RW News Network

Residents ask for dividers, speedbreakers on 19th Main, 27th Main; top cop promises action

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Residents ask for dividers, speedbreakers on 19th Main, 27th Main; top cop promises action 1
 
On September 4, the residents of HSR Layout tweeted to the city traffic police about fixing the messy and dangerous gridlocks on 19th Main-11th Cross Road and 27th Main-7th Cross. Additional Commissioner of Police R Hithendra immediately responded that he would have the situation examined. The Traffic East police division was activated who, in turn, asked the HSR cops to look into the complaint.
 
 
Residents ask for dividers, speedbreakers on 19th Main, 27th Main; top cop promises action 2
27th Main Road
 
 
Residents ask for dividers, speedbreakers on 19th Main, 27th Main; top cop promises action 3
19th Main Road
 
Now the local traffic wing has promised to inspect the spots during peak hours and figure out ways to fix the gridlock and avoid accidents. “We asked the cops to take action as there have been accidents due to reckless speeding on 19th Main and 27th Main,” says Sector 1 resident Kavitha Reddy who had tweeted to the top cop. “We have suggested 15-metre road dividers and speed breakers for smooth flow of traffic, and to reduce road rage and accidents.”
 
 
Residents ask for dividers, speedbreakers on 19th Main, 27th Main; top cop promises action 4
 

 

Agara lake under threat? High Court’s final hearing on privatisation case in November

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Agara lake under threat? High Court's final hearing on privatisation case in November 5
 
The controversy over the privatisation of Agara Lake is far from over. On September 10, 2018, the Karnataka High Court admitted an appeal by the Lake Development Authority (LDA) against Biota Natural System (India) Pvt. Ltd who won the case over lake ownership against the LDA in a city civil court in January 2017. Biota is claiming that the LDA wrongfully terminated its 15-year lease agreement to manage the lake. However, the Karnataka High Court admitted the opposing plea filed by the LDA in April 2018, and has stayed the execution of the earlier city civil court order until the next hearing on November 5, 2018 (Karnataka High Court case number: MFA 3392/2018).
 
 
Agara lake under threat? High Court's final hearing on privatisation case in November 6
 
 
The residents consider this a positive development because with the redevelopment of Agara Lake at a cost of Rs 16 crore by the state government, the case has never been stronger. The Agara Lake Protection & Management Society (ALPMS) has approached the forest department that is now in charge of the lake to make a strong case in their favour. “The LDA was treating the high court case lightly, but when we informed the Forest department about it and also met chief secretary Vijaya Bhaskar (an HSR resident) and Sandeep Dave, the additional chief secretary of Forests, a strong case is now being built up for the November hearing,” says Kavitha Reddy of ALPMS.
 
 
Agara lake under threat? High Court's final hearing on privatisation case in November 7
 
 
SOME BACKGROUND OF THE CASE
In 2017, the LDA lost the case to Biota, a Hyderabad-based company, because the state advocate failed to make a strong case. In 2012, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by Bangalore-based Environment Support Group (ESG) in the Karnataka High Court against the Karnataka government’s decision to hand over four lakes in Bangalore to private parties. The case was won, but only partially. While the PPP (Public Private Partnership) model of Agara Lake was scrapped by the court, status quo was maintained for the other three lakes – Hebbal Lake, Vengayyana Lake (KR Puram) and Nagavara Lake (Lumbini Gardens). The SC hearing on these lakes is to come up in the next few months.
 
Based on the High Court order, the LDA scrapped its deal with Biota citing violation of the agreement rules. When Biota lost the case in 2012, they filed a case in the city civil court to get the money they had deposited (Rs 20 lakh) with LDA with interest. As the argument by the LDA lawyer was weak, the government ended up losing the case to Biota in January 2017. Now the LDA has filed its objection at a higher court – the Karnataka High Court – against the judgement of the lower court.
 
