LOCAL

  While there are many technologies that provide us with energy, there are also technologies that help us with saving energy. The latter is gaining ground as more and more people are becoming aware of the conscious use of energy. ApnaComplex along with The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE)- CleanTech Special Interest Group and Indian Institute of Human Settlements, had organised an event on ‘Sustainable Apartments - Learn how to reduce energy bills of your association’ on September 21st, 2013. The event hosted people from different backgrounds - IT, the new section of people who have ‘quit IT’ to follow their passion,…

Residents and representatives of many apartment communities understood the technicalities and exchanged ideas at the workshop. Pic: Krishanu Mukherjee A workshop on 'Managing Public Money' was conducted for Treasurers of Apartment and Villa Complexes in Bangalore on October 5, Saturday. The Workshop conducted by ApartmentADDA - the Online Software for Society Accounting, attracted participation from over 40 Apartment & Villa Complexes, who utilised this platform to share challenges and best practices used by treasurers who manage funds to the tune of multiple crores in modern apartment complexes. The workshop keynote was an inspiring speech from R K Misra, a successful…

Saplings lined up for planting by BWRCA volunteers. Pic: Suryaprasad Following the footsteps of The Ugly Indian, on October 2, the Bruhat Whitefield Residential Community Association (BWRCA) volunteer team took an initiative to plant saplings in order to help beautify the city. This took place in Whitefield near Chaithanya Samarpan and Chaithanya Smaran. The team started off with an initial plan to plant around 150 trees for every kilometre and had a target of covering a stretch of 3.5 kilometres. In the days leading up to event, various factions of the community lent a hand in the preparation. The Seegehalli…

About 50 residents of Uma Sree Dream World near Kudlu Gate staged a protest at the project developer’s office on October 2, 2013, seeking completion of promised amenities.   They were demanding that the builder complete the promised amenities and fix the water leakages in the buildings immediately, besides seeking control of the common area.   “We have been seeking  promised facilities like landscaped garden, club house, Jacuzzi, yoga or meditation room, billiard room, karaoke room and children’s play area and car parking areas as per approved plan that was promised by the developer at the time of purchase. Developer has…

As a part of my work with SadaZero, I was to accompany the pourakarmikas on their Saturday dry-waste collection routine. I had to note down the houses who weren’t following the segregation protocol, and subsequently make an attempt to “convert” them, the latter being a herculean task as mindsets are extremely difficult to change. Sadazero is a voluntary, community organisation, aiming at 100% waste segregation, and making Sadashivanagar a model neighbourhood for the rest of Bengaluru, with whom I have intermittently worked with over the past three years. We rendezvoused at the collection point at 11 am and the drive…

The residents of Puttenahalli in J P Nagar 7th phase are worried about the increasing noise pollution in the vicinity and the lethargic attitude of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board officials. They are also living in fear, not willing to come out of their safe closets and complain openly. A resident who doesn’t want to be named says that repeated complaints made to the board, forced KSPCB officials to conduct a spot inspection and issue a show cause notice to the erring Pallavi Engineering company. The resident, through his email to Citizen Matters, says that nothing has changed since then…

Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF), the flagship literary event on the cultural calendar of Bangalore city, is all set for its second edition from September 27 to 29 at the Crowne Plaza, at Velankani Park in Electronics City. From (L-R) Shinie Antony, Vikram Sampath, Srikrishna Ramamurthy - cofounders of Bangalore Literature Festival (1) Building on the successful 2012 debut edition, this year BLF will  feature over a 100 authors and speakers, including several distinguished literary names like Gulzar, RamachandraGuha, William Dalrymple, U R Ananthamurthy, Rajmohan Gandhi, Chandrashekhara Kambara, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, Farhan Akhtar, David Davidar, Wendell Rodricks, Prasoon…

While everybody else in the city were busy celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi last weekend, 73-year-old Sakuntala Narasimhan, who writes the column Civic Reflections for Citizen Matters, had a different task to do. She spent her weekend fighting the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) contractor and officials, urging them  to restore the sewage connection to her flat. Her connection was suddenly cut off without any prior notice from the BWSSB, who are on a drive to replace old sewage lines across the city. Sakuntala, a resident of Jayanagar 3rd Block, 27th cross, is unable to use the toilet in her…

Ganesh festival is around the corner, on Monday 9 September 2013. BESCOM has urged public and the Mandallîs/ assocìatíons/ groups who set up Ganesha at public places not to tap power illegally."It has come to the notice of the Company that in the past during festival at several places Ganesh Mandallis/ associations/ groups plug wires to street light ports and some tap electricity from street light poles. (sic) This can prove fatal during monsoon and may cause electric shock or electrocution. BESCOM will not be responsible for any such untoward incidents owing to unauthorised power connections," said the press release.Unauthorised…

Bhargavi Rao addresses the gathering on Puttenahalli lake premises. Pic: Nikita Malusare. Cracked footpaths; unattended garbage on the street; destruction of roads due to delayed Metro work; high water prices - all these have left Bangalore in chaos. With the sun peeking out from clouds every few seconds and cold wind sending shrivels in the body, many Bangaloreans joined the discussion on Puttenahalli Lake premises, on the issues that concern a Bangalorean, but are ignored as the city tries to catch up with development.   Born and brought up amid the greenery of Bangalore, Bhargavi S Rao, Trustee, Environment Support…