Civic

A series of recent news reports by the Karnataka state government’s Ramaswamy Committee has highlighted the capture of public land by politicians of all hues and their cronies in the form of land developers. One might have come across such land grabbing under high tension lines, too. I am a Koramangala resident and member/ex-secretary of the residents’ association of Koramangala 8th block. I want to recall my experience in this regard. High Tension lines in Koramangala, V Blk (pic: Rajeev Yeshwanth) The land lying below the 110 KVA HT transmission lines in Koramangala (behind Raheja Arcade) has been in contention…

Even as the IT city swells and rips out of its infrastructure, there are small bands of earnest and committed residents that are trying very hard to effect local patch-up jobs. All over the city, colony federations are beginning to take up issues, address concerns and battle for local rights. Citizens’ awareness is rearing its head, even though some may say that it has not made its presence felt in a major way. Any of the local associations is an interesting microcosm of the city’s concerns. Take the relatively new and IT-centric colony of Hosur Sarjapur Road (HSR) Layout, for…

Various apartment blocks that have sprung up in Jayanagar 1st block threaten to destroy the quality of life in the area. Residents in the area have pointed out that they have come up in violation of all building norms and ask the pertinent question whether this was in connivance with the authorities. Building Violations in Jayanagar (pic: Rajeev Yeshwant) The most blatant example of this is the case of the 14-floor apartment building coming up on 1st cross, 1st block near Madhavan Park. Being built by Bysani Developers it is located at a dead end. The approach road is a…