GENRE: In Focus

While they are struggling to figure out the BBMP's muddled up garbage management policy, apartment owners are hit with tanker water price hikes.In the last 3-4 months water tanker prices have risen quite steeply, especially since the city's water crisis became severe. This applies to apartments in both outskirts and old areas. Most do not have functioning borewells, as opposed to individual houses. Bannerghatta Neighbourhood Association (BANA), a collective of 25 apartments along Bannerghatta Road, has faced sharp price hikes in the last few months. BANA Treasurer Shankar Bharadwaj says that the price varies from Rs 450 to Rs 600…

Trees were cut, roads were dug up and traffic diverted for the Agara-Sirsi Ciricle signal-free corridor project. BDA vehemently defended the project while residents in Koramangala questioned the logic and took it to the court. Now a year since the struggle, Koramangala residents feel vindicated. The government-appointed committee that looked into the project has recommended that the project be dropped.In July, High Court had ordered that the government committee should engage with citizens and give its recommendations on the project. HC had given this order in a petition filed by residents and civic associations. The committee was formed by ex-Chief…

The Lokayukta Court has reserved its orders for 4th October regarding a complaint filed by T J Abraham against the consortium of NICE (Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise) and various ministers and bureaucrats. Abraham has alleged various irregularities in the execution of Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corrdiror (BMIC) project. Allegations of a massive ‘land grab' and financial fraud with the connivance of ministers, bureaucrats and NICE, form the core of his petition. Abraham, a businessman in his mid-forties, is the President of Karnataka Anti-Graft and Environmental Forum. The main petition runs to 147 pages. One annexure alone runs to 3,368 pages. The…

Slayer - an American band, is one of the big heavy metal bands around the world. It will be holding its first ever concert in India on October 20, 2012. But there will be no Palace Grounds to welcome them. Government put a ban on the commercial activities at Palace Grounds in early August this year. Instead, the band is performing in Bharatiya city, a 125 acre township in Hebbal.Naina Roy, a Fashion Designer from HSR layout, says, "The big daddies of thrash metal - Slayer is playing on October 20 in Bangalore. I am a big fan, but I…

On August 10th, 2012, an elderly couple’s decomposed bodies were found in JP Nagar 1st phase, they were murdered three days earlier. 60-year-old Lakshmidevamma was bludgeoned to death at her house on July 4th in Prakash Nagar. In both cases, they were alone, at the time of the crime. Elderly People need security. Pic: Abhishek Angad National Crime Records Bureau’s data or the local police, do not have any specific reports on crimes against elderly. Physical abuse, robbery, stealing, harassment and sometimes murder come under this category. However, according to a study conducted by NGO Helpage India, in the year…

Last year, state government got flak for promoting the teaching of Bhagavat Gita in schools. Activists and educationists had branded this as ‘saffronisation' of education. But, for decades, Hindu organisations have been promoting Hinduism in schools throughout the state. Prominent of these is Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an organisation that actively promotes Hindutva. VHP holds exams, competitions, sloka classes etc for schools in the city. Ramakrishna Mission in Ulsoor, and ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), are other organisations that have similar programmes. However, such work has continued without getting the ‘saffronisation' tag. Culture comes from religion VHP has been…

Two young professionals  from the city, Saikat Sarkar and Joanna Banerjee, used social media platform to vent their frustration about being allegedly humiliated and even manhandled by Bangalore Traffic Police a week ago. City's dailies, picked up the story when their ‘notes' went viral. The 26-year-old woman's note was extensively quoted in all the news reports, however she says none of the journalists contacted her to ask for permission or verify any of the facts. Nobody contacted 27-year-old Sarkar, either.Even the Bangalore Traffic Police, took cognisance of the two people's notes and promised action on its Facebook page. MA Saleem…

The deadline for clearing the garbage set by the newly appointed BBMP commissioner Rajneesh Goel ended on September 3rd, 2012.  But where is the garbage going, considering only Mandoor landfill is operational right now? Garbage being piled up in Madiwala market. Pic: Sankar C G Mayor D Venkatesha Murthy said, “We spoke with Mandoor villagers and they have agreed to dump the waste in Mandor landfill.”  He expects Mavallipura villagers to agree for dumping the waste in the landfill there. BBMP plans to hold a meeting shortly.Though BBMP has given a green signal to dump garbage at Mandoor landfill, the…

The uncleared garbage in the city is raising the stink. Residents are unhappy, government departments are pointing fingers at each other, those living near landfills are protesting; but the city still does not have a comprehensive solid waste management policy. Mavallipura landfill. Pic: Sankar C G The policy is being drafted for over a year now. Last September, a BBMP official told Citizen Matters that the policy will go for Council approval shortly. One year on, there is no draft policy in sight and not very surprisingly, the same statement is being repeated. “The policy that we have framed will…

BWSSB is all set for a 90 MLD (Million litres per day) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Amanikane in Thubarahalli near Marathahalli. BWSSB officials claim this project is to stop channelising sewage water to Bellandur Lake and this in turn will preserve the lake. Untreated sewage water into Bellandur Lake. Pic: Sankar C G However, a Citizen Matters investigation has revealed that the proposed STP is not going to save Bellandur lake. Amanikane is 10 kms away from Bellandur Lake. The sewage water coming from Bangalore has to go through Bellandur lake before it reaches the site where the Amanikane…