GENRE: In Focus

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)’s plan for shopping space inside the to-be-built metro stations is likely to leave many displaced traders stranded. Except two stations, one on M G Road and the other at Byapanahalli, and possibly a third -- the Trinity Circle station, all other stations will not have shops inside, according to K Nagendra, Public Relations Officer at BMRCL. Nagendra says that Metro stations which will have provisions for parking lots and integrated transport facilities will be the ones earmarked for inclusion of shops. The other stations are going to be basic. The crane moves at…

If the December 2005 terrorist attack on the Indian Institute of Science campus in Bangalore was the ‘wake up' call that Karnataka is no longer a State where internal security can be taken for granted, the July 25 serial bombs in the city have shaken Bangaloreans really hard. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa admitted in the legislature that Bangalore has become ‘a safe haven for terrorists'. Terror in a wrapper. Pic: Vasu M N. Investigations into the serial blasts are being conducted by a special investigation team led by Joint Commissioner of Police Gopal B Hosur. No arrests have been…

‘The role of organic agriculture, whether in farming, processing, distribution, or consumption, is to sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human beings’-International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) Organic - the new mantra of today's well being. It is the name given to food that is grown without using pesticides or chemical fertilizers and emphasizes using renewable resources for conserving soil and water. In addition, organic food is not subjected to radiation treatment and artificial colours and it is not genetically-modified. It includes everything from staple crops such as rice…

ICSE, CBSE, IGCSE, IB, SSLC…If these seem like random combinations of letters to you, you probably do not have a child of school-going age. Most parents would instantly recognize these as abbreviations of the various school boards that exist in Bangalore today. In the quest of the perfect school for their child, parents of children as young as three begin to choose from among the plethora of not just schools but also school boards, each professing a different philosophy and vision. Science is all around us: A biology class at Prakriya. (Pic: Prakriya) With the majority of parents, the preferred…

Rainbow Drive, an apartment complex of 200 houses seems to be all that the name suggests -- tree-lined pathways, moist breezes, and verdant gardens. But no one would believe that this is situated on Sarjapur Road, the ‘waterless colony' as this region of south-eastern Bangalore is being called in private circles. Rainbow Drive was beginning to go the way of all ‘dry' colonies just four months ago. It does not have a water supply connection from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), and has been dependent on its rapidly depleting borewells. According to a resident, Jayawanth Bhardwaj, formerly…

Recently, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the Revised Master Plan - 2015 (RMP), or the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for the Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR) was admitted in the Karnataka High Court. The PIL was filed by the Citizens' Action Forum (CAF), the Sadashivnagar Residents' Welfare Association (SRWA) and 12 distinguished citizens against the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), for disregarding public sentiments and expert opinion and going ahead with the RMP in its present form. Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice Ravi Malimath admitted the writ petition (Case: 3676, 2008) on 3 March. The petitioners have charged that the…

A rather regrettable medical situation arose in Mallya Hospital, one of Bangalore's premier hospitals, two years ago. A patient's life was placed at great peril and she is lucky to be alive today. At the culmination of a case fought and appealed at a consumer forum, the hospital paid the patient Rs.265,588 a few days back. Here's what happened: Early June 2006M G Radha, aged about 58, a housewife and resident of Vidyaranyapura began experiencing bouts of back pain. The pains persisted for about 15 days, and Radha and her family decided to get the condition investigated at Mallya Hospital.…

On a sleepy Sunday afternoon of 29 June, Bengaluru made history of sorts. A 400 strong crowd made its way from Basavangudi's National College to the Town Hall, marking the city's first ever Pride Parade. For the uninitiated, the Pride Parade is an annual march held by queer communities around the world, as an expression of pride for their sexual identities and, in India's case, a demand for equal rights. The four-km rally was organised on Sunday, 29 June, to coordinate with the anniversary of what is commonly believed to be the beginning of the queer rights movement in the…

Whenever we see roads being laid anywhere, we see concrete or tar with bulldozers and big mixers. As some of you will be aware, Bangalore now has plastic-blended roads, which have been proven to be stronger, smoother and less bumpier. In fact, all the new road constructions happening in the city (including the contested road-widening project), will be using plastic, according to the BBMP. BTS 7th Main Road off of K H Road, is plastic blended. (Outside Shanthinagar Bus Stand) Pic: Author. But what are these plastic roads all about? I had the same question in my mind when I…

In his report placed before the Karnataka High Court on 23 June 2008, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka Dr P J Dilip Kumar has observed that the privatisation of lakes in Bangalore would be detrimental to the eco-system, the fallout of which would most affect communities living in the surrounding areas. Kumar heads the state's forest department and is the state's highest ranking forest official. The 91-page report was compiled at the order of the High Court in response to a writ petition filed by the Environment Support Group and others against the privatisation of lakes. Notice Board…