GENRE: LN

A dying lake in the city. File pic. In a significant decision, a Division Bench of the High Court of Karnataka constituted by Justice Mohan Shantanagoudar and Justice B. Sreenivase Gowda ordered notice on Thursday (29/08/2013) to the state government.  The High Court bench asked S V Ranganath, IAS, Chief Secretary of the Government of Karnataka, as to why action should not be initiated as per Contempt of Court Act, 1971 for not complying with the directions of the Court in WP. 817/2008 (Environment Support Group and anr. vs. State of Karnataka represented by Chief Secretary and others), more than…

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike seems to be serious this time, in taking steps towards implementing the waste segregation and management compulsorily in the city. For the second time in this week, the BBMP has issued an advertisement that announces fines for various offenses, in accordance with the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Act - 1976. The BBMP advertisement signed by the Commissioner states: "lt has been noticed that even after repeated notices the guidelines given are not being followed. BBMP will henceforth strictly enforce the rules and regulations and defaulters will be fined as detailed below."1) Littering, spitting, urinating, open defecating,…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has started with its homework, in a bid to merge the elevated road from Jayadeva junction to Central Silk Board with Metro’s R V Road - Bommasandra line. The preliminary research and other procedures are underway. The flyover planned to be extended till Central Silk Board at a cost of Rs.150 crore has already been announced in the maiden budget of the Congress government. “The project is still in the preliminary stage. A feasibility report and DPR is yet to be formed, which needs to be assigned to a consultant,” says BBMP Executive Engineer,…

Bhargavi Rao addresses the gathering on Puttenahalli lake premises. Pic: Nikita Malusare. Cracked footpaths; unattended garbage on the street; destruction of roads due to delayed Metro work; high water prices - all these have left Bangalore in chaos. With the sun peeking out from clouds every few seconds and cold wind sending shrivels in the body, many Bangaloreans joined the discussion on Puttenahalli Lake premises, on the issues that concern a Bangalorean, but are ignored as the city tries to catch up with development.   Born and brought up amid the greenery of Bangalore, Bhargavi S Rao, Trustee, Environment Support…

Residents affected by the realignment of Metro track near Jayadeva Hospital claim to be harassed by the land acquisition and survey officers, even before the Phase-II is officially finalised. One of the residents, Anil Kumar (45), Freelance Consultant in Strategy and Project Management, has been living opposite to Jayadeva since 1986 with his mother who is affected by Parkinson’s disease. He says, “Two officers named Venkat Raman and Gopal Swamy, who claimed to be the survey supervisors from Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) visited us in order to verify and procure copies of property documents, Khata certificate and latest…

It’s official. The higher you want to stay, the more you will have to pay. This concept has been officially introduced by the Stamps and Registration Department, in the new guidance values issued on 12 August, 2013. Though the concept wasn’t explicitly publicised, it has been in existence for a few years now. Those who wish to buy flats or apartments were being charged extra by builders, depending on the amenities and the floor on which they want to buy the space. The guidance values published in 2011 had a flat rate for all floors in any given apartments. Now…

Zafar Futehally, who passed away on 11 August, 2013, was known for the deep interest, knowledge and passion he brought to the fields of bird-watching and conservation. He was 93. Zafar Saheb, as he was affectionately referred to, was born in 1920 in Mumbai. He was a student of Economics. At the age of 22, he joined his uncle and cousin to run a machinery company. His wife Laeeq is a niece of the incomparable ‘Birdman of India,’ Salim Ali. Zafar and Laeeq had two daughters, Zahida (Zai) and Shama, both of whom became writers. Zafar was soon initiated into…

Editor's note: This article is out of date, as Aadhaar card is now being given in selected centres in Bangalore. Here is the list of centres where you can get your Aadhaar card done: List of Aadhaar registration centres in Bengaluru. Updated on: January 28, 2015. Pic courtesy: myaadhaar.in There is no need to stand in a long queue and wait for your turn to enrol for an Aadhaar card. You can take an appointment with the click of your mouse. You can also get the address of your nearest enrollment centre or by making a phone call to the Aadhaar…

Number of Bengaluru-based citizens groups and NGOs have filed a writ petition in the High Court of Karnataka against government authorities and private firms over the Bellandur-Agara Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project. The SEZ project, which is being built in a sensiive area between Bellandur and Agara lake, has been in the news recently on questions over environmental and water clearances.  Citizen Matters is awaiting further details regarding first proceedings of the case. We will run a detailed report when we get more details.   

The Stamps and Registration Department, as an annual exercise, is in the process of revising the guidance values of all commercial and residential units in Bangalore Urban, Rural and Ramanagara district. Latest update: Look upwards; pay more!How has the new guidance value affected the realty market in Bangalore? What is the new guidance value criteria for apartment? Click here to read. Last year, the Department received 19 lakh property registrations from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013, in all 47 sub registrar offices and realised an amount of Rs 5.265 crore. Of this, 17% of the applications were from…