City: Bengaluru

Last year, BESCOM, Bengaluru’s electricity supply company, had called for applications from consumers to set up rooftop solar panels. BESCOM also launched a first-in-the-country project called CREST, a tool that enables consumers to evaluate their rooftop’s potential for solar energy production.  These ambitious initiatives saw BESCOM receiving around 1200 applications for rooftop solar installations since March 2020, according to a trusted department source. But 250 consumers later withdrew their applications, according to S S Raghunandan, President, Karnataka Renewable Energy Association (KREA).  Let’s crunch some numbers. Bengaluru has an actual realisable potential of 2.8 GW of solar energy. But the city that…

Prohibitory orders till August 16th Bengaluru City police has imposed prohibitory orders, based on guidelines from the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority. The order, issued to contain the spread of COVID, prohibits the assembly of more than four people in public places. Bus stands, Metro stations, railway stations and airports are exempted. The curfew will be in place till 6 am on August 16. Bengaluru Police has invoked Section 144 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). Those violating the orders will be punished under the Disaster Management Act and Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act. On Thursday, 414 COVID-positive cases…

COVID infections are on the upswing, with the World Health Organization announcing an 80 percent average increase in infections over the past four weeks in five of the health agency’s six regions, a jump largely fuelled by the Delta variant. “Delta is a warning that the virus is evolving but it is also a call to action that we need to move now before more dangerous variants emerge,” said Michael Ryan, Executive Director, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, in a briefing. Statistical models seem to suggest that the third wave in India could be three to four times more severe than…

Popular imagination would have it that campaigns begin and go on until their objective is achieved or rejected; and then they wind up. Not quite, says Tara Krishnaswamy, a veteran of several civic campaings in Bengaluru. Campaigns are seldom linear and their chronology is almost always chequered. Tara was among many citizen activists who had pushed for the bus priority lane (BPL) along the Outer Ring Road (ORR). That was back in 2017. The world over, giving priority to public bus movement -- through dedicated bus lanes or more complex systems like BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit Systems) -- is acknowledged…

I opened one of the newspapers today and saw a brief report that stated that a certain infrastructure project in Bengaluru that had been stalled for the last year, had been restarted. The narrative in the paper was that the contractor on the project had problems; the government put the project on hold and later, got the same contractor to resume work on it. In the meantime, a year and a half had passed. Pedestrians had fallen into potholes on the roads that were dug up for the project. Monsoon rains had clogged the works and traffic was getting jammed.…

Spike in COVID cases On Thursday, 506 COVID-positive cases were reported, compared to Wednesday’s 376. Alarmed by the 34% rise, BBMP officials resolved to scale up surveillance besides intense testing and tracking in containment areas. BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said that as per reports, infection was spreading through gatherings like weddings. Marshals have been told to be vigilant. A major chunk of newly infected people were found to have a recent connection with a physical market. Six clusters were discovered at CV Raman Nagar ward, where many had a history of movement to local markets. Meanwhile, BBMP started its…

Think of a cobbler or an electric appliance repair worker, you may picture a man at work. But Bengaluru has quite a few women working in these fields which were traditionally occupied by men. This article traces a few of those journeys. Palaniyammal, 54, is the sole woman cobbler on 80 Feet Road, with her shop located near the posh residential areas of Thippasandra and Indiranagar. She works from 10 am till 8 pm. She fondly remembers her late husband's insistence that she visit the shop. She learnt the work by watching him. After he passed away, she quietly slipped…

Apartment residents often are unaware of how much water they consume in their household. A common water meter installed by the BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) measures consumption of the entire apartment complex, but not of individual flats. The monthly water bill based on this meter is usually split evenly among all residents. But, in May 2020, BWSSB introduced a new regulation that mandates internal water meters for every flat in apartment complexes. Each apartment is responsible for installing these meters within their premises. Individual water meters compulsory, but no penalty yet According to the new regulation 43-A…

We thought the battle against synthetic manja was long won. There are already stringent laws in place against this variety of killer kite string, an unbreakable, non-degradable nylon string. Even its possession and storage is punishable by up to a lakh of rupees, and seven years in prison. The penalty and jail terms for causing injury are obviously much higher. Yet, how is it that this manja continues to injure people and wildlife in Bengaluru? On a daily basis, more than 50 calls arrive at the desks of wildlife rescuers to save animals caught in manja. Rescuers risk life and…

Commercial Street makeover As part of the Smart City project, BBMP has carried out a major exercise in improving the look and feel of Commercial Street. The road is designed to be pedestrian-friendly, though cyclists were miffed at a 'No cycling' board. Bengaluru Smart City Ltd has plans for a multi-level parking facility nearby. Newly renovated Commercial Street. Pic: Dy CM - CN Ashwathnarayan/ Twitter The main carriageway has grey and yellow cobblestones and tall wrought iron lamp posts add to the look. Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa inspected the completed work, with his colleagues and pointed out it was the…