bangalore journal

When the siren of the first ever Metro train of the city resounded from the tracks of MG Road station on Thursday at 4 pm, hundreds of people were looking up from the queue outside the station. Snaking outwards to both sides of the station, the queue was getting longer with more people joining in every minute. Visitors with their tokens at the ticket checking counters in Metro station. Pic Navya P K As the first train was leaving the station, operators waved to the crowd below. There were loud shout outs from the public, even as some voiced their…

Yet another accident at the junction of 24 th Main  and 22 nd Cross in HSR Layout Sector 2 , Parangipalaya area on Wednesday, 19 October.This  time a pregnant woman, Chandrakala was killed  by a reckless speeding car. In this accident, an auto rickshaw driver and a couple of other pedestrians, it is learnt, were also injured. Hawkers on footpath and haphazard parking a bane to pedestrians. Pic: Brig R S Murthy Two years ago a senior Army Officer  was hit and died at around the same spot. Every day pedestrians are at a risk of being hit by chaotic…

The Water Hackathon Bangalore will kick off with a dinner and reception event on today, 21st October at the Ista Hotel off MG Road Bangalore. The event will include presentations by experts in the water sector and the IT sector. Teams of hackers will identify the problems in the water sector they want to address using the mobile technology of their choice. The coding will then begin on the morning of Saturday, 22 October at the Electronic City Campus of the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-B).  Pic Courtesy: IIHS The teams will hack through the night of Saturday…

Even after making her home in Koramangla, dust-free, Shilpa Rao, 55, a teacher at an international school, suffered from persistent allergic reactions. Her doctor suggested that the problem might lie in her mattress and she needs to get it cleaned. She contacted ‘Clean Fanatic', a company specialising in cleaning mattresses. Shilpa says that after the cleaning, her wheezing has reduced considerably. Cleaning in progress at the Prabhakarans' home in Banaswadi. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi Brothers Anuroop and Sanjay Prabhakaran, 34 and 38, who live in Banaswadi, too opted for the service after constant allergic reactions to dust. "We thought it…

Bengalureans have waited for a long time for the Metro. Here's what they are saying on Twitter! ⊕

With Bangalore Metro set to start from October 20, tickets are being sold at Metro station counters. There are multiple options for tickets - either you can buy tickets for every journey or use an automated smart card. Namma Metro Phase I fares, launched Oct 20th 2011. Source: BMRC. The minimum ticket fare for travelling from one station to the very next is Rs 10. For the second and third stops, the rate is Rs 12. Fare to the fourth station is Rs 14 and that to the last station is Rs 15. Tokens can be purchased at the ticket…

Kannada film director Pawan Kumar's decision to include 12 minutes of extra scenes in his debut movie ‘Lifeu Ishtene', starring Diganth, has run into trouble with the State Censor Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The scenes were originally part of the film certified by the censor board but were cut when the movie was released in theatres a few weeks ago. They are now being included in the screenings. The move was made to combat piracy and get more people to theatres to watch the movie. Debutant Director's anti-piracy act lands him in trouble. Pic courtesy: Pawan Kumar The makers…

When G S Narayanan, now 80, retired as a DGM from NABARD in 1992, he had already made his retirement plans. His avid interest in listening to lectures on different subjects led to him forming an informal group of people, mostly his neighbours, to come together to listen to an expert talk on a subject. G S Narayanan, at his home in Jayanagar. Pic: Yogaraj S Mudalgi "I shifted to Jayanagar from Basavanagudi in 1979 and I regularly attended programmes of India Institute of World Culture where there would be talks on varied topics. Jayanagar had nothing of that sort…

Visitors to the lotus pond at Lalbagh witness a rather sorry picture, where all patches of clear water are teeming with fish close to the surface, mouths open and gulping what they can. While the reason for this is unclear, it is apparent that the pond is suffering from excessive vegetation. Lotus, hydrangea and other aquatic plants have taken over far too much of the pond, leaving precious little breathing space for the fish. This is also in stark contrast to the much healthier lake on the other side of the bridge that that separates the two, where cormorants were…

Dario Hidalgo, a leading international expert on public transport systems, was in the city two weeks back to work with the BMTC. He was part of the team that revolutionised bus transport in his hometown Bogota, Columbia, by introducing BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System). In this exclusive interview with Citizen Matters, Hidalgo says BMTC has a lot to do before it starts its ambitious BRTS project for Bengaluru. He also says that BMTC's BIG-10 buses have the potential to provide service for the entire city - the ordinary fleet can be gradually replaced by using BIG-10 and feeder services.What are…