City: Bengaluru

The Karnataka High Court's order with regard to the state government's proposed war memorial project is likely to be pronounced during this week. Just last week, the BDA had begun work at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park, where the memorial is proposed to come up. This was, however, stalled following several media reports that suggested that going ahead with construction work amounted to contempt of court as the case is subjudice. Last week, the BDA had started construction work at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park. This was later stalled after objections from the public. Pic: Vaishnavi Vittal The…

A quick glance at your neighbourhood schools. At Indira Priyadarshini, Sindhu J C topped the SSLC with 601 for 625. 90% passed at Holy Infant. At Frank Public it is a 100% pass. At St Marks Public, 100% passed, with 20 of 30 students securing first class. Mahatma Education Society secured a 67% pass. “Its not too bad, we not only concentrate on academics but also on other curricular activities”, says Dr Seshagiri Rao K A, Principal.Coming to some ICSE 12th results, at Clarence Public, all students secured above 80% marks. At Dayananda Sagar, above 80% of the students got…

For a majority of them, it was their first ever chance to speak as people's representatives. That too on a pressing issue. As BWSSB Chairman P B Ramamurthy put it, "It was a golden opportunity. I couldn't have got so much information from anywhere else". For two days, corporators from across Bengaluru voiced their concerns over water-related problems in their wards. Demands for borewells, jetting machines, regular desilting and replacement of old pipes with new ones, were made. Complaints ranged from lack of cooperation from local BWSSB officials, to the need to hold monthly meetings with engineers. The occasional bouquet…

In the two-day BBMP council session on water, as each corporator spoke about the water problem in their wards, they all had one demand in common. Borewells. And more borewells."I need 20 borewells in my ward", said one. "Give me 10-15 borewells", said another. At the end of the session, as BWSSB Chairman P B Ramamurthy announced the various projects taken up by the Board, the corporators requested him to mention the immediate plan of action to address the water crisis and demanded a response to how many borewells were going to be installed immediately. Mayor S K Nataraj and…

At the two-day special BBMP council session on water, Mayor S K Nataraj and BWSSB Chairman P B Ramamurthy made a slew of announcements to address the water crisis in Bengaluru. These include both short-term and long-term measures to improve infrastructure and ensure water supply to all.Here are announcements made by the BWSSB:111 Assistant Executive Engineers (AEE) are being recruited. The process will be completed in the next 15 days193 valve men are being recruited. This will also be completed in the next two weeks78 sanitary workers will be recruited. The BWSSB has only 136 sanitary workers currently, apart from…

One of the oldest bazaars, Gandhi Bazaar which is frequented by thousands and which is also a popular meeting point for the residents of Basvangudi, is today a bustling, noisy, chaotic 'thoroughfare', unsafe for shoppers. Thanks to heavy traffic. BMTC buses, trucks, and ‘all wheelers' make it a point to speed their way. Mowing down shoppers, making it a hazard for pedestrians. During festival time it is most dangerous and annoying.Shopping is also leisure time activity and the area is a social meeting point, especially for senior citizens and women with children. Shopping is meant to be pleasure and fun,…

The BBMP Tax Collection System is in shambles. Neither the help centres nor the online system is user friendly. I am listing below the various problems faced by tax payers.1. Application Forms not properly worded. The depreciation clause in the ‘Instructions to Tax Payers' booklet should be clear as to where and how to apply this clause. The tax calculated for 2009-10 will not be the same as in 2008-09, if this clause is applied as per its real meaning. It will be higher because of the use of ‘Net Taxable Annual Value' without depreciation for the subsequent years in…

By mid-April I was becoming allergic to the calendar. “Don’t look at the date”, I told myself. The April 30th deadline for paying property tax was approaching. "There are no forms available at the Sanjaynagar centre yet", said a friend.  "I downloaded the form but they refused to accept it because it doesn’t have the acknowledgement form," said another (Why doesn’t it have an acknowledgement form? Good question.)With just a week left, I decided to pay up, and “be done with it”. That morning’s newspapers said some Assistant Revenue Officers (ARO’s) were being authorised to collect property tax. So I…

If you live around a BBMP park in any part of Bangalore and are wondering whether the park's open space or stage can be used with loudspeakers for a community event, think again. For one, use of loudspeakers in BBMP parks was barred by the High Court over a year ago. But more importantly, each BBMP official you talk to today will you give a different impression about the exact ban - who and what are allowed or disallowed are still unclear. On May 9th 2010 a music programme, called Udaya Raaga, scheduled to be held at the JP Nagar…

We wish to introduce ourselves under the aegis of the "Save Sankey Road and Park Forum". We comprise of people from all walks of life - doctors, advocates, civil servants, software engineers, business persons, house wives and students and so on. Sankey Park Walkers Association, Sadashivanagar Residents Welfare Association, Lower Palace Orchards Residents Welfare Association, Malleshwaram Swabhimana Initiative, Hasiru Usiru, Sadashivnagar Working Professionals Group and Gayatridevi Park Residents Welfare Association came under one roof for the cause of preserving the existing green cover of Sankey Road. It is under threat from unscientifically planned road widening.Mission- To engage in a constructive…