GENRE: LN

The midday sun reflects sharply off the shiny red surface of the brand new bus that is on its way from Koyambedu to Kelambakkam. The new-look bus is part of the 300-strong addition to the MTC’s fleet in a phased manner. Half of the new buses commissioned that are operational now traverse the routes in the Old Mahabalipuram Road stretch that is not yet connected by the suburban train network or the metro rail and relies heavily on buses for connectivity. “The new buses were very necessary. The upgrade has made the rides more comfortable. This was long overdue as…

This Sunday, more than 3000 cyclists participated in a ride to mark the World Bicycle Day that is observed on June 3rd. The cyclists gathered in front of the State Central Library at Cubbon Park to make a call to motorists to keep them safe on roads. The event was organised by the citizens’ group CiFoS (Citizens for Sustainability) in association with various government departments. It marked the launch of an year-long campaign #ABetterBangalorean, to sensitise motorists to not harass cyclists and to ensure their safety. The event started at 6 am on Sunday, with cyclists being provided free T-shirts…

One fine morning around mid-March, we, the residents of ST Bed Layout in Koramangala, suddenly found the Maharaja Junction bridge, our main link to the outside world, demolished. On asking around, we were given all kinds of reasons, none of which seemed to justify the demolition. The bridge, which covered a major storm water drain (SWD)/rajakaluve, used to be in good condition. However, we were told that a new bridge was being built, and that it would be completed in around 45 days. We saw a lot of construction activity around the area, and hoped that BBMP would complete the…

C Akhila(name changed), a 12-year-old Muslim girl was forced into marriage by her family, six months ago. Her mother, who is going through a prolonged illness, persuaded her to get married to a 24-year-old man. The persuasion got violent when Akhila asked the groom to call off the wedding. “The girl threatened to complain to Childline if the wedding was not called off. Her family had hit her black and blue for doing so,” said Suganthi from Arunodhaya trust. If you think child marriages are confined to rural areas, Akhila’s incident that happened in Chennai proves you are wrong. Tales…

Work begins on Vellara Jn-Pottery Town Metro line Work on the 5.63-km underground Metro stretch from Vellara Junction to Pottery Town began on May 30th. L&T had been awarded the project, worth Rs 2628 crore, to build the tunnel and stations along this stretch. The company has 42 months to complete the project. The stretch is part of the Gottigere-Nagavara line of Metro. The iconic Fatima Bakery and Hotel Tom's, as well as a portion of the All Saints Church, will be demolished for the project in spite of protests by citizens. Work on the stretch is expected to worsen…

Around 120 bike riders participated in the ‘Men Take Lead Ride 2019’ on Sunday, to commemorate the international Menstrual Hygiene (MH) Day. World over, MH Day is being observed today, May 28th, to bring attention to girls’ and women’s health and empowerment. The theme of this year’s ‘Men Take Lead Ride’ was to address the issue of isolation and untouchability around mensuration. It was organised by the Bengaluru-based NGO Breaking the Silence Worldwide Foundation, in partnership with the motorcycle club India Bull Riders and Radio Active 90.4 MHz. Shreya Krishnan, Mrs India 2017, flagged off the ride on Sunday. Eminent…

May 28th is World Menstrual Hygiene Day, and around this time, government organisations focus on menstrual health. Increasingly, there are conversations and programmes around Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). While this is a welcome change, these programmes often end up communicating that the only “good” way to manage periods is by using disposable sanitary pads. Many organisations and schemes donate pads or make them available at a subsidised rate. The pads are laden with chemicals that are extremely harmful to health and create havoc in the waste management world. Menstrual cups and cloth pads are a healthier, cost-effective, comfortable and trash-free…

  BWSSB: There's enough water, don't panic The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) says there is enough water available in reservoirs for Bengaluru, and hence there is no need to panic. The city's water sources now are the Krishna Raja Sagar dam and the Kabini river. These can service the city with drinking water till June end, says BWSSB. In a recent drought advisory to six states including Karnataka, the central government had warned that water shortage in the dams has dropped to critical levels. While areas served by BWSSB have got more or less regular supply this…

Aggrieved residents of OMR have come together to write to the Chief Minister to address the water and sanitation issues faced by close to 400,000 families that reside in the area. The 100 or so resident welfare associations in the area that have come together under the banner of Federation of OMR Resident Associations (FOMRRA) called for immediate action by the Chief Minister. The move has been prompted by the recent and frequent strikes by private water tankers which are the primary source of water for the residents. A strike by the private tankers association that was due to take…

Sriperumbudur election results on May 23 saw the DMK’s TR Baalu emerge the winner. He beat his nearest rivals Vaithilingam A (PMK) and Sridhar M (MNM) with a comfortable margin. Sriperumbudur is one of the largest parliamentary constituencies in Tamil Nadu. It is a manufacturing hub and is home to many automobile production units. Sriperumbudur parliamentary constituency consists of Maduravoyal, Ambattur, Alandur, Sriperumbudur(SC), Pallavaram and Tambaram assembly constituencies. According to the Election Commission of India’s website, the constituency has a total of  2253041 voters. The constituency went to polls on April 18, 2019, in the second phase of the 17th…