City: Bengaluru

A BBMP demolition drive that began on Friday January 18th at Ejipura's EWS slum quarters, near Koramangala in south Bengaluru has driven up tensions and trauma. Around 200 people protested at BBMP head office on Saturday morning. The protesters included around 25 EWS quarters residents, along with residents from slums across the city who came to pledge support, most of them women. Around 30 Dalit organisations supported the protest. The quarters are a ramshackle bunch of tin-sheds. Demolition of a building. Pic: Navya P KYasmeen, 49, with her 4-year-old son, waiting outside their house with their belongings. Pic: Navya P…

I welcome and support the demand from various citizens groups, media and RWAs for transparency in nominations to the ward committees.The demand to constitute the ward committees is a long standing one and residents and other citizen groups have sought this for several years and this had been included in the recommendations of ABIDe chaired by then Chief Minister. It is fortunate that the High Court of Karnataka has intervened when requests from citizens had failed to move the Government and BBMP to act.So, now the BBMP must ensure transparent criteria in appointments of members to the committee and ensure…

It looks that our BBMP act only after being pulled up by the High Court Appointment of Ward Committees, Garbage Segregation at Source, Scrapping of Signal free corridor from Koramangala to Sirsi Circle, not allowing commercial buildings in residential areas, banning construction activities from 6PM to 8 AM and handling stray dogs are some of the examples.One cannot understand why our elected BBMP cannot understand the civic sense, plan and act, instead of forcing citizens to file PIL. If this is the situation do we need BBMP?⊕

After several months of uncleared garbage raising a stink in the city, Bangalore seems to be having a brief respite from it. The new Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner H Siddaiah has been working to find a solution to the issue that has been affecting the city. However, the Commissioner is well aware that the respite is only temporary and that the Palike cannot rest easy till more permanent solutions are found to manage the estimated 3,500 tonne waste generated in the city. He was speaking at a symposium titled "Solutions to impending public health crisis through governance in…

Stack three matchboxes, and they'll stay stable. Add a dozen more on top, and the pile will topple. Perhaps this ‘tipping point' is what we as a society have now reached, as we begin a new year, where our responses are shaking up apathetic administrators.Slowly, but surely, and with increasing frequency, we are hearing of action by individuals or small groups, raising protests and making a difference. A few such initiatives in namma ooru are worth taking note of.Last month, the High Court ordered a review of BBMP's record of granting permission for commercial buildings in residential areas. It took…

If the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) goes into a government authority's books, you might expect a hundred scams to emerge. This, especially if it has to do with a land authority in Bengaluru. This CA site in JP Nagar 6th phase was designated for a park-cum-playground after many disputes. But, part of the site was encroached for building two temples. File Pic. Bus stands, schools, hospitals, markets and other public amenities in the city usually come up on Civic Amenity sites. Such sites are allotted by BDA to Trusts or government agencies, for development. But many of…

I am one of those innumerable people who have been driven to the end of their wits and made to split hairs attempting to book a ticket (under the Tatkal scheme) through the Indian Railways' website, popularly known as IRCTC. While making an unsuccessful attempt recently, waiting with nail biting anxiety, sitting at the edge of my seat, I was wondering why this website cannot be put to better use than for simply booking train tickets - which in any case has a success ratio of only one in a gazillion! I could think of only some of the uses…

After the disappointing 7 Khoon Maaf, Vishal Bharadwaj makes amends with Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. With this film, Vishal Bharadwaj lives up to his previous cinematic work that includes Ishqiya, Kaminey, Omkara, Blue Umbrella, Maqbool and Makdee. But the subtle humour that we saw in earlier work like Ishqiya and Kaminey now moves into a fullblown political sattire. It's a new genre for Bharadwaj, and he makes the transition gracefully. When Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola works, it does so because it is a film that runs at many levels. At a most basic analysis, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka…

Instead of letting corporators and garbage contractors decide on the garbage problem, public can get directly involved now. High Court has directed that each ward in the city should form a ward committee, which will include 10 residents of the ward and will be headed by the local corporator. The committees are supposed to be functioning by January 21st; you can approach your corporator and suggest that you or any competent person you know, be included in the committee. BBMP is holding a Council meeting on 15th, during which corporators will submit their nominations.The interim order came in a PIL…

In one of the articles in his weekly column for the Times of India, brand consultant Santosh Desai examined the psychology behind the increase in rape cases. He attributed it to the increase in power of women leading to insecurity in males. Some women hold positions of extreme power. And a few large firms such as Facebook have women as their COO's, CEO's, CFO's, etc. The previous President of India was a woman. These are major factors contributing to the atrocities against women, according to Desai.The government usually passes the blame to women for their dressing and mannerisms as the…