CITIZEN MATTERS
Bangalore’s own interactive newsmagazine
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City news that matters

Before the summary of our own stories, here’s a curation of the latest news from Bengaluru.

• A case related to flouting of environmental norms in Mantri Developers’ Agara SEZ project is being heard today in the Delhi bench of the National Green Tribunal.
• Chief Minister restates BBMP’s claim in the assembly, that only 97 buildings have officially been given Occupation Certificates in last four years.
• An engineer working in Bengaluru was slapped with charges of “waging war” and unlawful activities after City Police arrested him for tweeting alleged pro-ISIS content. After this, a fake twitter handle tweeted a terror threat on Bengaluru, which was telecast as breaking news by news channels. The panic created died down only after Bengaluru City Police issued a clarification.
• A study on Citizenship Index by Janaagraha and Brown University, USA, gives Bengaluru a low rating of 0.32 out of 1, indicating that Bangaloreans do not engage with civic or political activities, apart from elections.

This week’s highlight: Going beyond the Rajvir Sharma vs. Bangalore Club incident

Pic: www.bangaloreclub.com 

» By now, Bangaloreans are familiar with top police officer Rajvir Sharma’s run-in with Bangalore Club over a month ago. Can such incidents be avoided in our culture? Here are some insights and possible solutions to the conflicts that arise from misuse of power.

Read: Rajvir vs Bangalore Club: Is there a lesson from such incidents? 

Of buildings, old and new

» In the wake of the Chief Minister’s statement in Assembly, Arathi Manay writes an Open letter to the Chief Minister, suggesting that Occupation Certificates be made mandatory for utilities and registration.

» In light of BBMP’s recent decision to redevelop 18 iconic markets in Bengaluru, citizens appeal that they be refurbished instead. Sign the petition if you want to save Bengaluru’s heritage markets.

Food (water?) for thought

» For every litre of ‘pure water’ that a Reverse Osmosis water purifier produces, three liters of water runs off as waste. Dharmesh Viswanathan asks for practical and easy ways to minimise the wastage of run-off water

Managing plastic waste

» If you are among those who think eliminating plastic is not possible, here’s a story from Bengaluru that proves otherwise. Read: Sanjay Nagar shopkeepers stop giving plastic carry bags, launch ‘Rent a Bag’.

» Should plastic manufacturers be responsible for what they produce? BBMP wants them to be. Following a Supreme Court directive, the BBMP discussed the issue with plastic manufacturers. Read: Plastic producers vow to help enforce ban on plastic below 40 microns.

Living in the city

» Deepa Mohan questions if it is right of the part of companies to instruct security guards to reserve the space in front of the buildings, thereby preventing the public from parking there. Read: Reserving parking on public roads.

» What do you think about the practice of charging money to carry cameras into public spaces like parks? Joiston Pereira wonders if it’s merely a money-making scheme or if the money is used for the upkeep of the space.

Urban wildlife

» Soumya Geetha finds traces of Varanasi in the by-lanes of Bengaluru during her street photography exploits. Read: Old house and the bull.

» The humble cow, considered holy by many, has been reduced to eating from garbage piles. Here is a citizen’s account of his encounter with one such cow. Read: From holy cow to poly cow.

» From being someone who was scared of caterpillars, Poornima Kannan is now an avid butterfly enthusiast. She now believes that to understand butterflies, one must learn botany. Read: Butterflies and Botany.

Events this weekend

• Watch Our Metropolis, a documentary that captures the transformation of Namma Bengaluru from 2008 to 2013 at Everest Theatre on December 18th.
• Vocalist Ramya Sarika will be paying a tribute to Indian goddesses through her performance, Carnatic compositions on Devis, at Bangalore International Centre on December 19th.
• Intach is organising market photowalks on December 20th and 21st. This is your chance to photograph two of the city’s iconic markets under the guidance of ace photographer, PeeVee.
• As part of the outreach programme for its exhibition, New Works of KG Subramanyan, NGMA is organising a demonstration on Lacquer-ware Toy-making on December 20th and a workshop of children’s book illustration on December 21st.
• Catch Bangalore Little Theatre’s final production for the year, Partition, a play based on the lives of two outstanding mathematicians, Srinivasa Ramanujan and GH. Hardy at Alliance Francaise on December 21st.
• Want to radically change the way you think and engage with the world? Attend the teaser for the Ah!Wake workshop at Urban Solace on December 21st.

You can also have a look at the complete listing of events coming up in Bengaluru here. 

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