Commute

Here's a message written by my fellow-volunteer at Hasiru Usiru, Kanishka Lahiri: The protests opposing the current plans of the Bangalore Metro in the southern reach have been well publicized in the mainstream media. As a result, they have elicited statements from politicians across party lines supporting the suggestion that the design and alignment of the metro be re-examined before further work is taken up. Interestingly, yesterday, the Chief Minister has made an adamant statement saying there cannot be any change to the current plan of the Metro. Why then, did his Transport Minister state otherwise in a pre-election statement?…

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transportation Corporation has for years allowed hundreds of drivers to get back behind the wheel after causing bus accidents that killed pedestrians, cyclists—and in some cases their own passengers, an IIJNM investigation has found. Watch the story here.   Records and interviews show the massive agency fires a small percentage of the drivers it concludes were fully “at fault” for the fatal wrecks. Most are put back to work, in some cases with punishments no greater than if they had been involved in fender benders. And in a number of cases, the pattern of leniency backfired: drivers…

Though sitting far away, I feel very involved in trying to work out solutions that will not further deplete our green cover, yet sort out our transportation woes. So here's a great opportunity that Hasiru Usiru is offering!In recent weeks Bangaloreans made their presence felt on the streets through well-publicized protests around the Metro alignment in South Bangalore. This is a good moment to pause and better understand the numerous issues that have been raised at these events, and collectively plan a future course of action.To this end, it's a pleasure to invite everyone on this list to a public…

It's high time our public transport authorities provide bus stops at a convenient place. They are either at the intersection of main roads or at a bend of the road. Even when the bus stops are properly situated, buses do not stop at these places.I live in Geddalahalli Kothanur P.O. The bus coming from Shivajinagar stops near the Reliance outlet where the road from Tannisandra joins the Hennur Main Road. There is a bus stop a little further but  buses do not stop there causing a lot of delay and hardship for other commuters. Why can't the traffic police insist…

I wish to bring to your notice and hopefully the notice of all Bangaloreans the problems being faced by 10 families in Dodda Bommasandra, Vidyaranyapura Post that comes under Byatarayanapura CMC. About 50 days (9th March 2009) ago CMC workers came to lay concrete slabs on our drains and for that purpose they dug up our drains, removed the stone slabs that were covering them and filled the approach road to our houses with all the debris from this work.  Unusable Road in Dodda Bommasandra (pic: author) They promised that the work will be completed in two days. It has been…

Over the last week, hundreds of people have been vociferously protesting against the plans of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to build a Metro station in Lalbagh and to cut trees along the verdant Lakshman Rao Boulevard, popularly known as Nanda Road. On Sunday evening, 19th April, 250 people gathered along the tree lined road. They sang songs, shouted slogans (“Ulisi ulisi, Nanda Road ulisi”) and held a candle light vigil to protest against the proposed cutting of trees in Lakshman Rao Park. Earlier, on Friday, 17th April, about 220 people formed a human chain along RV Road…

r All,Earlier this week(April 13 and 14), the Bangalore Metro Rail corporation(BMRCL) has demolished over 500 feet of Lalbagh's wall and cut down 5 eucalyptus trees inside Lalbagh. BMRCL proposes to have a Metro station inside Lalbagh itself!Lalbagh is protected by a separate, stringent law. In a highly undemocratic move, the Karnataka Government changed the law by moving an ordinance to acquire LalbaGh land for the Metro, rather than prefer a debate over the changed law, in the Assembly. The opposition has also failed to protest this undemocratic move.Lalbagh and Lakshman Rao Park on R.V.Road, (also called the AC Road,…

11th May 2008. Heaps of mud, broken dividers with mud all over, main road dug up, traffic badly hit and people anxiously waiting to see things change. This was the intersection of J P Nagar's 15th Cross Ring Road, a critical artery in south Bangalore, and the 24th Main Road, and the scene of a magic underpass construction. The notice board put up by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) mentioned that the construction will finish by February 2009. Eight months later, the scene looks exactly the same. 15th cross-ring road intersection dug up (Pic: Supriya Khandekar) The magic seems to…

For the past several weeks I have been interacting with a BDA official for a story I am working on. I must add that he has been very patient with the number of phone calls I make to him during various times of the day and the few times I have met him. He has obligingly answered all my queries, shown me some documents and so on. As my story required to get a photograph of the model of the project, I continued hounding him to for this photo-op. His dilly-dallying continued for a couple of days. One fine morning…

Ajit Prakash drives from Iblur junction to his office in Koramangala everyday. The three kilometre drive generally takes him about 20 minutes. But on 12th February, Prakash took nearly two hours to get to his office; thanks to a traffic jam that extended from beyond Sarjapur Road all the way up to Agara junction and further. Manjunath R, also on his way to Koramangala, was caught in the jam for almost two and a half hours. B Lokesh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Adugodi, says the reason for the hold up was because of incomplete work by the Bangalore Development…