Governance

It was a rare scene on the streets of J P Nagar, where the educated, young, middle and upper class citizens took to the streets batting for a politician. Yes - a politician officially this day onwards - as Nandan Nilekani was inducted to Congress officially on March 9. Dressed in white T-shirt and holding banners that said ‘We are together with Nandan,’ many of Nandan Nilekani’s colleagues, software engineers, youth, men and women from various walks of life walked from Lalbagh East gate to Hemachandra Sagar Memorial Hall near Ashok Pillar in Jayanagar 1st Block. This was a “walk…

When the country was formed after Independence we had a Central government, and the state governments were formed quickly after that. However, much of 'local' administration was not in a third tier, but simply controlled by the Centre and State itself. The 'collector' system that we have in the districts even today is a legacy of this start. It was only in the early 1990s that the Centre passed laws to devolve power and responsibility to the local bodies. First the panchayati raj amendment, and then the urban governance amendment (73 and 74) were passed.Broadly, the 74th Amendment mandates three…

With the Election Commission announcing the poll schedules, the D-Day you’ve been waiting for is just 40 days away. Chief Election Officer for Karnataka, Anil Kumar Jha said in a press conference in Bengaluru on March 5 that the model code of conduct is already in place as the elections have been notified. This means there can be no public function, rallies or road show by any political party without obtaining proper permission from police. There can be no new programmes announced by the governments though the existing programmes can continue to work. There can be no hoardings of politicians…

Personal Info | Assets & Liabilities | Positions Held | Performance | Local Issues | MPLAD Funds  P C Mohan is a first-time Lok Sabha MP who represents Bangalore Central constituency. The constituency comprises of Rajanjinagar, Chamrajpet, Gandhinagar, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar, C V Raman Nagar and Mahadevpaura assembly constituencies. In the 2009 Lok Sabha election, Mohan (BJP) defeated H T Sangliana (INC) by over 35,000 votes. In the past, Mohan has been an MLA in the Karnataka Assembly on two occasions. Mohan contested the Karnataka Assembly Elections in 2013 and lost by a significant margin. However, if the rumours in the party circle are to be believed, he is going…

It is quite common in Bengaluru for builders and developers to build houses on other people's lands, or on public lands like lakes. After all, the city used to have more than 500 lakes, and now has only 183. Therefore, we must conclude that the most common activity that occurs on lakes is construction !! It is also quite common in Bangalore for such things to happen with the full knowledge of the local ward engineer of the BBMP. In theory, this official is responsible for making sure that such encroachments don't happen, but in practice he is the one facilitating them…

Poll dates have been announced. Bengaluru is waiting to show the power of the voters. The nine-phase timeline will have the polls scheduled in Karnataka on April 17th, 2014. The counting will happen on May 16th, 2014 across the country. In the world’s largest democracy, about 81,00,00,000 voters will decide the 543 leaders who will represent them in the 16th Lok Sabha. Karnataka has 28 Lok Sabha seats and Bangalore has three seats. EC Notifications The Election Commission (EC) on its website has begun announcements for the Lok Sabha elections. Letters have been sent out to the Chief Secretaries and…

Personal Info | Assets & Liabilities | Positions Held | Performance | Local Issues | Controversy Count | MPLAD Funds D B Chandre Gowda is a veteran politician who was elected to Lok Sabha from Bangalore North Constituency in 2009 elections. Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency comprises of Yeshwantpura, Dasarahalli, Mahalakshmi Layout, Malleshwaram, Hebbal, Pulakeshinagar, Byatarayanapura and K.R Puram assembly constituencies. In 2009, as a BJP candidate, he saw off competition from his nearest rival, C K Jaffer Sharief (INC). Chandre Gowda secured 45% of the votes as opposed to 39% by Sharief. Pic:http://www.dbchandregowda.in Profile of D B Chandre Gowda Name: D.B. Chandre Gowda Age: 77 Date of Birth: 26 August…

BDA Flats in Nandini Layout (1 BHK EWS Quarters). Pic: Ganga Madappa Namma Bengaluru, with its burgeoning population, is witnessing a sea change in the kind of housing that is available for its citizens. Even in as recently as 2005, those looking to invest or set up base in Bangalore, preferred to buy a site and build their house from scratch. The reality now is different. While people will probably always prefer to own an independent house, the lack of space has made it necessary for them to look upwards. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in 2012, in line with…

In a few day’s time the city’s bustle will have a different flavour. The Election Commission will announce the poll dates for the Lok Sabha Elections, parties will announce their candidates, buntings will line the streets of Bengaluru. The cronies will put up photoshopped posters with mug shots of themselves with their favourite candidate. It is that time when the citizenry become aware of the forthcoming elections and subconsciously make a choice, to vote or not to vote, both groups convincing the other about the merits of their choice. I belong to the former group and have evolved from going…

I was deeply moved by the Carlton fire tragedy and I strongly feel that such deaths could have been avoided. The following simple innovative suggestions are for serious consideration and implementation so that lives of people can be saved: Make fireproof ropes available near windows: In all hi-rise buildings, glass boxes containing 100 to 300 feet of sturdy, fireproof rope (thickness of two to three inches), duly knotted at every two meters of length, must be kept ready.  One end of the rope must be secured to a steel hook embedded to the masonry structure.  In case of fire or…