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Bangaloreans will definitely recall those dangerous days of 1999, when Pakistan Army clandestinely occupied some extremely sensitive areas in Kargil region of Ladakh, overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh road, threatening to choke the Army garrisons in Ladakh and Siachin sector into surrendering/ vacating those areas.  The country thereafter watched with bated breath, as TV reporters brought the valiant counterattacks by our valiant soldiers into our homes through extensive TV coverage. Precariously working their way up along steep slopes, well-covered by murderous machine gun fire, our soldiers did not let down their countrymen's expectations. Slowly, but surely, the operations progressed till the…

Members belonging to Loksatta political party on Saturday, 6 July 2013, protested against the hike in BMTC and KSRTC bus fares. They gathered at Shanthinagar bus stand and distributed pamphlets to bus commuters and the public. They raised slogans against the government for not reducing the burden on public. Loksatta members protesting in Shantinagar bus stand against BMTC bus fare hike Party working committee member Ravi Krishnareddy who spoke at the protest site, said that reducing the BMTC fare by Re. 1/- is just an eye wash. Very few people who commute within the first stage might get the benefit,…

Volvo Buses, India is calling for entries for the third edition of the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards 2013. Instituted in 2011, this award aims to reward progressive and practical action in the area of promoting sustainable solutions in urban mobility. For more information about the contest, visit www.volvobuses.co.in. Register and submit, if your group or organisation has made a positive impact in the area of sustainable mobility that stands out, be it concerning public transport, bicycle, pedestrian safety, or just about any initiative in the interest of sustainable mobility. Last date for registrations is August 31, 2013. Last date for…

There are many survivors who braved all odds and walked with faith, who could come out safely from Uttarkhand. One such survivor is Vijaya Bharathi, a resident of Nagarbhavi. The 37- year old homemaker told Citizen Matters: “The atmosphere was as cold as death all around during the heavy downpour and even afterwards. We fought death to reach home safely.” Here’s the account of the horror she went through, in her own words. *** I, along with 12 family members, left Bangalore on May 30 to New Delhi by train. We were a part of the 45 member group who…

Every day tens of thousands of people visit Krishna Rajendra Market for buying flowers in the upperbasement floor of SKR Market (new complex). The legendary market was demolished and shoppers were allotted alternative shops on lottery basis. Now Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is permitting illegal constructions and allotment of shops within the heritage structure. Bangalore Flower Merchants' Association Vice president Divakar says that illegal construction of shops is being allowed in the passages reserved for light and ventilations and free movement of public. Now more than 11 such establishments have come up.The present allotment in done in the passage-B8 where…

For the members of the Kannada television industry who were present at Kanteerava Studio on 4 June 2013, it was like a family reunion. The muhurtha of tele-serial director, actor and cultural icon, T N Seetaram’s next venture, Mahaparva, saw the presence of a large number of actors, directors, associates, litterateurs and a few politicians as well. Many actors who had been a part of Bhoomika Production’s (T N Seetharam’s production house) earlier projects felt it was a homecoming of sorts while for a few others, it was a walk down memory lane. Srinivas Prasad, Revenue Minister, A J Sadashiva,…

There's a slight nip in the early morning air these days; For me, this holds the anticipation of the winter garden - carrots, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, oranges, apples, guavas, strawberries, tomatoes and much much more - either from your own little patch of green or from the nearest organic store. This season, not only am I keen to try out various recipes that use these different vegetables, I am also happy to rediscover the joy of preserving and drying many of these winter fruits and vegetables so as to savour them through some part of next year too! Tomatoes. Pic:…

After my husband got our constituency and ward details from our neighbour, he filled in the voter registration form online. The last instruction of the online process was to post a copy to the Election Office located at the BBMP Headquarters. He did not trust the BBMP to mail us back our acknowledgement so I was to take the forms to the BBMP office. Though I anticipated a long queue and quite a lot of running around, I agreed, if I had to convince people to vote I had to be on voter's list in the area of our new…

Garbage is creating a lot of noise in Bangalore these days. It is the biggest nuisance that development causes in all urban centres. Drive to an interior village (other than the village where your city dumps the garbage, of course) and you will find it pretty clean, as compared to your own neighbourhood, where mounds of plastic garbage lie strewn beside every posh apartment complex or housing locality! Even in villages, the garbage that you spot mostly contains plastic bags which have entered the lives of the rural folk too. Other than that, most of the garbage collected in a…

The festive season is on and boarding a train towards your destination seems almost impossible. Almost all the trains have lengthy waiting list and if anyone has not planned in advance, it could be a nightmare.Deepavali is around the corner, and celebrated in almost all north Indian places. This is also the season for the annual pilgrimage to Sabarimala. Trains to Delhi, Howrah, Patna etc., show long waiting lists. The situation seems painful to an extent that people are willing to pay hefty amounts to touts for a ticket confirmation. File photo of the passengers waiting to board the train.…