bangalore journal

When Dr S C Sharma, 45, resident of Jayanagar 4th Block filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force against a BBMP engineer who was allowing an illegal building to stand, he did not know that by sheer coincidence, engineers were going to revolt against BMTF police head Rajvir Sharma, an office of the rank of Assistant Director General of Police (ADGP).The particular illegal building was constructed in 1992.  The RTI record, which Citizen Matters has received from Sharma shows that BBMP (then BMP) has sanctioned a two storey building in 1992. But the owner has constructed a five…

Citizen Matters launched its book ‘Living in Bengaluru' on August 4th. The book is a guide to make living in Bengaluru easier. It is a compilation of FAQs and how-to articles written by Citizen Matters' professional journalists and experts. The articles include guides on buying property, getting khatas, ID cards etc., tips for saving time on these tasks, and other tips on saving water, fuel etc.R K Misra, member of ABIDe Task Force, released the book at Reliance TimeOut book store in Mantri Mall, Malleswaram. Vatsala Dhananjay, well known property lawyer and author of a chapter in the book, was…

On July 31st, Seema (name changed) was attacked by the driver of the auto in which she was travelling. Seema's fault was that she took a picture of the number plate of the auto so as to file a complaint against the overcharging driver. The incident occurred in front of Eva Mall in Brigade road.In the Facebook page of Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP), Seema wrote that the driver had asked for Rs 60 to travel from Eva Mall to Austin Town, while the actual fare would be around Rs 20. The incident happened at 7 pm. Soon after, she called…

He had seen the paper and started reading the headline before I had a chance to hide it. "M-O-L-E-S-T" he read, pronouncing it as ‘molet' before inevitably asking me the meaning. My six and half year old has developed a new love for reading and I had forgotten how trauma and disaster laden our news was, when I encouraged his attempt to read the newspaper.What do you do when all the media that confronts your child, the TV, newspapers and magazine, not to mention the internet, has nothing but bad news. Do you tell her as it is or do…

The revamp and modernisation of Bangalore’s first and oldest shopping complex in Jayanagar got off the ground on August 4th. Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar laid the foundation stone. Deputy Chief Ministers K S Eshwarappa and R Ashoka, Vijaya Kumar B N (BJP MLA, Jayanagar), BBMP Commissioner Shankarlinge Gowda, Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy were also present. The much awaited project being inaugurated by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar. Pic: Sankar C G The project has been under discussion for four years even as shop owners resisted, fearing loss of their livelihood.On the day of inauguration, N Narasimha Raju, vice-president of Traders Association…

A curator is usually a caretaker of cultural heritage like museum and art galleries but Latha Heble, curates a park. She looks after the Koramangala 3rd block park. People call her the curator of the park. Originally from Mangalore, Latha who has lived mostly in Bangalore, got married to Suresh Heble in 1964. After her husband retired as Air Vice-Marshal from Air Force, they settled in Koramangala 3rd block.A graduate from JJ school of arts, Latha paints her walls with murals when she is free. Latha Heble at the park How did you end up being a curator of the…

Like many others, I watched 'The Lorax' about a month ago. While the movie itself was something I wished we could publicly broadcast at various venues in our city, it was the post-movie conversations among the children in the audience that actually left me thinking. BM English School Green Club green club members 2012-13. Pic: Vinita Young ones compared notes on their preferred character; some older children felt that adults would only continue to chop down trees and we would really need electric trees on our streets! Some even shared facts about global warming and climate change. And yet when…

Drive down any of the roads in the central part of Bangalore and all of them have a river of stinking sewage flowing on one side of it. The breakfast will rise in your throat, as you walk, ride or drive down Richmond Road, Residency Road or Hosur Road. Worst sufferers are the pedestrians including children walking to school, as they are splashed with the foul and dangerous muck, which flies up from the tyres of careless motorists.On Hayes Road, the sewage is bubbling up in resident's gardens and there is a sense of desperation pervading the area. The Bashas…

In line with developments at New Delhi, where Team Anna declared they will get into politics, India Against Corruption group campaign in Bengaluru will call off its fast at 4pm, Friday August 4th. "The ten fasters will likely continue to fast till 4pm tomorrow, even though they do not have to", said Ashwin Mahesh, one of IAC's coordinators in the Hazare-led nationwide campaign against corruption. IAC Bengaluru is conducting the campaign at Freedom Park is to support Anna Hazare's fast at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi for the Lok Pal bill.In an noteworthy development, just hours before the Team Anna announcement…

Around 20 sports enthusiasts gathered at Christ University to be part of the platform, that brings sports personalities and sports management companies together. The idea is to highlight lesser known sports and discuss possibilities of building a better platform. The meet was held on 21 July, 2012. The meet was organised by ProAthlete, a company set up by city's sports enthusiasts. This was their second such meet. Chitra Gangadharan, former Indian Women's football team goalkeeper kick started the description by pointing out that there aren't enough tournaments for women unlike in men's football. She attributed it to lack of seriousness…