City: Bengaluru

Recently I took the Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) civic club members of VET school, where I volunteer, to a plastic waste recycling factory, 'KK Plastic Waste Management' on Kanakapura Road.We are all aware that we should segregate garbage. Of course, we have all heard of separating kitchen waste, plastic, paper, metals etc. But when it has to be actually put into practice, people hesitate because (a) old lazy habits die hard, and (b) people are not sure how to dispose of each of these categories. However, there is a practical solution for each of these categories of waste.…

Much before the   much hyped BBMP elections early this year, regular write ups were penned down in the media by a number of residents of H S R Layout on "What are our expectations from the new Corporator?". This was followed up by discussing these very points during the campaigning. Later a copy of these were given to the Corporator when there was an interaction between prospective candidates and residents organised by the Federation at H S R club. Subsequently, after elections, a number of petitions have been given by Federation/ RWAs of HSR Layout. Also there have been discussions…

Old-timers of Malleshwaram area cannot ‘not know' this simple library, on Sampige Road, Malleshwaram (between 2nd and 3rd Cross). It has been there since 1951.  69-year-old G R J Gupta, has part of this library since he was nine-years-old. Though it started as a small store selling grocery, vegetables, fruits, milk, badam milk and condiments, newspapers, magazines and books, it was later converted into a full fledged library. "My father, who was a very well-known goldsmith and called the Gold King of Chennai, suddenly relocated to Bangalore in 1951.  I was just 9 years old then.  I do not know…

A good script is a rarity in Hindi cinema, and director Vipul Shah's Action Replayy - even when it hearkens back to Hollywood super hits like Back to the Future - is all of that and more. The film tells the story of a young boy (Aditya Roy Kapoor) who travels back in time to make his parents (Akshay Kumar & Aishwariya Rai) fall in love. The film will especially appeal to those who have an appetite for seventies nostalgia. The ‘retro' touch that permeates the film is well done, and one smiles as one re-lives a touch of the…

After Citizen Matters expose on BBMP quietly shutting down the Technical Vigilance Cell's (TVC) call centre last year, very little has happened to remedy the situation. The cell that earlier used to accept complaints from the public directly regarding building violations, now monitors only public works as directed by the Commissioner. But Commissioner Siddaiah told Citizen Matters that he has appointed Technical Advisor B T Mohan Krishna to look into building violations. Complaints that the commissioner receives from the public will be forwarded to Krishna, he says. "He will co-ordinate with the TVC also for this," Siddaiah said. Krishna took…

Dr Shankara Prasad is one of the leaders of the Sachidananda Nagara Nyayapara Andolana. This group of 120 residents of Sachidananda Nagar layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar won a hard - fought battle this week to get their khatas without paying bribes. The protests, which went on for several months, resulted in an order by BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah on November 8th to issue khatas to all residents. Pic: Navya P K. 58-year-old Prasad, though from Bangalore has spent nearly three decades traveling around the world, working as a consultant in the chip manufacturing industry. He completed his M Tech from IIT,…

We all know that our Bangalore is growing fast and civic authorities are planning a massive road-widening project across the city. But footpaths are either full of parked four wheelers or debris leftover by BBMP construction works. The narrow footpaths we have are already blocked at points by transformers, trees, piles of garbage and vehicles. Roads are meant for vehicular movement and footpaths for pedestrian walk. But you can see this reversed near main roads or traffic signals. We cannot name a specific area because this scene is seen all over Bangalore. I personally experienced this near Madiwala, BTM and…

It was with absolute shock and disgust that I read a news piece about the government's decision to introduce Kurkure in the midday meals offered at anganwadis in the State. The "justification" offered is that children these days are addicted to this spicy snack so this would be an incentive for them to attend the anganwadi. Have we forgotten why the Midday Meal was introduced less than a decade ago? Was it not meant to address child malnutrition, protect children from classroom hunger, and increase school enrolment and retention?  Am I mistaken about the Supreme Court directive (2001) that made…

ApartmentAdda, a leading provider of online residential complex management software is holding its second workshop for estate managers on November 18th at Brooke Fields, Bengaluru. Timing: 9.30 AM - 4.30 PM. The first workshop was held on 29th July 2010. There were presentations on sewage treatment plants, complaint Management, experiences of a new estate manager and liabilities of an estate Manager. Pic courtesy: Apartment Adda. The workshop will be a full-day event, and this time the focus is on financial efficiency in a residential association. It will cover areas that an estate manager needs to be the master of -…

"The Brigade Millennium enclave brought an impressive range of facilities within one secure, green, well-planned environment. ... The end result is a quality of life that few urban dwellers in India normally have the privilege of enjoying", so says Brigade Enterprises' website on the Brigade Millennium enclave in JP Nagar 7th Phase. Reality, however, is quite different. The main road of this enclave - Millennium Avenue - is no different from a public road - worse, in fact, with both Brigade and BBMP washing their hands off it, this has become a classic 'dhobi ka kutta'. The result - as…