Street yoga, anyone?
The International Day of Yoga fell on June 21. As a curtain raiser to raise awareness, there was a ‘street yoga’ demo at BDA complex on the evening of June 10. And three days after June 21, there were yoga day celebrations at BBMP Grounds where well-known yoga exponents, young and old, demonstrated the ancient fitness regime to the assembled multitudes. Many schools in and around HSR also had yoga sessions on June 21 to celebrate the day. Anything that will beef up the health of a person should be encouraged, publicised and talked about. Fitness expert Wanitha Ashok celebrated the day in HSR with various school children from the Samarthanam Trust For The Disabled and other NGOs. The yoga mat is calling, where are you?
Who will tame the nail mafia?
Despite repeat complaints, the HSR cops have failed to either nab the miscreants spraying tiny nails on the BDA Complex flyover or light up the stretch at night and install CCTV cameras. Says resident Avinash Gowda: “Not a single streetlight is lit on either side of the Agara and BDA complex flyovers for many years now, and it is posing some serious threat to motorists as these unlit streetlights are not serving any purpose.” MLA Satish Reddy said he would install CCTVs in the Residents Watch social media group many months ago, but nothing has happened so far, like many of his previous hollow promises. Now that he has been re-elected for the third time, he has to thank the people by coming good on all his promises to the citizens. What’s worse now is that this nail mafia is targetting many roads inside HSR too. Lots of screws, nails and clips are seen these days in HSR Layout roads. Says resident Hemant K: “The one in the photo was picked up near Sai Baba temple road. The bikes and cars get punctured. We can arrange for a magnetic sweeping of roads once a week or so. Since HSR is a role model for waste management, magnetic sweeping can also be pioneered here by the BBMP. These magnets should be fixed on the vehicles for better and faster results. The authorities can sell the nails that are collected and buy, donate or refill their fuel.” Fellow resident Prasad Y was not as hopeful: “Magnetic sweeping will not work because we have to depend on the government departments who have a backlog of old cases that are yet to be resolved. No hope of getting this new complaint resolved by them.”
Seed balls for a greener tomorrow
The practice of seed balls is gaining momentum across the country and HSR Layout is no exception. There were many events in the past and there was one only last month at the Sector 2 park on 22nd Main. “We had a nice time in making seed bolls in the morning,” said resident Siddu Dhavalagi. “It’s a great initiative. I thank the organisers (Say Trees, an HSR-based NGO) for their Go Green campaign. I love being part of making Bangalore green.” So what is the concept, you ask? N Raj has the answer: “Basically seeds are collected from nature, then added to enrich the soil by making them into balls that are later sun-dried and scattered in hillocks, water-scarce lands, open spaces and where man-made plantations are a bit cumbersome.” If you want to be part of future campaigns across HSR and outside, you can visit: www.saytrees.org.
Troublemakers everywhere
HSR resident Vidhya SN reports miscreants are breaking vehicle number plates. “There are trouble makers who are intentionally breaking and scratching the number plates of parked cars. Three cars were affected in Sector 2 recently. I had taken my car out and went back inside my house for a few minutes to pick up something when the incident occurred. It happened on private property and the cars were parked on the vacant land adjacent to my house.” Vaseem Akram felt that the problem could be someone else: “She should check with the kids around… they might be playing around the vehicles and causing the damage.” What we would suggest everyone is to install CCTVs at the front, back and side of your house. This will help you identify the thieves and miscreants engaged in the act. If they happen to be on police records, they could be caught as well.
Tuitions for free
Samartha Bharatha is conducting free tuitions for 50 needy students at Pragathi Plus on 24th Main in Sector 2. This is for poor students from class 1 to 12 between 4pm and 6pm. Since there is an increase in the number of students this year, the youth organisation requires a few volunteers who can help in managing and grooming the students to become better citizens of tomorrow. This is an excellent opportunity to give something back to society. If you are a teacher, a retired employee or a youngster wanting to do more fulfilling during your free time, you could offer your valuable time and expertise for the worthy cause of helping students from government schools. If you wish to volunteer as a tuition teacher, call 98441-67069, 98452-83336.
