Yes, Monica, one Twitter user, has shamed the civic agencies by ironically captioning the headline to her video that shows the ugly side of Koramangala. Calling herself a bullshit slayer, Monica says she’s “working this social media thing, being social, not so much. Politically incorrect but Right, dog mum, BS slayer”. We agree with you, Monica. Will the BBMP alleviate the distress caused to Koramangala residents, please?
Civic
Residents turn around a garbage dump into a tea corner in Koramangala
By Qamar HJ
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The best example of this was the remarkable transformation brought about by residents, an NGO, and the BBMP.
On November 6, 2019, the three groups came together to convert a garbage dump site into a tea point. “The wall was beautified with whitewash, and hand-painted by the team,” said a member of Saahas. “Plants/pots are kept in order to discourage waste dumping.”
We need more such stories to not only bring cheer to the residents and passersby in Bengaluru, but also wake up the BBMP to do its job, and the careless resident who is throwing trash all over the place.
Segregate the waste into wet and dry. Better still, use a composter to create manure out of your kitchen waste. You will be doing your bit to reduce the mountains of garbage piling up in landfills that contaminate the groundwater. Save yourself.
Indiranagar kids say ‘no’ to fairy lights! Request all stores on 100 Ft Rd to remove them!
By Qamar ZJ
It began as a small idea of just a few kids from Defence Colony in Indiranagar going from one store to another and asking the shopkeepers to remove fairy lights as they are harmful to the trees on which they are hung. However, the idea gathered momentum and several other residents joined in on Twitter. With the Twitter handle of @ichangeindiranagar, this evening’s agenda was also posted online yesterday with this message:
Children will be visiting shops on 100 ft rd tmrw at 6 pm, from Caratlane to appeal to remove fairy lights choking the trees, making them susceptible to bacteria and fungus infections. These are illegal as per Karnataka Tree Act 1972
“The agenda is to visit every store on 100 ft road and explain to them why fairy lights are bad and hand over a letter signed by kids, requesting them to remove the lights,” said Sonalee, one of the parents, two days before the November 15 event at 6pm.
However, while many appreciated the gesture, there were naysayers that only made the residents more determined. “If you keep taking offense for everything, then you will lose the support of residents,” tweeted Vimmy Nair. “It’s also not fair to exploit children to push your agenda.”
The members of ‘I Change Indiranagar’, a federation of resident welfare associations in Indiranagar, HAL 2nd and 3rd Stage, pointed out that the kids were members of Interact Club and this was a voluntary exercise: “Interact Club is a community service club in Indiranagar for youth below 18 years. The children have come together to remind adults that we are the custodians of their future and it’s our duty to care for the environment.”
Vimmy had a reply to that as well: “Even I have been part of Interact Club during my school days and we didn’t participate in social activism but devoted our time to environmental cleanup, help the needy and develop a civic sense. Protesting in front of establishments is like firing a gun using the kids as shields.”
The Indiranagar 1st Stage RWA responded by tweeting: “Then you must know the meaning of civic sense, which btw we adults seem to have none of. Thank god for children!”
What was also contradictory to Vimmy’s statement was that this was a ‘save the tree’ initiative of kids. We are not sure how that does not add up to the ‘environmental cleanup’ initiative she mentions in her tweet.
The Indiranagar shops under the radar include Caratlane, Louis Phillipe, Simon Cater, Bologna, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Sony, Bhartiya Jalpan, The Marina, Stoner Ice cream and La Cave. The kids will lead the shop tour this evening at 6pm while the adults will stay in the background for any logistical help.
“It is no secret that trees are good for us,” says Sonalee. “The trees on 100 feet road are old. They face the stress of traffic, pollution, garbage, bikers on footpaths, cemented footpath. Just like we would do everything possible to care for our grandparents, we feel removing year-long fairy lights is a tiny step we can take to help the trees we have grown up with.”
WHAT’S WRONG WITH FAIRY LIGHTS?
Nails: Damage the protective bark, which allows bacteria and fungus to attack the trees from inside.
Strangle the tree: Most shops keep the lights wrapped around the tree all year long. This is like choking the tree, especially harmful for young trees.
Unnatural light: The light messes up the trees, the flowering cycle, the birds. Some may argue that trees on 100 feet road are already impacted due to ambient light. While that is correct, the fairy lights are much more concentrated and closer to the tree.
Info courtesy: Interact Club, Indiranagar
HSR extension residents to march against civic apathy on Nov 16; prepare a list of short-term demands!
