BBMP is ready for the rains with Prahari, their mobile jeep equipped with everything they need to remove uprooted trees, and pump out water.
Prahari is an emergency response vehicle of the BBMP, and there are six at different points in the city, like Bommanahalli and Mahadevapura that receive the most complaints due to rain. From tree-cutters and pickaxes to ladders, electric saws, ropes and pumps, the six Praharis are at your service.
In addition, BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar is particularly cautioning riders. “I request all motorists, especially 2-wheeler riders, to ride carefully,” he has tweeted. “Road rage is no answer to slow traffic movement due to rains. Don’t ride on footpaths.”
Call BBMP Control Room at 080-22221181, 22975595, 22100031 & 22100032 for assistance.
Kadal Da Meen, a restaurant at the junction of 22nd Cross and 17th Main Road in Sector 3, HSR Layout, had built a compound wall on the footpath abutting a storm water drain on 22nd Cross. Recently, the BBMP broke the wall to make way for the storm water drain.
However, this box drain work that began more than a year ago from 27th Cross in Sector 2 continues to get interrupted for one or the other reason. In addition, the entire route is unscientific as it goes through low-lying areas of Sector 3 that leads to flooding of homes when it rains.
In such a scenario, taking the box drain from 27th Cross to 19th Main would have been the most apt thing to do as it would have cost less time and money. This is one of the scams of HSR Layout. And you can watch more of that in the video below…
The residents are fed up of commercial establishments coming up on residential roads. It is illegal to have any commercial outlet on roads that are 40 feet and less. On roads wider than 40 feet, BBMP decides on what can be completely commercial and what can be mixed use. However, the commercial business owners either don’t know the law or they are willingly violating the law.
NAMING AND SHAMING
We asked residents to name some such establishments in HSR that they feel are a nuisance in their neighbourhoods. We also noticed some commercial operators in HSR Layout. We urge the BBMP officials to take immediate action or risk suspension or worse for dereliction of duty.
The Hall of Shame list is as follows:
Gopi Technologies, 16th Main Road, 22nd Cross, Sector 3
Braceport Dentistry, 15th B Main, 21st Cross, Sector 3
The half a dozen preschools on 16th Cross between 14th and 15th Main.
A spa on 11th Cross, 17th B Main, Sector 4
The list is endless… We will continue to add names to this list as and when our readers send us the details.
ROLE OF MEDIA AND CIVIC ACTIVISTS
The only way the BBMP is made to do its job is when the residents protested and forced shutdowns or the local media like us took it up and began a consistent campaign, be it for bad roads or restaurants operating in basements which is a fire hazard. The residents shut down a rooftop pub that was coming up in Sector 4, a restaurant in Sector 1 and a proposed mall in Sector 3. When this channel highlighted a shed coming up on 19th Cross in Sector 3, it was eventually demolished by the site owner after the BBMP officials surprisingly refused to give permission for commercial use. Similarly, they demolished another shed in Sector 5 as it was another violation.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
We urge the residents to first understand the law about not having commercial outlets on roads that are 40 feet and less. After all, the owners of commercial establishments in HSR Layout are either residing somewhere here or outside HSR, but very much in India. Therefore, it’s important that they know the law. Just because there is one illegality does not mean they can violate the law. As one resident put it so succinctly: “Those who violate the law are nati-national. I would even brand them as terrorists.” Right indeed, because commercial outlets cause noise, and air pollution in addition to parking problems and generating far too much waste, in addition to stressing the narrow sanitary lines, cauvery water connections and electricity loads.
This should not to be confused with people who work out of homes. They are by themselves and do not employ anybody to add to the stresses of commercialisation that we mentioned earlier. In fact, if half the people in the world work out of home, the roads will be far less congested and the pollution will come down automatically. So we should thank people who work from home. They are doing their bit for the environment.
