GENRE: LN

Bescom MD P Manivannan, Head Constable Mahadev Sambargi, MLA of Jayanagar Consistuency, B N Vijay Kumar, Fr George Kannanthanam are among the winners of Namma Bengaluru Awards for 2012 given by the Namma Bengaluru Foundation to recognize the extra-ordinary contributions of ordinary citizens and organizations to the city.The Namma Bengaluru Awards for 2012 received unprecedented response from the public with citizens nominating more than 61,000 citizens of Bengaluru. A 20 member jury, chaired by Pradeep Kar, Chairman of Microland consisted of prominent citizens of Bengaluru from the fields of art and culture, music, literature, law, media and environment. The jury,…

The initiative to clean up Lottegollahalli was the brainchild of a few residents of Raj Mahal Vilas (RMV) clusters phase 1 and 2 who were keen to do something about the waste that had accumulated on our recently tarred main road. Like the garbage, our anger, frustration and the need to act was also piling up. So, after deliberating this issue many times, we decided to greet each other 'good morning' on 17th February, 2013 armed with face masks, gloves, brooms, rakes and shovels and most importantly, our will. When the group of us who had been strategising and motivating…

The temperature in the city seems to be rising gradually over the last month. The trend is visible in the entire nation, not just limited to the city or state. While experts say that this has happened gradually over the years, Bangaloreans feel that it is rising at a more drastic pace. Richa Anantha, a sales-woman, livng in Nagarbhavi, points that riders on the city roads can feel the sticky uncomfortable heat. The wind is not cooling. She feels that Bangalore is hotter than what it was last year. Pic: Parvathisri via wikimedia BV Khare, a Bangalore-based retired teacher, residing…

Come May, and Bangaloreans will join citizens in other parts of the state to decide who will be steering the political fate of the city and Karnataka over the next five years. As voters, we are all accustomed to candidates across parties making promises or making excuses, especially before elections. But do we know enough about our chosen political representative - our area MLA - to really make an informed choice? ♦ How vocal has your MLA been in the Assembly about issues that concern you and your constituency? ♦ How has he utilised the local area development (LAD) funds…

With buildings trying to reach out to the sky, borewells reach down the other extreme. BWSSB is now trying to enforce the groundwater rules that came into force late last year. The Karnataka Groundwater Act, 2011 to track ground water exploitation calls for declaration of existing borewells/tubewells and mandates registration prior to digging any new borewells. File pic All commercial borewell drillers need to register themselves with BWSSB and proceed with drilling work after getting a consent letter from BWSSB. "Anybody digging borewells without prior permission from BWSSB will be subject to legal proceedings," says Engineer-in-Chief BWSSB Venkata Raju. "If…

Last December, Smart Vote and other organisations had campaigned for extending the deadline for voter registration. This seems to have paid off, as some 7.5 lakh voters enrolled themselves in the list, in December-January alone. Smart Vote had got people registered directly, and also created awareness among the public. The registration drive continues.Around one lakh applications are still pending, as they are yet to be verified and updated; BBMP had promised to complete this by March 10th. Our sample checks show that this is not complete yet. We will discuss this in a meeting with BBMP on March 13th.The CEO…

Students of Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media are conducting an anonymous survey to analyse the income disparities among various groups across the country. In most countries around the world, women and men are paid differently for the same amount of work. Unfortunately India is a country that ranks really low when it comes to gender parity. Based on the Gender Gap Index 2011, India was ranked at 113 out of 135 countries. These figures tell a sad tale.Article 39(d) and 41 of the Indian Constitution state the principle for “equal pay for equal work” yet the gender pay…

The Delhi gangrape and many more rapes that were never reported hitherto but are at least getting some attention now have been able to evoke noticeable public response regarding violence against women. Finally, more and more people have started understanding that millions of women all over the globe who hide their tears silently have the right to be treated equally, gently and with respect. The Women's Day celebrated at this point carries more meaning than ever before.'Promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women,' the theme given by the United Nations Organisation for the Women's Day…

What would it be, to stand atop a gold mill tailing dump and be a sole witness to century old gold fields, sophisticated mining machinery and the deserted British colonial township of yesteryears? Or how would it be to stand amidst a shakthi and tantric temple which dates back to Ganga period and hear stories of sacrifices and wishes fulfilled from the bygone era? If this is the kind of experience you are seeking then head out to Kolar, one of the prosperous towns of Karnataka during the British era. KGF. Pic: Usha Hariprasad History of Kolar Abandoned forts, temples,…

40% of all the Cauvery water that gets pumped into the city - from a distance of about 140 km and to a height of 500m, at a cost of Rs 300 crores a year is said to be unaccounted for. This is either wasted as a result of leaks or is stolen or not recorded because of faulty meters, thus making it ‘Non-Revenue Water (NRW)' or ‘Unaccounted For Water (UFW)'. BWSSB has woken up to this alarming reality and is trying to address a part of the problem through a project funded by the Japan Bank of International Co-operation…