City: Bengaluru

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…

There’s no doubt that Bengaluru is one of the most pet-friendly cities in the country. Over the years, it has seen a large number of people come together to speak for the animals, especially dogs, and care for them beyond their capacities. The pandemic saw a new trend. More families welcomed new puppies to their homes during the lockdown. It gave them an opportunity to spend time with the puppies and train them to be a part of their families. This trend also saw a rise in pedigree puppies as most people fancied dogs that looked as good as they…

Over the years, we have noticed that giving people tips on water conservation often does not translate into practice, especially over the long term. A recent study by researchers at IIM-B shows that behavioural interventions could be a solution. The researchers, Vivek, Deepak Malghan and Kanchan Mukherjee, conducted the study at a 120-unit affluent apartment community in the outskirts of Bengaluru. Each flat in the complex had individual water meters installed already, so each household’s consumption could be measured. The researchers divided the households into four groups: The T1 group were given weekly reports on their per-person water usageT2 group…

BBMP to reduce govt-quota COVID beds BBMP has decided to reduce the number of government-quota COVID beds to about 1,800, due to the decrease in demand. Some of the CCCs (COVID Care Centres) have been closed. However, the civic body is keeping the city's health infrastructure ready for a possible third wave, BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said. According to BBMP's data, of the 6,446 government quota beds available, over 6,000 were unoccupied as of Thursday. However, the COVID second wave is not over yet, according to sources from the Karnataka’s Technical Advisory Committee. According to them, the next six…

With the severe water scarcity in Bengaluru, a large number of residents have to buy water, more so during summers. And due to indiscriminate digging of borewells in the rush to find water, the city's groundwater has been overexploited. But the efforts of many Bengalureans in rainwater harvesting (RWH) already show the way ahead for the city. Currently, Bengaluru is the Indian city with the second-highest number of RWH installations (1.55 lakh), next only to Chennai. Highlighting such efforts, and discussing how to amplify these, was the focus of a webinar jointly organised by BWSSB (Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage…

Hunger has stalked Maiduna Begam and her four children for the past 16 months. Except for a brief period after the first unlock last year, Maiduna’s husband, a mason’s helper, has been jobless for most of this period and lost his mother as they could not afford proper medical treatement.  “We manage two meals a day with difficulty,” says Maiduna, who hails from Raichur. “We have not paid rent for three months, and our landlord is threatening to evict us”. Two weeks ago, she found work as helper at a tailoring shop, but the job pays only around Rs 4,000…