THE HISTORY
Way back in May 2007, Agara Lake was handed over to Biota in a public-private partnership – the private party wanted to build an amusement park. Outraged, the residents went to court in 2008 with the help of Environment Support Group’s Public Interest Litigation and had the agreement quashed in 2009. This led to the handing over of the lake back to the Lake Development Authority. But the private party went to court saying that they got the contract first and went in for an arbitration. Last year, the government lost the case because the advocate did not make a strong case. So the lake was supposed to be handed back to the private company for its upkeep and maintenance for the next 15 years. When the LDA was trying to get a stay in High Court, the LDA was shutdown as the lake governance was given to the Minor Irrigation Department. Now, it’s being run by the Forest Department who will plead in the High Court on behalf of the LDA.

 

DID YOU KNOW? Somasundrapalya & HSR 5th Main junctions manned by Electronic City traffic cops!

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hsr layout traffic
Did you know that the border areas of HSR Layout are managed by traffic cops from Electronic City? We are talking about the Somasundrapalya Main Road junction and 5th Main junction of HSR Layout.
 
That’s a 10 kilometre distance from HSR Layout that the cops are being put in charge. The problem is shortage of staff. The remedy? They hop from one junction to the other to ease the traffic flow during peak hours. We spotted them at the 5th Main-MG Palya junction between 6.30pm-8.30pm.
 
When we pressed them to also look at the jam at the MG Palya-HSR Layout junction, the cops said that they are short of staff, and they would rather tackle the bigger bottlenecks of Somasundrapalya Main Road and 5th Main junction near Salarpuria apartments. In addition, they said that the narrow stretch of road that meets MG Palya Road is the biggest problem. “Even a single four wheeler cannot take a U-turn here without obstructing traffic for a long time. The problem is with the curvature and width of the road itself,” said one cop manning the 5th Main junction.
 
Here is how they were seen managing the traffic last night. Their biggest complaint is that the users are always in a hurry and don’t listen to them on many occasions. “The tanker drivers are the biggest culprits. One person died on 27th Main Road in Sector 1 last week because of one such person. They drive fast even on roads that demand slow-moving traffic.”
 
JURISDICTIONAL CHAOS
While all the sectors of HSR Layout are managed by the crime branch of HSR Layout in a clear-cut fashion, the traffic police, however, had a stranger problem earlier. Sectors 6 & 7 were managed by the Madiwala cops. Later, it was streamlined to include all the sectors of HSR Layout. Similarly, the Bandepalya Police Station is in Sector 3 of HSR Layout, as they did not find a convenient place in their own jurisdiction, or so they claim. Similarly, the entire stretch of MG Palya Road, from Somasundrapalya Road junction to Hosur Road junction is managed by the Electronic City traffic cops, while Iblur is managed by the HSR cops.

 

Residents complain of cell reception issues in HSR

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hsr layout cell reception
Call drops and ‘out of range’ complaints are rising in HSR Layout. Airtel appears to be the biggest offender to some, while others say that Vodafone is just as bad. The worst, some believe, is actually Jio. “It’s great for internet, but no good to call somebody,” said one resident. “Therefore, I have Jio as my secondary phone for internet usage and Vodafone for phone calls.”
 
 
Residents complain of cell reception issues in HSR 8
 
 
“I changed from Vodafone to Airtel because of cell reception issues, but Airtel is just as bad,” complained yet another user in HSR Layout. “When people call me, they get fed up and wonder if I have switched off the cell or my phone’s battery is dead. I get to know that they called when I get missed call notifications.”
 
When users complained to Airtel, they said that they would promise to fix it within a few days, but nothing actually happens. The story repeated itself with Vodafone as well. As for Jio, you can’t do much about it as all the phones are being routed through the internet. And only phones with Volte can use Jio, and even then, call drops, and reception quality is pathetic.
 
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is doing its best to remedy this situation for many years now. Things are improving in some areas but going from bad to worse in others. Lets hope that things get better, because we at Residents Watch believe that when hope floats, magic happens.

