GENRE: Voices

Who is your incumbent MLA? Is he contesting again? How much do you know about other candidates? Knowing is important, if we want our politicians to be accountable. This article was originally intended to be a quick recap of how our system of government functions. Possessing virtually no knowledge (and having forgotten what little I did learn in school), I began with a visit to Wikipedia, where I was informed that our votes in the election currently around the corner would be to select Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Great, so what do they do? Ostensibly they function as…

As I drive past the roads of Bengaluru, all I see is huge hoardings of various developers and builders with beautiful pictures of residential and commercial complexes, wooing buyers of all types! Gone are the days when cinema ads dorned our roadsides. What hurts me most is the fancy names that these builders give to their projects, which come up on the grave of thousands of fruit-yielding trees or fertile fields-Green Orchards, Gardenia, Trees, Shrubs, Riverside, Lakeview and what not! Housing is important and it is but natural for every human being to look for a shelter. But this latest…

Dear members of civil society, who are the members of the newly formed Bangalore Blueprint Action Group, I am writing to you today because, like you, I care about Namma Bengaluru and I want its governance to improve. And I believe every one of us in the city can make a difference to its future. First, I am happy that the Government values your advice. The input of people who have both ideas and passion for the city should always be welcome in government. Many of you have a track record of interest in the welfare of the city, and…

NICE road has been a boon for South Bengalureans, in achieiving connectivity from Tumkur Road to Hosur Road, especially for the trucks coming from Tumkuru side all the way from Maharashtra and going towards Tamilnadu. This also helps commute within Bengaluru such as from Kengeri to Electronic City, Banashankari to Electronic City etc. However it has been a death trap due to the enormous number of accidents. This road is not being treated as a highway but as a race track! 100 kmph is the minimum speed maintained on this road by cars. The parking lane on the extreme left…

Dear elected representatives of Bengaluru, I know all your birth dates by now and I surely do not want to wish you on your birthdays ever! I also know that you wish your voters on every possible occasion, even though it makes no real difference to their lives, and you haven't made any sincere effort to make that happen! Bills and posters under a flyover. Pic: HaSiRuMitra team Yes, you and your party workers have successfully made Bengaluru ugly with all those banners, hoardings and posters, which to my guess are mostly unpaid and unauthorised. Since you have set the…

The Metro is a convenient mode of transportation. But, once an individual gets off the metro, he/she needs to figure how to complete the last leg of the commute. Getting an auto can be a hassle and walking might also not be convenient. Instead, what if they could cover the rest of the distance on their own bicycle? While that sounds like a great idea, think about this: Are cycles even allowed on the metro? BMRCL only allows foldable cycles that fit through the baggage scanner. So, a majority of cyclists cannot take their cycles on the metro. Cycling enthusiasts…

This is a story that has passion, action, drama, blood (well, not blood really, but it seems like people are baying for our blood), sweat and tears! Sounds like a Bollywood potboiler? Well, that’s the Durga alarm story for you. It is nothing short of a potboiler, with multitudes of characters, plots, sub-plots and plenty of action. The humble beginnings of the Durga alarm The story quite literally started in 2014, when the first thoughts took shape and it developed, slowly and painstakingly over unlimited cups of tea and brain-storming sessions. Almost 90% of the women who attended our workshops…

A number of articles have been written about step-by-step approach to fill the Online Form for payment of property tax this year. I am writing this article on the failure of the new system and what went wrong since lakhs of tax payers could not make payments till date. BBMP is in a big muddle for having introduced a software overnight without proving the efficacy of the new system. I am giving below the reasons for such a failure. The matter is in the hands of the concerned BBMP Commissioners who are probably not taking into consideration, the actual state…

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has introduced new norms for nitrogen level in the treated water that comes out from a sewage treatment plant. The step is meant to control nitrogen levels in the drinking water bodies. The new standards are made applicable to all STPs including those in Residential Apartment Complexes, Commercial Complexes and the large STPs of Urban Local Bodies ( ULB) such as City Municipal Corporation, Town Municipal Corporation etc. in Karnataka. The new notification limits Ammonia Nitrogen content and Total Nitrogen content to 5 mg/L and 10 mg/L respectively in treated domestic sewage. The…

BBMP, BDA, BESCOM, BWSSB, and other organisations should stop the practice of accepting deposits and payments from developers on behalf of home owners. Instead, they should set up a system by which the home owners can directly make the payments themselves, hassle-free. The current practice is leading to an ocean of black money. (a) Monies collected from home owners is often not paid at all to the utilities. (b) Monies collected from home owners is often far in excess of what is due to be paid to the utilities. (c) When money is not paid, the home owners are left…