Governance

  I have my old Election Identity card, but it was issued a long time back, and I cannot find any trace of it online at all. So I went.yesterday (Monday) to the BBMP office in J P Nagar 2nd Phase, showed the card, and asked the guy there what to do. He smiled (felt rather strangely) and said, "You have to go to Jayanagar 4th Block and get this card deleted and bring us back a stamped certificate to that effect."  This was quite irritating. Why cannot the system do the change without making me run around from one office to…

  I have my old Election Identity card, but it was issued a long time back, and I cannot find any trace of it online at all. So I went.yesterday (Monday) to the BBMP office in J P Nagar 2nd Phase, showed the card, and asked the guy there what to do. He smiled (felt rather strangely) and said, "You have to go to Jayanagar 4th Block and get this card deleted and bring us back a stamped certificate to that effect."  This was quite irritating. Why cannot the system do the change without making me run around from one office to…

J P Nagar 3rd Phase is a residential locality where the roads have suffered really badly because of the construction of the Jayadeva Flyover. Last week, however, residents were happy to see the tar wagons and road rollers arriving. At last, we all felt, before the elections, we will get smooth roads for at least some time...Oh, no! Of all the main and cross roads of this community, only the second Main Road was tarred. And that, too, not for its full stretch. What could the logic of this action be? None or the residents have a clue.it is, of course,…

I went to pay my annual property tax...luckily for me, helpful neighbours informed me that the office where I would have to pay  had shifted from the Koramangala complex to a building on a road near Ranga Shankara...otherwise, like a friend of mine, I would have wasted some time on a visit to that office.When I went at 3.30pm to the J P Nagar office, I found a few people in the queue...I got the form and the booklet, but was NOT given,even though I repeatedly asked for it, the booklet that would let me know in which "zone" my…

J P Nagar 3rd Phase is a residential locality where the roads have suffered really badly because of the construction of the Jayadeva Flyover. Last week, however, residents were happy to see the tar wagons and road rollers arriving. At last, we all felt, before the elections, we will get smooth roads for at least some time...Oh, no! Of all the main and cross roads of this community, only the second Main Road was tarred. And that, too, not for its full stretch. What could the logic of this action be? None or the residents have a clue.it is, of course,…

I went to pay my annual property tax...luckily for me, helpful neighbours informed me that the office where I would have to pay  had shifted from the Koramangala complex to a building on a road near Ranga Shankara...otherwise, like a friend of mine, I would have wasted some time on a visit to that office.When I went at 3.30pm to the J P Nagar office, I found a few people in the queue...I got the form and the booklet, but was NOT given,even though I repeatedly asked for it, the booklet that would let me know in which "zone" my…

As I drove past on M G Road, I realized that what we always refer to as the "Thomas Cook" building has also come down, and is just a shell awaiting demolition. So I thought of quickly taking photographs of  some  of the beautiful old buldings that still stand in this area.Here is the "Sadhwani's" building, with its lovely old monkey-top still intact:Then, of course, the Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium, dating from a time when there was no demand for vertical spaces:On Brigade Road stands this beautiful example of Bangalore architecture:And one of the queens of Cubbon Park, the Central Library…

As I drove past on M G Road, I realized that what we always refer to as the "Thomas Cook" building has also come down, and is just a shell awaiting demolition. So I thought of quickly taking photographs of  some  of the beautiful old buldings that still stand in this area.Here is the "Sadhwani's" building, with its lovely old monkey-top still intact:Then, of course, the Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium, dating from a time when there was no demand for vertical spaces:On Brigade Road stands this beautiful example of Bangalore architecture:And one of the queens of Cubbon Park, the Central Library…

We've been moaning about the India Coffee House on M G Road shutting down soon, but when I went for the INTACH-organized Heritage walk on Avenue Road, I was astonished by the site of a van vending coffee and snacks to several people, early in the morning! Apparently it's there every weekend morning, I am not sure if it's also there on weekdays:The van is run by the "Coffee Mandali" or Coffee Board...five rupees gets one a china cup of piping hot coffee!Here are several people jostling (as usual, Bangaloreans seem never to have heard of the word "queue") for…

We've been moaning about the India Coffee House on M G Road shutting down soon, but when I went for the INTACH-organized Heritage walk on Avenue Road, I was astonished by the site of a van vending coffee and snacks to several people, early in the morning! Apparently it's there every weekend morning, I am not sure if it's also there on weekdays:The van is run by the "Coffee Mandali" or Coffee Board...five rupees gets one a china cup of piping hot coffee!Here are several people jostling (as usual, Bangaloreans seem never to have heard of the word "queue") for…