Articles by Navya P K

Residents of Sachidananda Nagara layout in Rajarajeswari Nagar a far from a solution to their khata woes. After two Gandhigiri protests and several promises from the BBMP Commissioner H Siddaiah himself, the latest roadblock in their struggle is a letter sent by former Mayor S K Nataraj asking BBMP to not issue khatas to residents. The letter was sent by the former Mayor on April 26, two days before he quit office. The new Mayor was elected on April 29. File pic: Sachidanandanaga residents arguing with the police while waiting to get their khatas in November 2010. Pic: Navya P…

Anti-corruption champion Anna Hazare's public meeting at National College Grounds, Basavangudi on May 28 drew around 10,000 people towards the end, according to the India Against Corruption's group. IAC had expected around 50,000. At 2 pm, when the event was expected to start, there were only about 2000 people in the audience. But the numbers had swelled by the time of Hazare's speech at the end around 5pm. An ecstatic audience cheered as Hazare stepped up to speak. Hazare said that the Lokpal Bill should be drafted by June 30 and passed in assembly by August 15; if not, he…

During enrolment, residents have to fill an enrolment form which will have basic details such as name, address etc. Evidence of Proof of Identity (PoI), Proof of Address (PoA) and Date of Birth (DoB) should be produced. If original documents are not available, copies attested by a notary/gazetted officer will be accepted. Additionally, biometric details - which include scanning of 10 fingerprints and iris, and photograph - will be taken. For children under 15, biometric details won't be taken; their UID will be linked to their parent's after verification. As per the UID website, here are the documents which will…

The ‘modern' Metro stations in the city will not have any public toilets. BMRC appears to be shirking responsibility by saying that the government has to take initiative for this. Byappanahalli terminal station in reach 1, proposed to be open soon, does not have toilets. Pic: Navya P K   "As Metro is a short distance train for travel within city, it will take only 2-3 minutes to go from one station to another. It cannot be expected to provide facilities given by long distance trains," says Metro spokesperson Y B L Chavan. "There is a proposal to have toilets…

Anna Hazare, who led the indefinite fast for Lokpal Bill last month, will visit Bangalore on May 27-28. This is part of IAC (India Against Corruption)'s continuing campaign to have the Bill passed in the monsoon session of Parliament. Bangalore is one of the five cities that Hazare is planning to visit in the first round of the campaign. Promotional Artwork put out by India Against Corruption Banalore group. "After Delhi, the highest response for Jan Lokpal Bill was from Bangalore, which is why Hazare wanted to visit," says Anand Yadwad, who had participated in the indefinite fast in Bangalore.…

Think about libraries, and what comes to mind are long, dusty rows of somewhat mangled books, and grumpy librarians. But new generation libraries in Bengaluru are far different. These libraries are not too high-brow, nor are they content with being collectors of classics or most popular reads alone. They engage with readers, consider their preferences while expanding collections, and are easily accessible with online book catalogues and door delivery options. Suman H M, 19, second year degree student at Jyothi Nivas College, has been a member of Just Books library for the last one year. "They are convenient as I…

In the last one year - between April 2010 and March 2011 - 493 trees fell due to ‘natural causes' in Bengaluru, according to BBMP. In the same period, branches of another 728 trees fell. Mangled mess in a Koramangala park after a heavy downpour last week, with gusty winds. Pic: J Srinivasan. In addition to trees lost for road widening and infrastructure projects, why are we losing so many more? Urban ecologist and scholar Harini Nagendra, 39, says that urban trees generally have shorter life spans due to stress; this combined with unscientific trimming of trees, cementing of pavements…

Ten apartments in Bellandur area have recently received show cause notices from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for flouting STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) norms. The apartments, all of which were built by Sobha developers, are Sobha Carnation, Mayflower, Daisy, Jasmine, Dahlia, Lavender, Quartz, Aquamarine, Hibiscus and Primrose. They received notices in April. Pollution Control Board authorities say that there is no specific drive to check on apartment STPs, but that surprise checks would continue. "Regional Officers (ROs) inspect apartments periodically and also if they receive complaints from the public. In this case, we came to know about these…

BBMP's plan to clear encroachments and de-silt Storm Water Drains (SWDs) and install Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) in big properties, will launch soon, say officials. The Commissioner's action plan, intended to combat flooding during monsoon, is supposed to get completed within 2-3 months. The works are de-centralised - EEs in each zone are responsible for doing this in areas under their jurisdiction. Officials should submit a daily action plan to the Commissioner and update him of each day's work, says documents from the Commissioner's office. If accidents continue during monsoon despite these actions, the concerned officials will be held responsible,…

The famed Jayanagar Shopping Complex in Jayanagar 4th block is soon to undergo a makeover. While BBMP and BDA have been making plans for renovating the complex, shopkeepers here have been kept out of the loop. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the renovation project is almost complete, but it does not mention rehabilitation of shopkeepers. Many shopkeepers are not aware of the renovation plan either. While some are opposed to the project, others believe that they will be rehabilitated. The project costing Rs 115 crores, is expected to be complete in 18 months. Mani, a shop owner, has been…