Articles by Navya P K

A government task force report says that the Apollo Hospital on Bannerghatta road is built on encroached land, hence illegal. The report was authored by V Balasubramanian, Chairman of state government's Task Force for Recovery and Protection of Public Lands. A copy of the report is with Citizen Matters. Pages 17-22 of the report are devoted to this case. Who does the land belong to?According to the report, the five acres, where the hospital is located now (opposite IIM-B), was originally granted by government to a certain NRI docor, A M Nisar Syed in 1991. Syed had applied for the…

Residents of a few Sobha apartments in Bellandur have challenged the imposition of annual fees on apartments that operate STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants). According to rules of the state pollution control board (KSPCB), apartments that own STPs have to pay an annual CFO (Consent for Operation) fee.STPs are mandatory for apartments with area more than 20,000 sq mt in non-UGD areas. These apartments are treated on par with the most polluting industries, categorised as ‘Red' industries (Orange and green are the less polluting industries). The CFO fees for these industries depend on the capital investment in the project. Depending on…

The Karnataka state government's deadlines to launch mega transport projects continue to be paper statements of intent. Namma Metro's persistent delay is now virtually taken for granted. In the meantime, despite the deadline of 2013-14, Bangalore's Rs.6700 crores High Speed Rail Link (HSRL between city centre and the airport) is still stuck at the preliminary stage. A concessionaire, the firm that will fund, build and operate the PPP, is yet to be selected through tender process; construction will start only after the concessionaire awards tenders to other parties. Currently, only prequalification of concessionaires is completed. Prequalification is the process of…

A recent report by state government's Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has exposed several problems with BMTC's massive Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC) project. TTMCs are jargon for the swanky new terminals BMTC is building around the city, 45 in all, of which 10 are completed. The cost of these 10 terminals is over Rs 450 cr. DULT comes under the Urban Development Department (UDD) of the state government. For instance, only 15 buses can park in the Banashankari terminal at a time, giving each bus only 31 seconds in the bay during peak hours. This is considered…

18 post offices in Bengaluru have been identified as enrollment centres for UID. The UID or Aadhaar was launched in the last week of June. There are no jurisdictional restrictions on the post offices for enrollment. Anyone from any locality can enroll in the nearest post office, among those listed. There is also no last date fixed for the enrollments unlike voter's id. The individuals have to only take the relevant documents along.Here's the list of the 18 post offices in the cityRajajinagar HOVijayanagar POBasavanagudi HOJayanagar HOWilson Garden HONandini Layout POMahalakshmi Layout PORT nagar HOBangalore GPOHAL 2nd stage HOBasveshwaranagar MDGMalleshwaram…

Twenty one families of Jayabheema Nagar slum in Malleswaram were displaced when their houses were demolished on Tuesday morning. A park or a playground will be built in that area. The slum, located behind Mantri Sqaure, was close to the upcoming Metro station here. It falls next to the alignment of BBMP's proposed 20 m road which would connect the Metro station to the main road. Demolition of Jayabheema Nagar slum in Malleswaram started at 4 am on Tuesday morning. Pic: Navya P K The slum does not come in the way of the road alignment, but would create a…

Property values in the city are set to rise with hike in guidance value. Guidance values are expected to go up by 30-100% this year (minimum of 30% within core areas and maximum of 100% in outskirts); rates would go up by more than 200% in outer areas like those near Peripheral Ring Road, since the market rates here have rocketed since the last revision. The previous hikes were in 2007, 2005, 2004 and 2002. During the 2007 hike, the value of residential, commercial and industrial properties were hiked by 50%, 60% and 25% on average.Officials at the Department of…

As is widely experienced by Bangaloreans, malls, high rises and tech parks are now congestion hotspots around the city. A recent update at the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP)'s Facebook page talks about traffic congestion at Nagavara junction in north Bangalore. Traffic at the junction is four times the capacity during peak hours; BTP attributes this to the nearly 10,000 vehicles that go to and from Manyata Tech Park for two hours every morning and evening.Citizen Matters has found out that the city's sanction process for malls and similar complexes is at the root of the rapidly worsening problem. Traffic management…

Four years into her career as a software developer, Rashmi M, 27, is doing a course in technical writing. Technical writing, for her, is a way to weave in her knowledge in technology and interest in writing. "Technical writing is more creative, also my knowledge in technology will be useful in this field," says Rashmi, a resident of Banshankari 1st stage.With increasing opportunities and demands in the market, youngsters in the city are constantly updating themselves with knowledge in new domains. While for some this is a way to move into a new field, for others it is to enhance…

Two months after Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) started its page in Facebook, it has about 3,800 'likes'. In this interview with Citizen Matters, Praveen Sood, ACP, Bangalore Traffic, talks about the idea behind the initiative, how it has turned out and further expectations.What was the original idea behind starting the BTP page?Our main intention is to educate and sensitise public about traffic rules and create a forum for discussion. We also get lot of feedback which we would not get otherwise - like, when a signal is not working. This forum is not just a shoulder to cry on or…