City: Bengaluru

When a family is under quarantine, it means no one goes out. Does this include the pets? Well, as there is no evidence of transmission from pets to humans, does that then invalidate the statement for pets? I have wondered for a long time what then should be the procedure? After all, pets are trained to do their business outside. They signal when they want to go outside… Staring at the door, howling, whining, barking, biting, nudging you to take them out;  sometimes by tearing things, scratching the door or under the door.  Apartment complexes have very stringent rules, especially…

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the country amidst rising COVID cases and states resorting to lockdowns, curfews and more to contain its spread.  As a young person, I was drawn toward one statement from the speech: "I call upon the youth of India to form small committees and help in COVID administration in their areas. If that happens, the government will not have to put containment zones or lockdowns..."  The PM's comment made me ask myself: are Bengaluru’s youth totally disconnected from social realities? Are they doing nothing about this health crisis? The answer is a resounding NO.…

In the short span of 10 days, around 600 citizens of Bengaluru sent an email to the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Bengaluru Urban), seeking an extension to send objections/suggestions to the double tracking of the Baiyappanahalli-Hosur railway line. The double tracking project that will pan out over 48 km around Bengaluru is part of the Government of Karnataka's special purpose vehicle Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Company (K-RIDE) developing a plan for the extension of the suburban railway network.The double tracking project seeks to cut 1034 trees between Baiyappanahalli and Hosur. The forest department issued a public notice calling for objections and…

Like every civic body, BBMP had its moment of truth in 2020 because of the pandemic. Revenues plummeted as commercial activity slumped during the lockdown. Public health and medical demands soared. Employees were shunted around for emergency tasks, throwing administrative controls into disarray.  Dividing lines between State and civic duties were blurred: BBMP became a government department delivering welfare services to migrants under a lockdown. State departmental heads monitored and supervised civic functions. Ad hoc staff was hastily added to run COVID contact and testing facilities.   Formal citizen involvement was undermined, social distancing hampered protests and courts became dormant. The government used the opportunity…

In the midst of a second wave, the daily Covid positive cases in Bengaluru are touching record high numbers. The number of cases were 14,738 on Thursday alone. Hospitals and health care centers are getting overwhelmed. Stories of people struggling to get hospital beds are rising. Social media, especially micro-blogging sites like Twitter are seeing an increasing number of posts from individuals seeking help for a hospital bed. This explainer provides information on testing, when to hospitalise and how to find hospital beds. When to test for Covid Covid Test can be done at the nearest PHC, private clinic or…

Covid deaths spike On Thursday, Bengaluru's Covid fatalities shot up to 66. Such high daily fatality was reported the last time on October 20, 2020. Official sources said deaths were increasing as patients were arriving at hospitals in the later stages of the disease. The cumulative Covid caseload surpassed the five-lakh-mark on Wednesday. On Thursday, there were 10,497 new cases from Bengaluru Urban. Source: Deccan Herald, Indian Express, The Hindu Shortage of hospital beds, drugs, vaccines Private hospitals, mainly small and medium-size ones, are reporting an acute shortage of Remdesivir which is used to treat Covid patients. PHANA (Private Hospitals…

The most important lesson for the Covid first wave was the urgent need to strengthen the state’s public health systems and infrastructure. But the current year’s budgets of both the state government and the city government ignores this need. In fact, the state’s 2021-22 budget has been criticised for its low priority to strengthening the public healthcare system overall. As of now, all attention inevitably is on managing the Covid second wave. “Rs 50 cr is earmarked towards 'natural calamities', that is, Covid management”, says Thulasi Maddineni, Special Commissioner (Finance) at BBMP. The BBMP had spent Rs 90 crore on…

In March 2020, Lakshmi's employer asked her to take a week's leave. After the week, Lakshmi, a domestic worker, was asked to not come to work for another month. After that, her employer stopped picking her calls and that is how she realised that she had been let go. Lakshmi's story is not unusual. This one narrative from a Bengalurean woman finds itself reflected in large-scale numbers seen in published reports. The Global Gender Gap Report 2021 saw India slipping down 28 places and being ranked at 140th position among 156 countries. One of the parameters this report looks at…

What is your last name? Do you eat meat? These are questions often asked while renting a house in Bengaluru. While they seem innocent on the surface, these questions enable owners to ascertain caste which, in turn, controls their decision on whether or not to take them on as tenants. “If you are not from the dominant caste, they will delicately backtrack and state how there was a misunderstanding and they did not intend to rent the house at all” says Bengaluru-based author Vijetha, remembering how her mother would cook fish in their Basavanagudi home and light agarbattis to camouflage…

Bus strike continues, trainee staff fired Karnataka road transport corporation employees have announced that their strike will continue until the government hikes their salaries as per the 6th Pay Commission, and offers them the same benefits as government employees. The government said it has agreed to eight out of nine of the workers' demands, and was considering a salary hike of 8%. On Thursday, BMTC fired 96 trainees for boycotting work. Citizens dependent on BMTC fleet turned to private buses, autos and taxis to commute to work. Some passengers at Majestic and Mysuru Satellite bus stands accused private operators of…