Governance

An analysis of a mere 169 city property tax returns between 2008-10 by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found that Bengaluru had lost over Rs.200 crores in revenues. 25 software companies alone accounted for Rs.90 crores of this. The fault: BBMP officials had not done any cross-verification on the self-assessment based tax filings.   Further, CAG's audit of BBMP balances in over 600 bank accounts found out that it had left hundreds of crores of rupees lying in temporary accounts during 2008-10 without transferring the money to the main bank branches. Without this, the funds could be…

Jayanagar police nabbed a chain snatcher on 13th February. Inspector S K Umesh shot the thief who was trying to flee after snatching the chain of a resident. The victim, a 45-year-old woman, was going for a walk in front of her house when her gold chain worth Rs 2 lakh was snatched. Police chased the accused Vijay Kumar and shot him in the thigh. Kumar is a resident of Ramanagara aged around 30 years.The incident occured at around 9.45 pm near Lakshman Rao Park, 38th Cross, Jayanagar 5th Block. Police later admitted Kumar to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. (Umesh says…

BWSSB is carrying out work of laying sewage pipelines near the Wipro junction in Koramangala, 1st block. The beginning of 1st main road, Koramangala, near the Wipro junction has been dug up for this. The entry to this road is blocked. This road will be blocked for a week from now."It takes time as a lot of other civic amenity lines are in the way," says the Assistant Engineer, BWSSB, who is in charge of the work.           Earthmovers at work. Pic: Deepthi M S More work is planned to take place in and around the Wipro Junction, which may…

"Our department will take this as a challenge, support us, we will make the process more easily" says Deputy Commissioner of Police, Dr P S Harsha (south east division). DCP Harsha addressing the HSR layout residents. Pic: Vijayalakshmi P Federation of HSR Layout Residents Welfare Association on 28 Janaury, conducted an interaction session with the police officials at HSR club. The topic of discussion was mainly crime and traffic problems. "I am ashamed about the theft that happened in the at 6th sector where many IPS officers and commissioner reside , still the cases are not solved. Why?" asked Dr.…

High Court issued a notice to Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on a PIL about his plot in HSR Layout, on January 10th. The case filed by journalist and activist K G Nagalakshmi Bai last August had pointed out that Gowda's usage of the plot was illegal. The plot Sadananda Gowda owns in HSR Layout. Pic: Vijayalakshmi P Gowda was allotted site No. 2B, a 50x80 ft plot in Sector 3 of HSR layout, for residential use in 2006. Another 50x80 ft site adjacent at the back (site no. 13B) is owned by Sringeri MLA D N Jeevaraj. The…

In a major ruling, the High Court has ordered that commercial buildings not be allowed in residential zones in Bangalore from now on. The court passed the interim order on January 25th in a case filed by Citizens' Action Forum (CAF), Sadashivnagar RWA and 12 individuals in 2008. Petitioners had challenged BDA's Revised Master Plan (RMP 2005-2015), based on which land use zones are demarcated. A division bench of the court lead by Chief Justice Vikramjit Sen asked the government to go back the city's master plan of 1995-2005 for limits on commercial activity in residential areas. News of this…

In a startling land grab case filed by BTM Layout's Bank Officers' Co- Operative Housing Society against the BDA for illegal land transfer, the Karnataka High Court has ordered the BDA on January 6th to restore the land and maintain it as a park. View of the disputed land from across the street. Pic:Deepthi M S The bank officers cooperative was allotted 30 acres of land in bulk in 1982, at the time of the formation of BTM layout. The land was given to the society on a lease agreement. Most of the land was used for construction except for…

Jan JD-S Bangalore city corporator Diwaan Ali shot dead.Feb Anita Reddy, Founder, Association for Voluntary Action and Services, wins Namma Bengalurean of the Year Award, 2010, instituted by Namma Bengaluru Foundation.Mar High Court dismisses midnight tender case, clearing the way for BBMP to initiate works like road widening, signal free corridors etc worth Rs 22,000 cr.Provisional census data shows population density in Bangalore district increase by 147% in the last decade, literacy goes up by 6%.Apr Bangalore Traffic Police joins Facebook, becoming the first government agency in the city to have live interactions with citizens online.HC rules that all Bangalore…

It was a few years ago. I was stopped by the traffic policeman in Richmond Town for “jumping red light and reckless driving”. As expected, I was told that I’d have to pay a fine, but at the end of the conversation that ensued, I was let off with no exchange of money, just a warning. Now here again I was, at another traffic signal in Richmond Town, in front of another policeman, but for a different traffic violation. I realize that I run the risk of being classified as a habitual traffic offender, but I must clarify that on…

THROUGHOUT the year it seems that the citizens and the city were at war with each other. You only had to think of a project proposed by a city agency, and instantly you could recollect how citizens fought against the project. Equally, whenever citizens mooted something the the city should take up - bike lanes, bus priority, better footpaths - it seemed like the entire establishment was pitted against them.  To me, this is the greatest warning before us. All over the world the evidence is now compelling, that cities that actively involve their citizens in decisions are doing much…