City: Bengaluru

Slumdwellers here have been facing acute water shortage for the past three months. The two bore wells in the slum are sufficient to satisfy the water needs of the people. But the motor which pumps water stopped working and this broke water supply.“We have to travel three kilometers daily for getting water from Austin town. We take bath only once in a week due to the water shortage. Some time we may not get water that force us to buy water for higher prices,” said Habeeb A S, a local resident. Ejipura slum, wairting for new housing since 2004. Pic:…

Seeing the posters for Hugo, you’d expect something á la The Polar Express. Or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Something right out of your childhood fantasies. If you did, you’re right! Hugo is a magical 2-hour-8-minute long story of the hand-to-mouth life of a little boy, who stumbled on a life changing secret. Film-changing for cinema lovers. Nobody likes to be forgotten. Especially if their work is so tremendous that they are de facto pages in world history. Today, popular names in movie trivia include ‘Deepika Padukone’ or ‘Karan Johar’. Moving to Hollywood, it’s ‘George Clooney’ or ‘Steven Spielberg’…

On days such as these, when it rained through the night, our cab driver takes a alternative route. A route which traverses through the many hamlets of Bellandur and Doddanekundi villages. This route does not ensure a faster and quicker access to Marathahalli but atleast we get to escape the traffic jam at ORR signals. It really seems like a never ending journey sometimes. So while he drives through lanes and by-lanes for a good 30 minutes, we get to see the real Bangalore that resides behind the glitz and glamor of the shiny software parks. File pic: Vivek M.…

The layout has 23 wells with an average holding capacity of 4000 litres each. We have been recharging 4.5 million litres into the ground with rainwater harvesting, with about 50 rainy days in a year. Ferns Paradise is a 48 acre layout, in Whitefield, consisting of around 300 residential plots. The residents are completely dependent on groundwater. Realizing the importance of having a sustainable water resource, the WMC, constituted by the Layout’s Resident Welfare Association (RWA) comprising people passionate about water conservation - Babita Saxena, Radhica Kanniganti and Rajesh Thakkar. The WMC has made it mandatory for all the new…

As I wait for the Chennai bound Kaveri Express at Bangalore City station on Platform-5, a train enters Platform 6 at 11:15 pm which is announced as Bangarpet-Bangalore Express. A closer look at it reveals it is only an Express for namesake as it looks more like a passenger train.This Express train leaves Bangarpet at 9:20 PM and crosses through the IT sector stations of Bangalore, the Whitefield and Krishnarajapuram and reaches Bangalore city junction at 11:20 pm.Normally after 10 pm, the bus frequency reduces and people on their way back home from office may be too tired to ride…

An illegal and unauthorised construction of a temple in a civic amenities (CA) site in JP Nagar has started.The CA site is located between 30th A Main Road and 17th A cross road. The Supreme Court mandates that no temple construction should be allowed on a CA site and this is a clear violation of Supreme Court rule.This has been brought to the notice of  MLA B Vijaya Kumar and the Joint Commissioner (South), BBMP Hemachandra. They have promised to look into the matter at the earliest. A glimpse at CA site in JP Nagar where the temple construction has…

The aroma of the coconut oil being heated in the pan, the tempting curries and payasam dishes spread across the table is what God's Own Country's food is about. Here are some of the restaurants that serve the best of Kerala cuisine in Namma Bengaluru. Fish Curry. Pic: Kumarakom Prawn pollichathu and Kerala Chicken curry is the biggest draw at Peppers in BTM Layout. The simple ambience with a few abstract paintings on the wall have calming effect and lets you concentrate on the food.Average cost of meal for two is Rs 250. Alcohol is not served. Karimeen. Pic: Kumarakom…

Even as contestants were making efforts to push through last minute voter registrations for the graduates constituency election, there was confusion last week. One, the last date for registrations was not categorically clear. There was reports that citizens could register during the week of May 14th, and contradicting reports that Sunday May 13th was the last day. Second, BBMP officials were declining to register voters.  "We opened on holidays Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and 13th, for enrollment. We closed registration on 13th, as per the clarification we got from Election Commission of India", says Shambhu Dayal Meena, Regional Commissioner…

I am a mom. I don’t do me time. Except when I am reading Good Housekeeping or Femina  or one of those million women’s magazines that go blue in the face extolling the virtues of leaving the children behind in the able care of your husband/mother/mother in law/maid and snatching a cup of coffee in the cafe or a massage in the spa. It all sounds quite delicious, having the children out of your hair at least for a while and having some divine smelling promises-to-make-hair-great concoction in it instead.Sounds good? Certainly! Sounds doable? Well it depends on how well…

On May 7th, BDA quietly began a process of revision for Bengaluru's city master plan, and invited suggestions from public. This plan will be for the years 2016 to 2035. The existing  master plan (RMP-2015) is for 2005 to 2015. Bengaluru's master plan is the most critical piece of regulation for the city's land use, development, and growth management. It defines all rules pertaining to zoning. Residential and commercial development in various areas are permitted or barred in this plan, locality by locality. Permitted floor area ratios for various road widths in commerical and residential areas, mandatory additions such as…