Governance

Residents of Sachidananda Nagara layout in Rajarajeswari Nagar a far from a solution to their khata woes. After two Gandhigiri protests and several promises from the BBMP Commissioner H Siddaiah himself, the latest roadblock in their struggle is a letter sent by former Mayor S K Nataraj asking BBMP to not issue khatas to residents. The letter was sent by the former Mayor on April 26, two days before he quit office. The new Mayor was elected on April 29. File pic: Sachidanandanaga residents arguing with the police while waiting to get their khatas in November 2010. Pic: Navya P…

Anti-corruption champion Anna Hazare's public meeting at National College Grounds, Basavangudi on May 28 drew around 10,000 people towards the end, according to the India Against Corruption's group. IAC had expected around 50,000. At 2 pm, when the event was expected to start, there were only about 2000 people in the audience. But the numbers had swelled by the time of Hazare's speech at the end around 5pm. An ecstatic audience cheered as Hazare stepped up to speak. Hazare said that the Lokpal Bill should be drafted by June 30 and passed in assembly by August 15; if not, he…

During enrolment, residents have to fill an enrolment form which will have basic details such as name, address etc. Evidence of Proof of Identity (PoI), Proof of Address (PoA) and Date of Birth (DoB) should be produced. If original documents are not available, copies attested by a notary/gazetted officer will be accepted. Additionally, biometric details - which include scanning of 10 fingerprints and iris, and photograph - will be taken. For children under 15, biometric details won't be taken; their UID will be linked to their parent's after verification. As per the UID website, here are the documents which will…

The Karnataka RTO puts the number of vehicles plying on the roads of Bangalore as 36 lakhs, according to a 2008 estimate. This includes 31 lakh two -wheelers and 5 lakh four wheelers. The numbers have only increased since. The city's automotive abundance is also a haven for thieves who can have a pick at the vehicles they want to drive away with. Aloka D'Souza, 21, a graduate of Fashion Design from Mount Carmel College became a victim of automobile theft last year when her Scooty Pep was stolen. Her vehicle key was stolen from her when she was playing…

Anna Hazare, who led the indefinite fast for Lokpal Bill last month, will visit Bangalore on May 27-28. This is part of IAC (India Against Corruption)'s continuing campaign to have the Bill passed in the monsoon session of Parliament. Bangalore is one of the five cities that Hazare is planning to visit in the first round of the campaign. Promotional Artwork put out by India Against Corruption Banalore group. "After Delhi, the highest response for Jan Lokpal Bill was from Bangalore, which is why Hazare wanted to visit," says Anand Yadwad, who had participated in the indefinite fast in Bangalore.…

Vasantha Natarajan (name changed) and her husband reside in JP Nagar and have heard about the Aadhaar or Unique Identification (UID) scheme. Recently, they saw a press report about the launch of the scheme for Bangalore in June. They are worried that because they were going to be abroad that time, they will miss getting their UIDs. "We will be out of the country for about 6 months. I do not know whether they (UID staff) will come again if the occupants are not in the in their houses when they visit", wrote in a worried Natarajan to Citizen Matters.…

Day before yesterday, I was driving back home from work. At the Silk Board signal, the lights had turned green. I was crossing over, suddenly an auto rickshaw comes out of nowhere, cuts across, breaking all rules and I had to hit the breaks but couldn't stop myself from hitting the auto rickshaw. Still from promo film on road accidents, made by the Bangalore Traffic Police. It was a minor hit. I have a Maruthi 800, my bumper got dislodged a bit and the auto rickshaw's right mudguard had a dent.I know many people who would just drive off. The…

In the last one week, I have had the opportunity to observe the use of information technology in governance.  Does information technology  make life simpler or more complicated for the common or garden variety user?  I share two disparate stories here.Let me talk about the pleasanter experience first.   I applied for a tatkal renewal of my passport online sitting at home.  Uploading the application was easy. Using this registration number, with some difficulty (more on this later),  I got an online appointment for a visit to the passport office at  Devarachikkanahalli.  After my interview on the appointed date,  I was…

BBMP's plan to clear encroachments and de-silt Storm Water Drains (SWDs) and install Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) in big properties, will launch soon, say officials. The Commissioner's action plan, intended to combat flooding during monsoon, is supposed to get completed within 2-3 months. The works are de-centralised - EEs in each zone are responsible for doing this in areas under their jurisdiction. Officials should submit a daily action plan to the Commissioner and update him of each day's work, says documents from the Commissioner's office. If accidents continue during monsoon despite these actions, the concerned officials will be held responsible,…

The famed Jayanagar Shopping Complex in Jayanagar 4th block is soon to undergo a makeover. While BBMP and BDA have been making plans for renovating the complex, shopkeepers here have been kept out of the loop. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the renovation project is almost complete, but it does not mention rehabilitation of shopkeepers. Many shopkeepers are not aware of the renovation plan either. While some are opposed to the project, others believe that they will be rehabilitated. The project costing Rs 115 crores, is expected to be complete in 18 months. Mani, a shop owner, has been…