City: Bengaluru

Auto rickshaws are a key option for private transport in Bangalore. * There are more than 1 lakh registered autos in the city. * Number of Auto rickshaw's = 100,000 * Min turnover per auto/per day = Rs.600 * Total turnover per day 100000*600 = Rs 6 crores * Total turnover per year = Rs.2160 crores Going by this, the minimum turn over is Rs.2160 crores per year. At a profit margin of 30-40%, it is amounting to nearly Rs.700 crores. This is a big business, and there are more than 20 unions but it does not have a users forum…

In recent months, a large number of mobile phone towers have sprouted atop high-rise buildings in Bengaluru. Building owners or societies agree to the installation of these towers because a handsome rental can be had from the service provider. But how safe are these towers? With constant exposure to the low radiation that these transmitters emit, what are the long-term health effects of this? Does it matter which side the tower is facing (towards a neighbouring apartment complex or building, for instance)? Do the installers conform to international safety standards? Who monitors? This was one of the issues raised at…

After more than a week of erratic power cuts, BESCOM now says things will slowly get back to normal. "Everything is stabilised", says H Nagesh, Director (Technical), BESCOM. Nagesh says that load-shedding will now be scheduled. BESCOM officials say domestic feeders will face three-hour power cuts daily. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal To know when you are likely to loose power during the day and how many times, read the tables in this article..  For domestic feeders, there will three hours of power cuts daily,  one hour per cut, in three time windows: 6 AM to 10 AM, 10 AM to 2…

Forget the common man, not even the judiciary finds it easy to sway the state's government officials from perpetual indifference. At a Lok Adalat hearing on August 6th 2010, many top officials were pulled up by the judges for poor performance and lack of initiative. However, the babus wouldn't be swayed. After the session, many were seen joking about the whole affair. Around 120 people including senior government officials and their subordinates, lawyers, members of non-governmental organisations and civil society groups were present at the hearing, held at the High Court. Among the first to face the wrath of the…

Take your cameras, go around the city along the few avenues that are yet to be affected by BBMP plans and also visit the few lung spaces of the city and click pictures of the beautiful fully-grown trees to show your children and grandchildren of the future, what Bangalore was. Do this quickly, because soon, Bangalore will be robbed of her greenery totally, thanks to the most insensitive and short-sighted planners, bureaucrats, politicians and officials of the state!It is very sad that protests of the public and eco-activists are just ignored.  Projects are taken up with ulterior motives of helping…

Step into Tuscany and you get a sense of space. Open and airy, this eatery on the periphery of Jayanagar's 9th Block welcomes you with its bright colours and sweeping flow. But more than the physical area, this is a space for the individual. You could just sit quietly by yourself and read a book, or have a leisurely chat with friends, or immerse yourself in the gentle house music, or pick up the microphone and test your singing ability at the karaoke space. If you are there at the right time, you could even participate in a workshop or…

The first BJP-led BBMP council is expected to present their maiden budget within the next fortnight. In this light, about 20 days ago, a group of like-minded citizens from across Bengaluru presented a memorandum to Mayor S K Nataraj, listing their proposals to include in the budget. This was in the presence of BBMP Commissioner H Siddaiah and Chairman of BBMP's Finance Committee, P N Sadashiva. The memorandum states that any BBMP budget should have a force or a thrust and that this year's focus could be on making Bangalore 'garbage-free'. The following are some of the proposals in the…

Meet 44-year-old Jagadish Shri, whose entry into organic terrace gardening more than a year ago was, well...organic! Having set up a rainwater harvesting (RWH) system at his independent house in Banashankari 2nd stage, he was wondering what he could experiment with next. He was also concerned about the high pricing of organic food, when a visitor to his blog pointed him to organic terrace gardening and a company that helps set up such gardens. Banashankari resident Jagadish Shri set up his own terrace garden where he grows organic vegetables like beans and carrots. Pic: Chetan Boray On visiting the company's…

Padmini Rao, 60 makes intricate jewellery out of beads and stones. Born and brought up in Jayanagar, near East End circle, she studied BA, Music. After her marriage to B G Rao, who had a transferable job in Indian Oil Corporation, she spent many years in North Indian cities. There she was active in the local community and pursued her hobbies like craftwork and gardening, winning prizes at the UP state level. Padmini Rao, makes intricate jewellery out of beads and stones. Pic Chetan Boray. The couple came back to Bangalore in 1986 for their children's studies. She ran a…

It was an action-packed and noisy morning as the children were told it should be! Inspirations 2010 - a civic fest and exhibition marking the launch of the eleventh year of CMCA (Children's Movement for Civic Awareness) as well as the launch of the programme for the academic year 2010-11 was held at the St Joseph's Indian High School grounds on Vittal Mallya Road on Friday, August 6th. Cricketer Robin Uthappa, ambassador of CMCA, at Inspirations 2010. Pic courtesy: CMCA The CMCA was started in 2000 as a joint initiative of the Public Affairs Centre and Swabhimana (both Bangalore-based organisations)…