Bengaluru this week
September 10th 2015
CITIZEN MATTERS
In this week’s edition of Bengaluru This Week, we feature a story on the condition of Supreme Court mandated night shelters for the homeless in the city. Read about the multiple skywalks purportedly coming up in Bengaluru and who they will benefit. We also have guides on using trains for your daily commute, getting the name changed on your electricity bill and applying for birth and death certificates. Also check out a lovely photo feature on the Arkavathy and the Vrushabhavathy. All this and more… Happy reading! This week’s highlight: For whom, the skywalks in Bengaluru? For whom, the skywalks in Bengaluru? Who uses them? Who benefits? Key questions answered as the city plans over a 100 skywalks! Read: Skywalks help no one but advertisers. NGO estimates say there are over 17,000 homeless people in Bangalore. BBMP’s own number is way lower at 1,250.Meanwhile the ten operational night shelters can accommodate barely 250. Many of them are devoid of funds and see few inmates, while countless brave harsh conditions in the open. Why? Read: Night shelters for homeless: fundless and neglected. Guides to living in the city Do you know that you can use long distance trains for your daily commute to Bengaluru? Especially if you are coming in from areas like Tumkur, Doddaballapur and Ramanagaram. Here’s how: Trains for daily commute in and around Bengaluru. Get the name on your electricity bill changed without depending on brokers/agents, pay no bribe or additional charges! Read: How to get the name changed on your BESCOM bill. Want to know when your area could see a power cut? Here is the load shedding schedule that has been shared by BESCOM. Read: Schedule of power cuts in Bengaluru. Also read: Here’s why Bengaluru is facing power cuts. Here’s an overview of how to apply for and get a birth or death certificate in Bengaluru city, again without having to resort to paying a bribe. Read: Getting birth and death certificates. If you are yet to book tickets to visit your hometown for Gowri Ganesha, worry not. KSRTC has arranged for additional buses this festive season. Read: Special buses for Gowri Ganesha. In pictures The Vrushabhavathy river rises from the Bull Temple in Basavangudi and meets the Arkavathy, which rises from the Nandi Hills range, at Kudlu. Vishwanath Srikantaiah traces the journey of the mother river and her tributary: By the rivers of Bengaluru. Food for thought Divya Sreedharan questions how people sometimes fail to recognise others silent cries for help. Have we become so self-obsessed with ourselves, that we don’t notice what’s happening around us? Read: Lives of quiet desperation Ashwin Mahesh points out the lacuna in the Right to Education Act and says that for it to be truly effective, it must be amended. Read: Why the RTE Act should be amended. Vox populi For anyone new to Bengaluru, one of the things that they set out to do is find a house. Nimit Shah shares his misadventures while looking for a house. Read: House hunting – a big welcome from the city. Do you know whom to contact if you want a broken streetlight repaired? Here’s what a Malleshwaram citizen did when his pleas to the authorities fell on deaf ears. Read: A broken lamppost, MLAs office and other things. After having to resort to travelling by taxi in the late hours of the night, Deepa Mohan questions BMTC on the irregularity of its Vayu Vajra services from the airport. Read: Where are the Vayu Vajra buses when one needs them? The heroes among us Canara Bank’s new corporate social responsibility initiative aims to bring otherwise expensive computer training within the reach of the common man. Here’s how: Canara Bank to offer computer training to unemployed youth. Living by the lake Celebrate International Literacy Day with The Boy and the Drum, a storytelling session at Puttenahalli lake on September 12th. If you live near Horamavu, here’s a chance to reconnect with your neighbourhood lake. Attend the Horamavu Kere Habba on September 12th and be a part of games, workshops, walks and more. Every year, during Ganesha Habba, there is plenty of non-biodegradable material that makes its way into Bengaluru’s lakes. To encourage people to use clay idols, MAPSAS is hosting two events at Kaikondrahalli lake on September 13th. Read: Preparing for an eco-friendly Ganesha festival. Also read: Five ways to celebrate an eco-friendly Ganesha Habba. In other news
Events this week
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