TenderSure footpaths in central Bangalore are the toast of the city for their neatly-designed spaces for pedestrians. However, on MG Road, this has helped two-wheeler riders more than the walkers as this video proves. Clearly, where there is a way, there is a vehicle!
The only way to remove illegalities on roads and footpaths is to equip all the high density roads with high-end CCTVs for automatic traffic violations like speeding, footpath riding, overtaking, cutting signals and so on. This will bring order where none exist. Importantly, three such violations should result in automatic cancellation of driving licences for a year. No human involved means no corruption either. Will the central ministry of transport implement this immediately please?
The video above by Anantha Subramanyam says the story of footpath encroachment in just 30 seconds. A must-watch.
The spectre of commercialisation has gripped oversaturated neighbourhoods like Indiranagar, Whitefield, HSR Layout and Koramangala. The other day, a few youngsters supported by adults went from shop to shop on 100 Ft Road in Indiranagar, requesting them to remove ‘fairy lights’ on trees as they are damaging to the trunks as they are nailed into them. Not to mention, the birds who cannot bear a series of bright lights in their habitat.
Organised by youngsters of The Interact Club, the initiative did have its fair share of naysayers who asked the residents to do better things than mess with the shop’s aesthetics. Others said that the respectability of resident associations will lose its sheen if these initiatives were supported by them. Clearly, the reactions appeared to be either unfounded or had some vested interest as the arguments in favour of ‘fairy lights’ lacked substance.
The shopkeepers finally saw reason. Today, the fairy lights opposite Vapour pub and brewery, much to the relief of the residents. Today, the youngsters had also gone on a follow-up round of the shops. The store staffers promised them that they will abide by the law and remove the bright lights shortly.
Sonalee, the person coordinating the initiative for the youngsters confirms that most stores that the students visited last week had switched off their fairy lights since last week. “They have also promised to remove the tree lights in the coming week,” she said.
The stores covered in the follow-up drive included Allen Solly, Simon Carter, Van Huesen, Sony, Bhartiya Jalpan, US Polo, Chai Point, Bohemia, Bumble and O2.
Hundreds of people blocked the footpaths on 12th Main in Indiranagar today. Claiming to be victims of the residents’ crackdown on illegal pubs and restaurants, the protestors carried placards saying they should be given jobs as they are unemployed now. The residents counter it by saying that this is a ridiculous way to brush aside the illegalities and nuisances committed by pubs like Monkey Bar. It’s tantamount to saying that lawless businesses have no jobs for people because the law prohibits them.
The silent standing protest lasted for about an hour after which the crowd dissipated. Holding placards saying, “I want my job”, “Wanted: A job”, “Help! I’ve Lost My Job”, and so on, several observers reported that many restaurants appeared to be supporting this move as there were DJs and servers wearing white and holding flowers. A war of words began on Twitter too where some people asked the Indiranagar resident associations to give jobs to those who have lost employment due to their “mafia attitude”. Blaming proactive residents for shutting down restaurants that “stopped blaring music” after protests, the naysayers are questioning the association to stop their ‘holier than thou’ attitude and be more understanding to business concerns.
Reacting to all the controversy, resident Isabel Paul had this to say: “Unplanned and money-minded commercialization in residential areas impacts everyone eventually, and the govt needs to identify a satisfactory solution in collaboration with all the stakeholders.”
