Articles by Yogaraj S Mudalgi

On 23rd June, early in the morning, Ward 179 (Shakambari Nagar) MLA B N Vijay Kumar, BBMP councillor for the ward, B Somashekhar with a group of some 15 people including engineers from BBMP, BWSSB and other civic agencies visited residents door to door. The ‘padayatre’, as it was termed was in its fourth day. They had earlier visited Jayanagar 5th block, 8th block and Shakambari Nagar 7th main previously. A resident talks about his grievances with the MLA, Councillor B Somashekhar is also present. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. “Ella channagidiya antha vicharskond hogakk bandidivi” (We have come to ask if…

Leo Saldanha of the city-based green NGO Environmental Support Group intervened in a move that partly led to dropping of charges against the protestors and activists arrested on July 1st during the Sankey Road episode. Protesters were objecting to cutting of 19 trees on Sankey Road for it's proposed widening from Bhashyam Circle to Malleshwaram 18th Cross. Victoria D'Souza, protester, was dragged along with the other women to the police van. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. Saldanha spoke to city police commissioner Jyothi Prakash Mirji and questioned the decision of Circle Inspector of Vyalikaval station to slap charges on those arrested under…

It was a tense few hours for residents of Malleshwaram on 29th June.   Some 25 residents including activist Meenakshi Bharath had gathered near Sankey Tank at 11 am to prevent the auction of trees that were to be felled by the BBMP for widening of Sankey Road.  Tree officer and Assistant Conservator of Forests, Venkateshappa had come with other BBMP officials to initiate the auction. Protestors in a heated argument with Tree Officer Venkateshappa. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. Anticipating trouble, personnel from Karnataka State Police (KSP) were present at the venue. Vinay Sreenivasa of the city's green network Hasiru Usiru requested…

Almost every working professional dreams of finishing up work early to catch up with friends, family or do something for oneself. Tata Teleservices (TTS),  a telecommunications company ran campaign last week to get people to encourage more people to leave office early. June 24 was chosen as the day to observe the initiative. "Many a time, we have heard from employees the good times they spent with friends and family when they left the workplace early, and how these activities actually led to them being better and happier professionals in the longer run-that's one of the triggers of the Leave…

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will introduce feeder services under the name of 'Big Connect'. The service is based on the directive issued by the High Court of Karnataka and will be effective on 19 routes across Bengaluru from 26th June 2011. Services for two more routes will be announced after BWSSB has finished laying of pipelines. The service hopes to improve bus connectivity in outer areas of Bangalore. 'Big Connect' Feeder routes. Source: BMTC. (Click to enlarge) The press release issued by BMTC says that the department will assess the performance of all the routes for a period…

Rejuvenation of three lakes - Ambalipura, Kaikondanahalli and Puttenahalli lakes in south-east and south Bengaluru stand out as examples of successful projects undertaken by the BBMP. A common denominator in all three rejuvenation is the initiative taken by citizens living nearby to save them from extinction. Three concerned citizens started off the process - K Rajesh Rao, Priya Ramasubban and Usha Rajagopalan. Weeding in progress at Ambalipura lake. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi Rao, a resident of Trinity Woods on Sarjapur Road and an IT professional, got the attention of BBMP towards the pathetic condition of the 7.4 acre Ambalipura lake.…

When I first took up journalism, everyone i knew advised me against it, especially my family. "But the pay is not that great!," they tried to reason with me. They were partially correct. True, it can never match what the IT sector pays but how many sectors can? The pay is not as bad as some people imagine it to be. However, it was when I did my first internship in a reputed newspaper that I realised journalism could be a lucrative career depending on how flexible you are willing to be with your principles. While covering an art and…

Residents of 8th phase JP Nagar still have no respite from the deep trenches dug by the BWSSB to lay water pipelines. Kapil Raizada, a resident of nearby H M World City had earlier written to Citizen Matters on this issue and the piece was published in the 9th April issue of Citizen Matters. The residents had a harrowing summer due to the dust kicked up due to the digging. The monsoon has added another kind of woe as the mud roads have turned slushy and with trenches dug up on the sides, they have become a hazard to commuters…

For the last two months, young recruits from BBMP (Bommanahalli Zone) have been actively canvassing for waste segregation at source in large apartment complexes along Bannerghatta Road and parts of JP Nagar. The recruits in their late twenties or early thirties have been appointed to the posts of Deputy Environment Officers and Environmental Engineers. Santosh Kumar, Deputy Environment Officer, is one of the new recruits. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi  Santosh Kumar, one of the Deputy Environment Officers, a chemical engineering graduate in his late twenties says that it was not a conscious decision by the BBMP to send young officers to…

The Karnataka Athletics Association has announced the list of athletes selected to represent Karnataka at 51st National Senior Athletic Championship – 2011. The athletics meet will be held at Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore from 11th to 14th June 2011. Men: V.Sanjay, Stephen, Bopanna G N, Sonith Mendon ,G Jagadish, Joseph Basappa, Rijo K George, D  Raghu, Ranjan Kariyappa, Anoop T K P Gopinathan, M K Sumanth, Chandrashekar, K Girish, Harshith S, Suprith, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Sanjaya Yadav, Balakrishna, M Harikrishnan, Rateesh Kumar, Anish Kumar, Carl Britto, Deepak Choudary, Kasinath, Surendra Kumar, Ajay Yadav, K M Aiyappa Women:Rebecca Jose, Shalini Naik, K…