BJP to move court on BBMP polls | Bengaluru’s first lake fest | If you’ve paid separately for car parking

Wish you a very happy new year! We’re just about a week into 2015 and we hope that it has been going great so far. Come January 10th, Kaikondrahalli lake will play host to the first edition of the Kere Habba. Also read: BJP to move court on BBMP polls | If you’ve paid separately for car parking and more...
 

Bengaluru this week

January 8th 2015

 
 

CITIZEN MATTERS
Bangalore’s own interactive newsmagazine
Speak up, it’s your city!  

  

Wish you a very happy new year! We’re just about a week into 2015 and we hope that it has been going great so far. In the months ahead, Citizen Matters will continue to bring you stories of substance, on issues that matter to you and the community at large. We however will need your feedback and support to do so.

If you would like to support our independent coverage on the important issues of our time, do consider making a contribution to Oorvani Foundationclick here. If you would like more details, you can drop us a mail on foundation@oorvani.in

City news that matters

Before we get into our stories, here is a short summary of what happened in the city.

  • Yet another case of alleged child sexual assault has been reported from a private school in North Bengaluru. A physical education instructor has been arrested in connection with the incident. Police had to resort to lathi charge and tear gas to control the crowd that had gathered to protest.
  • The incident also shone light on the city’s inability to curb sexual offenses against children. A petition started in July 2014, ‘Announce A Roadmap and Timeline To Make Bangalore Safe’, has gathered momentum once again.
  • A minor blast in a school near Madivala had the police on their toes. The blast occurred after school children carried a detonator and connected it to a power socket.
  • Traffic in Whitefield continues to be at a standstill with Bengaluru Traffic Police’s rearrangement of the traffic plan. Citizen groups led by Whitefield Rising and R K Mishra, met with various departments to discuss possible solutions to ease the problem.
  • The city’s premier management institute, IIM-B has hiked the fees for its flagship PGP programme by 10%. With this hike, the institute continues to be the costliest among the IIMs.

This week’s highlight: Kere Habba 2015

» Come January 10th, Kaikondrahalli lake will play host to the first edition of the Kere Habba. With nature walks, green workshops, story-telling sessions, music and more, all along the 2 km walkway around the lake, there’s something in store for everybody.

Read: Bengaluru’s first lake festival at Kaikondrahalli lake.

Diving Bengaluru

» BBMP’s ruling party BJP is all set to move court, following the expected delay in conducting BBMP polls, due to the extension of BBMP restructuring committee’s tenure. Read: Another tug of war between Congress and BJP?

» How is the government dividing Bengaluru? The Committee for BBMP Restructuring has sought suggestions from citizens on how to do it, what to consider etc. Here’s how you can share your suggestions to set Bengaluru right.

» There is a lot that needs to be done before the split. The Committee for BBMP Restructuring formed in September 2014 to plan the division, has sought more time. Read: BBMP division to be finalised by June 2015.

Living in the city

» Builders typically include the price of car parking in the price for common areas. So if you have been charged separately for car parking,  you should know that it is illegal. Read: Car parking is common area.

Also read:

» Will developing Anekal, Vijayanagar and Bidadi railway stations as terminals help reduce traffic jams in South Bengaluru area? Amith Subramaniam Pallavoor asks: Is it possible to connect to South Bengaluru through railways?

» Do you assign any value to the space that you inhabit when you commute between two points? Kiran Keswani notes that the value people ascribe to the space, reduces as they want to move faster. Read: The bus as a transition space.

» If you wondered why there was no special write-up from Citizen Matters for the new year, here’s our story. Read: If wishes were horses…

Columns

» Dr Govind Nandakumar, in his new column, A Matter of Health, will talk about our pain points regarding health care. In his first post, he talks about how to reduce errors in health care. Read: To err is human, but what can doctors do?

» Dr Chandra Shekhar Balachandran reminisces about his childhood trips where he was deputed to buy kothamalli (coriander). Read: Ammavra maga, Brindavan Express and the Kothamalli vendor.

It’s all about nature

 

» A trip to a forest can reveal wonderful creatures that are hidden! Deepa captures some of them with her camera during a nature walk at the Arekere Reserve Forest. Read: Look around, look down!

» After spotting a new layout where there is only one young tree for the many homes that will come up, Deepa asks: What happened to our culture of planting trees on every road?

» “Is this house resident going to be prosperous and happy?”, and the animal nods its head earnestly. Deepa mulls over how apartment living has robbed us of the many traditional sights which still exist, but are rarely seen. Read: Koley Basava.

Power to the people

» Whitefield Rising welcomes 2015

» The past fortnight at Bellandur

Events this weekend

  • Take a trip around the globe by attending a photo exhibition featuring UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India and abroad. The exhibition is open from January 9th to 11th at Alliance Francaise.
  • Music aficionados, make your way to Chowdaiah Memorial Hall on January 9th and treat your ears to The Flute Rocks, a fusion concert featuring renowned flautist Pravin Godkhindi and other artistes.  
  • Go back in time at a play reading of Drawing the Line, a play based on British lawyer Cyril Radcliffe’s role in marking the India-Pakistan border at Alliance Francaise on January 11th.
  • Attend the book launch of Au Bord de l’Inde, a collection of objects, icons and celebrities that are marked by their pan-Indianness at Alliance Francaise on January 12th.
  • Set a date with nature at this unique water workshop on interconnectedness of the earth’s water cycle with food to be held on January 17th. To register for the workshop, click here.

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


Subscribe

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

Local body polls in Anna Nagar, Zone 8: Wards, candidates and issues

A useful compiler for residents of Zone 8, comprised of areas such as Anna Nagar and Shenoy Nagar as they get set to vote on February 19th.

Zone Snapshot: Wards- 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108 Population- 757273 (2013) Polling Stations- 572 To locate your polling station – https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone – https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the Zone: In January of 2021, the waste collection in 11 out of 15 zones were handed over to private companies. Zone 8, was one of the zones where a waste collection contract was handed to Ramky Enviro Engineers (a private envrionmetal services company). The company absorbed around a 100 workers, and the rest (who were employed under the…

Similar Story

Local body polls in Adyar, Zone 13 : Wards, candidates and issues

A useful compiler for residents of Zone 13, comprised of areas such as Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery, as they get set to vote on February 19th.

Zone snapshot Wards -170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182 Population - 490767 (2013) Number of polling stations - 471 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Traffic congestion at Madhya Kailash Junction is a key issue that affects commuters. Those looking to travel to the airport or southern parts of the city face long hours of commute during peak hours in the area due to traffic jams. Overflowing sewage and old sewage pipes are an issue in Adyar. The old pipes leak…