GENRE: LN

On May 2nd, Transport Minister R Ashok inaugurated an incomplete JP Nagar underpass near 24th Main, 15th Cross road junction. The overbridge which runs from 24th Main towards Puttenahalli and Jambusavari Dinne has been opened. Road towards Sarakki from from 24th Main 15th cross junction. Pic: Chetan Boray. Out of the four side-roads branching out of the overbridge, only two side roads towards JP Nagar 6th phase and Sarakki signal are functioning. The other two side roads are still under construction and not open to public. Construction of underpass road leading from 6th phase JP Nagar to Bannerghatta is also…

The BBMP council is finally in place, but the BBMP is not the only agency responsible for urban governance in Bangalore. There are many para-statals like BDA, BMRDA, BWSSB, BMTC responsible for performing the many civic functions of the city.  There is a clear need for a citizen to understand the functional differences between these statutory agencies to deal with issues pragmatically. The City Corporation The BBMP (meaning Greater Bangalore City Corporation) is the Municipal Corporation which is responsible for the overall administration of the city of Bangalore. The BBMP was officially formed in January 2007 by merging the 100…

In response to an RTI application filed by Citizen Matters, the BDA has listed out the 364 allottees who were given BDA sites under G-category during 2007-08 and 2008-09. Karnataka law allows BDA plot allocations on the fast track (no need to wait in a queue) to ‘eminent’ individuals under a rule called G-category.Incidentally, in the RTI application, Citizen Matters had specifically asked 'for particulars for eminence' for all people who were allocated these sites. In the BDA's reply, the entire question of what was 'eminent' about the allottees was ducked. Instead the BDA sent a list of 364 allottees.…

S K Umesh, Inspector of JP Nagar Police Station, informs that JP Nagar Police Station will serve as the pilot for a new communication system that helps the station officials communicate with constables on the beat. This software is being developed by Honeywell Software. S K Umesh. Pic: Chetan Boray The communication software will allow the officials to know the precise location of beat constables and therefore assign the right person quickly and efficiently when a crime incident is reported. The system will also provide a website for each division that can be used by citizens to lodge complaints and…

After three years of no city council, the city finally saw the day when its 198 newly-elected corporators took oath to office. The city also welcomed its first citizens, Mayor S K Nataraj and Deputy Mayor N Dayanand, both of who were elected unopposed. There were mixed emotions in the air. While nervous first-time corporators quietly waded their way to their seats, the experienced lot seemed to be in a lighter mood. Few Congress MLAs turned up to lend their support to their party corporators. City BJP MLAs and ministers came in larger numbers, breaking into bouts of laughter amongst…

Malavalli Chikkanna Charities (MCC), a trust that donated its land in Sheshadripuram to the Karnataka Government for construction of a dispensary is reclaiming it, as the unit has been converted into a storeroom. The dispensary was built in 1957 by the health department on a land spread across 3,000 square feet. There were two doctors along with four other staff for attending patients. It was converted to a medicine storeroom around eight years back. From some years now, the trust has been asking the health department to hand over the dispensary to it since it was converted into a store…

Imagine you are in a time capsule. You open the door and peer out to see the Bengaluru city, especially the Gavipuram-Gandhibazaar area at different periods in time.Circa 1540: Work going on at Kempambudhi. Kempegowdaru is building a huge lake for the settlement here which later comes to be called Kempambudhi lake. He visits the Gavi (cave) Gangadeshwara temple and prays to the lord.1900s: Basavanagudi is a spacious settlement for the pete people with huge roads and wide open spaces. A little beyond are the some villages in Gavipuram. There are a few who venture into this area. It's a…

About two years ago, when writer Usha Rajagopalan looked out of her balcony, the view that faced her was that of a vanishing lake called Puttenahalli Kere. As a longtime resident of the apartment complex L&T South City, Usha remembers the lake as a large water body that attracted several kinds of birds once. See: Kere in crisisAs apartments in the area grew and consequently, a slum started building up, encroachment, waste disposal and activities like bathing and fishing resulted in the lake's water level and quality diminishing rapidly. The lake lies between Puttenahalli in JP Nagar VI Phase, Lakshmi…

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and foodies of all ages - It's showtime. In the blue corner, priced between Rs 249-299, claiming to offer "old Dilli" cuisine, please welcome More than Paranthas (MTP). Its challenger, in the red corner, with their Set-Menu priced always at Rs 299 and claiming to offer authentic Mughlai cuisine, put your hands together for Umerkot! Veg Starters at Umerkot. Pic: S K Shivashankar. Round 1 - Decor and DecorumWhile MTP offers a much better lit and aesthetically pleasing decor, it loses out in terms of customer service which is simply not brisk.Round 1 is…

Bengaluru Infinite 2010 is a photo contest organised by InfinityF, a photographers collective.The event is organised in partnership with INTACH, Citizen Matters and Lifeblob. Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a group of volunteers dedicated to conservation of the city's heritage. Lifeblob is a city based startup in the Flickr groups Bangalore Weekend Shoots and Bangalore Photowalks are also lending support.The day long event is to be held on April 25th, from 8 am to 8 pm. The contest is open to all. Participants can photograph any aspect of Bengaluru, in any public space on the…