Infrastructure

Real estate activity contributes significantly to the overall economic output in India, as it does in most economies across the globe. The sub prime crisis in the US, triggered by the high default rate of sub prime home loan borrowers, has snowballed into an economic crisis that has pulled most of the world into its grip. The co-relation and co-existence of a flourishing real estate sector with a healthy economy has never been more obvious than it is now.  Here’s a reality check on the situation in Namma Bengaluru. (File Pic: Meera K) Cause and effect of the last two…

We recently  concluded a successful property tax drive at our apartment complex, Rohan Vasantha in Marathahalli. Initially, we had contacted the BBMP helpline and got guidance on how to fill the form. However, certain points like zone classifications were not clear. So we contacted the BBMP officials, Assistant Commissioner Vasanth Rao and Deputy Commisioner Heera Naik. My neighbours Avinash Kalmani, Vasanth Kelkar, Nitin Kabra & I (Keshav Prabhu) met them. They helped us fill one form. We sent the reference form to all residents in our community of 540 houses. We got 300 forms and kept it in the club house.…

The garbage truck that visits the 5 blocks of JP Nagar’s Brigade Millennium community every morning usually leaves overflowing, and often with things that could be reused or recycled. Mayflower Block, 15 floors high, with about 220 families is a major contributor to this. Some of us were already aware of ITC's (paperboards) efforts at garbage segregation in Yelahanka, where their team goes door-to-door regularly to buy recyclable/reusable garbage. Taking a cue from that, and with the end objective of reducing the quantity of garbage that travels several kilometers to the landfill, the ‘Blue Drum Campaign’ was launched by the…

All our politicians in the state are now busy mustering POWER to rule us, with promises. On the contrary, there is untimely load shedding ( especially in the evenings between 6 PM to 11 PM and early mornings 5 AM to 7 AM).This has caused problems to exam going children. They have to revise the syllabus of the entire year. Although, the government provides mid-day meals,free books and other facilities, the students cannot revise in the last few hours before the exam. What would be the impact on the psychology of the children? We hope our government and energy department…

Area Residential rates (All numbers in Rs Sq/ft) Commercial rates(All numbers in Rs Sq/ft) BLR - Central business Districts MG Road   20000 Kasturba Rd   15000 Cubbon Rd 12500  Church Street 12500 15000 Dickenson Rd   12500 Ashokanagar 2500 5000 Victoria Layout 4000 8000 Commercial Street   25000 Infantry Rd 10000 15000 K Kamraj Rd   5000-8000 Shivajinagar 2500 5000 Cunningham Rd 10000 15000 Queens Rd 5000 10000 Millers Rd 6000 10000 Vasantnagar 7000 10000 Surrounding MG RD Langford Town 6000 8000 Richmond Town 6000 8000 Residency Rd   15000 St.Marks Rd 10000 15000 Cambridge Rd 5000 7000 Ulsoor…

Ever wondered why Bangalore has several firsts to its credit? Be it industrialisation, automation, machine-tools, aviation, aerospace-research, advanced studies, information technology, the city has been the Mecca for trying out developmental projects. It sure speaks of the progressive nature of its people and their innovative spirit. In a series of articles, Citizen Matters will try to cover the various innovations that the city has pioneered through recent history. Receiving Station, MG Road (pic: Gopal MS) Ask the citizens of Bangalore to name the city's biggest problem and they are sure to say either traffic and/or power cuts. They will surely…

The conflict between preserving the environment and providing housing for the masses is age old. Whether it is an urban sprawl or a concrete megalopolis, many of us get pained at the impact on the city's greenery. We pay the price with our health, our lifestyle and our culture. Are there alternatives that can provide affordable housing and yet allow us to be surrounded by trees? What about housing colonies like those of government quarters? DRDO Township, CV Raman Nagar (pic: V.Gopalakrishnan) India first gave a thrust to industrialisation during its first two five-year plans and a number of public…

In the year 2008, discussion about power cuts was the talk of the town, among the city’s numerous other grouses. While everyone was affected by these outages, scheduled and unscheduled, and ranting about the same, Jayanagar Shopping Complex was least bothered to join the debate. Not because it never had these power cuts, but because it is suffering from the malady for the past 33 years. Jayanagar shopping complex (Pic: Supriya Khandekar) The well known Jayanagar IV Block Shopping Complex has been facing untimely and repeated power cuts since the time it came into existence 33 years ago. "We have…

In the past, Bangalore's infrastructure projects have been plagued by cost and schedule overruns. From the metro to grade separators/flyovers at Yeshwantpur junction, Gali Anjaneyaswamy temple, Malleswaram etc. to the elevated superway on Hosur road...We hope 2009 sees a change for the better.⊕

Have you ever wondered why Rajajinagar and Jayanagar are well planned, but Madiwala is not? Why Malleswaram is planned while Srirampuram is a mess? How so many people lived crammed into narrow streets and bylanes in some areas with little or no drainage and roads, while relatively swanky 80ft roads run through HSR Layout? Why does Bangalore have so many illegal layouts? Why does the city fall apart during even a moderate downpour? What happened to all the drainage channels and valleys that originally used to carry water away?Illegal Layouts[Citizen Matters sat down with H B S Aradhya, former Deputy…