City: Bengaluru

"Its high time they start the flyover project. The main bottleneck is at the Advaith petrol bunk junction; we have to wait for so long to pass that signal." says Viswanath Seetharam, who travels daily through the BTM main road. Udupi garden junction Pic: Deepthi M S The BTM main road leading to Silk Board, has heavy inflow of traffic as it connects to Electronic City, Koramangala and Outer Ring Road.Auto rickshaw driver, Manjunath P M who drives every day in and around BTM layout, says, "I waste most of the time in ferrying just one passenger, it's too difficult…

The 37th annual Cake Show is on at St. Joseph's Indian High School grounds till January 31st. It is organised by the Blue Hill Group this year. 18 cakes are on display. The biggest cake is the replica of the Gol Gumbaz, from Bijapur, complete with its dome, minarets and tourists. The show, which was synonymous with the Nilgiris group has now changed hands.As soon as one entered the exhibition, the cynosure of all eyes was the huge cake model of Gol Gumbaz. This cake measuring 16.5 feet long and 12 feet high has been created using 5,000 kg of…

Residents of 4th Block and 5th Block Jayanagar, Bangalore have written to Dr V S Acharya, Minister for Higher Education, and S Suresh Kumar, Minister for BWSSB on their problems with BWSSB's rules on Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) and the deadline of December 31st. They write: Dear Sir,We would like to bring the following facts to your notice, and request that you use your good offices to safeguard the interests of the general public of Bangalore City.As we all know, Bangalore Development Authority has obtained the legislative sanction to allot sites to all residents of Bangalore who have paid the value in…

On 19 December Members of the Karnataka Raithara Mathu Vyaparigala Okoota (Karnataka Farmers and Traders Federation) staged a protest the government's plan to build a commercial building in the santhe maidana (market) at KR Puram. The santhe maidana has a been a market place for years now. More than 3000 traders and farmers do their regular business in this market area. Farmers and Traders take out padayatra. Pic: Subramaniam Vincent The members who were on a padayatra, were seen wearing outfits made of gunny bags. "This is something we sit on, use it as a blanket and even to pack…

The 4th edition of the Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) concluded on December 22, 2011. Like with previous events, BIFFES brought the best of international world cinema to the city. But unlike in the past, this year it routinely ran to full houses, with venues like Lido Mall even accommodating audience members on the floor because seats were all full. With screening venues spread out from Bangalore East to Bangalore South, the fourth BIFFES was more inclusive than past editions. Movie: When We Leave Pic:Wikipedia Using a combination of traditional media and social networking sites, the organisers generated the right…

The Bangalore India Against Corruption group, part of India anti-corruption movement that sprung up earlier this year in support of Anna Hazare, is conducting a support event at Freedom Park in the city, from December 27th. People gathered at Freedom Park asked that the Lokpal bill address four demands. The four demands: Lokpal to be free to investigate anyone; Lokpal to have its own investigating officers and budget, Lokpal to cover all government employees, Lokpal selection to be transparent.  India Against Corruption, Bangalore is holding a support event on Dec 27-29th at Freedom Park. Pic: Yogesh Devaraj. More pictures Pic:…

Do you wish for an adrenaline filled adventure this weekend? Then head out for a day's trek at Savandurga. Savandurga located 50 kilometers from Bangalore is a 2 hour drive from Bangalore towards Magadi road. Savandurga is one of the largest monolithic rock structures in world scaling 1226 m above sea level and is a delight to any trekker, seasoned or otherwise. Savandurga comprises of two hills BiliBetta (white hill) and KariBetta (Black hill). Manchanbele reservoir. Pic: Usha Hariprasad. Savandurga has a rich history behind it. It was an important landmark during Hoysala period. It was then under many rulers…

Domestic workers protest. Pic: Navya P K An appeal from DWRCDear Sir/Madam, We are working closely with the Labour Department and will be collecting the data to enrol workers for RSBY health insurance. Our organisation is also part of the National Advisory Committee (NAC) task force on domestic workers at the centre and working on the draft policy for domestic workers. We request concerned Resident Welfare Associations for support and give us permission to collect the details, fill up the forms for the RSBY scheme. We have to complete our process by December 31st. -Geeta MenonDomestic Workers Rights Collective (DWRC)…

Starting with the holiday weekend of December 24th-25th, OfferGrid, a distribution network for service and product deals for publishers is powering local deals on Citizen Matters, Bangalore's interactive newsmagazine. Deals from over 17 categories ranging from health care and dance classes to dining and education are available for nearly 24 localities in Bengaluru, at the time of launch on December 24th. All major major localities such as Jayanagar, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Malleshwaram, etc, are covered. The deals are available for readers on the Citizen Matters home page, article pages, events pages and more. Launched in Q3 2011, OfferGrid Exchange is the…

Apartment associations in the city have got assurance from the state Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) that Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) norms for apartments will soon be re-defined. An informal group of residents from various apartments across Bangalore, have been in talks with the Board for over six months, many of them having faced issues with STP quality and adherence to regulations. Board Chairman A S Sadashivaiah said that the new processes will be finalised by March and will be implemented by June. Board will redefine aspects such as stringent checks before approving STPs, holding builders accountable for STP quality etc.…