City: Bengaluru

Suresh, an employee of a private firm, waited patiently at the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) premises, for his name to announced in the flat allotment list. He had applied for a one bedroom flat in Kaniminike, as he trusted the BDA, and was wary of going through any middlemen to purchase a house. He was one among the hundreds who waited with bated breath to see if they would be lucky, in flat allotment that took place on November 27th 2014. In its 4th notification dated February 28th 2014, the BDA called for applications for 4,228 flats (1BHK EWS category…

Someone in your apartment complex has collapsed. You suspect it is a cardiac arrest and have called for an ambulance. However, you know that the ambulance is going to take a while to arrive, considering the traffic. You also know that the victim needs timely help. What can you do now? When an individual suffers a cardiac arrest, this is what happens within his body: His heart has unexpectedly and suddenly stopped functioning. This prevents the effective supply of blood, and therefore oxygen to his brain. This also causes him to lose consciousness and stop breathing. If untreated, the lack…

The Prime Minister’s recent call for a clean India notwithstanding, the authorities are content dumping truckloads of rubble right in the middle of the city as a “solution” of sorts. In fact, this has been going on for almost at least two years and it is startling that this has gone on for such a long time. At Hosur road, coming from Bommanahalli, as you walk below the Silk Board flyover, you can notice mountains of rubble under the flyover – this, a solution to discourage the vehicles to go on the other side of Hosur road. There’s a No-Entry…

Over 200 hundred bus commuters, including 90 senior citizens and differently-abled persons, supporters and members of 17 organisations participated in a peaceful walk on the Hebbal Flyover to `Reclaim the roads.’ Raising slogans and carrying placards, led by two people on wheelchairs, who find it very difficult to use the roads for lack of proper facilities and space for pedestrians. The event was organised by Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, a coalition of over 20 organisations in Karnataka, which has been fighting for the rights of the road users and for safe roads and facilities for bus users in Bengaluru. “On…

Pic courtesy: BBPV Bengaluru Bus Prayaanikara Vedike (BBPV) organized a Makkala Adalat on the experiences of children and the concerns faced by them everyday in BMTC buses. The Adalat saw participation of children from schools across Bangalore sharing their concerns while traveling in buses in the city. A panel of officials and social activists responded to the issues raised by the children. The panel consisted of Shyamala S, Assistant Traffic Manager, Public Complaints, BMTC ; Nagaraj V, Divisional Traffic Officer, BMTC; Prahlad, Secretary, KSRTC and BMTC Staff and Workers Federation; Manohar, Human Rights Activist; Nagasimha, Child rights Activist from CRT.…

Pic: Sreerekh VidyadharanPic: Sreerekh VidyadharanPic: Sreerekh Vidyadharan‹ › $(document).ready(function(){ $('.carousel .carousel-inner .item').first().attr('class', 'active item');}); Ramamurthy Nagar witnessed a rare occurence on the morning of November 23rd 2014. Parents along with students of Jaigopal Garodia Rashtrotthana Vidyakendra (JGRVK) in collaboration with the BBMP, Ward Corporator and residents of the area, were out on the streets at 7 am; not to protest, but on a Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, with brooms and other equipment in hand. This initiative was not only meant to make a difference in Ramamurthy Nagar, but also to serve as an inspiration to people in other schools and localities to…

  Bengaluru this week November 27th 2014     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!    Greetings from Citizen Matters - your own local interactive online magazine for Bengaluru! Before getting into the round-up of our own stories, here's our weekly curation of city news. BBMP has decided to renovate KR Market via Private Public Partnership model. Here is the plan for renovation. BBMP Commissioner had initially said the funds would come from BBMP. 18 BBMP markets older than 60 years will be demolished and reconstructed. Out of these 11 will be developed in PPP…

The inaugural session at BNM Pre University College. Pic: B.PAC The Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) in association with Full Circle and One Bengaluru for Lakes, on November 15th kickstarted the Green Ambassador program for college students, with the emphasis to create interest and awareness on urban environmental issues. The 6 months internship program will train participants on issues related to waste, water and energy management. The students will undergo 6 hours of classroom training, after which they will commence the field activity which will be completed in the following 5 months. B.PAC will mentor these participants during the field…

The Karnataka government is trying to draw the attention of citizens yet again, to get their borewells registered. The government has notified 35 taluks in 12 districts of the state as the places that are overdrawing water. It has declared that it is mandatory to register borewells in these areas. The effort had been launched by the state government an year ago, however it does not seem to have reached everyone. How does this affect you, the citizen of Bengaluru? If you have a borewell and if it is not registered, you need to get it registered. If you are…

Bengaluru’s industrial and IT hub Whitefield is always jam-packed these days, with inordinate delays for people on road. Looks like this will change for better, as citizens are working with the government to evolve a sustainable traffic plan that will help ease the traffic problems. This is important, as Metro construction work will start soon in Whitefield and some areas will suffer from traffic. The new plan for Whitefield designed and implemented by Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP) aims to decongest the traffic pain-points in Whitefield area. Monday saw the implementation of the new plan. However, the roads remained congested on…