City: Bengaluru

BBMP Council and BBMP’s Forest Cell are at loggerheads once again. Apparent reason: Some trees were cut in Jayanagar 3rd and 4th blocks recently - allegedly to favour advertisers by improving the visibility of hoardings. And the Councillors think that Forest Cell chief is responsible for this. According to a report from The Hindu, the allegations were made by ruling party leader N Nagaraju, in the council meeting on September 29, 2013. BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayan had said show-cause notice would be served to the officials concerned. However, Brijesh Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of the Forest Cell…

Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWLRT) is reviving their online SWM Green Map of Bangalore. They seek your help in this initiative. The Solid Waste Management Round Table is a group of like-minded organisations and highly skilled individuals who work to build awareness and promote the adoption of best practices in waste management at houses, apartment complexes, schools/colleges and public offices. The Group is currently updating the Green Map (see more at swmrt.com). Do you know of apartments / localities / commercial establishments that segregate waste? Please help us in developing our map and fill in the form below (click on the…

The panic of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) seems to be here to stay for a while. According to the statistics of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences Department (AHVSD), 31 cattle in Bangalore have died (of which 10 deaths are in Bangalore rural and 21 in Bangalore urban), while 90 cattle in rural Bangalore are affected and 316 in urban Bangalore are affected. In Karnataka state- 8212 cattle are affected, of which 857 have died, as on September 29, 2013. While this disease does not affect humans, they could be the carriers. As a precautionary measure, the Department also…

The Supreme Court recently barred criminals from contesting elections, and also ruled that convicted MLAs and MPs would lose their seats. Our politicians immediately tried to overturn this through an Ordinance, approved by the entire cabinet. The other parties, which are supposed to provide opposition to such dubious steps, also kept quiet because such moves benefit them too. But there is no doubt that this retrograde step will infinitely harm democracy in India.  Speaking to the media at Bangalore Press Club, JD(U) State President M P Nadagouda said:  “On September 14 we held a conference on Electoral Reforms. After the…

As a part of my work with SadaZero, I was to accompany the pourakarmikas on their Saturday dry-waste collection routine. I had to note down the houses who weren’t following the segregation protocol, and subsequently make an attempt to “convert” them, the latter being a herculean task as mindsets are extremely difficult to change. Sadazero is a voluntary, community organisation, aiming at 100% waste segregation, and making Sadashivanagar a model neighbourhood for the rest of Bengaluru, with whom I have intermittently worked with over the past three years. We rendezvoused at the collection point at 11 am and the drive…

Namma Bengaluru Foundation has submitted its objections and suggestions to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Draft Rules (Ward Committee). This was done after an extensive study undertaken by the foundation. Despite the right of representations in the development of the local neighbourhood as guaranteed by the Community Participation Bill, true spirit of community participation has not been followed by the corporators.  The existing selection of the ward committee members is not democratic and involves selective nominations from the corporators. The concept of Ward Committee (WC) is a novel addition in examples of people-centric governance. The ward committee is intended to create…

Remote sensing authority has put the height of Raheja Vivarea at 892 metres, as opposed to the claim of 870 metres made by the builder. Pic: Nikita Malusare Contrary to the claims made by M/s Chalet Hotels while getting No Objection Certificate from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the residential apartment project  Raheja Vivarea in Bengaluru's Koramangala area, Karnataka State Remote Sensing Application Centre(KSRSAC) has estimated the height of the construction spot of Raheja Vivarea to be 892 metres Above Mean Sea Level (AMSL). The immediate implication of this is that Raheja Vivarea can not construct any of the blocks…

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. - Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi in prayer. Pic courtesy: Newsweek / Oldindianphotos.in On the eve of the Joy of Giving Week, don’t be surprised if you find a few hundred people sleeping outdoors in Whitefield. Under the Stars, an event on the October 1, is happening for the first time. It involves the participants spending the entire night outdoors from 7 pm up until 6am the next day. Activities include live music acts and food stalls to keep you entertained through the night. “There are…

Who doesn’t love Eric Carle’s super illustrated bug book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar?” You haven’t read it? Shame! Then go read it now! It was my initiation into a wonderful world of insects, and caterpillars in particular.  When my little one first showed interest in bugs, I figured this book would be a fun way to introduce insects to him in a non-threatening way. There was no stopping him after. Stop! Don’t click over to the next post! This is not a book review about Carle’s book. This post is about the delightful world of insects that abound around us.…

The residents of Puttenahalli in J P Nagar 7th phase are worried about the increasing noise pollution in the vicinity and the lethargic attitude of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board officials. They are also living in fear, not willing to come out of their safe closets and complain openly. A resident who doesn’t want to be named says that repeated complaints made to the board, forced KSPCB officials to conduct a spot inspection and issue a show cause notice to the erring Pallavi Engineering company. The resident, through his email to Citizen Matters, says that nothing has changed since then…