Governance

The easiest way to work with government is to solve some of their problems. We often think that the government should solve our problems, but in practice, they have many of their own!! And unless those are sorted first, there's no chance of anything we want being tackled well. There are some standard problems in government that citizens can help solve. Once we understand this, it's only a matter of finding things to get started with. After that, it's quite easy to build a good working relationship with officials to pursue solutions to public problems. Broadly, there are two categories…

It has been a week of contrasts for transit in Bengaluru last week. Even as the debate about the proposed elevator corridor heated up, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy announced that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the Suburban Rail project would be set up in a month to help speed up the project under K-RIDE (Railway Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka Limited). This move was welcomed as a shot in the arm for the project that has been decades in the making - except for one tiny detail. A Special Purpose Vehicle for Suburban Rail already exists for Bengaluru! In…

A viral Facebook post narrating assault by the police during a routine traffic stop that took place in Chetpet on July 19th has sent shock waves across the city. Haroon Sait, the victim, spoke out about being slapped and beaten by the police as he refused their demand for a bribe. The sub-inspector in question has since been suspended after a departmental inquiry. Commissioner of Police A.K.Viswanathan called on Haroon at his residence and assured that such incidents will not take place in the future. This is, however, not the first instance of a major altercation between motorists and traffic…

Residents of South City apartments in Bengaluru were in for a rude shock this February when Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) served them a notice demanding penalties up to Rs 54 lakh. Similar notices were also sent to Purva Highlands apartment complex. The Vigilance Police Commissioner (BESCOM) from the Hosakote branch said that two months ago, a huge gated community on Doddaballapur Road, with over 3000 flats had everything from a spa,  a beauty parlour, an ATM to Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), fire hydrants and club house facilities on their apartment premises. Hence, it was charged under LT-5 tariff referred to…

With a long coastline, Chennaiites have the luxury of a sand track for their sporting activities, especially athletics. The sand track is the cheapest facility for many athletes, including the youth from fishermen communities, who can be seen practising on beach roads. The 210 playgrounds maintained by the Greater Chennai Corporation also facilitate daily practice for the potential athletes. But can we really provide the kind of infrastructure needed for athletes to compete and shine on the global arena ? Perhaps not. While the existing facilities are good for athletes in the early training phases, mastering the sport requires well-equipped…

அன்புள்ள பெற்றோர்களுக்கு, பாலியல் வன்கொடுமைக்கு ஆளான பதினோரு வயது சிறுமி பற்றிய செய்தியை படித்ததும் என்னைப் போலவே நீங்களும் அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்திருப்பீர்கள். இருபத்தி இரண்டு ஆண்கள், சிலர் தாத்தா வயதுடையவர்கள், தொடர்ந்து ஏழு மாதங்களாக இந்த கொடுமையை செய்திருக்கிறார்கள். இதை பற்றி அணுளவும் தெரியாமல் பெற்றோர்கள் இருந்துள்ளனர் என்பதை தான் ஜீரணிக்க முடியவில்லை. பாலியல் வன்கொடுமைக்கு ஆளான குழந்தையை பாதுகாக்க வேண்டிய பொறுப்பு முதலில் பெற்றோரிடம் தான் உள்ளது – பிறகு தான் ஆசிரியர்கள், பள்ளி நிர்வாகிகள், அரசாங்க அதிகாரிகள் ஆகியோறின் சிறிய பங்கு. இன்றைய சூழலில் குழந்தைகள் எதிர்கொள்ளும் ஆபத்துகளை பற்றி முதலில் பெற்றோர்கள் அறிந்து வைத்திருந்தால் மட்டுமே பாலியல் வன்கொடுமைக்கு ஆளாகியுள்ளார்களா என்று அறிந்து கொள்ள முடியும். வருமுன் காப்பது என்றுமே சிறந்தது, ஆகவே, நான் பெற்றோர்களுக்கு சொல்வதெல்லாம் உங்களால் இயன்ற அளவு குழந்தைகள் இது போன்ற கொடுமைகளுக்கு ஆளாகாமல் பார்த்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். அதே போல் அத்தகைய…

A press note from the Information Department, government of Karnataka, says that BMTC is issuing student passes for the convenience of the students at concessional rates. An online system has been introduced this time, to avoid inconvenience to students like submission of documents and standing in the queues. This system is directly integrated with the Education Department database, where student can directly apply through Education Institutions or directly by themselves through e-form. This article lists the procedure to be followed for online application of student passes. For details of the updated service launched in 2019, click here.  Type: Upto 10th…

Recently, the virtual abuse of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, for supporting an interfaith couple, drew attention to the chilling phenomenon of 'trolling' that has seen an exponential rise since the advent of social media. The minister suffered not just verbal, but also relentless sociopathic, emotional slander. In a way, it has been a democratising trend. No one is spared. Anyone who holds a point of view that is different from that of the establishment or the troller has been subject to continuous, intense harrassment and verbal assault on online platforms. A number of well-known names such as Barkha Dutt…

When it comes to transparency and providing information to citizens, Tamil Nadu has a rich legacy. The southern state was a front runner in passing the Right To Information (RTI) act in 1997, eight years before the Centre passed it in 2005.  The Act proved to be a game changer. To cite just one example, an RTI activist exposed a scam by the Tamil Nadu Housing Department (TNHB) in December 2010, where selected government servants were provided with houses, under the Government Discretion Quota. Through the RTI reply and further investigation, it was learnt that undeserving people were categorised as social…

In a unanimous and all-over-news verdict, the Supreme Court last week favourably defined the powers of the Delhi government led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), giving it greater autonomy and limiting the scope of interference by the Lieutenant Governor (LG). The verdict declared that the LG is "bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers of the Government of Delhi" in all matters except three: land, police and public order. While Delhi does not yet have full statehood, the elected government now has more room to make and implement policies that had since hit a roadblock…