Inspired by the recent Mahadevapura protest, the areas bordering HSR Layout are rising to voice their concerns this Sunday, November 16 at 9am. The areas of neglect that they are focussing on are Harlur, Somasundrapalya, Silver County Road and Kudlu.
With hashtags like #IPaidTaxForThis, #KillBill, #RoadFrequentlyTravelled and #OurLifeMatters, the residents, largely from apartments, have come together to “Fight4Right”. Several resident welfare associations in the areas have teamed up for this citizens march against civic apathy by the politicians and the authorities.
Despite informing, educating and complaining to the politicians and civic officials for years, the residents have not been able to develop their area that is “worse than a slum”.
According to Lalithamba BV of Kudlu Hosapalya Somasundrapalya and Parangipalya Residents Welfare Association (KHSSP), some of their demands are as follows:
1. Tar all the bad roads and fix potholes immediately.
2. Make all the footpaths safe for pedestrians.
3. Address traffic congestion as pollution is high.
4. Create alternative routes for public from Somasundarapalya to Haralur Road.
5. Fix KCDC stink and garbage disposal issues.
6. Quickly revive and open Somasundarapalya Lake for public use.
7. Fence Mangammanapalya lake and divert sewage from entering the water body.
8. Install drains that are not present in Ward 190 on an immediate basis on both sides of the roads.
Around 50 pigs caught by BBMP; some escaped into the military grounds
It takes a while for the citizens to get the BBMP officials to take action on pigs loitering in their neighbourhoods. However, when they do make an appearance like a few days ago, the pigs run into the military grounds that is out of bounds for both the authorities and citizens. Despite the escape plan of the pigs, the BBMP was able to catch around 50 pigs in Sector 2 and Sector 3. Though they received reports of pigs being seen in Sector 1, they had vanished into the area of the defence forces by the time the catchers turned up.
The pig catching haul is significant because many years ago when the then corporator Latha Narasimhamurthy decided to rid HSR of pigs, she had to call off the drive when she was apparently threatened by the pig mafia. Later, BBMP designated officials of animal husbandry to catch the pigs. But the drive was never carried out for various reasons, including the pig mafia.
Residents also reported that vans carrying pigs would come to the edge of Sector 2 and drop them off in groups. However, that appears to have stopped as one resident said, “We don’t see such groups anymore, atleast not in the last 6-8 months. However, those who escape into the military grounds come back to HSR the next day. That’s when we know where they had been to.”
However, the cleanup drive for pigs in Sector 2 is always an incomplete exercise as the pigs escape into Sector 3, Sector 1 and the military grounds. However, this time, the BBMP did visit all the three sectors to nab a significant number of pigs.
Sector 3 resident Srikanth says: “There are around 50 pigs roaming on 25th Cross.” Another resident says that there are around 500 pigs in the military area. “Whenever they feel like, they enter the surrounding areas,” says one resident. “This info was given by contractors hired by BBMP for catching pigs.”
According to Dr Ravikumar of the BBMP, “fencing or compounding of the military area will restrict the movement of pigs.” Can the defence forces listen to his advice or do something else that will alleviate the problem?
But when will the military exterminate or relocate the pigs from their area remains to be seen. It’s a long-pending problem that refuses to go away permanently until the military acts on pigs.
The next time you spot pigs, report to Ravikumar (98452-73175).
Residents divided over BBMP’s masterplan proposal to allow provision stores, bakeries & milk parlours in residential areas
By Qamar ZJ
The other day, prominent civic actists debated over a newspaper report about BBMP’s new proposal to allow local provision stores, milk booths, and bakeries to come up on residential roads. While some don’t agree with the idea altogether, others mentioned that such stores already exist in many parts of Bangalore, and this move will only regularise them. Others debated that the BBMP’s move to expand its tax base by regularising an illegality was tantamount to awarding the guilty rather than penalising them. A few others felt that the BBMP proposes many things, but implements nothing on ground, so what use is another proposal anyway? One person summed it up well by saying, it’s another ‘akrama sakrama all over again’. Akrama Sakrama was a move by the state government several years ago to regularise building violations across the state. But the proposal could not be enforced as the residents went to court against the move as it favoured big builders more than the small land and house owners. In addition, it would lead to more haphazard development of the city, which has already gone from bad to worse.
