Articles by Nikita Malusare

After recent cases of Dengue in Bengaluru, many residents are looking for preventive measures. And many are discussing Ovitrap as an effective preventive measure that can trap mosquitoes that spread Dengue. How effective is Ovitrap in Bangalore? We have to understand what is Dengue and how does Ovitrap work. Dengue is a vector-borne disease, caused by mosquitoes that breed on water. A mosquito named Aedes Aegypti is the host of Dengue virus. Researchers say that most Aedes Aegypti do not fly beyond than 100 metres, and bite only during day time. What is a lethal Ovitrap? Lethal Ovitrap is a…

Pruned trees on podium. Pic courtesy: Rajesh Nair Two months ago, the residents of Prestige Shantiniketan in Whitefield, Bangalore, saw around twenty trees pruned down to 4 feet. Recently they also came to know that another 491 trees are waiting in the queue to be cut. They claim that the trees are 11-year-old. The plan to cut 491 trees was envisaged by the Management Committee of Prestige Shantiniketan, who are worried that 500 trees are on an elevated slab or a podium, and will damage the podium structure. They are concerned that the podium will not be able to take…

Non-Karnataka vehicles are a common sight on Bangalore's roads. Pic: Nikita Malusare You move in to Bengaluru from another part of India. You plan to move out after a few years. Along with everything else that you have to do to stay in the city, there’s something important you need to do: Re-register your vehicle and change the vehicle number. But is this a fair demand always? Karnataka government laws mandate vehicles staying in Karnataka for more than 30 days to pay lifetime tax in lump sum, and then withdraw the balance amount from the government of the city where…

The first thing that hits you, when someone who comes out from airport happens to sneeze or feel feverish is this: Could this be Ebola? And one is careful with those who come from Ebola-affected countries, for they might even be Ebola-affected! However, what is the real situation about Ebola? Do we, the Bangaloreans, have a reason to worry? Citizen Matters explores. Ebola has no known remedy, still many cured Ebola virus (EBV) has no known cure, though some trial drugs appear to work. The mortality rate is 90% according to World Health Organisation. Death toll in the southern African…

Ganesha festival celebrations that are meant to bring joy to all, proved fatal for two BBMP workers last year, near Whitefield, Bengaluru. Trying to immerse a huge Ganesha idol made out of Plaster of Paris, these two workers ended up drowning in Varthur Lake last year, as the idol did not sink.  A screen grab of the Varthur Lake incident during Ganesha Chaturthi in September 2013. This explains only a part of the danger that Plaster of Paris idols can pose. The pollution caused by PoP idols is known to all, still ignored. Come August, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB)…

Stop talking. Start doing. That’s the mantra more and more citizens in Bengaluru are adopting these days. The fever has now spread to corporates too. The new initiative launched on Independence Day, Adopt-a-Mile, aims to drive the cynicism towards government, into a movement of bringing in change. “I used to come to Bangalore during my summer vacation. The city was so beautiful then, but today, it has lost its beauty. We want to give back our city its beauty,” says Ananth Ramachandran, an executive working with a technology firm. The movement, started by five such people from different companies, will…

  As the city gears up to celebrate the 68th independence day, Bengaluru police have put the system in place, by enabling high security for key locations. The Independence Day - 2014 Ceremonial Parade will be held at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground, Cubbon Road on August 15th, 2014, at 9 am. City Police Commissioner M N Reddi on Wednesday, August 13, 2014, briefed the press with the don'ts that the public attending the Independence Day Parade will have to follow. Carrying materials like matchbox, lighter, deodorants, etc or sharp objects like knives, cameras, eatables, water bottles, umbrellas, radios,…

Angry parents protesting outside the school seeking justice. Pic: Nikita Malusare It is almost a month after the Bengaluru's Vibgyor rape case hit the headlines. There were four arrests so far, and the fourth arrested, the Chairman of the school Rustum Kerawalla has managed to get a bail. The police say that he was in Mumbai when the incident occurred, hence he was not aware of the issue. Now this is the question that haunts everyone: Will other staff in the school go scot-free, even after the reports of the kid allegedly being treated in school itself and teachers not…

High Court of Karnataka (HC) has ordered all the local planning authorities to sanction layouts development plans only if they earmark a dedicated area for managing their own solid waste generated in their layout and nearby localities. The order came during a hearing of Solid Waste Management (SWM) Public Interest Litigation, when advocate Ajesh Shankar brought to the notice of the HC that a Civic Amenity site allocated for a waste processing facility in a BDA layout at Kengeri-hobli was encroached by some parties. Taking cognizance of this, the HC Bench comprising of Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice N…

Sony World junction is a nightmare for vehicles during peak hour traffic. Pic: Ganga Madappa Driving from Electronic City to reach Indiranagar in Bengaluru is a nightmare on most evenings. A precious 20 minutes will be lost while waiting for your turn to cross the Sony World junction signal. BBMP has acknowledged this traffic issue and plans to build a 2.4-km elevated flyover from Ejipura junction to Kendriya Sadan to improve the situation. Unlike most solutions devised by officials and consultants, this is one of the few projects initiated following public demand. In 2011, BBMP had planned to construct a…