Infrastructure

Responses to the new tenders issued by the South Western Railways for completion of the Whitefield bridge project will be opened in the third week of this month, says a top official at the Railways.In yet another twist to the long saga, Railways had terminated its contract last month with Soham Engineering Constructions, the Hyderabad-based firm that had been struggling to complete the bridge. Soham had been citing a cash flow crunch, but technical issues had caused the delay as well. One of the two ramps biting thin air at the railway intersection. Pic: Subramaniam Vincent. The source at the…

Most of us dutifully place the garbage bag outside the front door every morning or night and rush back in to line the dustbin with a fresh plastic bag. With this, we think we have done our job with waste disposal and the rest is a headache better dealt by the local municipality. Later in the day, when we see overflowing bins, garbage strewn all over the roads and pavements, we criticise the corrupt bureaucracy without losing an instant. It doesn’t even cross our minds that we too are to be blamed for the sordid state of affairs. Digest this:…

In a previous article which appeared in Citizen Matters a month ago, I talked about the fact as to how Bangalore was becoming another Mumbai (a concrete jungle, without any open spaces and hardly any greenery ). And although I have moved to another city in another continent (Delft, Netherlands) to pursue a PhD in trying to understand the ‘institutional & governance side of urban transportation' (in which I will be studying four cities including Bangalore), I cannot help but read about the latest developments in Bangalore through news reports which seem to suggest that the administration (municipal and state)…

A training-cum-tea party for house maids/helpers? And why not? The domestic help are a 100+ strong group working in the 220 apartments of Mayflower Block in Brigade Millennium at JP Nagar in south Bengaluru. The efforts of garbage segregation/recycling of dry waste at Mayflower started close to a year ago (in November 2008) through the introduction of blue drums. While the onus of segregation is primarily on the households, all those working in the building, like the housekeeping staff and house maids/helpers, have been directly involved in contributing to the proper disposal of dry waste. Participants are all ears. Pic:…

It's one of those things that makes you cringe when you hear about it but eventually fades from your memory. But 18-month-old Vijay refreshed our memories of five-year-old Abhishek. As much as we express anger against the BBMP, nothing really can be done to bring back these two lives. When I saw a local news channel showing footage of firemen working their way through drains, searching for little Vijay's body, for me it brought back memories of Y S Rajashekhar Reddy, the late Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister. As soon as it was known that there was no contact with his…

Last week, I walking towards JP Nagar 4th phase and I realised that the footpaths were dangerously uneven. I am a student preparing for my competitive exams. I am constantly studying and hence retaining information and staying fit is of primary importance. I was being extra cautious and tried not to slip off any stone slab. As I am thinking about how smart and careful I was, my head collides against a branch of a tree (so much for being careful!!). I would not blame it on my height as I am of average build. It took me a while to recover from the jolt and…

It was recently announced in the media that residents of Pune would face a significant water cut (20-30%) as the dams supplying water to the city have only enough to last for about 15-18 days. Shocking and scary, to say the least. But then again, it should come as no surprise, given the way we consume water in urban India. 135 litres. That is the official per capita consumption of water per day in urban India, says S Vishwanath, Founder, Rainwater Club. A rough break-up of this reveals just how easily we manage this:  40 litres for flushing ; 20…

Gautam B Pandit and his family were very excited last Wednesday after the heavy downpour in the city. The rain filled up the 5000 litre barrel they have set up in their house for rainwater harvesting (RWH). “We could have filled another two barrels that night. The barrel just overflowed”, Gautam says. The Pandits have just installed RWH at their home on Hayes Road in Richmond Town. The 40 houses in Sherwood Apartments, located on Kaggadasapura Main Road in CV Raman Nagar, have not faced any water problem for the past four months. All thanks to RWH says the residents.…

I saw this scene - the BBMP has using an advertisement sheet to cement a manhole during the monsoon! Is this what they mean by Public-Private Partnerships or is this a form of Corporate Social Responsibility? ⊕

Residents living in select premium housing segments in the city - including Palm Meadows on the Marathahalli-Whitefield Road and Chaithanya Samarpan on the Whitefield-Hoskote Road have been receiving undervaluation notices from the sub-registrar's office. What are undervaluation notices? Who sends them out and on what grounds? What should home owners do when they receive such notices? Citizen Matters tried to find the answers. The Chaithanya Samarpan gated community on the Whitefield-Hoskote Road, is a 5-minute drive from the Whitefield Railway Station. (Pic: Savita Kini) The District Registrar of Stamps, under Section 45-A of the Karnataka Stamp Act 1957, is entitled…