Garbage, garbage, everywhere
This is the scene opposite Nandini booth in Sector 7. At midnight, people dump mixed waste and scoot. Every time this happens, this waste worker has to manually sort it. “Segregation, plastic ban and illegal dumping – three laws violated at once. This is simply inhuman,” says resident and activist Smita Kulkarni. Adds Kasturi Rangan Srinivasan: “The site is also used as a public urinal, causing health issues to residents. I request the site owner to clear the site and build a compound wall to prevent the people from committing nuisance.”
Veena Sonwalkar is unhappy with the open drains on 9th main. “They have also created an unbearable stench for residents as sewage is being let with it; it is being used as a toilet by passersby. We wake up everyday to see men standing and using it as a urinal. People also throw trash into the drain. Not to mention, the mosquito nuisance because of it. However, both the BBMP and local corporator don’t seem to care.” The open drains, particularly the Rajakaluves (main storm water drains), cannot be closed because it would lead to flooding of HSR Layout. Which is why, the Supreme Court has laid down the rule of a buffer zone around Rajakaluves. However, it is the job of the BBMP to keep desilting and cleaning the drains to prevent any stench and mosquito menace. In addition, they have to catch people throwing garbage into the drain and fine them heavily. This is something even the residents can do by capturing the act on their smartphone cameras and complaining to the BBMP. However, the BBMP Sahaya mobile app is turning out to be quite a scam. Many residents are watching their complaints getting closed without any resolution. Something needs to be done, fast.
Organic farmers mela
We are partial to Savayava Krishi Pariwara, the cooperative that keeps selling organic vegetables and fruits directly from farmers. We cannot vouch for their organic-ness (nobody can; not even the well-known brands), but we would rather help small farmers instead of big brands that may or may not be genuine. Savayava mela happens every month near Hanuman temple off 24th Main Road in Agara. It is an opportunity to buy organic products where all the sale amount goes to the farmers – there is no middleman. They claim that they are not using chemical pesticides and fertilisers. In addition, the buyers get to directly interact with the farmers who can give them more information on how they grow their food. Last month was their 26th monthly edition of organic Mela where a variety of mangoes made their appearance felt. The other items that are quite popular here are vegetables, millets and desi ghee, among others.
Say ‘no’ to plastic
“When we have anything hot in plastic, a little bit of it mixes with the food and consumed. This is carcinogenic. Stop today! No coffee, tea or sambar in plastic. Use tupperware and similar containers to carry lunch, but don’t heat food in them.” This is what the environmentally-conscious will tell you. We would go even further than that and say avoid plastic for carrying or holding any kind of food, hot or cold. What if the plastic melts over time, whether it’s hot or cold? One never knows. Therefore, we would advise everyone to say ‘no’ to plastic containers, even if they are food grade quality. We can’t be sure of that. Buy your kids steel and copper tiffins instead.
No noise pollution after 10pm
Whether it’s a wedding hall or a construction site, the law clearly clamps down on all kinds of noise pollution. So if you hear a borewell machine or a JCB working late into the night, you can call the cops and have them stopped. It’s best not to argue with them yourself. Let the khaki clads do their duty.
GAIL pipeline mess continues
GAIL is messing up footpaths all over. The latest was the leakage of Cauvery water on 17th C main in Sector 3 as the PNG connection staff broke the water line while digging their pits. Buck up, guys!
Plastic in drains
The next time you are stuck in traffic after a heavy downpour due to flooding, think twice. “Our overuse of plastic and throwing them around is the main cause,” says HSR resident Sunil Reddy. “This is the photo of the drain next to Bellandur flyover. Since water is not able to flow, it is flooding the Outer Ring Road in front of RMZ Ecospace.”
