Blogs

House documents in order? Do you have your occupancy certificate in order? This is an important document to have BEFORE you occupy your new dwelling and one that the builder is supposed to get and often doesn't. Problem is that you wont get a Khata without this. Read on to understand the requirements given by BBMP and be sure to get your OC. Power of standing together It was a big day for Kundanahalli Lake recently as BBMP brought down encroachments. This came after repeated efforts by residents who are on a mission to restore the lake to its healthy…

I've written earlier, in this post about artisans who make a living by repairing jewellery. On Sunday, two friends and I went to Commercial Street, a shopping area in Bangalore. Off this street is another narrow street, called, quite appropriately, Jewellers Street. Both of them had jewellery that needed repair, so we found a small shop. "Gun Short" is actually a "gunshot", using a staple gun to pierce the ear quickly and painlessly. "Manul" piercing could also be done. My friends showed the shopkeeper the work to be done, and negotiations for the amount to be charged were successfully concluded.…

We had good rainfall (1000mm plus on an average) in 2015. Yet, this summer was harsh for everyone. Would it have helped if we had harvested rainwater? The primary analysis from the project area (Yamalur watershed) observes that there is enough water available for everyone if we do rainwater harvesting leaving excess water to go to the lakes and/or groundwater recharge.   A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that falls in it and drains off of it goes to a common outlet. Biome Trust has been involved in an action research project called Particpatory…

In the run up to the TCS World 10K which happened on May 15th, Citizen Matters was looking for runners who we could collaborate with to raise funds for our journalism. And now that the run is over, we couldn't have asked for a better set of people to collaborate with. With their help, we managed to raise Rs 2.21 lakh in a span of a month for the journalism on Citizen Matters. Thank you, all of you for being a part of our fundraising.    The TCS World 10K is over, as are the runners' campaigns, but Citizen Matters…

I'm sure all of us have read a fair number of posts about the negative effects of gaming (it promotes violence and a desire to drag people out of their cars and beat them up, apparently. We kids have brains too, you know! And if you say otherwise, I'll shoot you! I saw it in a videogame!). People quite entirely ignore the positive effects of gaming in these posts. So, to counterbalance all the flak gaming's been getting, here's a little bit about the good side of gaming.  Now, I'm sure all of us have heard of this one before,…

I've written before on the practice many organisations indulge in, in appropriating the space in front of their buildings as ‘reserved’ parking spaces for themselves. I think the problem is assuming large proportions and the police department should launch a campaign and a drive against this pernicious practice. I went to visit a friend who lives on Eagle Road, Langford Town. In front of her home is Agarwal Eye Hospital. My friend parked in the empty spot and promptly a security guard came and told us to park on the opposite site of the road because, "A patient will come…

On the evening on May 12th, raw sewage gushed in from the eastern inlet for nearly 3 hours into Kaikondrahalli lake. With help from BBMP labourers provided by BBMP lakes Engineer Shilpa, and with many of the lake visitors and volunteers staying back at night to oversee the work, we could partially block the inlet. The blocking at the inlet was reinforced in the morning, but sewage continues to trickle in. With a JCB borrowed from Bren Construction, we tried to block the main source of the sewage inflow, but had to re-open it soon as the land owner and…

Monday, May 9th brought us a surprise - the Commissioner for SWM Bangalore, Subodh Yadav was coming to Ward 80 for an interaction with RWA’s, residents and civic officials. I say surprise, because we were told at 7.30 am on Monday that we had to be present at 9 am. However, Yadav’s office had informed BBMP officials three days earlier! It was an interesting event - many of us were meeting him for the first time. Unfortunately it was a meeting without a preset agenda, perhaps the whole plan of local officials. The menace of Indira Nagar’s garbage was discussed,…

With the rains on their way in, it's a good time to clean up our rainwater filters, sumps and recharge wells.Lately we have received a lot of queries on how to go about with ground water recharge. Groundwater recharge can be achieved by digging recharge wells and redirecting rainwater into them.  Below are the phone numbers of some of the well diggers who can dig wells upto 40 ft deep Krishna : 99862-03022 Pedanna : 97424-23145 Antony: 80507-95139, 90357-10920, 9100691501 Kanthappa: 99169-85003 Muniyappa: 94485-70684 Mohan: 99869-22193 This brochure also provides some information on the process of locating and digging the…

Dear members of civil society, who are the members of the newly formed Bangalore Blueprint Action Group, I am writing to you today because, like you, I care about Namma Bengaluru and I want its governance to improve. And I believe every one of us in the city can make a difference to its future. First, I am happy that the Government values your advice. The input of people who have both ideas and passion for the city should always be welcome in government. Many of you have a track record of interest in the welfare of the city, and…