City: Bengaluru

For years the large Civic Amenity (CA) site next to the HSR Layout BDA Complex in Sector 7 has perhaps been jockeyed for by politicians and other 'privileged' and 'connected' citizens of Bengaluru. Given the dizzying number of zeroes involved in a property so 'prime' and so large, the CA site although ideal for the construction of a large public transport terminus (BMTC and other) in the area, will see no such outcome. Information we have is that the prime property has been handed away in three parts. One is to a trust created by a powerful politician, ostensibly to…

The price charged by the retailers in KSRTC bus stations are different from what is printed as MRP. Pic: Shree D N The retailers in almost all the bus stops operated by Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) charge upto 25% more than the Maximum Retail Price for the consumers. The shop keepers demand the excess charges and deny the customers goods on MRP, quoting additional charges for cooling, electricity and bribes.  Even a Rs 10 chocolate or a biscuit packet is charged above MRP. Most customers have resigned to the fact that the cooling charges on soft drinks are…

For the past two years, a group of people have gathered together during Daan Utsav (India's Joy of Giving week) to camp out under the stars. This is so they can experience, to a tiny degree, the realities of homelessness for thousands of people in Bangalore, and million others in India. In 2015, Under the Stars is being held at Indiranagar Club on October 2nd.  What is Under the Stars? Under the Stars is a collaborative platform for NGOs to raise funds and awareness about homelessness. It is a overnight sleep-out in Bengaluru on the night of October 1st and is the first…

Do you remember a time when Bengaluru’s streets turned into playgrounds? Children would be out in hordes playing cricket or football. Pensioners would be out on their evening stroll. Grocery shopping meant walking to the neighbourhood angadi and back. Those commuting to work would either catch a bus or even walk the distance if office was not too far away. The times are different now. The roads are almost always jam-packed, and spending at least an hour or two on commute has become the norm. In a move to improve mobility in the city, several government organisations including Directorate of Urban Land…

If you have travelled in and around Koramangala, you might have seen advertisements by ZipGo with pictures of maxicabs. In fact, many of you might have even downloaded ZipGo app on your mobile phones and commuted on these AC maxicabs by now. It has been only a month since four youngsters launched ZipGo maxicab operations in Bengaluru. ZipGo began its operation on August 11th and in a month’s time, the number of routes in which service is provided has been increased from two to eight. Two new routes are in the offing this week. The routes are mostly in South…

After a roaring success last year, TEDxBangalore returns to showcase the best of Bangalore’s ideas as well as projects and people from across the globe under the theme ‘All or Nothing’. It is poised to be one of India’s foremost TEDx events in the space of disruptive thinking. Over one thousand TEDx aficionados, leading thinkers, visionaries and doers will come together on 4th October 2015.   Event details Date: October 4th 2015 Time: 9 am to 7 pm Venue: MLR Convention Centre, Whitefield   More info Website: www.tedxbangalore.com Twitter: @TEDxBlore Facebook: www.fb.com/tedxbangalore “We are fortunate to be living in momentous times, and though…

A Bill drafted by the Karnataka government on functioning of elite clubs in the State has received severe criticism from the Club office-bearers and members. The government notified the Karnataka Entry into Public Places (Removal of Restriction on Dress and Regulation of Membership and Fee) Bill, 2015, on September 3rd, calling for objections and suggestions. Of all the aspects in the Bill, two points have drawn the attention of many. 1)  The Bill mandates the recreation clubs and trusts to sanction membership to MLAs and MLCs. It also makes it mandatory to give membership to ex-servicemen, people with meritorious contribution…

Bangalore Development Authority Headquarters (courtesy: BDA) A large scam emerged in the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) with finance members investing money in equity mutual funds and trying to cover this up across different organisations. There were mysterious arrests of ex-BDA officials and a BDA cashier, alleging their involvement in the multi-crore scam. What is it all about? Whose money went where? The money was allegedly invested in mutual funds, which is recoverable. Why is this still called a scam? Here's some insight. Apparently, Sandeep Dash, former finance head of the BDA and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) was a…