Ancillary services
In the existing 2015 masterplan that is in use today, there is already a provision for ‘ancillary use’ for provision stores and such small entities on roads above 40 feet width. “They are permitted for up to 50 sq. metres,” says Nitin Seshadri. But now, the BBMP wants to allow them on roads that are 40 ft. and less. “This has already happened on ground, so why the formal statement now?” asks Pushpa S. Another resident activist disagrees with the BBMP’s move by saying, “The logic is ridiculous. Something illegal exists, the BBMP is losing revenue, therefore they want to make it legal! It emphasises the point that the law-abiding citizen is a fool to be so. Break any rule, wait long enough and it will be regularised with a paltry penalty.”
Realistic requirements, anyone?
If you ask any average resident who has no clue about the law, they will get back to you and say, but we need these shops, as they are close to where we stay. Agrees Vijayan Menon: “From a holistic point of view, residents need the kiranas… maybe not the eateries. Most of them don’t have trade licence, so there are two options: regularise and take the trade licence fees for kiranas which came up before January 2012. The commercial tax licence can be used to find the dates. the second option is to work the masterplan to designate areas and roads for local markets, like the commercial axis concept.” Meera K agrees to this by saying, “Kirana stores are important; many apartments have small shops too.”
However, Pramod Kapur disagrees by saying that there is a reason why the current law holds its value. “Not having any commercial activity on roads of 40-feet and less has some logic,” he says. “Congestion resulting from two-wheelers and possibly the odd four-wheelers belonging to owners and more customers will create huge problems. People must be encouraged to walk a bit longer if necessary. Convenience to some can become a nuisance for everyone in the future.”
New proposal or law, BBMP should not be taken seriously, say some residents. “The problem is that we have no faith that the BBMP will implement whatever they say,” said one resident. “Agreeing to anything is pointless.” Kapur agrees: “The only solution is to maintain the status quo. No exceptions because then, one gets into debates. One simple single rule and that’s it.”
However, what about shops that don’t have a trade licence even though they came up before 2012? “If we close them, it will hit the functioning of a residential layout,” says Menon. Swarna V says, “Small shops had designated spaces even before 2012 in BDA layouts under shop sites. They didn’t adhere to that then and now that’s what has become this colossal cancerous monster.” Indira adds to this, by saying, “Not to mention, the umpteen eateries that have come up creating havoc and much garbage.”
The problem is also about how these initial small shops grew into larger entities. “Any shop starts small, but they aim to grow big,” says Mina Prabhu. “And as they grow bigger, they just expand the space they are in, because they believe it is lucky for them. They rarely want to move out.”
Agrees Neeraja Shetty: “Nowadays, everyone wants to expand beyond capacity. So a kirana shop starts selling bakery items, sets up a chips counter with a stove on the footpath, and so on. These kind of adhoc food services are really causing major issues.”
The argument continues. To amend or not to amend the zoning regulations is the question. However, Seshadri has an important fact to share about the importance of a sustainable master plan for the city. “The majority in this city couldn’t care less about commercialisation,” he says. “They don’t want to stop at a traffic light. It’s okay for them to go the wrong way on a one-way street. It’s the minority, people like us, who are paying all the taxes and running the country anyway. The majority only matters during elections. We need to focus on sensible policies and not check what the majority feels about each issue. The government is supposed to look at implementing progressive policies that help the long-term growth of the country in every way. What the majority feels about each issue is totally irrelevant.”
However, the implementation will “touch’ the majority, says Mina Prabhu. “And in a situation of elections every year, no party wants to risk implementing any policy that can damage their potential votes.” Menon had the last word on this issue: “It’s a bunkum proposal anyway. It is proposed by people who have no jurisdiction on the matter, not even UDD (Urban Development Department). They can only do this with the next Master Plan… which is also out of their hands.”
What do you think, dear reader? Let us know by WhatsApp at: +919880585748.
Agara Lake jogging track collapses again. BWSSB to blame!
In September last year, a portion of the jogging track inside Agara Lake park collapsed. The reason were the incessant rains that had loosened the mud, exposing the BWSSB’s sewage line running underneath. Thankfully, it had not contaminated the lake water. Later, it was fixed, but temporarily. Yesterday, this portion of the track caved in again.
This is the state of civic affairs in the capital of Karnataka. Imagine what is the case across the state? On a recent lake visit by former Supreme Court justice Santosh Hegde, the BWSSB had promised to fix the issue permanently.
“The BWSSB promised that it will be done and agreed to the technical issue I had raised but nothing is done yet,” says an enraged Kavitha Reddy, one of the caretakers of Agara Lake. “Now we have to fight again to fix it. Apathy is the word for these incompetent people.”
It’s a swimming pool outside HSR Layout’s biggest park!
