GENRE: In Focus

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…

26-year old Sarika R, an IT professional from Bangalore, is anxious about her 10-month old son Ganesh while she prepares to go back to work after a year's extended maternity leave. As her parents live in a different city, she doesn't have any one to take care of her toddler while at office. "I have been looking around for options of day care for him," she says, "but there are so many things that need to be taken care of for a child - it's a difficult choice." Fun time at Kara. Pic: author. This feeling is familiar among working…

From its 18th century incarnation as a military town, Bangalore has morphed into a hotbed of the information technology revolution in the 21st first century. And the city has witnessed significant changes in its social and physical landscapes. Most contemporary reflections on the city are framed primarily through the lens of its collapsing infrastructure, and the paradoxical rise of glitzy commercial and residential spaces following the economic boom of the 1990s. The political, social and economic changes unleashed by this IT-led boom have been far reaching. New services, new social and occupational groups and a whole new philosophy of ‘living…

Throughout their election campaigning, two of the major political parties in Karnataka, the Congress and the BJP said they will review the Capital Value Scheme (CVS) for taxing properties in Bangalore. Their representatives said so in various meetings held with different citizens' groups. Screen shot of a section of the home page of the BBMP website's www.bmponline.org. A message on paying property taxes runs from right to left on top of the screen. "Most of the parties have come out against the scheme," says Col. Mathew Thomas, general secretary of Citizen Actions' Forum (CAF). However, "Only the BJP has made…

Ever wondered what happens to the used batteries, CDs and outdated television sets that we throw into the garbage bins? These are hazardous e-waste, containing substantial quantities of lead, cadmium, chromium and flame-retardant plastics. They reach scrapyards on the outskirts of the city - such as the ones at Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jnana Bharathi railway station -- where children are made to work. Pic: Saahas. Inhaling or handling such substances and being in contact with them on a regular basis can damage the brain, nervous system, lungs, kidneys and the reproductive system. According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Bangalore…

The ongoing process of constructing and implementing Namma Metro has been fraught with conflicts over property. Citizen Matters has been reporting about the litigation filed by Indiranagar's CMH (Chinmaya Mission Hospital) Road traders against the BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited). Traders are asserting their right to stay on CMH Road and continue their trades.The media have also recently briefly highlighted court cases being fought over properties at M G Road, Vijaynagar and Yeshwanthpur between private property holders, traders, residents associations and the BMRC. Pramila Nesargi, legal counsel for the traders association, had earlier suggested that as the Metro starts…