I Change Indiranagar Responds
In a tweet to the authorities, the media and the general public, I Change Indiranagar, the proactive federation of all residents welfare associations in Indiranagar, HAL 2nd and 3rd Stage, came out with its reaction to the snap silent protest conducted this afternoon: 1. We are not against any legally-run establishments – pub, bar, brewery or restaurant. 2. We are only interested in ensuring all establishments are operated based on the legal rules and norms laid down by the government authorities, be it building bye laws, fire safety, pollution control, traffic and law and order police, Excise, BBMP health department, BESCOM and BWSSB rules. 3. The core of this is the safety and well-being of residents, who have to bear sound and smoke pollution from generators and vehicles and roof top establishments blaring music past midnight, which are against Supreme Court established pollution norms. 4. It is also our concern for the safety of the patrons and guests of these establishments, as the owners of these establishments have not taken that into consideration. 5. Parking area in basement is most often misused for commercial purpose and cars parked in front of residents’ gates. 6. Buildings without occupancy certificate cause serious risk to lives of their guests and residents around, especially in case of fire. 7. Many illegal activities such as drugs and prostitution, which are a bane to society, occur in and around these establishments. 8. The security of residents and visitors alike, is seriously being compromised due to the huge influx of people on a given weekend and we as resident’s need our RIGHT TO LIFE restored too. This entire campaign is being made to look like arm-twisting mechanism by the authorities.
EDITORSPEAK
It is clear that the law is violated repeatedly in most cases of commercial enterprises in residential areas. And this is most prominent with pubs, the Monkey Bar being the most recent example as it did not have the mandatory Occupation Certificate, among many more violations. Political connivance, bribery and coercion is evident as many big establishments under the radar were found to be owned by heavyweights in business, politics and entertainment. Clearly, this nexus can only be broken if there is political will. The best example that one BBMP official cited was the removal of flex banners across the city within days after the High Court order. This shows that only the courts can rescue the residents from the commercial ambitions of senseless, greedy and unlawful entrepreneurs. It’s time this commercial breed realises its mistakes and makes amends instead of using youth as pawns in their larger game of commercialising everything in the city and outside. Every trend has its limits, and commercialisation has gone way beyond the saturation point. It’s about time the Supreme Court intervenes and ensures such illegal commercialisation does not happen anywhere in the country.
By law, the residents have every right to oppose any activity if it disturbs them, be it noise, air, or water pollution, or parking congestion and any other inconvenience. In a court of law, such an argument will always win. Therefore, we urge all entrepreneurs to be good Indians and follow the law rather than bribe an official and run their establishments without the relevant permissions. When they go ahead with the violations, and soon, the axe falls on them due to resident activism, they are responsible for rendering their staff without jobs. Not the residents. It’s plain common sense.
#BBMP is keen to save existing trees in #Bengaluru. Formally launched #FreeTheTree initiative in Malleshwaram this morning by removing tree guards hampering growth of trees. In the coming days, such guards will be removed from hundreds of trees across the city. @theuglyindianpic.twitter.com/HTajgCOxTw
It is a travesty of the times. Activists, and non-profit organisations team up with civic agencies to plant saplings and erect tree guards with much fanfare. Later, the sapling grows into a tree, and the metal barricade is still there, stifling its growth. In addition, the trees planted on footpaths touch the live wires above them, posing a danger to everyone around.
Thankfully, the BBMP seems to have realised this as Commissioner BH Anil Kumar, who appears to be making the right noises ever since he took over, began a citywide ‘Free The Tree’ campaign today in Malleswaram. Hundreds of tree guards will go under the cutter in the next few days. However, we urge him to ensure that this is made a mandatory exercise at every ward where one person is only in charge of ensuring that the trees are looked after. Importantly, they should chop the trees that had taken over the footpaths and the roads and also touching the live wires. In addition, a heavy penalty needs to be levied on those who park on footpaths meant for pedestrians. This has become rampant across the city.
Though the formal launch was today, the BBMP’s forest department and citizens, including those going by the monicker The Ugly Indians began the campaign a few days earlier. They freed 17 trees each in Indiranagar and HSR Layout. More will follow like it happened today in Malleswaram.
Resident Uday Chopda has some words of caution and constructive feedback about this issue. “They should not cement the pavement as trees don’t get water, nor does the ground water get re-charged,” he says. “Every tree should have at least one box of 2ft by 2ft for the water to seep in. They should sow saplings at places where trees are cut for development like Indiranagar 100 Ft Road. All shops and houses have either removed the tree in front of the property or they cut; please make it mandatory to grow in such areas.”
Dear BBMP, let #freethetree campaign not remain an adhoc measure, but a consistent effort by you.
