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

Rajyotsava greetings to all of you! Do write to us about your plans to celebrate Kannada Rajyotsava, or upload them here as an event. Let us celebrate the birthday of the State of Karnataka!

City news that mattters

And before our Bengaluru This Week roundup, here’s the curation of latest city news.

• Trouble is brewing on the garbage disposal front again. The Gram panchayat of Aarodi village on the outskirts of Bangalore has decided against letting BBMP install waste management units in the village. The deadline given by Mandur villagers to the government will end on December 1st. 
• The international school in North Bangalore where a child was allegedly raped is in trouble. The police say that the school had permission to run a Kannada medium school, but the medium of instruction here was English, and the school ran some classes without authorisation. Police have arrested the alleged rapist, and the school management will also be prosecuted. 
• Meanwhile, chargesheet has been filed in the Marathahalli school case, with all the arrested and the school management being charged under various sections of POCSO and IPC.
• State Primary Education Minister, Kimmane Rathnakar has warned of stringent action against schools that have licences for conducting classes in Kannada, but are doing  language but running English schools. Meanwhile, many schools want out of Kannada and opt for English, with October 31st being the deadline for changing the medium of instruction.
• High Court has asked the government to explain plan of action to ensure there are no beggars on the roads of Bangalore. HC questioned collecting beggars’ cess while collecting property tax, but not using it to rehabilitate beggars.
• Yet another attack on people from the North-East: a couple from Nagaland and their friend were assaulted and racially abused by four men near Hesaraghatta.
• A two-day IT raid has found unaccounted income worth Rs 200 crore, 15 kg gold and Rs 4 crore in cash, involving a contractor-bureaucrat-politician nexus among agencies that handle garbage collection and disposal and road asphalting within BBMP limits.
• The erstwhile Plaza theatre building has reopened as a metro station, so you can now enter the MG Road metro station from Church Street.
• Bangalore becomes the third city in India to have its own pet crematorium, with a new facility near Sumanahalli on Magadi Road.

This week’s highlight: Cops unearth fake job certificate racket

» The Crime Control Bureau has shared a list of firms in Bangalore who issue fake job certificates. So if you are looking to hire or be hired through a private consultancy, here are the ones that you should avoid. 

Interview with In-charge Minister

» Ramalinga Reddy gets candid with Citizen Matters. He says that out of Rs 500 – 600 crores spent on the garbage issue, Rs 200 crores has gone to waste. In the interview, he also talks about the BBMP bifurcation, the trash crisis, problems in his constituency and where he sees the city four years from now. Click here to read.

On the road

» Pranay Kotasthane says that honking on Bangalore’s roads can reduce only through intelligent solutions, not through fines. Read: Could a two-way horn help reduce incessant honking? 

» You are forced to opt for personal vehicles when you have a job that requires you to work till 9 pm. Will a robust public transport system at night time help you? Read: City needs late night transport solutions. 

» After being told to get off a BMTC bus because she did not tender exact change, Pooja Vijay analyses reasons for the repeated scuffles between passengers and conductors. Read: A BMTC conductor who doesn’t have change is a victim too.

Party Responsibly

» What do you do with all the excess food that remains after an event or function? Here are some Bangalore-based organisations that accept extra food to feed the hungry.   

» Greenies don’t ask you not to party. They just say ‘minimise your waste.’ Here are some tips to minimise the waste, even as you maximise the fun quotient.

Watch your back

» A group of people birding at Hebbal Lake were mugged by an individual. Deepa Mohan advises folks to move around in groups if they are considering birding in the early hours of the morning.

» You can now report fire safety violations to the Fire department and ensure that impending tragedy is averted. Read: Make your building fire-safe with Fire Champ.

Living in the city

» Looks like the BBMP is finally taking the issue of encroachments seriously. Around one acre of land was reclaimed at Allasandra Lake at a demolition drive on October 20th.

» Dismayed at the dirty streets in Electronic City, a citizen takes responsibility to do something about it. Read: E-City resident plans to fix the garbage problem.

» Members of the HSR Sector-2 RWA met with BBMP to discuss issues in the area, including solid waste management, road work and desilting of drains. Read: Citizens ask BBMP to solve issues in HSR Layout.

The heroes among us

» The recently concluded Bengaluru Marathon 2014 was a fine example of responsible racing, one that other large events should emulate. Here are some lessons in waste management from the event.

» Residents of SJR Verity Apartment in Bellandur celebrated Deepavali by donating money that could have otherwise been spent on crackers, to the needy. Read: Leading the way by celebrating a green Deepavali.

» Also here’s something you might want to bookmark for a year from now: Five things to make your Deepavali celebrations eco-friendly.  

Citizens speak out

» While the city’s lawmakers maintain that there is not enough funds to keep a check on the stray dog menace or ensure proper working of government hospitals, they continue to splurge on renovations. Sakuntala Narasimhan opines that it is lack of political will rather than a case of insufficient funds.  

» What does it take to make Bangalore trash-free? A citizen suggests three areas where the problem can be tackled. Read: Moving beyond cleaning drives and photo ops.

» Bangaloreans came together to protest against the plan to demolish the Balabrooie Guest House. Now, the Chief Minister has said that the heritage building will not be demolished. However, plans are still on to build a legislators club house somewhere.  

Urban spaces

» The age-old tradition of worshipping trees could very well help generate community spaces. Kiran Keswani explores the possibility of using the ashwath katte as an urban design strategy for Gandhi Bazaar.

Gastronomy

Though Bangalore certainly has various cuisines to offer, there are several dishes from the state that one can sample only at someone’s home. Read: Ten traditional recipes you will rarely find in Bangalore restaurants.

Events this weekend

» Attend the launch of author Poile Sengupta’s first book, Inga at Alliance Francaise on October 30th. The book is set in Kerala and is about two cousins, Inga and Rapa.

» This is for all the health conscious folks. Dinesh C. Sharma will be talking on the subject ‘Know your heart’, at the ESG Training Centre on October 31st.

» If you are a dancer, and a break dancer at that, do attend Freeze 2014 at Jyothi Nivas College on November 1st and 2nd and take part in workshops on various dance forms like b-boying, popping and locking.

» Visit the Halasuru Metro Station for Namma Halasuru – an exhibition telling the story of Halasuru through photographs, sketches, maps, memories and more. The festival is on from November 1st to 7th.

» Art Park Bengaluru is hosting a Meet the Artist session with acclaimed film director, Girish Kasaravalli on November 2nd at Ravindra Kalakshetra.

» As Ranga Shankara celebrates its tenth year, it is hosting some of the best theatre from across the country at the Ranga Shankara Theatre Fest ’14. The festival is on till November 9th.

» Right to Food Campaign-Karnataka is organising a state-level public interaction on National Food Security Act, State Rules and the Public Distribution System on November 3rd at 9.30 am, in Jain College on J C Road.

For more upcoming events happening in the city, check out our events section.

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