GENRE: Voices

Metro Phase-I has not completed, but the plans for Phase-II have already begun. File Pic. The new alignment near Jayadeva Hospital has caused panic among residents that many residential properties and commercial buildings on Bannerghatta Road would be demolished. Here are some thoughts on this. Why public consultation with residents, experts,users ,metro officials and elected representatives is not being held on pros and cons, alternative routes etc, like the public consultation held by Additional Chief Secretary regarding Signal-free corridor of Koramangala? The project was scrapped unanimously by all stakeholders on direction of the High Court, based on the PIL filed…

When it suits their dodgy interests, the political parties actually cooperate with each other, even though they are theoretically opponents in the electoral and other arenas. Yesterday (June 11, 2013) we saw a very good example of this in the Karnataka Legislative Council. Some years ago, the Supreme Court handed down a judgment that was intended to free the police forces from direct political interference. The court ordered the establishment of an appointments Board in each state that would manage the postings of lower level police staff (below the rank of DySP). This Board is filled with members of senior…

A news item, dated June 5, 2013 said: “Wall pulled down to alter minister’s chambers.” A partition wall connecting two rooms allotted to Forest Minister Ramanath Rai was demolished in order to make the minister’s chambers bigger. Minister Sir, it was not just the wall that was demolished, it was the wall of hope that the people had erected, about better governance, when they elected your party to govern the state last month. Just last year, the then chief minister’s political secretary had ordered demolition of walls in his office to make it bigger – and this same Congress that…

17:39:38 Water water everywhere! Pic: Shree D N It was while hurrying back from Vijayanagar to Malleshwaram that we happened to meet this ‘all-time high,’ ‘10-cm’ record rain for Bangalore. Such a rain is not new to me personally - it was a regular during my childhood days, in my village in Kerala. And trust me, there were no unwanted incidents or accidents there, due to rain, except for occasional breaking of Areca trees. Both my husband and I, though stuck in a traffic jam, were enjoying the rain, sitting in the car. After 20 minutes, I got the first…

The dust has settled down after the Karnataka elections. According to the pundits, BJP was booted out for corruption and Congress elected, for lack of any other options. Now the voters wait to see if their mandate pays off. In the midst of this, it is my job to ask - how did the women candidates fare in the election?First, the numbers. There were 2939 candidates contesting for the 223 of 224 seats. Little over six per cent of the candidates were women - 170. Out of them, only 58 were from major political parties. 13 of them contested from…

Disclaimer : Some autos are rented by the driver hence some of the logic explained below may not apply. However it is always the combination of these factors. These guidelines are for me and my type of folks, rest need to customize it or discard it. Obviously this isn't a scientific study and many are stereotypes created with my biases. But these are empirical observations which have worked for me. This is written with a need of self-preservation, of peace of mind and dignity and not to offend anyone. Finally this writing assumes the driver to be a male as…

Judging by the online discussions generated by citizens of Bengaluru, on the pros and cons of the agenda drawn up by the Bengaluru Political Action Committee(BPAC) it is clear that there are quite a few residents who are interested in finding solution to the multiple ills that beset the metropolis - from mounds of garbage to choked traffic and scams in every department of the administration. And since not everyone who is concerned about this degeneration makes online inputs, the number of citizens who would like to lend a hand with pulling Bengaluru out of the current mess, must be…

Two weeks ago, when there were clear indications of a Congress victory in Karnataka, senior party leaders were not sure about how the state’s chief minister was going to be chosen. Many told the media that the ‘High Command’ in New Delhi would decide. Siddaramaiah Siddarame Gowda, 65, better known only by his first name, must have been considering his chances against veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, currently a minister in the UPA government, and select others. The ‘High Command’ then sprang a surprise. Instead of ‘selection’ which everyone with an opinion was conjecturing wildly about, New Delhi surprisingly chose election. A…

Leo Saldanha is a full-time Coordinator of Bangalore-based Environment Support Group. He is an expert in the areas of Environmental Law and Policy, Decentralisation, Urban Planning and a variety of Human Rights and Development-related issues, working across many sectors for over a decade. He is a keen campaigner on critical environmental and social justice issues and has guided several campaigns demanding evolution of progressive laws and effective action. He has supported various distressed communities to secure justice through public interest litigations and advocacy efforts. He has argued as party in person several public interest litigations, many of which have resulted…

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched a 1000 rupee silver commemorative coin which was released in July-August 2012 to commemorate of 1000 years of the Brihadeeswarar temple in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. Although, the Parliament of India approved a bill in 1975 to mint coins up to denominations of Rs 1000, the government never issued coins worth more than Rs. 150. The 1000 rupee coin was issued to mark a very significant aspect of Indian history. Incidentally, it is the first time that the Mumbai Mint issued the silver coin of Rs. 1000. The coin, weighing 35 gm, contains…