BBMP

On 14th June 2014, Whitefield Rising is organizing a tree-planting drive along the shores of Munnekolala Lake. Read more about the restoration of this lake here.   As Arvind Keerthi from Whitefield Rising says, What is exciting about this drive is that it is a confluence of efforts made by the BBMP Lakes Department, which is supplying the 600 saplings, private sponsorship from United Way of Bengaluru, which is funding the equipment and materials, and of course our beloved volunteers, who coaxed the process along, and will supply the calories needed to plant the saplings.  If you love planting trees,…

Property tax rates are very low. Yes, I said low  I know it is not a popular thing to say, but it's the truth. In Bangalore, we pay about 0.06 per cent of the value of a residential property in annual taxes, slightly more in some cases. In Seattle, just to pick a random point of comparison, the tax rate is between 0.8 and 1.1 per cent per year. That's 14 to 19 times higher. Council tax in the UK is in the same range, maybe even higher. There's an old saying that if you pay less (peanuts) you'll get…

Property tax rates are very low. Yes, I said low  I know it is not a popular thing to say, but it's the truth. In Bangalore, we pay about 0.06 per cent of the value of a residential property in annual taxes, slightly more in some cases. In Seattle, just to pick a random point of comparison, the tax rate is between 0.8 and 1.1 per cent per year. That's 14 to 19 times higher. Council tax in the UK is in the same range, maybe even higher. There's an old saying that if you pay less (peanuts) you'll get…

The residents of Casa Ansal, in J P Nagar 3rd Phase on Bannerghatta Road, have been suffering from the shifting of the trash area from the Mini-Forest area to their southern wall, where it was both an eyesore and a major health hazard. On the morning of the 17th of May, with the help of The Ugly Indian   a group dedicated to clean-ups, the residents took up the cleaning of the area. ' The cleaning program was announced on the Casa Ansal FaceBook group, and several volunteers turned up to help.     Two garbage lorries were positioned, one…

The residents of Casa Ansal, in J P Nagar 3rd Phase on Bannerghatta Road, have been suffering from the shifting of the trash area from the Mini-Forest area to their southern wall, where it was both an eyesore and a major health hazard. On the morning of the 17th of May, with the help of The Ugly Indian   a group dedicated to clean-ups, the residents took up the cleaning of the area. ' The cleaning program was announced on the Casa Ansal FaceBook group, and several volunteers turned up to help.     Two garbage lorries were positioned, one…

Bellandur Buzz… April 9th 2014, Issue 7 This is a fortnightly newsletter shared by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.comVisit to Rainbow Drive: RWH tourAbout 50 residents and estate managers from apartments and layouts  around Sarjapura Road took a 1 hr walk inside Rainbow Drive on Saturday morning to see how ground water recharge had been implemented there. This event was organized by BIOME Trust, MAPSAS and Rainbow Drive. The participants saw the recharge wells and interatced with Bharti and Manjunath of Rainbow Drive. They also watched a movie on how water enters borewell in small streams flowing underground. This was followed…

Bellandur Buzz… April 9th 2014, Issue 7 This is a fortnightly newsletter shared by the citizen group bellandur-forum@googlegroups.comVisit to Rainbow Drive: RWH tourAbout 50 residents and estate managers from apartments and layouts  around Sarjapura Road took a 1 hr walk inside Rainbow Drive on Saturday morning to see how ground water recharge had been implemented there. This event was organized by BIOME Trust, MAPSAS and Rainbow Drive. The participants saw the recharge wells and interatced with Bharti and Manjunath of Rainbow Drive. They also watched a movie on how water enters borewell in small streams flowing underground. This was followed…

Vinay Sreenivasa posts in Hasiru Usiru group: Tree Felling in Kanataka is governed by the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. Section 8 (1) of the act states: With effect on and from the appointed day, notwithstanding any custom, usage, contract or law for the time being in force,  no person shall fell any tree or cause any tree to be felled in any land, whether in his  ownership or occupancy or otherwise, except with the previous permission of the  Tree Officer Thus, whether the tree is in private land or government land, the permission of the Tree Officer is essential before a tree…

Vinay Sreenivasa posts in Hasiru Usiru group: Tree Felling in Kanataka is governed by the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. Section 8 (1) of the act states: With effect on and from the appointed day, notwithstanding any custom, usage, contract or law for the time being in force,  no person shall fell any tree or cause any tree to be felled in any land, whether in his  ownership or occupancy or otherwise, except with the previous permission of the  Tree Officer Thus, whether the tree is in private land or government land, the permission of the Tree Officer is essential before a tree…

Not so early in the morning, I look down from my third floor apartment. There’s a lady sweeping the dead-end road. I know her, though I don’t know her name. She wears the official BBMP coat and she collects garbage from each of the apartment building. Sometimes I see her, while walking, from a car and smile and wave at her. She smiles back. A beautiful, cheery smile, but with an edge of self-consciousness. As if unused to be smiled at. As if unacknowledged as a human by those who live in apartments. (Pic for representation only. Can’t find the…