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The construction of a residential house in 121, 3rd cross, Dollars Layout, JP Nagar 4th phase has been going on for more than past four years. This design-as-you-go house is less than 50 per cent complete at this time. The construction is done with steel and concrete. This type of construction requires very good planning as there is very little room for error. Once the concrete is poured the structure is fixed and can’t be altered. This building is anything but planned. One day they build a section of the building and following week they realise they made a mistake.…

This juction is at Chikkallasandra and is situated on Uttarahalli road, 18th main (Komarla Feeds road) and Chikkallasandra main road in front of the Sani Mahathma Temple. It  is extremely chaotic and the road users have absolutely no civic sense. The traffic flow is very heavy at all times and there is no police post to regulate. All types of vehicles are parked near the junction flouting basic rules and adding to the chaotic situation. The roads are also not broad enough for vehicles to move . There are three hairpin bends at the junction which do not allow view…

They are young, not necessarily khadi-clad, carry the latest brand of mobile phones and zip in their chauffeur-driven cars. They idolise the likes of Rahul Gandhi and Atal Behari Vajpayee. If not working, you can catch them at PVR or Inox. Meet Bengaluru's young netas, determined to bring about "some much needed change" to the city. In the aftermath of the parliamentary elections there was much newsmedia coverage on the involvement of youth in political campaigning. With dust now having settled and the council election coming up for Bengaluru, Citizen Matters talked to around two dozen youth in the age…

On Sunday, 21 June 2009, many Kannada book lovers gathered at Nayana Auditorium Kannada Bhavana. T Navakarnataka Publications released a series titled ”Vanitha Chintana Maale”, a set of ten books with content predominantly women centric . Navakarnataka Publications was established in 1960 and has as its motto: Pustakada Muulaka Manukulada Seve (Service to Mankind through books). In its nearly 50 years of operation, Navakarnataka has published more than 2500 different books that cater to a wide range of people – from intellectuals to the common man. In addition to a monthly newsletter titled ‘Hosathu’, Navakarnataka has been publishing books (predominantly…

On 31st March 2009, Citizen Matters reported about a proposal for a cycle track around Madiwala Lake (see here). Initiated by RideACycle Foundation (RAC-F), the proposal was submitted to the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) on 17th February 2009. Former BMLTA Commissioner Gaurav Gupta got the sanction of the Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao for this project during his tenure. Madiwala lake (pic: Meera K) On speaking to Gaurav Gupta (when he was the BMLTA Commissioner) about this project, he said it would be carried out by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) with BMLTA providing technical expertise. “We have requested…

Savitha Swamy, a research scholar from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) is initiating an urban ecology project which involves surveys on  biodiversity in various neighborhood parks in Bangalore. Savitha is looking at the long term sustainability of Bangalore's urban green spaces. This study will be used to come up with models to conserve urban green spaces and the biodiversity that it shelters which is disappearing in an alarming rate. People’s attitude influences environmental conservation action in the city (pic: Jahnavi Pai) The central question of this study is “how do the urban green spaces function…

Indians are perhaps the most forgiving lot. They are also one of those who give up a fight too easily. How can anyone explain why a wife, whose husband was drowned to death in a storm water drain in Bangalore couple of few weeks ago, accept just Rs One lakh from the civic authorities and resigned to the fate saying – “Can any amount of money bring back my husband?” While no one can question this sentiment, it is this lax approach that is making the civic authorities take it easy, even if they endanger the lives of the citizens.…

A Colonial era law makes millions of sexual minorities in India, second class citizens. This law leads to harassment, denial of justice, inheritance issues, healthcare denial and more. This year, individuals and organisations, under the banner of Campaign for Sex-workers and Sexual Minorities Rights (CSMR), organised a week-long festival beginning with a cricket match on 21st June and culminating with the Bengaluru Pride March on 28th June. The march began at National College, Basavanagudi and ended at Puttanachetty Town Hall. Bangalore’s sexual minorities demanded their rights in this colourful annual protest parade, most of them with their faces covered in…

Bangalore witnessed the first event of its kind in India on the 14th of June, a duathlon! Runners for Life (RFL), an organisation dedicated to runners and running, partnered with Ride a Cycle foundation, a non-profit organization which encourages cycling as a form of recreation, sport and a means to commute to work. A duathlon is an athletic event that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg. First leg of the duathlon (pic: DS) Many of the city’s seasoned as well as first time runners along with cyclists were gathered at the…

Consumer   Consumers again in the receiving end Despite nose diving inflation, prices of essential goods remains high. But consumers now have to deal with another problem. Most producers of consumer goods retain old prices of commodities, but reduce the weight without consumers' knowledge. Weight of a soap is reduced by 13 grams and the weight of edible oil from a well known company has been reduced from 910 to 850 grams. Most of the time, consumer pay little attention to these details. An amendment to the Act of Weight and Measurement allows producers to decide on weight of the…