Articles by Sandhya Bhat

While most apartment associations strive to manage their societies with the utmost care, accidents related to swimming pools or electrical safety can still occur. Unfortunately, there have been some tragic incidents due to electrocution, which included the loss of two children, one of whom succumbed to an accident in a swimming pool and the other whilst playing in the park. There was also another death of a man, who died while working in an apartment sump. These incidents underscore the critical importance of implementing stringent safety measures and conducting regular maintenance to prevent such tragedies. “In apartments, lifts are well…

A community swimming pool is one of the most pleasurable and easiest avenues of relaxation for most urban apartment dwellers today. And yet a number of very unfortunate incidents in the recent past have created grave concerns and stress around its use, maintenance and management. From Gurgaon to Hyderabad and of course, in Namma Bengaluru, several shocking incidents leading to fatalities in swimming pools have given a huge jolt to residents and management committee members. The biggest jolt, perhaps, came in the recent instance, where following the tragic swimming pool death of a nine-year-old child in one of Bengaluru’s apartments,…

(Citizen Matters, Bengaluru, organised a citizen clinic, 'Decoding property documentation—your guide to sale deeds, khata, EC and more’, where advocate Mithun Gerahalli, who specialises in property law, answered questions regarding property documentation. Part 1 of the three-part event report series covered the legal issues related to property documentation and the due diligence that new buyers should follow. Part 2 dealt with the khata quagmire, Digital Property Ownership Cards (UPOR) and discrepancy between the owner’s claim and the information in the RTC [Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops]. Part 3 is about Apartment Associations Registration and Laws) Bengaluru's expansion both horizontally and…

Part 1 of the three-part event report series on property documentation covered the legal issues related to property documentation and the due diligence that new property buyers should follow. The queries were addressed by Mithun Garehalli, an advocate specialising in property law. Part 2 highlights Mithun's insights into the complexities of land ownership, the importance of understanding property history, and the need for expert advice in property transactions. Khata quagmire What is A Khata vs B Khata issue?  A Khata is a document used for tax assessment in Bengaluru. It includes essential details such as the property owner’s name, site…

(This article is part 1 of a three-part event report series)  All property transactions in Bengaluru have to mandatorily be registered with the government. This is important as it provides buyers with essential safeguards; enhances transparency due to the requirement of comprehensive project disclosures; establishes standard practices; and provides mechanisms for dispute resolution. The government has brought in multiple legislations over the years. While it has brought in some level of streamlining of the process, a lot is left to be desired. There are several types of property, which means you will need to deal with different agencies. In a…

Every year, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) collects property tax during the months of April and May, and a 5% rebate is accorded to encourage timely tax payments. This year, however, BBMP has extended the 5% rebate period for property tax payments till July 31, 2024. One of the key differences in the SAS Property Tax Payment is the addition of a field for capturing latitude-longitude. According to the BBMP website, the benefits of latitude-longitude seeding are: Your property gets BHU-Aadhaar ID  BBMP will not allow anyone else to create Property Khata on the same spot Your property rights are…

Almost half of Bengaluru's citizens did not vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. The city recorded a 57.43% voter turnout this year, not much of an improvement from the previous 2019 elections. The low voter turnout has often been ascribed to apathy, but this alone is not a satisfactory explanation. Several factors have been cited for the low voter turnout, from discrepancies in electoral rolls to the scorching heat. Voter roll errors: Deletions, duplications and deceased names There were complaints that hundreds of voter names were either deleted or missing in Chickpet and Akkipet in Bangalore Central.  In a…

Bengaluru goes to polls on April 26th. As candidates ramp up their campaigning efforts, discussions centre on issues like infrastructure and mobility. Even as political parties have released their manifestos, residents and civic groups from a cross-section of society too have expressed their demands from their MPs. Civic group manifestos include environmental, mobility, employment and healthcare issues. Here is a compilation of a few citizen manifestos from Bengaluru: Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) BAF is a Federation of Apartment Owners’ Associations (AOA) and Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWA) in Bengaluru. Their demands include:  Commitment to lobby for immediate and high priority conduct…

Table of contentsConstituency mapAt a glanceFind your polling boothKey candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha elections 2024Additional informationPast election resultsKey issuesCandidates in the newsDK SureshDr. CN ManjunathCN ManjunathaAlso read Bangalore Rural (Parliamentary Constituency number 23) comprises eight assembly constituencies: 131-Kunigal, 154-Rajarajeshwari, 176-Bangalore South, 177-Anekal Nagar, 182-Magadi, 183-Ramanagaram, 184-Kanakapura and 185-Channapatna. Bangalore South assembly constituency, comprising wards like Yelachenahalli, Begur and Anjanapura, should not be confused with the Bangalore South parliamentary constituency. Bangalore Rural constituency was created during the delimitation in 2008. The ex-chief minister of Karnataka, H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S), was the first MP to be elected from this…

Table of contentsConstituency mapAt a glanceFind your polling boothKey candidates contesting in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024Additional informationPast election resultsKey issuesCandidates in the newsMansoor Ali KhanPC MohanAlso read: Bangalore Central Parliamentary constituency came into existence in 2008 after delimitation. It was carved out of Bangalore North and Bangalore South. The first Lok Sabha election was held in this constituency in 2009 and the second in 2014. Bangalore Central comprises eight assembly constituencies: Rajajinagar, Chamrajpet, Gandhinagar, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar, CV Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura. The majority of voters in this constituency are linguistic and religious minorities. Large slums, the Central Business…