It appears like a giant swimming pool outside the 10-acre Swabhimaana Tree Park in Sector 3, HSR Layout. Despite alerting the BDA and now the BBMP about the lack of a pipeline to carry the water on 15th B Main Road into the stormwater drain, the authorities are turning a blind eye.
In addition, the parking space along the boundary of the park is uneven, slushy and a nuisance at best. In addition, the construction of an arch over the major storm water drain running along the boundary of the park has resulted in a bottleneck at 19th Cross-15th B Main. The landscaped garden on both sides of the entry gate have eaten up the drain and footpath space, further congesting the road. It’s time to demolish the landscaped garden and decongest this junction that is at its worst on weekends, with two wheelers parked helter-skelter around this nodal point.
The parking space needs to be sloped in such a way that the rain water enters the drain and not stagnate on the road and footpath. Similarly, the water from the park is coming on to the footpath, when it should go straight into the drain. Clearly, the work of the BDA was unscientific. In addition, there are no lights in the children’s play area. And more sand needs to be applied in the space as it’s way too less.
All of this is something that the BBMP or the BDA can do in a jiffy, but the authorities are simply prolonging the issue for no reason. The residents are upset and urge the new BBMP Joint Commissioner of Bommanahalli to take prompt action.
Shell petrol bunk stopped by residents may not come up in HSR after all!
More than eight months ago, we wrote that the Shell petrol bunk in HSR Layout, Sector 3, was stopped by the BBMP due to complaints from the residents. However, the BBMP officials at the time said that the bunk owners had taken most permissions, barring one permission from the Town Planning department. However, sources in the BBMP tell us that the permission might never come as the BBMP officials have denied it due to the location of the petrol bunk as it is inside a residential area which also has a hospital behind it.
More than a year ago, when the Shell petrol bunk began work even without taking all the adequate permissions, the residents went to the Sector 3 Residents Welfare Association. The association wrote to the BBMP and the HSR Federation, compelling the BBMP officials to take prompt action. Later, the Sector 3 association had a change of heart and wanted the petrol bunk to come up in the area. But by then, it was too late. The town planning officials visited the spot and after their complete enquiry realised that the residents were indeed right and this was not a suitable place for a petrol bunk. The verdict as of today, therefore, is that the petrol bunk might never come.
However, if there are any more updates, watch this space.
Potholes, anyone? Nov 10 is the deadline for BBMP
November 10 is the deadline for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to rid the city of potholes, and there are about 15,000 of them, according to the civic agency’s estimates.
Thanks to a Karnataka High Court order a while ago, the BBMP had fixed many potholes in HSR Layout, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Whitefield and other neighbourhoods of Bangalore. However, those very roads and a few others have developed craters again. Either the rains are too harsh or the work was sub-standard.
For reasons of transparency in public works, the BBMP also put up its report on potholes in the public domain. This was again due to the order of the High Court. However, if you view them today, you will realise that Bengaluru neighbourhoods are relatively pothole-free. Only certain roads are marked for ‘road resurfacing required’. The others are spotlessly clean, according to the civic officials. When we accessed this BBMP link again, that page had vanished into a pothole too. The pothole page did not exist anymore. It could be resuscitated anytime, so we have attached the link for you to check it later.
The rains played spoilsport again, and the roads have thrown up the ugly truth about BBMP contractors and the shoddy way they work. Then again, it’s the corrupt system. How can a road contractor win a tender at the lowest sum possible, and then remit a portion of it towards bribes to different people, and work with the remaining amount and still make a profit? That’s the crorepati question no one wants to answer. The last time, one political party tried to answer that is today confined to just one metro and trying to deal with the ‘world’s most polluted capital’ moniker.
And yes, if you have injured yourself due to a pothole, the Karnataka High Court has ruled that you can directly approach the BBMP for compensation.
So how can you help, dear reader? Just download the BBMP Sahaaya app and upload pictures of gaping potholes with the exact coordinates. In addition, WhatsApp us (+919880585748) as well. If they stand out from the rest, we will even dedicate a story on the ‘most potholed roads’ in your neighbourhood.
In addition, you can contact BBMP and the BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar (Facebook & Twitter) in the following ways:
WhatsApp: +919480685700
Twitter
Website: http://bbmp.sahaaya.in
Landline number: 080-22660000
Email: contactusbbmp@gmail.com
Want to be a corporator of your ward? Citizen groups want to help you!
