Commute

It started with a few shopkeepers giving customers change in the form of boiled sweets or toffees; but now it seems to have developed into a form of payment! At most toll roads. Toll collectors don't even bother to give change, but hand over the receipt for the toll, with some cellophane-wrapped candy. They actually act affronted when one tells them that one will not accept this as change, and grudgingly part with the change in coins, which,obviously, they had all along.  Every "toffee" or candy may represent one rupee, but the customer is being shortchanged, because these sweets have…

Another Railway Budget has come and gone from the “acche din” government. However, there has been no mention of Commuter Railway for Bengaluru. The biggest beneficiary of these services are people of the city. The blame for this, however,  is not with the center, but with the State government. there was much the State could have done to facilitate Commuter Railway, which was not done. Here is the list of such issues: Lack of political will: The government of the day has the wherewithal to announce multi-crore elevated highways and induce more motor vehicle demand in the name of congestion…

Ongoing construction of the Kittur Rani Chennamma flyover at what is popularly known as Devegowda Petrol Bunk junction in Bengaluru has turned the area into a war-zone. Many beautiful trees have been brought down, footpaths are broken, streetlights have been removed and the fence between the pavement and the massive Rajakaluve (now a drain really) has been opened up. Pedestrians have to endlessly battle bulldozers, open drains and ditches, cement blocks with metal rods jutting out, no street lights (thus absolute darkness in the night) and a never-ending stream of heavy vehicular traffic, day and night. Footpath has been dug…

In an early morning tragedy, Ernakulam-bound Bengaluru-Ernakulam Intercity Express (Train No. 12677) derailed in Belagondapalli near Anekal in city’s outskirts on Friday, leading to the death of 12 passengers. Two compartments of the train collided, causing the loss of lives. Over 100 passengers are said to have been injured in the accident of which many are in critical stage. However, according to official version, the number of deaths is 10 while 18 were injured. The dead include five male passengers, three female passengers and a 12-year-old boy. Injured passengers include two citizens of Poland. Five people among the injured are…

Koramangala residents were a relieved lot after the elevated road project from Ejipura to Kendriya Sadan got approval last year, under JNNURM scheme. The joy did not last long, as the project now has been taken off the JNNURM scheme, and will not get funds from the Centre. Basavaraj Kabade, the executive engineer of BBMP, confirmed to Citizen Matters that this project, expected to reduce traffic congestion in Sony world Junction in Koramangala and speed up the journey to Hosur road through inner ring road, has now been cancelled by the Central government. “About 15-20 days ago, in a letter…

It is the beginning of a long weekend. You leave your office at 7 pm in Electronics City with a bid to catch the 9 pm train at KR Puram railway station. The cab picks you up right on time and you zip on the elevated highway to reach silk board in 15 minutes. However, there is a huge pile up at Silk Board and you are forced to spend 20 minutes at this junction. It is 7.35 pm and you start getting worried as to whether you would be able to reach the station on time. Moreover, the train…

It's good to see the excellent road name signposts that have come up in J P Nagar 3rd Phase. Even more impressive to see the names of the Corporators and their contact numbers on the signs. This is a very welcome initiative!

Following the Delhi Uber cab rape incident, the Karnataka State Government went on to ban Uber from running operations in Bengaluru. In addition, three other organisations, namely Taxi For Sure (TFS), Carzonrent and Zoomcars, were also included in the list of banned agencies. Authorities said that they were banned since they had not registered with the Regional Transport Authority. Uber still accepting bookings On December 16th, Transport department officials raided the Uber office and confiscated mobile phones and computers. The company was reportedly asked to suspend all bookings through its app until they had sought the necessary license. However, despite…

One of the small, but intensely annoying practices that I am increasingly finding is that of security guards in front of large office/commercial buildings, obviously acting on instructions, to "reserve" the parking space in front of the buildings for those who are visiting an office in that building, and to prevent others from parking there.   In fact, Corporation Bank in J P Nagar  3rd Phase (1st Main, along the Mini Forest) also went to the extent of putting up cardboard notices on the chain-link fence saying that the space was for their customers. Saner counsels have prevailed and the notices…

  Though it is illegal to have licence number plates only in Kannada (or any regional language), people routinely flout this rule, and cite their love for Kannada as a reason to have number plates in Kannada alone. It would be more credible if they had number plates in both Kannada and English; with only Kannada numerals, the doubt arises that it is being done to prevent anyone taking down the number in case of an accident!