City: Bengaluru

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…

The environment is a hot topic everywhere - in offices, in the press, even in classrooms across the world. The need for action to protect our planet is gaining traction, and the first step in addressing the issue is raising awareness. Among the steps being taken to protect the planet, waste management is a burning theme. E-waste, in particular, is attracting attention since it is well-known that it is one of the most toxic forms of waste. India is the fifth largest e-waste generator in the world and produced 1.7 million tons of e-waste in 2014. The toxic pollutants of…

A WP engine. Train no 7724, Nilagiri Express. Pic: IRFCA - www.irfca.org It was a sunny Sunday morning in 1966. My uncle, Gurunath, had been fascinated by trains for long before that, I guess. Sunday mornings were our outing times. This Sunday, he took me to the Bangalore City railway station. Platform 1 of those days was what is now Platform 7. The current ‘backside gate’, as auto drivers refer to it, was the main entrance. Construction of the current Platform 1 was in its early stages. Back to the old Platform 1 (PF1). We sat on a bench on…

The National Research Conference on Human Trafficking is being jointly organised by Christ University and International Justice Mission (IJM) under the aegis of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC), on September 14th and 15th.    Date: September 14th, 9 am to 4.45 pm, September 15th, 9 am to 5.30 pm  Venue: Room 911, Central Block, Christ University More info: Ritu Biswas - 96208 23163 Sangeetha George - 96117 41488 humane@conference.christuniversity.in  The Conference will bring together experts and stakeholders to share their experience, research and analysis from across India to enable a deeper understanding of the approaches needed to address the…

Garbage dumped on a streetside, due to the lack of secondary storage. Pic: Kathyayini Chamraj I think Bengaluru was better off when it had garbage bins at the corner of roads. At least people would throw garbage in the bins. But now, all of Bengaluru is littered with garbage. In every area, there are two or three spots where garbage is thrown by people, on the road or in front of someone else's home. So why has the Swachh Bengaluru campaign failed?  Because BBMP collection guys demand money to collect garbage from house to house. No proper timings intimated to…