Commute

  On April 25th 2014, BMTC announced a 15% hike in its bus fares. This announcement was the fifth of its kind in the past three years and for obvious reasons has generated public outrage. Several citizen groups across the city and commuters are up in arms, asking the BMTC to roll-back the fares, and in some cases, even asking the state government to step in. Some sections of society in Bengaluru would now have to spend around 15 to 20% of their incomes on commuting alone, implying that other necessary expenses such as health and education might have to…

Kasavanhalli Main Road(?)! Pic: Neetu Tandon Imagine travelling on a road that has potholes as deep as 2 feet. Just thinking of it sends shivers down the spine. This happens to be daily reality for 10,000+ people using the Kasavanhalli Main Road from Hindu Temple at the Kaikondrahalli Junction till Amrutha College. What is surprising is that the local authorities are not doing anything about it. So far, no action or steps have been taken to resolve the issues that plague the commuters travelling on this high vehicle density road, which connects Sarjapur road to Hosur road. The potholes are…

  The BMTC on its website states that its vision is to ‘Make BMTC sustainable, people-centered and (a) choice mode of travel for everyone’. But does it really follow through on its vision? With its recent announcement that bus fares are being increased by 15%, BMTC certainly stands a chance to remain sustainable, but its ability to be ‘people-centered’ and a ‘choice mode of travel for everyone’ remains questionable. In an article published on Citizen Matters in February 2014, the Bangalore Bus Prayaanikara Vedike (BBPV) stated that a pourakarmika who earned Rs. 5,000 a month, shelled out 15% of her…

The underside... The underside... The underside...I know that cars today come with all sorts of adornments and detailing, but yet found it strange that someone would want the underside of the car to be lit up like this! Is this common? Bangalore, 260414. 

Why the veil? 260414   Driving along the NICE Road, I found the usual huge poster of a certain well-known personality, associated with this road, with a "veil" over it. Speculating over the reason, my friends said it was probably because of the election under way. If so, we can look forward to the unveiling of the portrait in a short time...!

A mail from Leo Saldanha, Convenor of Environment Support Group, says: As you are aware, we have challenged the widening of roads in Bangalore by BBMP as being illegal. This matter is being heard by the High Court this week. When we filed the PIL in 2008, BBMP had proposed to widen 91 roads, a list they later expanded to include as many as 216 roads. When the PIL is heard on Friday (25th April), we will have to file a memo about the status of road widening on the original list of 91 roads.  As these are spread across…

Traffic at the Marathahalli - Sarjapur Outer Ring Road   Consider these recent headlines from our local newspapers...  March 2 2014:  A 37-year-old architect and urban planner was killed when a BMTC bus collided head-on with her car March 16 2014:  Two people were killed after a speeding truck rammed into the motorbike they were riding on Kundalahalli Main Road April 8 2014: A 30-year-old call centre employee died on the spot when he sustained serious head injuries in a hit-and-run accident on Hosur Road In the past 3 months alone, Bangalore has been witness to 1309 accidents which have…

Recently, I found that several of my older friends are unaware of their rights on Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).So I decided to clarify about this. Here is confirmation that BMTC offers discounts of 25% to Senior Citizens. .BMTC cites 60 years, though the Hindu report cites 65 years.   The fact, however, is that most conductors do not give the Senior Citizen discount unless one is aware of one's rights and asks for it. So...keep your id cards handy, and insist on your right if you are entitled to the discount.   Here's the extract from the BMTC charter:…

Hundreds of residents took to streets in protest against the multicrore project coming up on Bellandur wetlands. “Mall beda, Neer beku! Go back Mantri!” shouted hundreds of residents — not just the adults but also the young children — assembled beside Srjapur Road, near the biggest lake of Bengaluru, Bellandur lake. They had come from HSR Layout, Koramangala and Bellandur. When government failed to take action and justice was slow in coming, citizens decided to protest, and this was the result. At 10.30 am on March 23rd, 2014, men and women from all ages wearing caps and holding umbrellas, marched…

It was late Saturday evening. I had gone to Brigade Road for dinner with my colleagues. I was taking the bus back home since my bike was sitting in the garage. I knew I had to finish my dinner quickly and exit before 10 or I was going to have a hard time getting back home. Time flew by with the colleagues. Before I knew it, it was post 10.20 pm. Hastily I rushed towards the nearest bus stand. Unfortunately, I was too late. I missed the last bus which travels from Brigade Road to Shivajinagar Bus Station. Shivajinagar is…