Infrastructure

One of the important tasks for the residents of a new apartment complex is preparation of comprehensive byelaws for the society, Apartment Owners Association (AOA) or an RWA. The initial ground work is generally done by a few volunteers who may or may not be conversant with the actual import of every word and expression. In many cases the byelaws of another society are copied without much deliberation since the main concern at that point of time is to get the Society registered as quickly as possible. It is quite natural and possible that some content if included may become…

We cannot imagine our lives without electricity, but it is a scarce resource. Needed not just for cooking, heating, cooling, lighting, and electronic appliances in our homes, it is also critical for transport, industry, commercial, institutional, recreational, medical and governmental activities. Electricity is the most expensive form of energy, but the cleanest and of highest quality. Given the resources to produce electricity are limited, saving the electricity through smart planning is essential for a better future. Why should we save electricity? Electricity is directly linked with the three dimensions of sustainability: Economic benefits: Electricity is produced in power plants which…

Fake ration cards The issue of bogus ration cards is an important concern reported across India, and the central government has announced that ration cards may no longer be used as legitimate proof of identity and residence at the passport offices from April 2016. According to the Department of Food and Civil Supplies, a total of 11.14 lakh new family ration cards have been issued while 3.38 lakh fake cards were identified and cancelled across Tamil Nadu during the period from June 2011 to November 2014. According to a report published in 2012 by the Comptroller and Auditor General of…

Even as the Tamil Nadu government has introduced digitization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) and smart PDS cards, ration card holders from many parts of the district complain of lack of access to the monthly supply of commodities which points to the discrepancies in the functioning of ration shops.Tamil Nadu, which follows universal PDS system unlike other states, had asked for more time to implement the National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013, which is based on targeted PDS. Under NFSA, 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of the urban population are entitled to five…

RERA for Karnataka is an open, public group, devoted to the welfare of home-owners of apartments, villas or plots. We seek to improve the legal framework and its implementation, by working for quick and proper implementation of RERA and reforms in existing laws. We are also seeking reforms in the procedures and policies of agencies, such as KSPCB, BWSSB, BESCOM, BBMP, BDA etc to make the rules fair and more practical to comply with. Objectives To work for speedy and effective implementation of the RERA in the state of Karnataka. To drive reforms in various acts related to apartment ownership…

From taking water for granted, to discovering water scarcity and now managing water sustainably without depending on water tankers, our Sarjapur Road community is very different from the rest of the neighbourhood suffering from water problems. Rainbow Drive (RBD) is a gated community established in 1998-99. Till 2004, no meters in individual houses, water was supplied free. A few houses had private borewells for their own use. After the Residents' Welfare Association was formed in 2004, they started to meter the supplied water at a nominal charge to recover the operational cost. They also decided to ban the digging of…

Metro trains are jam-packed in the evenings. Pic: Karanam Ramesh It’s been three weeks now of using the Metro for my commute. I resisted writing about it until the dust settles and some routine is established. And a routine is now established. It has been an interesting, and somewhat, tiring three weeks. It is not easy going from a sedentary, get in, sit down in a van near home and get out only at work, and vice-versa commute to a lot of walking. It will take some time for the body to get used to this. And it will be good to…

As part of my Masters Thesis, I am conducting a survey to understand the changing socio-economic profile of the city, the dynamics of this transitionary period, spatial expansion of Bangalore city and citizen participation in governance. The survey results shall be used purely for academic purposes and the personal details will not be shared with any other agency or person. Please help by participating!

Races in Bengaluru are going green, or at least, some extra effort is being put in to make them green events. Bengaluru Marathon 2014, touted to be the city’s first world class marathon with over 8,000 participants, had set an example in responsible waste management even for an event of that magnitude. Then was the turn of Pinkathon, an all-women race. In 2015 as well as in 2016, organisers and volunteers ensured that the use of plastic was avoided to the maximum extent.  Apparently for the first time in Bengaluru, green water stations with reusable cups, alongside regular water stations…

The public consultations organised tree cutting for Metro Phase II in Bengaluru have been repeatedly cancelled due to lack of data and procedural lapses. Activists who were present in the Metro public consultation on March 11 demanded that the data on planted trees and the trees to be cut be made public. Namma Metro had uploaded the tree cutting data, however there was no map done by Namma Metro. This map has been created using the data provided in the BMRCL website. Click on the individual balloons to see the type of tree and cordinates. Here are the trees to…