City: Bengaluru

Monday morning, 950am Damn – why is the bus stuck here for so long at Mekhri Circle today?I had left home at 9am with the intention of reaching the Spot by 10am, but looks like I will reach only by 11. Bangalore has this brand new bus system, the G-10, that has made commuting from far-flung suburbs to city centre so much easier. But it seems like everything collapses when a VIP is in town, as all the main roads of Bangalore leading to the airport are blocked this morning. This is ridiculous – why should the overcrowded city be…

As the city gears up to welcome new Members of Parliament, we take a peek at the statistics and poll predictions to see how has Bangalore voted in the past, and who might win the race in Bangalore this time. Our focus is on the three urban constituencies - Bangalore South, North and Central. 2009 - the honeymoon effect In 2009, the state was being governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the scams hadn’t hit the government yet. Bangalore’s 28 constituencies had 18 BJP MLAs. The sense of euphoria and what the experts call “the honeymoon effect” swept…

The fate of the 140 cases of building violation registered in 2012 with Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) is hanging in balance, awaiting the Supreme Court’s final order. In a press conference held on May 5, 2014 at BBMP head office, BMTF Chief Additional General of Police Rajvir P Sharma told press persons that out of 208 cases registered in 2012, 140 cases of building violations in private properties were put on hold on account of High Court’s order on October 2013 that said the BMTF has no jurisdiction on illegal construction on private properties. HC stated that BMTF can only…

Citizens protesting silently in front of BDA against its inability to protect lakes. Pic: Nikita Malusare At 9:38 am on Friday, May 9th 2014, the BDA office was yet to open, but members of the People’s Campaign for Right to Water - Karnataka were already present, protesting silently against the government’s increasing apathy towards lakes in the city of Bengaluru. Pictures speak louder than words, and this was affirmed once more in the protest as no one uttered any slogan. They held posters that showed the current scenario of the lakes in general in the city that are being turned…

In a recent article, I referred to a bicycle as an invention that has been around for more than a 100 years. It is still essentially the same - and that was a good thing. There is another invention that has been around for the same length of time - but that is not so good. It's the humble incandescent bulb. Till fairly recently it has been the primary source of electric light. However, over the last few years, other options have emerged - namely Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL) and Light Emitting Diode(LED) bulbs. The question then arises - should one…

  I had seen V & X for the first time on Thursday, the day before their ‘hit’. I was walking down Church Street after a coffee at Koshy’s and was heading towards Blossom Books, when I saw these two guys photographing this ugly garbage pile outside the Times of India building. One of them was literally standing in the pile and holding up a shopping bag he had extricated from the dump, and the other was photographing it.  I did look at them but did not stop – assuming they were from the media; the city’s garbage woes are…

Participate in a workshop on Ward Committee Roles and Responsibilities for a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Water secure and Healthy Bengaluru. Date: Thursday 22nd May 2014 Time: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm Venue: Environment Support Group – Training Centre, 1575, Intermediate Ring Road, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bangalore 560070 Why this workshop: Bengaluru is increasingly becoming an unaffordable and difficult city to live in.  Never ending traffic congestion, expensive public transportation, garbage lying everywhere, no water in taps, borewells running dry, lakes getting polluted (even disappearing overnight), heat, noise and air pollution everywhere, rampant tree felling has become a feature of every neighbourhood.  Women, children and senior citizens…

  On April 25th 2014, BMTC announced a 15% hike in its bus fares. This announcement was the fifth of its kind in the past three years and for obvious reasons has generated public outrage. Several citizen groups across the city and commuters are up in arms, asking the BMTC to roll-back the fares, and in some cases, even asking the state government to step in. Some sections of society in Bengaluru would now have to spend around 15 to 20% of their incomes on commuting alone, implying that other necessary expenses such as health and education might have to…

I am a senior citizen residing in the Ranka Colony Road, in Bilekahalli, on the road above the mega storm water drain. I would like to bring to the notice of the authorities concerned, the problems that the residents in this area face. This is so that at least a few conscientious officials look into the matter and take corrective actions. Do feel free to visit the area to see for yourself how acute our problems are. This road is supposed to be a concrete road, but a ride or a walk on the road will reveal the quality of…

KCDC all set to process waste with new machines. Pic: Nikita Malusare Dysfunctional machinery and long approval procedures are among the many reasons why the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) facility  has been emitting a foul odour for months now, much to the discomfort of residents in the neighbourhood. Residents living in the areas surrounding KCDC cried foul against the unbearable odour emanating from the plant that has huge mounds of old waste. For several years, KCDC received close to 1000 tons of waste daily which was beyond its processing capacity of 300 tons per day. However, in 2008, because…