APATHETIC GOVT AGENCIES
The worse part is that the BBMP does not take any action, despite being alerted about it. When one resident asked a civic official to take action, the person said that the residents have to write a letter to them. Why is that? So they are targetted by the commercial establishment? When this news channel writes about illegalities in HSR Layout, the BBMP officials give out our editor’s name. It’s as if we are the law here and they are obeying our dictat. Clearly, the BBMP officials have no will or courage to follow the letter of the law. Some residents have no problems being identified as the complainants, but it’s unfair to corner a few civic activists when they are fighting a larger public cause.
QUESTION OF PRIVACY
Recently, residents elsewhere in Bangalore petitioned the BBMP to take complaints from them without revealing their names to anyone. They wanted the civic agency to maintain their confidentiality. We would add that this should apply to the cops as well. But both the agencies blatantly violate the privacy rules and blurt out the person or people responsible for their legal action, complain residents.
The question is why should either the BBMP or the cops give away names of complainants when the illegalities are a public offence, not private. One cop confided that they are too small to go against the larger commercial interests, particularly when every other individual is ‘highly connected’. Therefore, they blurt out names of resident welfare associations, the media and civic activists to make a stronger case. Such is the delivery of justice in society today.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW?
Therefore, dear reader, if you spot a commercial establishment on a 40 feet road, take a picture, WhatsApp it to us (+919880585748) with the right address and we will add that name to this list, so the BBMP is forced to take action on them. Do not forget to inform us when the civic agency indeed takes action and shuts down the illegal outlets. In addition, it’s also important that you complain to the relevant agencies, so that your complaints are officially recorded as well. For BBMP cases, download the BBMP Sahaaya mobile app or visit the website of BBMP Sahaaya and register your complaint without registering yourself. Remember, each of us can make a better world. Just blaming the netas, the business people and the officials will not do. We are as much to blame for doing nothing about the illegalities all around us. As one resident put it: “Break away. Stand up for what is right, and all will be well in this world.”
If the smell in Somasundrapalya, Hosapalya and Kudlu is unbearable, thanks to the smell emanating from the composting plant, Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC), it’s just about bearable in HSR Layout. The stink affects different areas at different points in time, depending on the wind direction and also when the KCDC staff turn over the compost heap. That’s when the stink gets worse. And yes, the smell becomes all pervading and reaches up to Hosur Road and Nice Road, when it rains rhinos. This smell is usually in the evening and night, between 6pm and 12pm. That’s when either the heap is being turned over at KCDC, or the rain gods have smiled. So if you sense a horrible smell, the moment you step out of your homes in the evenings, you know it’s the KCDC to blame.
Fighting for the closure of the plant for over three years, the residents living in the immediate vicinity of the plant, in Kudlu, Somasundrapalya, Hosapalya and Sector 2 of HSR Layout, are planning to relocate. Efforts to reach out to the ruling government, both past and present, have resulted in everything but closure. The daily tonnage was brought down from 500 to 100 tonnes, but the stink remains, and so does the ground water contamination.
The residents are not just complaining of nausea, skin and throat allergies, but also persistent headaches due to the stink for over three years. Spraying lemon grass is doing little to contain the smell. KCDC’s efforts to compost within a contained facility failed several times. Additional expenses to make it a scientifically-run establishment did not work either. Instead, it polluted the nearby Somasundrapalya Lake that it also encroached for its operations. Now, the encroached area is being given back to the BBMP by the KCDC, so that the lake can be rejuvenated.
Over a year ago, MLA Sathish Reddy had proclaimed on social media that the KCDC plant will be shutdown soon. Before that, Rajeev Chandrashekar had made his appearance, just before the general elections, and promised all help. But nothing so far even though the BJP is in power now. Left with no other option, the residents have filed a Public Interest Litigation in court.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
In the meanwhile, the BBMP and social activists are educating people about the benefits of home composting, so plants like KCDC need not exist. Only the dry waste can be collected from homes by the BBMP, which again is recycled by entities like ITC. The kitchen and other wet waste can be turned into compost using several simple solutions available in the market. They are called by different names, but you could just search for ‘composters’ and you will come across enough products to choose from. Go through the reviews and pick the one that works best for you.
