Here are the top stories from Bengaluru for this week:

• Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) which questioned the SEZ coming up on Bellandur lakebed through a PIL has withdrawn the case from High Court, with liberty to refile the case after the National Green Tribunal verdict.
• The High Court earlier dismissed the PIL filed by Environment Support Group (ESG) on road widening.
• Following a Supreme Court directive, the Transport Commissioner has a sent a proposal to the State government calling for helmets to be made mandatory for pillion riders.
• BBMP administrator T M Vijay Bhaskar had given a deadline of May 31st to electrical contractors to ensure that streetlights in the city were working. He has now started imposing fines on the electrical contractors for failure to repair the streetlights.
• A study by the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has revealed that 54 per cent of lakes in Bengaluru have been encroached upon for construction activities or have become dumping yards.
• According to a recent analysis report by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, pollution levels in Bengaluru have increased manifold. The average annual Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter (RSPM) levels in Bengaluru is over 200 per cent higher than the national air quality standards prescribed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
• Ameet S Deshpande, a student of Magnolia Maaruti Public School and FIITJEE, Bengaluru, has been selected for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

This week’s highlight: Villa resident wins gram panchayat polls

Lingaraj Urs (third from right) with members of BWRCA. Pic courtesy: BWRCA FB Page

Lingaraj Urs is probably the first resident of a gated community on the Bengaluru outskirts to contest and win in the recent Gram Panchayat polls. What and how exactly does he plan to initiate change?

Read: Villa resident wins Gram panchayat polls, aims to bridge the village-villas gap.

The new draft of KMC Ward Committee Rules applicable for BBMP has a few changes including addition of powers for members to recommend action against erring officials. However, the date to file objections is long past. Read: Time’s up for public review of new Ward Committee Rules draft.

Update on Bellandur Agara SEZ project

The High Court has given liberty to the petitioners to file a fresh petition after the case before National Green Tribunal is disposed. The Supreme Court stayed the fine imposed upon the developers. What else is going on, related to Bellandur-Agara SEZ project? Read: Citizens withdraw PIL on Mantri SEZ from High Court.

Support India’s Under-23 Ultimate team

Team India at their first training camp at Chennai. Pic: Varsha Yeshwant Kumar

For the first ever time, India is set to send a team to London for the Under-23 Ultimate Frisbee World Championships. This is the story of the team and how you can help them on their way. Read: The Ultimate road to London.

Wealth from waste

On World Environment Day Bengaluru’s eco-warriors showed that they were indeed fighting the good fight. Here are some snapshots from Parisara Habba.

Also read: Waste warriors present Chief Minister  with five key points for a clean India.

What are the children of today being taught about waste? Here is a workshop from ESG for teachers and school administrators on simple, feasible solutions for waste management in schools. Read: Stop living wastefully and start living resourcefully.

The heroes among us

Nails collected on a single day. Pic: Benedict Jebakumar

Since 2012, a commuter has been picking up nails that are being strewn over Bellandur Outer Ring Road by mischief-makers. In a telephonic interview with Citizen Matters, Benny shares why he does, what he does. Read: Fishing for nails on tarmac.

Living by the lake

An IISc report says restricting sewage inflow into lakes and expediting lake rejuvenation are required to protect water bodies in Bengaluru. The report also includes findings from the study of water samples from Varthur lake. Read: Experts recommend urgent steps to save lakes.

Plant a tree on Friday, participate in a clean-up drive on Saturday and cycle on Sunday – all this, beside a lake. Read: Lakeside events this weekend.

Food for thought

Ashwin Mahesh was in Jakarta for the World Cities Summit. He compares the city with Bengaluru, and what’s interesting is that the two cities have several things in common. Read: Notes from Jakarta.

Voices

Despite being one of the popular addresses in town, the condition of the road and footpaths in Hayes Road in Richmond Town is a mess. A resident of the area shares her concerns. Read: It’s a death trap on Hayes Road.

Music matters

Chitra Srikrishna says that one of the simplest ways to identify and appreciate a classical raga is by listening to multiple songs in the raga by different artistes. Here’s an insight into Darbari Kanada.

An entertainer is someone who holds the attention of the audience by doing something amusing or diverting. Here are the antics of some popular musicians. Read: Stage Acts – From Madurai Somu to Elvis Presley.

Urban wildlife

A tarantula under the silk-screen she has spun. Pic: Deepa Mohan

The word ‘Tarantula’ strikes dread into most of our hearts. Deepa Mohan however says that the ones we have in India are more wary of humans than we are of them. Read: What’s crawly need not be creepy.

Events this week

• Dancer Miti Desai will be holding a performance and presentation on Design of Indian Dance at Bangalore International Centre on June 12th.
• Watch Boeing Boeing, a play about a man’s unusual marital arrangements at Alliance Francaise on June 12th and 13th.
• Watch Comedy Capsules, a compilation of nine hilarious plays power-packed into one show that will leave you in splits at Alliance Francaise on June 12th and 13th.
• Spend the morning of Saturday, June 13th at a Heritage Walk in Malleswaram and get an insight into the history of the area.
• Bhoomi Habba, a festival celebrating justice and peace is being held on June 13th at Visthar campus.
• Watch Bhima, a play that explores the space between where we come from and where we want to go at Ranga Shankara on June 14th.
• Attend a talk on India’s Best Agricultural Millennium In History, by R Gopalakrishnan, Director TATASONs at Bangalore International Centre on June 15th.

Click here for the complete list of events happening in Bengaluru.

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