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This week’s highlight: The Mayor speaks his heart

It’s been months after the BBMP elections, but where is the council on its promises? We spoke to Manjunath Reddy, our Mayor on what he has been able to do and where the challenges are. He frankly admitted that the one year term is not sufficient to take up major initiatives.

Nevertheless, he shares how BBMP is trying to bring all properties under tax net, and road history and GIS mapping in progress. And yes, he promises a practical BBMP budget!

Read: An interview with the Mayor.

What brewed in the Budget?

From increased service taxes and import duties, to boost to low-cost housing sector, Arun Jaitley has introduced many measures in the Union budget. Devika Kher and Adhip Amin comment on what it means for Bengaluru. Read: How does the Union Budget affect Bengaluru?

Suburban rail got a brief mention in Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s speech on the Railway Budget. Read: Nothing concrete on commuter rail; Bengalureans unhappy with rail budget.

Janaagraha’s MyCityMyBudget campaign launched in November 2015, reached out to citizens to gather inputs for the upcoming BBMP Budget. Read: Janaagraha to submit data to BBMP Mayor.

Living in the city

Graph from Accuweather for February 2016.

On February 23rd, Bengaluru recorded 35.5℃, the highest temperature in February since 2005. And world over, media reports claimed that 2015 was the hottest year so far on earth. Read: What the temperature in Bengaluru tells about global warming.

Buses that do not wait, buses that wait too long, route numbers not displayed… Even for those citizens who are not averse to using public transport, BMTC’s buses can prove to be challenging. Read: 11 reasons why BMTC puts off commuters.

What has your experience been when you have needed to file an FIR? This Women’s Day, Amnesty is inviting women to tell the police how they would like them to react. Read: Tell the police what you want of them when you file an FIR.

B.PAC presented its objections to BESCOM’s proposal to increase tariff for FY ’17 at the public hearing conducted by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission on February 26th. Read: No case for increase in power tariff.

The heroes among us

13-year-old Jayakumar is a resident of Sivakasi and his mother works in a cracker manufacturing unit. This young boy spoke about the safety standards at similar factories and then proceeded to demonstrate his invention at the Beyond Carlton anniversary which took place on February 23rd. Read: 13-year-old demos fire extinguisher he invented himself.

One of the results of building flyovers to ease traffic is that the spaces underneath them often become a kind of wasteland. The Under The Flyover event held at the Hebbal flyover on January 26th saw citizens painting silhouettes of themselves on the pillars. Read: Claiming public spaces.

Living by the lake

A lovely boat ride under the evening sun. Pic: Deepa Mohan

Many migratory birds, flowers heralding the onset of summer, people on a boat ride, a gorgeous sunset – these are some of the things that you will come across at Madiwala lake. Read: Bird walk at Madiwala kere.

Here’s a report from Horamavu Agara kere which has got a facelift thanks to the efforts of local citizens living near the lake. People are now stopping by to admire the lake, and the instances of garbage being thrown in the premises have reduced as well. Read: Visibility makes a difference.

The lives of others

In Bengaluru, you can be sure to find roadside entrepreneurs on pretty much every corner you turn. Here are two young men, who walk around town looking for cars to fix. Read: Thinking on the move!

Off the beaten track

The Kaiga power plant seen from a distance. Pic: Deepa Mohan

Would a visit to a nuclear power plant ever be part of your travel plans? Deepa Mohan visits the Kaiga plant and tells you how you can go about it. Read: You too can visit a nuclear power plant!

The week that was

• The BBMP is reportedly making yet another attempt to get control of Electronic City. The Chairman of BBMP’s Standing Committee on Taxation recently told media that if Electronic City came under BBMP jurisdiction, it would not only bring revenue to the Palike, but also boost the image of the Corporation.
• The BBMP’s administrative report which was presented in the Council after almost 10 years, has revealed that BBMP has given least priority to education. Lack of attention given to recruit adequate teachers and improve the quality of schools, has resulted in gradual degradation of schools, the report observes.
• The cash-deprived BBMP has requested the State government to sanction Rs 4,000 crore to the Palike in the State budget. A delegation comprising of the Mayor and Commissioner met the Bengaluru Development Minister over the weekend and requested that more funds be sanctioned to take up infrastructure work in the city.
• The High Court has directed the Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department to consider the application of residents of Koramangala for the sanction to prosecute former BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana. This is in connection with the Breakfast Club case in which Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Koramangala residents had demanded that criminal proceedings be started against the former BBMP Commissioner for issuing a trade licence to start a commercial activity in a residential area.
• After a long wait, the Chikballapur district tourism council has initiated feasibility studies to introduce ropeways to ferry tourists to Nandi Hills. The council began the study in December 2015 and is expected to submit the report to Chikballapur DC in May 2016. According to initial plans, two parallel ropeways with multiple cable cars, is to be installed at Nandi Hills.

Events this week

 Urban Lens Film Festival – IIHS Campus – March 4th to 6th

• The Urban Lens Film Festival kicks off today at the IIHS campus. The festival will feature non-fiction films that explore different facets of the city, whether political, social economic or cultural.
• Follow in the footsteps of the Tiger of Mysore and get a download of the history of the monuments associated with Tipu on March 5th at KR Market.
• Head to Aditi Farms on March 6th for a curated farm visit experience on natural farming.
• Bangalore Little Theatre is doing a play reading of Ben Elton’s Gasping at Alliance Francaise on March 6th.
• On the occasion of Women’s Day, March 8th, Bangalore International Centre talks about the status of women in India with a panel discussion, Whither the Indian woman?
• Watch three choreographers take the centre-stage at a dance performance at Alliance Francaise on March 10th.
• Watch Séraphine, a film that follows the life of a middle-aged housekeeper who has a remarkable talent for painting at Alliance Francaise on March 11th.
• Urban Solace is paying homage to Harper Lee by featuring quotations, images and book jackets of her pièce de résistance, To Kill a Mockingbird. The exhibition will be on display till March 13th.

To know more about events in Bengaluru, click here

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