To get a practical demonstration of all the home composting solutions at home, head to Swachagraha Kalika Kendra in Sector 4, behind the petrol bunk near HSR flyover. They have a separate section meant to teach you on just this subject.
Days after the residents had petitioned the Deputy Chief Minister to sanction a skywalk in front of Mantri Sarovar apartments on Outer Ring Road, it is now known that the BBMP had already called for short-term tenders for 39 skywalks across the city. And it includes the one that the residents demanded in Sector 4. The proposed skywalks will be on a ‘design, build, finance, operate and transfer’ (DBFOT) basis for a concession period of 30 years.
Interestingly, when the residents raised this issue in front of the Deputy CM, both the local corporator and MLA were unaware of the BBMP tender announcement in the papers two months ago. This goes to show the extent of cluelessness that our elected representatives possess.
In any case, it’s a good thing that the long-awaited skywalk will soon come up in the area, complete with escalators and staircases. The idea was abandoned with the announcement of the Metro. However, now that the Metro is going to take many more years, the skywalk has been sanctioned. In addition, there are ways to let both the skywalk and the upcoming Metro co-exist. It’s just the height and alignment of the metro and skywalk.
Now the residents want to know when the skywalk in Sector 5 will come up. This is the planned one at the end of the BDA flyover on Outer Ring Road. The project hit a hump when IMA scam surfaced as they were the primary sponsors of the skywalk.
There is no time like now to ensure that your Voter ID is alive and working. The last date for online verification of voter ID across India is October 15.
Sandhya Bhatt, one of the volunteers of citizen group Whitefield Rising has prepared a nifty presentation to make it easier for you to understand.
Just visit the National Voters’ Services Portal and register as a new user by creating a user ID and password. Click on the elector verification program and follow the instructions. The video above is self explanatory. Please watch, share and show that you care. The last date is not far away. So hurry!
Now citizens have a way to put BBMP in the dock at the Karnataka High Court. Following its recent public notification about two apps (BBMP Sahaaya and Fix My Street) for reporting faults in the civic infrastructure, it is expected that they might work better than before. However, civic experts don’t want to take this for granted. Koramangala resident Vijayan Menon who had filed a writ petition about the state of roads in Bangalore is asking every Bangalorean to try out these apps and point out any faults they notice through screenshots and mail him.
The reason why he’s doing this? “The nature of closing the complaints and quality of work will continue to be suspect,” he says.
So here is what he needs from you to support the court case:
1. Use these apps to register complaints (there is a photo uploading facility in the ‘Fix My Street’ app). 2. Keep track of the process and closing. 3. See if responsibility is fixed on to the specific BBMP official. 4. Check on the quality of work. If the quality is crappy, repost on the app, saying that the quality is slipshod. 5. Keep screenshots at various times for submitting to court. 6. Circulate this info/directions to the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) in your area to widen the base. 7. Give your experience of using these apps and suggestions on improving them.
“If we get around 10 instances /cases, we can present them in court,” he says. “If the process works, it’s well and good. If it does not, then we will have to ask for fresh orders. We will also have to move towards work quality, contractor accountability, ward committee responsibility, and turn around times.”
A recent Karnataka High Court on 107 pubs and bars in Indiranagar for violating various rules has given the much-needed respite to all other neighbourhoods reeling under commercialisation, including HSR Layout. With this order, no pub or bar can play live or recorded music without police permission. And the cops can only permit if the establishment has all the requisite approvals to run a pub or restaurant from various authorities. In January this year, the Supreme Court upheld a 13-year-old law that banned live music, which led to the crackdown on pubs and bars. This latest judgement will hopefully bring down the noise levels in neighbourhoods.
I Change Indiranagar, a collective of several resident welfare associations, won this case by arguing that the neighbourhood pubs and bars were violating several norms relating to noise, building bylaws, fire safety, parking, excise, and public nuisance, among others.
