City: Bengaluru

It is impossible to visit Bengaluru for the first time and not be surprised by many of its urban aspects - from its noise and pollution to its ingenious ways of moving thousands of people by auto rickshaws; from its densely-packed streets to its large parks; from its lack of drinking water and its foaming and burning lake to its growing network of metro stations; from its pressing inequality to its booming IT industry; from its growing informal housing and business to its rich mixture of cultures and history, food and markets, old bookshops and new and trendy art galleries. Bengaluru presents…

For about six years, Koramangala residents have been waiting for a new road - a shortcut - that connects Ejipura junction on the Intermediate Ring Road, with Agara on Outer Ring Road. Though there has been progress in the plan to connect the two arterial roads, residents will have to wait longer for the work to start. The project has been delayed since sections of the road are to pass through defence land. In August 2018, months before the Lok Sabha elections, former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman agreed to part with 16.5 acres of defence land for 10 projects across…

Nowhere around the world do residents pay to get killed - not even in the worst mafia or terrorist-infested city. Correction - there is one city. Known earlier as pensioners’ paradise, garden city, and then IT city, it is now ‘garbage city’. Residents here fall ill and die because the taxes they pay for ‘services’ like garbage removal deliver nothing in return. A news report in Deccan Herald this August 15th said, '563 new dengue cases in four days', and 5006 cases overall since January. This translates to over 600 cases per month, or 20 per day. The dengue-causing Aedes…

The jurisdiction of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, which extends over 198 wards and 28 Assembly constituencies, has population of more than 1.1 cr. Because of this, providing services and facilities to citizens is becoming a daily struggle. Due to reorganisation, in many cases one assembly constituency is distributed over more than one zone, and this has created difficulties in citizen and administration related tasks. Presently, many major infrastructure works are being implemented in the BBMP jurisdiction, and many more are in the pipeline. In the present system, the concerned Joint Commissioners submit all files pertaining to zones for the approval…

BBMP ups security deposit for road cutting  Roads that are dug up by various agencies are often restored poorly, due to the lack of coordination between agencies. To address this issue, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is increasing the security deposit that agencies - including private telecoms and internet service providers - have to pay when they take permission for road cutting. The security deposit should be enhanced to 100 percent of the road restoration cost, as per a circular issued by the BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar to the Palike's chief engineers. So far, the civic body…

As the revised fines for traffic offences has come into effect, the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) has geared up for strict enforcement. If the BTP follows its current pattern of booking offences, what kind of offences would it fine the most, and how much would the department make? Previous years' data shows that the highest number of cases are booked for just two categories - 'rider without helmet' and 'pillion rider without helmet' - out of 39 categories of violations overall. This year, till August 31st, BTP booked over 14 lakh cases for driving without helmet, and another 10 lakh…

The Karnataka state women's team is battling it out in the ongoing National Women's Football Championship in Arunachal Pradesh. For the talented team and their captain Tanvie Hans, it's a constant struggle for opportunities, yet they give the game their best. In the concluding part of this series on women's football, we look at the professional women players. It’s Wednesday, which means that Brishti Bagchi, 25, only has three practices today. In less than two weeks, she will be on a plane headed to Madrid to play professional football, a dream she has had since she was a little girl.…

The Garments and Textile Workers Union (GATWU) staged a protest on 12th September, to oppose the apathetic attitude of the government and the factory owners. The protest, held in front of the Labour Department office at Dairy Circle, highlighted the inordinate delay in the fixing of minimum wages in the garment industry. It also pointed to the discrimination towards garment workers by the minimum wages committee, which had recommended extremely low wages. The Karnataka garments industry employs 3.5-4 lakh workers, and 85 percent of the workforce is female. These workers manufacture textiles for international brands and export them, earning substantial…

It’s still dark out, the roads are as quiet as you’ll ever hear them in Bengaluru. The relative peace and quiet here is disturbed only by an energetic herd of 10 young girls. Monisha Mercelline leads this pack of girls - some barefoot, others in flip flops - to a dirt field by Sri Chamundeshari Park in Koramangala 8th Block. Monisha is a programme coordinator at the non-profit Maarga which works with children from slums. She had woken up around 4 am to round up the girls aged between 12 and 18, visiting each of their residences. “Initially, we used…

Over 100 girls descended upon Bangalore Football Stadium on a July evening for their chance to make the Karnataka state women's team. Twenty two of them took the field in a scrimmage, in hopes of impressing the scouts and earning a spot on the roster. Others sat in the stands, taking off shin guards and cleats, sweat dripping from having just played. Some others wait down by the field for their turn. A few huddle in small groups, laughing and taking pictures, while others sit alone, stoically watching the game. All of them there for one reason - their love…