BENGALURU BUZZ

'NGT buffer zone will raze 95% of the city' National Green Tribunal's order of adherence to buffer zones for lakes and drains will see 95% of Bengaluru razed, as most buildings are in the vicinity of lakes and tertiary drains, said Uday Holla, Advocate General of Karnataka, in a written submission at the Supreme Court last week. Earlier the Supreme Court had also expressed reservations on the rights of the National Green Tribunal, a statutory body, to change the 30-metre buffer zone around lakes in Bengaluru to 75 metres. Citizen Matters had earlier written about the problem in detail. Source:…

Bengaluru left shivering after cold wave According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the city observatory at Sheshadri road recorded a minimum temperature of 13.1°C during the 24-hour period that ended at 8.30 am on Thursday. HAL Airport and KIA recorded 11.6°C and 11.2°C, respectively, Hesarghatta had recorded a minimum temperature of 9°C — the lowest temperature recorded in the city in a decade. This is attributed to the cold wave sweeping across north and south interior Karnataka, and the conditions are expected to remain for the next couple of days. City doctors say the number of patients with upper respiratory problems…

Pourakarmika kills self due to non-payment of salary for six months:  As many as 3,385 waste-pickers who had joined the BBMP's workforce recently and have less than one year experience with the civic body, did not receive salaries for the last six months. This allegedly led to Subramani, 37 year old resident of Vyalikaval, committing suicide on July 8th. BBMP has claimed to have released Rs 27 crore on July 10 subsequently to ensure that others are paid their dues and that such incidents do not recur. Meanwhile, the civic body is also planning on-ground verification of workers, because the list includes…

After recent cases of Dengue in Bengaluru, many residents are looking for preventive measures. And many are discussing Ovitrap as an effective preventive measure that can trap mosquitoes that spread Dengue. How effective is Ovitrap in Bangalore? We have to understand what is Dengue and how does Ovitrap work. Dengue is a vector-borne disease, caused by mosquitoes that breed on water. A mosquito named Aedes Aegypti is the host of Dengue virus. Researchers say that most Aedes Aegypti do not fly beyond than 100 metres, and bite only during day time. What is a lethal Ovitrap? Lethal Ovitrap is a…

A press note from the Information Department, Bengaluru, issued by Deputy Director to Government, Disaster Management, said that around 640 tourists from the state have been stranded in Jammu-Kashmir floods, out of which around 200 people have been saved. IAS officers Ramandeep, Commissioner of Hubli-Dharwad and Mohankumar from Karnataka Bhavan, New Delhi, have been sent to Srinagar in order to coordinate the rescue of people. As many as 30 people have been taken to Srinagar airport. Around 70 people have been sent to Delhi via flights. Around 200 people from Karnataka are at the Rajbhavan helipad waiting to be air-lifted.…

What does a typical day in Bangalore feel like? One can’t help but think of the traffic, the potholes, the never-ending garbage crisis and the rampant corruption. But there are lovely things about the city too - the trees, the lakes, the melting pot of people from all over, the weather, the work culture... the list is endless. For many old-timers, as well as folks migrating to the city, Bangalore seems to be a near-perfect city. Bangalore is also the state capital, and houses most of the administrative wing of the state. It also has its own municipality - the…

December 22 is National Mathematics Day in India, in honour of the great Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan who was born in Erode on 22 December 1887. In his short lifespan of 32 years, Ramanujan discovered and rediscovered (things unknown in India at that time, but known in other countries) about 3900 theorems and equations that have mostly been proven correct, and have been the basis for new research around the world. One of his more known magical revelations was that the number 1729 is the smallest number that can be expressed as the cube of two numbers in two different ways.…

Students of Inventure Academy, Sarjapura Road participated in the Namma Bengaluru Awards 2013 by nominating their heroes recently. What does BBMP stand for? Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike - Pat came the reply! What’s so unusual in this revelation? Well - nothing except that this came from a bunch of well meaning students in the prestigious Inventure Academy. If you thought today’s youngsters don’t care enough for their city, think again! They are aware of their surroundings and have kept their eyes, ears, heart and soul open in either contributing towards their city’s development or joining hands with those who are…

More than 2500 people across various categories participated in the hugely successful first Edition of the Ajmera Thump! Celebration Bangalore Half Marathon and 10K, which was flagged off during the early hours of Sunday, 8 December 2013. The Half Marathon, 10 km and 5km Celebration Runs organised by Life is Calling Sports under the auspices of the Karnataka Athletics Association in association with Ajmera Housing Corporation was flagged off amid high energy and entertainment at the NICE Toll Plaza, adjacent to PESIT College, Nayandahalli Junction, Ring Road, Mysore Road. The first race of the morning, the Ajmera Thump! Half Marathon…

Ganesh festival is around the corner, on Monday 9 September 2013. BESCOM has urged public and the Mandallîs/ assocìatíons/ groups who set up Ganesha at public places not to tap power illegally."It has come to the notice of the Company that in the past during festival at several places Ganesh Mandallis/ associations/ groups plug wires to street light ports and some tap electricity from street light poles. (sic) This can prove fatal during monsoon and may cause electric shock or electrocution. BESCOM will not be responsible for any such untoward incidents owing to unauthorised power connections," said the press release.Unauthorised…