BBMP

A commercial building located in between Fortis Hospital and Apollo Hospital along Bannerghatta road in Bengaluru is being demolished by the BBMP since August 19. The building, ‘Amalodhbhala Tower', is located in one part of a 2 acre 32 guntas government land which was encroached by the complex's owner, one Shantharaju. About half the demolition of 'Amalodhbala Tower' was complete by August 22. Pic: Navya P K. This encroachment was mentioned in the report of V Balasubramanian (IAS, Retd.), Chairman of the Task Force for Recovery and Protection of Public Lands, which was published in June. In addition to Shantharaju,…

In action replay of last year, BBMP has presented a massive budget outlay of Rs.9100 cr for the city on a base of unproven revenues and uncommitted grants. BBMP Council's budget session in progress on August 18th 2011. Pic: Navya P K. Last year BBMP's actual receipts were Rs 4930 cr lesser than the projected amount of Rs 8447 cr. This year, the gap may be bigger, with a seemingly impossible expectation of receipts of Rs 9112 cr. This, along with opening balance of Rs 85 cr, is expected to cover expenditure of Rs 9196 cr for 2011-12.Reading out the…

The High Court case on Sankey Road's widening, which citizens had filed against BBMP and state government, will include BDA as a party. Five citizens and the residents' association Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative had jointly filed the PIL last month when BBMP cut 17 trees across Sankey road stretch.HC ordered a stay on BBMP's tree cutting at the time, when two of the 17 trees were still standing. Hundreds of trees are expected to be cut for road widening from Cauvery Circle to CNR Rao Circle, and subsequently till Yeshwanthpur flyover.The High Court bench headed by Justice N Kumar passed the…

BBMP has taken up road widening work up again and talk of TDR is afloat. But for the first time the agency is saying that if the people do not want TDR, financial compensation may be offered. K R Niranjan, BBMP Special Commissioner, says, "In core areas we can minimise road works by doing junction improvement etc. But in outer areas these works are necessary and land will be obtained through TDR; but if public do not accept TDRs we need to have reserve funds for acquisition."Road widening in outer areas is part of the ship load of projects worth…

BBMP has shared this info on property tax collections in our revenue zone. Of the remaining Property Tax to be collected from Mahadevapura zone, 24 crores was collected in March 2011. As of 31st March 2011, 56.43 crores of property tax is yet to be collected. Of which 20.82 crores were collected by the end of June 2011. (Golf link Software Challaghatta - 8 crores, Bhagmane tech park, Garudacharpalya - 1.56 cores)More than one lakh property owners are yet to pay tax amounting to 24.02 crores. This shall be collected within the next 3 months.SignedK N DevarajuJoint Commisioner,BBMP, Mahadevapura ZoneDt…

Yes, we all do. After all, malls are nice places to be in. They are structured spaces, they have clean toilets, swanky floors and always running escalators. People dress nicely to ‘go to the mall’. Even the outsides of malls are paved nicely compared to our very dusty streets. So much so that youngsters - girls and boys - just love to ‘hang around’ and have fun.Everyone in our malls is usually polite. Ever seen a desi street fight break out in a mall? In the mall, we become a ‘mall public’, i.e. more civil, even as on the streets…

The Sankey Road trees might have survived longer had the Mayor Sharadamma Ramanjaneya initiated a meeting of the Tree Authority of which she is the convener. But Shardamma is not aware of the Tree Authority for Bangalore. The authority is supposed to hear the public's complaints on tree felling. Citizens and organisations can appeal decisions by forest department officials such as the BBMP Tree Officer, permitting or disallowing cutting of trees in the city. One of the trees BBMP cut during the midnight operation on June 30th-July 1st. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. The top forest official in BBMP limits, Deputy Conservator…

Leo Saldanha of the city-based green NGO Environmental Support Group intervened in a move that partly led to dropping of charges against the protestors and activists arrested on July 1st during the Sankey Road episode. Protesters were objecting to cutting of 19 trees on Sankey Road for it's proposed widening from Bhashyam Circle to Malleshwaram 18th Cross. Victoria D'Souza, protester, was dragged along with the other women to the police van. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. Saldanha spoke to city police commissioner Jyothi Prakash Mirji and questioned the decision of Circle Inspector of Vyalikaval station to slap charges on those arrested under…

As is widely experienced by Bangaloreans, malls, high rises and tech parks are now congestion hotspots around the city. A recent update at the Bangalore Traffic Police (BTP)'s Facebook page talks about traffic congestion at Nagavara junction in north Bangalore. Traffic at the junction is four times the capacity during peak hours; BTP attributes this to the nearly 10,000 vehicles that go to and from Manyata Tech Park for two hours every morning and evening.Citizen Matters has found out that the city's sanction process for malls and similar complexes is at the root of the rapidly worsening problem. Traffic management…

It was a tense few hours for residents of Malleshwaram on 29th June.   Some 25 residents including activist Meenakshi Bharath had gathered near Sankey Tank at 11 am to prevent the auction of trees that were to be felled by the BBMP for widening of Sankey Road.  Tree officer and Assistant Conservator of Forests, Venkateshappa had come with other BBMP officials to initiate the auction. Protestors in a heated argument with Tree Officer Venkateshappa. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi. Anticipating trouble, personnel from Karnataka State Police (KSP) were present at the venue. Vinay Sreenivasa of the city's green network Hasiru Usiru requested…