Editors' Blog

The January 30th print issue of Citizen Matters hit the stands and homes in south Bengaluru exactly two years after our first issue of January 30th 2009! That maiden issue we had covered the HSR Layout Agara Flyover digging work, for those of you who may recall our cover. The Citizen Matters print newsmagazine is a fortnightly that goes to the JP Nagar, BTM and Jayanagar (tiny part) areas of south Bangalore. Apart from independent homes, over 22 major apartments on Bannerghatta road and in JP Nagar get copies. Advertisers range from the smallest local business to major silk saree…

The January 30th print issue of Citizen Matters hit the stands and homes in south Bengaluru exactly two years after our first issue of January 30th 2009! That maiden issue we had covered the HSR Layout Agara Flyover digging work, for those of you who may recall our cover. The Citizen Matters print newsmagazine is a fortnightly that goes to the JP Nagar, BTM and Jayanagar (tiny part) areas of south Bangalore. Apart from independent homes, over 22 major apartments on Bannerghatta road and in JP Nagar get copies. Advertisers range from the smallest local business to major silk saree…

Mugging incidents along the Outer Ring Road-Sarjapur Road are back. The modus operandi is similar to earlier: Commuters driving alone in a car are stopped by con men on bikes. The men claim money on the pretext that the car has hit their bikes by showing their damages. They threaten the commuter (often these are residents of the Sarjapur Road area), damage the car and speak in loud voices in Kannada. They snatch the mobile. They persuade the victim to pay thousands of rupees for the “damages”, taking him to an ATM. These incidents happened earlier mid 2010 and the…

Mugging incidents along the Outer Ring Road-Sarjapur Road are back. The modus operandi is similar to earlier: Commuters driving alone in a car are stopped by con men on bikes. The men claim money on the pretext that the car has hit their bikes by showing their damages. They threaten the commuter (often these are residents of the Sarjapur Road area), damage the car and speak in loud voices in Kannada. They snatch the mobile. They persuade the victim to pay thousands of rupees for the “damages”, taking him to an ATM. These incidents happened earlier mid 2010 and the…

Sometime back, we noted that the government had renamed Karnataka’s Urban Development Department as The Great Bengaluru Land Scam Department. Since then, developments have spiralled further and deeper into the mysterious inner workings of our system, and behold: another name change is being announced at the fag end of the year.BBMP is being renamed U-TURN-MP on January 1st!Surprised? You should not be, actually. Here’s the evidence:After repeatedly insisting that a link road was a must through forestland in the prestigious University of Agricultural Sciences’ GKVK campus in north Bangalore and cutting over 680 trees in 2009, BBMP is now, at…

Sometime back, we noted that the government had renamed Karnataka’s Urban Development Department as The Great Bengaluru Land Scam Department. Since then, developments have spiralled further and deeper into the mysterious inner workings of our system, and behold: another name change is being announced at the fag end of the year.BBMP is being renamed U-TURN-MP on January 1st!Surprised? You should not be, actually. Here’s the evidence:After repeatedly insisting that a link road was a must through forestland in the prestigious University of Agricultural Sciences’ GKVK campus in north Bangalore and cutting over 680 trees in 2009, BBMP is now, at…

Almost as if in response to rising Bangaloreans' concern against the BBMP and BDA's permissions for commercial buildings in residential areas and large format apartments on narrow roads, a zoning review committee of the state government had acted last month. On Oct 15th, the committee, headed by former chief secretary and ABIDe member Dr A Ravindra sent to the government a major set of revisions to the CDP's zoning rules. If the government accepts it, it will become harder for the most blatant of illegal buildings to crop up around the city, and easier for citizens to monitor. The redrafted…

Almost as if in response to rising Bangaloreans' concern against the BBMP and BDA's permissions for commercial buildings in residential areas and large format apartments on narrow roads, a zoning review committee of the state government had acted last month. On Oct 15th, the committee, headed by former chief secretary and ABIDe member Dr A Ravindra sent to the government a major set of revisions to the CDP's zoning rules. If the government accepts it, it will become harder for the most blatant of illegal buildings to crop up around the city, and easier for citizens to monitor. The redrafted…

Even as the BJP government totters this weekend, yet another scam in the government's favourite playground - Bengaluru city - stands exposed. For over three years now the spectre of the Akrama Sakrama Bill has been hanging over the city. The bill is meant to 'regularise' illegal buildings in return for owners paying penalties. The premise of such a bill is that the BBMP will otherwise put all measures in place to bring the percentage of violations down to the single digits (some percentage in every society will flout the law) with stiff penalties. Regularising illegal buildings is therefore imagined…

Even as the BJP government totters this weekend, yet another scam in the government's favourite playground - Bengaluru city - stands exposed. For over three years now the spectre of the Akrama Sakrama Bill has been hanging over the city. The bill is meant to 'regularise' illegal buildings in return for owners paying penalties. The premise of such a bill is that the BBMP will otherwise put all measures in place to bring the percentage of violations down to the single digits (some percentage in every society will flout the law) with stiff penalties. Regularising illegal buildings is therefore imagined…