GENRE: In Focus

Last week, we covered the issue of many parents in Bengaluru protesting against the private schools hiking fees, which they say has doubled in last 4-5 years. But, is there another side to the story? Citizen Matters spoke to a few school managements and teachers. What are the costs involved in running a school? "It’s not just the maintenance expenses that the school managements have to bear, but the initial establishment cost too," says Dr M Srinivasan, Founder and Chairman of GEAR International School. For instance, he says, if a person had to buy two acres of land in a prime…

This election season, Citizen Matters Chennai conducted a survey to analyse the state of the affairs in various neighborhoods of Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC),  which has thrown light on some interesting facts about the residents’ perception of local governance. The survey conducted by AskByPoll for Citizen Matters, was to understand the view of Chennaiites on public policy, local body representatives, quality of local governance, performance of MLAs, and important civic issues. Over 100 respondents from different parts of Chennai took part in the survey, out of which 15 percent were from the  extended areas  of the GCC. Around 68 percent…

In the first part of the series, we explained why the BBMP is not making any money from advertising. This part will explain the nexus between officials and enforcement contractors, how contractors make money in advertisement removal and the flawed enforcement contract system. Illegal advertisement and hoarding removal is a web where the nexus between advertisers, officials and enforcement contractors raises its ugly head. What’s the role of enforcement contractors in advertisement? Enforcement contractors are entrusted with the responsibility of removing illegal hoardings. A contractor with integrity, which is a rare breed to find in an area where the monthly…

In the first part of the series, we explained why the BBMP is not making any money from advertising. This part will explain the nexus between officials and enforcement contractors, how contractors make money in advertisement removal and the flawed enforcement contract system. Illegal advertisement and hoarding removal is a web where the nexus between advertisers, officials and enforcement contractors raises its ugly head. What’s the role of enforcement contractors in advertisement? Enforcement contractors are entrusted with the responsibility of removing illegal hoardings. A contractor with integrity, which is a rare breed to find in an area where the monthly…

A huge illegal hoarding near Ejipura Signal. Pic: Shree D N This huge IPL hoarding looms above the building next to Ejipura Signal. It’s not one hoarding - they are in plenty. There are no visible license tags or numbers on the hoarding. One such hoarding in a premium location like this costs about Rs 2 lakhs per month to advertise. As we capture it on our mobile, a person sitting in the shop below stands up, alarmed. He asks, “why are you taking the photo?” He sits back satisfied upon hearing from us that the IPL imagery on the…

A huge illegal hoarding near Ejipura Signal. Pic: Shree D N This huge IPL hoarding looms above the building next to Ejipura Signal. It’s not one hoarding - they are in plenty. There are no visible license tags or numbers on the hoarding. One such hoarding in a premium location like this costs about Rs 2 lakhs per month to advertise. As we capture it on our mobile, a person sitting in the shop below stands up, alarmed. He asks, “why are you taking the photo?” He sits back satisfied upon hearing from us that the IPL imagery on the…

The newly formed Bengaluru Blue Print Action Group (BBPAG) has ruffled several feathers within the civil society. People from various quarters have denounced the new Action Group as “exclusively elitist,” full of elected representatives, bureaucrats and corporate honchos, with none to represent common citizens. The citizens who have seen several such independent or government-led groups or task forces in the past, are wary of the functioning of BBPAG. Task forces and committees are not at all new to Bengaluru. There have been several of them, including Bangalore Agenda Task Force, ABIDe, Kasturirangan Committee, BBMP Restructuring Committee. Each of them worked…

We have seen many vision groups earlier. Now it's time for an action group! While the Assembly election is just two years away, the State government has constituted Bengaluru Blue Print Action Group (BBPAG). Here is a quick look into the various vision groups/task forces that were formed in the past, why were they formed, what have they achieved and couldn’t. Also is the list of bigwigs who have made it to more than two groups. Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) was formed in 1999, when S M Krishna was the Chief Minister. It was…

To view map, see: http://bl.ocks.org/d/de408678254813d7f62068c3cf19b381 Saidapet occupies an important place in the political history of Tamil Nadu. DMK president M. Karunanidhi was elected from here in 1967, and in 1971 when he became the Chief Minister. This constituency was a DMK bastion till early 1980s, but AIADMK emerged victorious in 1984. The ruling power has emerged victorious in the last two elections. Rival parties DMK and AIADMK are campaigning hard to win back this constituency. There are 2,79,207 voters in the constituency, which includes: West Saidapet, CIT Nagar, Jaffarkhanpet, Ekkaduthangal, IIT, Raj Bhavan quarters, Maduvankarai, Surya Nagar, Srinagar Colony and…

Virugambakkam is a new constituency formed in 2009 which was carved out of Villivakkam and Alandur constituencies. B Parthasarathy of DMDK became the first MLA from here in 2011 by winning 71524 votes.  It is a residential neighbourhood which also houses famous movie studios and one of the largest fruits and vegetable market in Asia. The constituency consists of Virugambakkam (North), Virugambakkam (South),Saligramam, Kodambakkam (North), and Kodambakkam (South). CANDIDATES B. Parthasarathy- DMDK (Incumbent MLA) Tamilisai Soundararajan - BJP K Dhanasekaran – DMK V.N. Ravi- AIADMK Media scan of candidates Incumbent MLA: B. Parthasarathy- DMDK B.Parthasarathy, started out as a district secretary…