The residents are fed up of the immoral, greedy and illiterate politicians hogging the landscape and want to do something. They want to nominate people within their areas who are doing great work selflessly to become their next corporator and MLA. That is the only way things can get done in a systematic way, according to them. Towards this end, many such pan-Bangalore organisations are coming together in Bengaluru and HSR Layout, like the Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF), Citizens Action Forum (CAF), Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB), Whitefield Rising, and Pothole Raja, among others.
The underlying idea is that the city’s infrastructure and civic amenities are being improved in tandem with the rapid growth of the city. The system is broken and no political party has the right people, particularly the corporators, who can make their wards the perfect models for the rest of the country.
If you have it in you or want to support such selfless individuals from within your area/ward/region, don’t miss this evening’s event in HSR Layout. It could change your life.
“We have decided that enough is enough and want to bring good people to contest elections and participate in governance!” says the collective’s press release. “
WHEN AND WHERE?
The meeting is at 4.30pm today (Nov 2), at the Club House of Nagarjuna Greenridge Apartment off 19th Main in Sector 2, HSR Layout. Attending this meetup will not only give you a detailed perspective on what the collective organisations have in mind, but also helps you choose the best candidates and manifesto for the HSR Layout ward.
Be there, if you want to make a difference. If you don’t want to stand for elections, you can support the right candidate monetarily or otherwise. If nothing else, you will understand how activism and electioneering works. It’s a good crash course in developing a civic conscience.
Water enters homes in HSR Layout due to last night’s rains!
HSR Layout’s low-lying areas in Sector 2 and 3 were flooded due to last night’s heavy rains. All the food delivery services stopped accepting orders after 8pm due to the rains, affecting several residents who were dependent on outside food. Stepping out was particularly a problem for the residents in certain areas of Sector 2 and 3 as water was knee-deep. What’s worse was that the rainwater entered the homes of many in Sector 3 due to this unplanned development by the BBMP that has not desilted the drains for over a decade. The BBMP officials are only raising the heights of drains, but not desilting, which is an object lack of foresight.
Civic officials and MLA did rush to the place last night to ascertain the situation, and again this morning. The desilting work is to begin immediately in Sector 2 and 3. The water from the Somasundrapalya Lake in Sector 2 will no longer be diverted to Sector 2 and 3, as the lake is rejuvenated now, and the water will stay within the water body, avoiding the flooding issues caused last night.
The residents do not believe in these adhoc measures and false promises. Says Bala Padur: “BBMP started the stormwater drain cleaning work yesterday near Gandhi statue on HSR Club road yesterday. Today, nobody came and no work. If it rains, the same sewage problem will persist.”
The residents have a reason to be upset with the officials and elected representatives as repeated complaints have not resulted in a permanent solution to the flooding problem in low-lying areas of Sector 3. “Is BBMP getting our sumps cleaned as we can’t spend Rs 5000 a month everytime it rains,” says Hitu. Or do we stop paying property tax… no lights, no roads, no water, flooding inside houses…. or do we shift to higher areas like ITI Layout, Hosapalya and Somasundrapalya?”
When water entered some houses in Sector 3, elderly citizens were seen trying to remove the water. Says Prahalada TN: “Whenever we ask for help, the BBMP engineers says they have no money. People in power indulge in blame war and citizens suffer. Everybody visits, pays lip sympathy, and gives empty assurances… this is happening for the last ten years! But the situation is aggravating with every rain. It is hell near 17th A Main, 17th B Main and surrounding areas. Until the BBMP clears silt from the drains, the problem will not be resolved. On 15th Main that leads to Mangammanapalya, even a shower of five minutes leads to collection of drainage water on the road.”
‘REVERSE THE WATER FLOW’
Sector 3 resident Ritanshi says 17th A Main was flooded last night within 10 minutes: “Desilting is not going to solve the problem,” she says. “We have to change the direction of the flowing water. Five feet water has entered into the lane and houses. If it rains all night, is the BBMP going to bear the loss of life and property?” Similarly, 17th Main, 22nd A Cross, 18th Main, 18th C Main, 23rd Cross, 16th A Main, and 22nd Cross were all flooded as well. “Water is flowing like a river on 23rd Cross, 16th A Main and entering our houses,” said Aruna. “Repeatedly, we are telling the BWSSB to clean the manholes, but no action. All the manholes are overflowing. Dirty sewage water is entering the sump. We can’t sleep in this situation.”
Desilting and diversion of lake water from Somasundrapalya are the main reasons. Says GN Gopala Mayya: “Most of the shoulder drains (service road of 19th Main) to main drain below the high tension lines are choked or blocked by slum dwellers. A simple maintenance of shoulder drains will go a long way in avoiding flooding of service road.”