRCL has always been notorious for its lack of transparency. Even being a government entity, the company is reluctant to share information to the media, citizens or activists. The entry into BMRCL head office is restricted compared to other government offices.When I had asked the BMRCL PRO for a sketch of the stations last year, it was denied citing security reasons. I was also stopped from taking pictures, even from outside, of Metro stations under construction, about six months back.Now the strictures have extended to public spaces too - Metro employees in stations stop media persons from taking pictures or…

If you know someone who has done exemplary work for Bangalore, now may be the time to give them credit. Namma Bengaluru Awards, intended to honour unsung heroes of the city, have opened its nominations for this year.Nominations were launched on October 31st and will close on November 30th.T he awards are instituted by Namma Bengaluru Foundation, founded by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar. Started in 2009, this is the third edition of the awards. A person can nominate oneself or others here. Supporting documents on the nominee's work can be loaded online itself. This year the awards are for…

Since its inauguration, a large number of people have been taking joy rides on the Metro. Now, after about three weeks, there are those who still take fun rides, but the number of regular users is on the rise too.Most are professionals whose office and home, both, are located near the stretch. But many use Metro along with other transport modes to connect from home to office. Pallavi Rao, a Yeshwantpur resident in her 20s, takes two buses - one from Yeshwantpur to Shivajinagar, and another from Shivajinagar to MG Road - and then rides the Metro to her office…

Angry at BDA going back on its word, about 40 residents protested the flyover construction at Koramangala 80 feet junction in 1st block on November 7th. BDA had earlier agreed to stop the works until a consensus was reached. The protest began at around 9 in the morning and went on for about two hours.The residents have been protesting over the last month demanding BDA to stop the flyover construction. Residents had met top BDA, BBMP officials, and given petitions to elected representatives over the past month. 40 residents staged a 2-hour protest on Monday. Pic Courtesty: N R Suresh,…

In the last few months, many apartments in the city were pulled up for not operating their Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) according to standards. Apartment associations had complained that the standards set for STPs were too stringent and that officials did not follow clear guidelines during inspection. Click here to download The STP Guide: Design, Operation and Maintenance A guidebook released by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on November 1st addresses these issues. The book was authored by Dr Ananth S Kodavasal, environment expert and Founder of Ecotech Engineering Consultancy. Dr Kodavasal, in the book, has recommended that…

Over the last few years, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) have become a force to reckon in the city. Bangaloreans have been uniting through their RWAs to speak out not just about local issues like civic amenities and khata issues, but also for macro level policy reforms.But this also seems to have made RWAs fresh targets for politicians. RWAs are supposed to be independent and not have political affiliations. But RWA representatives across the city are raising concerns about the increasing control of local elected representatives – corporators, ward secretaries and MLAs – over RWAs. They say that some representatives have…

In Recyclathon Awards, part of Bengaluru Recycling Habba, Mantri Tranquil apartment in Kanakpura road won the championship for Best Waste Wise Apartment (above 250 units category). Around 2009, a few residents here studied different recycling models across the city and designed their own version. Dr Ramachandran at the Mantri Tranquil recycling unit. Pic: Navya P K Their organic compost unit now generates about 3000 kgs of compost every month, which is used in the gardens within the complex or sold outside. Residents also segregate dry waste into five categories. which is collected and recycled by the NGO Saahas.Dr N Ramchandran,…

KEB layout in BTM 1st stage has only one park - until about two years ago this park had a play area which catered to children from the layout and surroundings. But the children's park was demolished by the BBMP in January 2009, to build a road through the park. The road was built to aid traffic and parking for a Sai Baba temple opposite the park. There are about 50 children residing in the layout, who mostly play on the roads as their play area in the park was demolished. Pic: Navya P K Children in the layout now…

When the siren of the first ever Metro train of the city resounded from the tracks of MG Road station on Thursday at 4 pm, hundreds of people were looking up from the queue outside the station. Snaking outwards to both sides of the station, the queue was getting longer with more people joining in every minute. Visitors with their tokens at the ticket checking counters in Metro station. Pic Navya P K As the first train was leaving the station, operators waved to the crowd below. There were loud shout outs from the public, even as some voiced their…