GENRE: Local News

In some neighburhoods, citizens are vexed by an increasing number of bars and pubs, and the dramatic change in the surroundings as a result. There have been various instances of conflict between residents and these establishments, and also a demand that BBMP should address this properly. This is doable, but only if we correctly identify the problems. (a) The first challenge is that people who want to set up the establishments are themselves property owners in the area, which causes discord between the neighbours in terms of what they themselves want. (b) The second is that often those letting their…

We have thousands of runners but no place to just walk from A to B. I can no longer walk the less-than-a-kilometre stretch from my home to that of a friend on Bannerghatta Road. The road has been dug up for widening ( though it quickly ends in a bottleneck at an immoveable temple opposite a newly- minted mall), and leave alone the demise of several young trees, there is no footpath any more, nor is there likely to be, for the foreseeable future. Critically endangered species: the Common Pedestrian. Update: My friend Shiv Sastry tells me that there is…

We have thousands of runners but no place to just walk from A to B. I can no longer walk the less-than-a-kilometre stretch from my home to that of a friend on Bannerghatta Road. The road has been dug up for widening ( though it quickly ends in a bottleneck at an immoveable temple opposite a newly- minted mall), and leave alone the demise of several young trees, there is no footpath any more, nor is there likely to be, for the foreseeable future. Critically endangered species: the Common Pedestrian. Update: My friend Shiv Sastry tells me that there is…

On 25 Nov '17, at about 4.30pm, on Kengal Hanumanthiah (Double) Road, I found this van, based in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, with a number plate where the "TN" (denoting the state) was painted over. This was done both at the rear and on the side (which I clicked) of the van. How are such illegal number plates allowed to ply on our roads?

On 25 Nov '17, at about 4.30pm, on Kengal Hanumanthiah (Double) Road, I found this van, based in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, with a number plate where the "TN" (denoting the state) was painted over. This was done both at the rear and on the side (which I clicked) of the van. How are such illegal number plates allowed to ply on our roads?

How often have we seen empty sites in a residential layout, not just going waste, but also being a source of worry for the residents? The worry arises from two main factors: dumping of waste, and the unwanted pests that the waste attracts. For some reason, all our vaunted civic sense does not seem to operate when there are handy empty sites. Whether it is the residents themselves, or their domestic help… an empty site seems to become a great place to throw one’s waste into...especially if it means avoiding segregation of waste. The waste could be building material, or…

How often have we seen empty sites in a residential layout, not just going waste, but also being a source of worry for the residents? The worry arises from two main factors: dumping of waste, and the unwanted pests that the waste attracts. For some reason, all our vaunted civic sense does not seem to operate when there are handy empty sites. Whether it is the residents themselves, or their domestic help… an empty site seems to become a great place to throw one’s waste into...especially if it means avoiding segregation of waste. The waste could be building material, or…

Our roads are public, and parking, where it is legal, should be available to all. But our vehicle users and and homeowners both seem to think that the parking space is something they have ownership of. Many buildings display notices outside which say, "Parking for XYZ customers only". Many homes (private ones, not clinics) have signs outside that say, "Ambulance may come at any time, no parking"....a patently false declaration. I can understand signs that say, "Don't park in front of the gate", but privatising the road in front of a residence is surely unethical if not actually illegal. Some…

Our roads are public, and parking, where it is legal, should be available to all. But our vehicle users and and homeowners both seem to think that the parking space is something they have ownership of. Many buildings display notices outside which say, "Parking for XYZ customers only". Many homes (private ones, not clinics) have signs outside that say, "Ambulance may come at any time, no parking"....a patently false declaration. I can understand signs that say, "Don't park in front of the gate", but privatising the road in front of a residence is surely unethical if not actually illegal. Some…

We are delighted to tell you that our low cost, low maintenance Artificial Floating Island (AFI) has been introduced at Madiwala Lake! Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA) plans to introduce these in Agara lake as well. Last month, on 12th July, Ms. Seema Garg, the new CEO of KLCDA  had visited Puttenahalli Lake and shown great interest in our floating wetland platforms. She informed the officers in charge of setting up the Bio-diversity Park at Madiwala Lake about our innovation and they in turn visited our lake on 21st August 2017. We took Mr. Chidananda, Dy Range Forest Officer and Dr. Padmavathi, Project Coordinator, around…