GENRE: LN

On 24 February, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) called for a hearing on the basis of the complaints given by the residents of the Brigade Palm Springs, JP Nagar 7th phase, against the noise caused by granite cutting and polishing units functioning in their neighbourhood. Residents of Brigade Palm Springs at KSPCB office. Pic: Deepthi M S. The residents had given a written complaint to Environment officer, South one on 6 February. JP Nagar, where these factories are situated comes under the jurisdiction of South One department.The complaint was against Ashwini Granites, Alankar Granites and Vijaya Granites, which…

Pawan Kumar the director of the successful film Lifeu Ishtene might just show ‘Gandhinagar' that pedigree and stars don't matter. He plans to produce his second film Lucia using crowd funding. He had earlier expressed his frustration about no takers for his second film. His fans and friends on Facebook and reacted to it and many suggestions started coming his way. In his own words "was bombarded with emails, smses, pings, chat posts etc etc. Everyone coming together to pour in ideas and solutions. Majority of them have suggested to open a public funding and produce the film with the…

Apartment Complexes broadly face two major issues when it comes to Water Management. One, sustainable water supply to individual flats - entirely driven by borewells or tankers. And two, cost effective waste water treatment - under-capacity Sewage treatment plants and unclear regulations of Pollution Control Board stress out the Management Committee. Where do you get your water from? How many tankers does your apartment complex have to buy everyday? Fill this Water Survey! The survey results and learnings will be discussed in a session during the water workshop. On 25th February, ApartmentAdda is organising a Water Workshop for apartment communities…

Third Saturday of the month is the time to talk traffic trouble with BTP. People from Koramangala, Silk Board, BTM layout, HSR Layout, Bommanahalli, Bellandur and Sarjapur turn up at the Madivala police station to discuss the various problems dogging pedestrians, motorists and road users in general. Madiwala traffic police public meeting. Pic: Meera K On February 18, members of Spandana Nagarika Vedike from BTM layout and a few other residents brought the list of their problems. Bommanahalli auto stand should be removed. It is causing more nuisance than helping.Request for a road hump on Gandhi Road.Usage of the flyover…

The long pending request of Jayanagar residents to remove transformers on footpaths has materialised. BESCOM is converting multi-pole transformers here to single pole transformers. (Single pole transformers occupy lesser space on footpaths.) Work started on the transformer on the busy 7th Main road, 36th Cross in Jayanagar 4th block, on February 13th. The old transformer used to obstruct traffic on the road, and the footpath was unusable. This transformer in Jayanagar 4th block is being replaced by a single pole transformer now. Pic: Keshava Kumar N Persuation by Jayanagar MLA B N Vijaya Kumar and the team work by BESCOM…

The Concerned for Working Children (CWC), a Bangalore-based NGO, has been nominated for this year's Nobel Peace prize by Norwegian Parliamentarians. Nandana Reddy, founder and Director of Development at CWC. Pic: CWC video still. CWC is known for its pioneering efforts that led to the Karnataka state government making children's grama sabhas mandatory in rural local governments. The nomination is for CWC's work in promoting child rights, emphasising on children's right to participate in decision-making.CWC was nominated by three members of Norwegian parliament - Linda Hofstad Helleland, Gunn Karin Gjul and Andre Oktay Dahlt. They have also nominated two other…

RWAs and citizens' groups that fight public causes in court may soon get a helping hand. Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar (Independent) has offered to bear 50% costs of PILs filed in Bangalore and the state, through the Namma Bengaluru foundation. He first announced this on Twitter. Rajeev Chandrasekhar was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2006. Pic: Subramaniam Vincent. Chandrasekhar's decision comes on the back of the Karnataka High Court's verdict three weeks ago on the city'sComprehensive Development Plan (CDP). In a PIL, citizens' groups had challenged a provision in the current CDP (2005-2015) that allowed commercialisation of residential…

Batman and Superman can fly but have you seen a fish or a Ben 10 fly? Sunday morning sky at the Koramangala 3rd block, play ground was dotted with kites of all hues and shapes. More than 250 people from across Bangalore had gathered on 12 February to try their hands at kite flying, traditional games like pagade and chowkabara. The Gaalipata time was organised by Citizen Matters in association with Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) to celebrate three years in print in South Bangalore. The event was also co-sponsored by Bulldog Sportz and Printo.NBF is an organisation working towards making…

The Bellary road toll fee protest might have fizzled out quietly, but what may have gone unnoticed was the use of forceful language in the transport union's flyers.The Federation Of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agent Association chose strong and retaliatory language at NHAI's decision to impose tolls. They termed it 'A daylight robbery by NHAI' in their flyers.The association further claims in its flyer as to how NHAI has violated its own rules by setting up a toll gate within 10kms of the BBMP limits and by collecting toll fee before the completion of the road."It is in their…

Jayanagar police nabbed a chain snatcher on 13th February. Inspector S K Umesh shot the thief who was trying to flee after snatching the chain of a resident. The victim, a 45-year-old woman, was going for a walk in front of her house when her gold chain worth Rs 2 lakh was snatched. Police chased the accused Vijay Kumar and shot him in the thigh. Kumar is a resident of Ramanagara aged around 30 years.The incident occured at around 9.45 pm near Lakshman Rao Park, 38th Cross, Jayanagar 5th Block. Police later admitted Kumar to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. (Umesh says…