Say residents as officials look the other way and residents bear the brunt By Sindhu MR Senior citizen MR Krishnamurthy has a pressing question: “When will they permanently fix the mess?” The resident of Sector 7 is pointing to the mess on 18th Cross off 14th Main Road. Not only is the road non-motorable, it … Read more
By Zahid H Javali This month, Residents Watch enters the 6th year of its existence. Our constant endeavour is to better HSR Layout and bridge the information gap between commercial establishments and the constantly floating residential population. However, a lot more needs to be done. And here is how. The local neta should build a … Read more
The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) is now doing a case study on Residents Watch and it’s use of social media for bettering the community. Five years ago, we set up the Facebook Group, which now boasts of almost 2500 members. More recently, we created a Facebook Page (ResidentsWatch) for real-time updates to the … Read more
Residents Watch, your monthly neighbourhood magazine’s editor Zahid H Javali was honoured by the National Students Union of India on the late Dr Abdul Kalam’s 86th birth anniversary celebrations last month. And the timing was just right. The magazine celebrates its 5th anniversary this month. It’s perhaps the only glossy magazine in India that is … Read more
Vibgyor High School on Harlur Road has successfully installed 200 water aerators (3 litres per minute) in both its buildings. “This means, savings of atleast 8000 litres of water every day,” says Sector 2 resident Lalithamba BV. Kudos to the school management and Sector 2 resident Shashidhara K for completing this project. Every drop of water … Read more
Resident Mohan Rajaram sent a Whatsapp message to the informal Sector 3 Whatsapp group that the storm water drain, footpath and road was encroached to make a private garden on 17th A main in Sector 3. “The drain height needs to be rectified too. It is higher than 17th A Main Road… the water will … Read more
Responding to repeated complaints by residents Thota and Faraz in Sector 3, the BBMP finally took action on the Fresh Menu restaurant on 18th C Main. It had become a nuisance in the locality as its kitchen waste was flowing on to the road. Health inspector Vinod fined them twice and they appeared to have … Read more
City Development minister KJ George launched the ‘Fix My Street’ app for citizens to report on civic problems involving the BBMP. However, there are already two popular apps that do exactly the same thing: BBMP Sahaya and IChangeMyCity. And yet, we have not seen real issues getting solved, first-hand. And this is particularly when we … Read more
The other day, Sector 4 resident Fazal Khalil complained on our Residents Watch group about a film shoot happening late into the night. Says Fazal: “It’s such a nuisance to all of us… the fumes from the generator van and the mess they make after eating, by throwing the food leftovers all over the place.” … Read more
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) planned to revamp the Indiranagar BDA complex more than three years ago but nothing happened because the deeply entrenched shopkeepers protested that they would lose their livelihood. But that is just one of the reasons. The real reason is that the BDA is good at mooting ideas but bad at … Read more
Last month, experts from the Horticulture department conducted a workshop on simple, traditional organic farming techniques that can do wonders in a limited space, including a tiny balcony or backyard. The event was followed by a session on the dos and don’t to lead a health life by an acupressure expert. The two-hour session was … Read more
Open drains are not only an assault on our noses but can also be fatal, animals included. The other day, a resident found a cow that had fallen into a drain near Nagarjuna Apartments in Sector 2. It’s about time the BBMP officials covered all the drains to stop this from happening again. “Or should … Read more