HSR Layout

All the news about HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Cycle track delayed due to non-payment of bills!

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Cycle track delayed due to non-payment of bills! 1
 
The 9.7-kilometre dedicated cycle track in HSR Layout that was supposed to have taken off more than two years ago is delayed yet again. If it was last year’s record rains and this year’s drain works, it’s now the turn of non-payment of dues.
 
BBMP contractor Panduranga told Residents Watch that the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) is yet to clear three bills. “We have completed all the drain works along the cycle tracks but DULT is yet to pay for those works,” he said. “We have now stopped all the work because we have no money left to do anything further unless they pay our dues.”
 
BBMP sources at the headquarters informed us that the contractor has spent three-times the amount and is awaiting payments. “The delay is due to the excessive paper work that this project involves… the file is being passed around like in any government office,” said one BBMP official.
 
If DULT releases the payments immediately, the cycle track should be ready in two months, according to the BBMP contractor.
 
WHERE IS THE TRACK COMING ALONG?
The cycle track will come up on a 9.7 kilometre stretch of the following roads: 14th Main, 17th Cross, 19th Main and 27th Main. According to the plan, all the signboards on these roads will change. With the cycle track on one side, there will be pelican signals (pedestrian light controlled crossing on poles installed on the footpath) for easy movement.
 
 
Cycle track delayed due to non-payment of bills! 2
Source: BBMP consultant
 
 
Cycle track delayed due to non-payment of bills! 3
 
 
The cycle tracks themselves will be green pigmented concrete surfaces, which are long-lasting. There will be one-feet high medians to separate the main road from the track, with bollards at every entrance point, so only cycles can go pass them.

 

RED ALERT: Part of Agara Lake jogging track caves in

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RED ALERT: Part of Agara Lake jogging track caves in 4
 
A section of the jogging track at Agara Lake has caved in this morning after the rains. According to the park caretakers, this is because there is a BWSSB sewage line under the track, a leakage of which has collapsed the mud. A small pit has become a 20 feet pit,” says Kavitha Reddy of the Agara Lake Protection & Management Society. “We have tried to block off the area… the entire track is in a difficult situation. Thankfully, the sewage has not entered the lake.”
 
The caretakers are not sure how the leakage of the BWSSB sewage pipeline that runs on one side of the jogging track was laid. However, this incident clearly shows that there has been some leakage that has softened the mud, leading to its collapse.
 
 
RED ALERT: Part of Agara Lake jogging track caves in 5
 
 
We urge the BWSSB to take immediate action and fix this problem before it leads to any mishaps.

 

A fuel counter in Sector 2 for women only

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hsr layout petrol bunk
Introduced just a month ago, this is an exclusive counter for women and by women at the Indian Oil Corporation petrol bunk on 19th Main in Sector 2.
 
Men are not allowed at this counter as this is exclusive to women only. I feel special today because there’s a women’s only counter, said two wheeler rider Tara B.
 
A fuel counter in Sector 2 for women only 11
 

 

Residents demand mechanised sweepers to contain vehicular and construction dust on main roads

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hsr layout pollution
With vehicular pollution, construction and roadside dust polluting the main roads of HSR Layout, the residents are now asking the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to implement mechanised sweeping of the main roads atleast.
 
 
Residents demand mechanised sweepers to contain vehicular and construction dust on main roads 12
 
 
“Where are the mechanical sweepers that were supposed to be deployed on all the major roads of Bangalore?” asks HSR resident and civic activist Kavitha Reddy in a tweet to CM and Deputy CM of Karnataka. “If the CM and Deputy CM continue to let the corporators and MLAs to decide on it, they will destroy the city further! Just visit the strech between Agara and Silkboard junction, were the roads have not been cleaned for years now.”
 
Says resident Shashidhara K who is busy installing pollution monitors across HSR Layout to gauge the impact, and his results are not encouraging: “HSR definitely need to eliminate construction dust, sand particles from streets (using BBMP mechanized sweepers), and also reduce vehicular pollution at the earliest. Air quality is very bad on the main roads and at intersections.”
 
 
Residents demand mechanised sweepers to contain vehicular and construction dust on main roads 13
 
 
 
 
 

 

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 14
 
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 15
27th Main Road
 
 
Residents ask for dividers, speedbreakers on 19th Main, 27th Main; top cop promises action 16
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 17
 

 

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 18
 
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 19
 
 
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 20
 
 
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.

 

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 21
 
 
“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.

 

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 22
Want to turn a Govt school, into a model institution? You can do your bit 23
Want to turn a Govt school, into a model institution? You can do your bit 24
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 25
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 26
Ample parking space on Service Road
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 27
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 28
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 29
 
 
 
It's a mela like atmosphere at Agara Lake Park 30
 

 

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

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SBI on do's and don'ts of banking transactions 31
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