CITIZEN JOURNALISM

IAC Karnataka had organised a protest rally on May 25th, Saturday at Chamrajpet. The meeting was addressed by H S Doraiswamy, senior freedom fighter. This was followed by candle light vigil at traffic signal  junction, Chamrajpet. For over a year now, IAC has been protesting the unfortunate killing of honest officers and whistle blowers. In spite of the continued killings, starting from the Satyendra Dubey, Sheila Masood to the recent killing of Narendra Kumar, Madan Naik, SP Mahantesh in different parts of the country,  governments both at Centre and States have done nothing to offer protection to the whistleblowers. This…

When an apartment is built and it is eventually occupied, a few questions do the rounds within the new community. There are always common issues to be coordinated with the builder regarding teething troubles, maintenance, handover and several such issues. Normally, a group of owners comes together to coordinate on behalf of the community. For a period, I was one of them in our large apartment located near Marathahalli in Bengaluru. Among the various challenges we faced, one of the toughest questions to answer was on registering the owner’s association. Today, if a community is lucky, the builder registers the…

On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their appreciation for the books and the author, as referred to in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The commemoration was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on 11 May 2001. As keepers of the faith, and as believers that the solution to all the universe’s problems lies in the number 42, two young startups - Graffiti Collaborative(www.thegraffiti.co), an innovative brand consulting firm, and PoshVine (www.poshvine.com), an online service which provides Bangaloreans insider access to unique dining and culinary experiences - have come together to…

There is no area in Bangalore today where rainwater directly seeps into the ground except a few parks like Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. Almost all roads are cemented or tarred.  Natural lakes and ponds have become foundations for huge residential apartments and commercial complexes. Rain harvesting pit in JayanagarBBMP has miserably failed in managing rainwater. The idea of having a 12 feet deep pits reinforced with concrete rings in storm water drains is good but is shabbily executed in Jayanagar.BBMP officials should have ensured that the rainwater enters the drain and reaches the rainwater harvesting pit.  If this exercise was…

The pipelining work which started in the month of February is finally complete, but now we are deprived of good roads, why are we at the receiving end? why is the concerned authority not doing anything about the dug up roads?I have contacted Bangalore Traffic Police on their FB page - Bangalore Traffic PoliceThey suggested that I contact BBMP control room 080-22660000.I contacted BBMP control room and got the complaint filed. Later I learnt that the issue does not come under Koramangala ward and I was asked to contact Ejipura ward. The concerned authority explained to me that the pipeline…

We, Malleswaram Swabhimana Initiative (MSI), a resident's welfare association, have been short listed for Green Star awards. Finally we are being recognized for the work that MSI has done in the field of waste management. The award is being given by TCS during their 10 k run.The award will be partially based on the number of votes that the association gets. Please click on this link for voting:  Green Star awards. The voting closes on May 27, Sunday.For more information on MSI, visit: We Care For Malleswaram .⊕

BBMP has listed control room numbers for disaster management on its official website. Unfortunately these lines either do not work or there is no response. I had lodged a complaint (Complaint no: 197) with BBMP (South Office) on May 11 for clearing the branch of the tree that had fallen due to heavy rain, which was promptly cleared within couple of hours.It has been more than 10 days and the branches cut are thrown across my compound facilitating to make it a dump yard. Irony is that BBMP Porakarmikas who clean the road, dump all the debris in the same…

BBMP unlike BDA is not a development authority, it can be termed as a maintenance authority and provides services, hence it should focus on -Capacity building - Administrative restructuring of BBMP - Roles and responsibilities of departments/officers  to be defined.Computerisation of all BBMP offices, establishment of  citizen help centers in each ward.Adequate and skilled professionals should be hired as required in BBMP.Services of Private consultants/professionals /outsourcing can be utilised as required on a contract basis instead of utilizing engineers from the public works department.Involve registered Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and civic organizations to monitor projects of the ward and conduct…

Drive across the roads of Bangalore today and see mounds of filth, mud, plastic and stones removed from across the city’s drains and just left in heaps along the drains. It happens day in and day out. Men are hired to manually scavenge and clean the drains which get blocked through the year with dirt and debris either deliberately thrown in by the surrounding houses or swept into them by the sweepers, keeping the area clean. Instead of immediately sending in trucks to cart away the dirt, the mounds are left alongside, to slide right back, from where they initially…

Shut since 2004 with a pledge by the then Bangalore Mahanagara Palike that a refurbished theatre with state-of-the-art facilities in place would be re-opened, the theatre today lies decrepit.During the visit of then Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa  to the damaged site, revival of the theatre in 36 months was promised, but unfortunately the situation remains unchanged and is causing a huge loss to the state exchequer.  The project has been handed over to BDA by BBMP. Concerned authorities must look into the matter at the earliest and accelerate the reconstruction.⊕