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The auto driver who brought back Harish’s dropped phone from Koramangala to Ulsoor. Picture courtesy: Harish
Harish Iyengaar is many things rolled into one. The ‘scaryhairyman’ as he calls himself on Twitter is a writer, guitarist, gamer, and singer. What made him sing all the way on his social media platform the other day was the good samaritan act by an auto driver he met in Koramangala.
The podcaster gave a shout-out with a selfie of him with the Bangalore auto driver. Apparently, Harish’s phone fell out of his trouser pocket in the auto recently. This happened in the evening, during peak hours. “This man promptly brought it to Ulsoor from Koramangala, a bare couple of hours before I had to leave for the airport,” says a much-thankful Harish.
Having only read more bad news about rude, non-obliging auto drivers, it is gratifying to hear that there are some auto drivers who stand out for their humane gestures. May their tribe increase.
The Vasantnagar-headquartered Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) is inviting all Bengalureans to take part in a survey that we would share with city planners on how best to offer first and last mile connectivity to public transport. Will they have to be monorails, a plan mooted earlier? Or mini buses run by BMTC? Or increasing the bike and cycle rentals around bus and train stations? The alternatives are many.
Go ahead, take part in this survey. It will take a few minutes of your time, but by doing this, you will not only be helping yourself but also the future generation. Because what we ideate today gets done much later. The future is now. Take charge of it now. Click this B.PAC survey link and answer the questionnaire.
Remember, B.PAC is a non-governmental organisation patronised by city luminaries like Kiran Mazumdar, Charu Sharma, Prasad Bidapa, Prakash Belawadi, Nisha Millet, Harish Bijoor, RK Misra, and K Jairaj, among others.
The other day, an Indian Pitta, was rescued by BBMP wildlife volunteers in HSR Layout. This was tweeted on November 15 by no less than BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar. This is significant not only because this jungle bird travels to cities in the winter while on its way to the Western Ghats, but also due to the many incidents of its collision with glass buildings leading to its injury and death.
Similar rescues have taken place this month in Jayanagar and RR Nagar. Wildlife enthusiasts contend that these birds are often mistaken for Kingfisher birds due to their colourful facade – they have nine colours and are also called Naurangi in Hindi. While it is tough to blame the glass buildings alone, experts say that the birds fall on the ground due to their sheer long distance travel. They get tired along the way to the nearby forests, causing many residents to call the BBMP about the injured birds. Many Indian Pittas were treated in hospitals and released into the forests, including the bird found in HSR Layout.
Whitefield Rising, the citizen action group, has some good news to share about an economical way to save water: installing mini sewage treatment plants across the city. They have a success story to share with a full technical presentation tomorrow between 11am and 1130am at Bangalore One on Whitefield Main Road.
The beauty of this presentation is that there is a successful, operational mini STP that will be shown to the public, with special focus on the technology and the process that goes into it. This STP takes the dirty water from the stormwater drains, purifies it and releases it into public toilets for recycling, while the rest joins the lake.
The plant is completely solar-powered and is all natural as it does not use any chemicals. The joint initiative of Whitefield Rising and Hagadur Ward 84 committee, the STP was implemented by Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited and funded by an MLC grant from Mahadevapura.
The plant requires only 10 sq. metres, and Rs 14.5 lakhs. Most importantly, it takes only a month to build and commission.
This is another true public-private partnership that can do wonders to society. Be there and get one for your ward/neighbourhood/city.
Much to everyone’s relief, work on the Koramangala-Ejipura flyover has resumed after BBMP cleared the contractor’s bills.
The work on the flyover had stoped for a few months as the bill was not paid by the civic agency. However, with the new government and new BBMP commissioner BH Anil Kumar, all pending works are being expedited. One such project was this flyover.
Announcing this move, BBMP Commissioner BH Anil Kumar also tweeted that “a strict directive has been issued to complete work by engaging more workers. Hon’ble MLA @RLR_BTM has acknowledged for resolving the same”. We do hope that MLA Ramalinga Reddy does his bit to expedite this.
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?
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.
