GENRE: LN

Most of us Bangaloreans consume eggs, whether as fried eggs or in cakes. But did you know where the egg on your plate comes from? From a factory or a farm? India is among the top five poultry producers in the world today; we did about 45 billion eggs in 2009, from 200 million caged hens. Life for the hen in an industrial poultry farm is inhuman, to put it mildly. Treated as mere egg-producing machines, these hens get less than an A4 sheet of space to live their entire lives; are fed with steroids in order to make them…

Five days after an ABIDe-led committee was constituted to discuss Karnataka's draft rules for implementing the national Right to Education (RTE) Act, it has already received several suggestions from senior educationists and NGOs. To propose a way through the confusion regarding the implementation of the RTE Act the chief minister's task force for Bengaluru, ABIDe (Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development Task Force), formed a working group on September 23. The group plans to collect suggestions from the public and hold discussions with parents, teachers, NGOs, school associations and other stakeholders to discuss the draft rules proposed by the state…

Ahead of the judgement at the Lucknow High Court, regarding disputed property in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), steps have been taken here in Bengaluru to keep a check on the law and order situation. While the state government has declared that schools and colleges will not function for two days, September 30th and October 1st, many private companies have chosen either declare a holiday or work half-day. Prohibitory orders have been clamped on the city, with effect from 6 am today till 6 am on October 3rd. This means public functions cannot be held and groups of five or more people…

A complaint regarding tampered water meter has arisen in Jayanagar 4th T block. David S R, a resident of the area, noticed the issue of steep hike in his BWSSB's water bill around three years back. "The bill would come to Rs.4000 a month sometimes. Whenever I visited the local BWSSB office, I would be sent back saying that the case would be investigated, but nothing was done", he said. The Water Meter. Pic: David S R. During David's many visits over the past few years, he alleges that the officials not only demanded bribes, but also said that the…

According to BBMP's second quarter status report for JNNURM projects, 2009-10, the sanctioned cost was Rs 24.86 crores, with BBMP putting up 50% of the funds. The tender was awarded in March 2008, with the project scheduled to complete in January 2009 as per the Detailed Project Report. In the same report, BBMP gives reason for delay as:  "Sital conditions (faced hard rock which has to be blasted), traffic diversion are the reasons for delay. And another major problem is land acquisition." The Deccan Herald reported on September 13th about the Kadirenahalli underpass getting ready to be opened. It said…

Most of us are so self-centred, we take all the people providing us various services, for granted. One such group is the group of Pourakarmikas or municipal sweepers. Think what would happen if these people went on strike! Think of the garbage that many citizens throw on the road, into empty sites and at corners of pavements. Non-segregated, stinking garbage. Plastic bags torn up by street dogs and garbage strewn all over. Yet, we do not spare a thought for these poor workers performing a thankless task, and often abuse them. In an effort to sensitise the next generation to…

Piles of garbage lie unattended. Passers-by cringe as they walk past, quickly crossing over to the other side of the road. The carefree add to the mess, urinating right there in the open. This has been the scene for the past 15 years, outside the Air Force Camp School on Wind Tunnel Road  in Murugeshpalya in the Old Airport Road area. The school students have to endure this everyday. Repeated complaints by school authorities and residents of the area have proved futile. BBMP garbage collection contractors have been dumping garbage here, outside the Air Force Camp School, in Murugeshpalya. Pic:…

The BBMP has approved a budget of Rs 8848 crores for 2010-11. Additionally each of the 198 corporators have also been given Rs 2 crores (old wards) and Rs 3 crores (new wards). But after complaints from several corporators about the ward grants being insufficient, separate grants have been allocated for each ward to undertake special works and build ward offices. These are the grants in the budget which can directly be used by a corporator to decide on projects. This also gives a chance for citizens to interact with their corporator to prioritise what works need to be carried…

Anyone who dismisses director Abhinav Kashyap's debut film Dabangg as mindless entertainment has not understood the heart of the Hindi film blockbuster. It is fast-paced, action-packed, loud, colourful, lustily melodious, emotional, romantic, reverential of family and held together by the charisma of a single star who towers head and shoulders above the chaotic concoction. It may not always have sequential logic, but it inevitably invites loud cat calls and whistles. It seldom makes you think, but it always leaves you entertained. That is the heart of Dabangg - an entertainer for the masses, easily shrugging off the aspirations of the…

On September 1st 2010, local daily newspapers reported that BBMP Commissioner H Siddaiah had issued a circular to zonal joint commissioners to fill all potholes in the city within a fortnight. Each ward was given Rs 1 lakh for this purpose. On September 15th, the deadline came. And went. But potholes continue to remain. In south Bangalore's Kengeri (Ward 159), Corporator R Anjanappa (BJP) says they have completed work only to an extent. "Rs 1 lakh is too little money for us to fill all potholes...there are still many potholes to be filled", he says. Suresh Devathraj, an engineer in…