The licensing procedure is fairly elaborate and many establishments were seen functioning without licences, which led to their shutdown by the cops. For the police permission to play music, the joints need to submit the following documents to the authorities: BBMP’s building plan sanction, lease or title deed, partnership deed, occupancy certificate and no-objection certificates from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and an electrical contractor.
If you find any pub or bar playing live music in violation of Licensing and Controlling of Places of Public Entertainment (Bangalore City) Order, 2005, take a video recording of it and complain to the cops. The establishment owners will be booked under Section 294 (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place to the annoyance of others) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is getting down to brass tacks. Special BBMP Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Randeep D has stated that the single-use plastic ban implementation is going to be even more stricly implemented from September 1.
From October 1, the central government is banning plastic in the entire country. These include plastic bags, cups, plates, small bottles, straws and certain types of sachets. Officials insist that this ban is comprehensive and will cover the manufacturing, usage and import of such plastic items.
Not only will repeat offences lead to cancellation of trade licences but also seizure of equipment. The street vendors will be fined Rs 2000 for using banned plastic. The next time, they are found guilty again, their pushcarts will also be seized.
“The BBMP is fully serious about implementing the plastic ban,” said one BBMP health official. “The shopkeepers will be fined Rs 5000 for first-time offense. Even those who carry plastic bags will be fined Rs 500.”
The harmful effects of plastic are well-known. Since it’s non-biodegradable, the creation and sale of thermocol and microbeads was banned across the state from 2016. However, the implementation was lacklustre as the other states had not banned it. However, with the nationwide ban coming into effect from October, we will get to see better results. But please note that the ban does not apply on water bottles, milk and oil sachets, and the plastic used in nurseries, and hospitals (IV fluids).
Last year, BBMP had seized 1.2 lakh kg of plastic and collected Rs 73 lakh in fines. This year, as of May 31, the civic body had confiscated nearly 4000 kg of plastic and fined Rs 16 lakh. The moral of the story is not to buy or use plastic items like covers, cups, spoons, plates, flags, banners, buntings, flex, cling films, items made of thermocol (polystyrene), and non-woven polypropylene bags.
Every ban wasn’t so successful as the implementation was lax. And that was because, there is no systematic methodology that tracks the continuous implementation of the ban. Says HSR’s prominent civic activist Shanthi Tummala: “We want a monitoring committee to be there for proper implementation as the plastic ban includes coordination between other agencies like police, commercial taxes and food safety departments. Right now, these departments are not monitoring or penalising the offenders.”
Shanthi also says that the focus should not only be on the amount of penalty collected but also on the number of offenders caught in the raids. “We have carved out a system where the joint commissioner of Bommanahalli regularly monitors all the junior and senior health inspectors in Bommanahalli by setting up a common WhatsApp group with the JC and all the inspectors of the zone. There is a reporting format they have to follow and submit it every day on WhatsApp, be it garbage segregation or plastic ban.They have to compile a report every 15 days and the person who targets the most offenders should be rewarded by the BBMP.”
THE FINES Manufacturing; Rs 2 lakh & Rs 5 lakh (repeat offences).
Smita Kulkarni, a resident of HSR Layout until last year and now the inhabitant of Whitefield, is nominated for the coveted REX Karmaveer Global Fellowship and Karmaveer Chakra award. The honour is given by iCONGO in association with the United Nations. Smita is not only part of Whitefield Rising, one of the most proactive residents welfare associations in Bangalore but also a member of Swachh Doddanekundi.
According to the REX organisers, the recognition is for “champions of change who make a difference in our society with their ideas for action to be the change and REXchange mindsets by walking the path less trodden.”
The growth mindset of Smita lies in her anti-plastic campaigning she began in HSR Layout. To add to the environment-friendly gestures, she began selling cloth bags to dissuade people from using disposable plastic covers and bags. In addition, she campaigned for sustainable menstruation and sold products like reusable menstrual cups.
Smita is now recognised as an “architect of the RIGHT every WRONG, Karmaveer, REX Swacch Bharat Mission and the Joy of Giving initiatives”. The award will be announced and given away on November 25-27, 2019. We wish Smita all the luck.