 

BWSSB to penalise residents letting rainwater into sanitary pipes

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hsr layout bwssb
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has issued a notice to all the residents of Bangalore. The notice says that their officials have observed that some houses have connected their rain water collection outlets to sanitary pipes, causing heavy pressure on the underground pipes that have led to water gushing out of manholes during the rainy season. Not only does the water flow on to the road but also flood the area and even enter houses in low-lying areas. Therefore, the BWSSB mandates that the rain water outlet should be connected either to the RainWater Harvesting pit or to the storm water drains. It is also prohibited to connect the sewage outlet of the house to the storm water drains. It should go to the sanitary pipe underground. Anybody violating these laws will be fined without mercy.
 
Reacting to this news, resident Narayani Das had this to say: “Can the BWSSB then ensure that the storm water drains, especially on Somasundrapalya main road from the circle to Shobha daffodil are desilted to allow the free flow of water, and also put back the slabs properly, so that all the shop owners on that road do not throw waste which clogs all these drains?”
 
If you feel this news is important and needs to be shared, hit that ‘share’ button and get many more people involved. Knowledge is power., and ignorance of the law is no excuse.
 
BWSSB to penalise residents letting rainwater into sanitary pipes 9
 

 

Want to turn a Govt school, into a model institution? You can do your bit

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Somasundrapalya Govt School
Want to turn a Govt school, into a model institution? You can do your bit 10
Want to turn a Govt school, into a model institution? You can do your bit 11
Want to turn a Govt school, into a model institution? You can do your bit 12
The residents plan to make the Somasundrapalya Government Primary School into a model school. The school has recently been painted by a charitable organisation, but there is more to be done.
 
“If anyone is keen to volunteer and teach spoken English to the kids, they can contact me,” says Lalithamba BV. “If we citizens join hands, wonders can happen. Even 1 or 2 hours per week is good enough.”
 
The school has an open platform to conduct events. The principal is seeking funds, so the stage can be closed on three sides and make it rain-ready.
 
You can reach Lalithamba at 94480-63776.

 

It’s a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park

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agara lake park
Cornwalas, coconut vendors, cycle rentals, bhelpuriwalas, panipuri stalls… The Agara Lake Park is recording a high turnout of residents on weekends, and today was no different. Estimates peg the number at 8000-9000 each on Saturdays and Sundays.
 
People squatting on grass to watch the sunset. Children and adults riding cycles. Play area packed with small kids and parents in tow… It was a mela alright. Importantly, ample parking space on the service road made it an enjoyable evening for kids, college goers and families alike.
 
There are several other stories related to Agara Lake park which we will discuss over the course of the next few days. Each deserve a separate story of their own. In the meanwhile, if you want to know the history of Agara Lake and how it came to be in such a fabulous state, perhaps you should read the detailed story by Residents Watch here.
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 13
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 14
Ample parking space on Service Road
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 15
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 16
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 17
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 18
 

 

SBI on do’s and don’ts of banking transactions

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SBI on do's and don'ts of banking transactions 19
The other day, we received this release from the State Bank of India branch of HSR Layout. Please do note each of the following tips to safeguard your life’s earnings. Forewarned is forearmed.
Do’s and Don’ts of ATM transactions
Do’s
  • Conduct your ATM transactions in complete privacy, never let anyone see you entering your Personal Identification Number (ATM Password)
  • After completion of transaction ensure that welcome screen is displayed on ATM screen
  • Ensure your current mobile number is registered with the bank so that you can get alerts for all your transactions
  • Beware of suspicious movements of people around the ATM or strangers trying to engage you in conversation
  • Look for extra devices attached to the ATMs that looks suspicious
  • Inform the bank if the ATM/Debit card is lost or stolen, immediately, report if any unauthorised transaction
  • Check the transaction alert SMSs and bank statements regularly
  • If cash is not dispensed the ATM does not display “cash out” please report to the Bank on the number mentioned in the Notice Board
  • Immediately check your phone for SMS for debit amount
Don’ts
  • Do not write your PIN on the card, memorise your PIN number
  • Do not take help from strangers or handover your card to anyone for using it
  • Do not disclose your PIN to anyone, including bank employees and family members
  • Do not allow the card to go of your sight when you are making a payment
  • Avoid speaking on the mobile phone while you are transacting