Articles by Akshatha M

A huge illegal hoarding near Ejipura Signal. Pic: Shree D N This huge IPL hoarding looms above the building next to Ejipura Signal. It’s not one hoarding - they are in plenty. There are no visible license tags or numbers on the hoarding. One such hoarding in a premium location like this costs about Rs 2 lakhs per month to advertise. As we capture it on our mobile, a person sitting in the shop below stands up, alarmed. He asks, “why are you taking the photo?” He sits back satisfied upon hearing from us that the IPL imagery on the…

Races in Bengaluru are going green, or at least, some extra effort is being put in to make them green events. Bengaluru Marathon 2014, touted to be the city’s first world class marathon with over 8,000 participants, had set an example in responsible waste management even for an event of that magnitude. Then was the turn of Pinkathon, an all-women race. In 2015 as well as in 2016, organisers and volunteers ensured that the use of plastic was avoided to the maximum extent.  Apparently for the first time in Bengaluru, green water stations with reusable cups, alongside regular water stations…

In the 2014 general election, close to 6 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu chose ‘None of the Above’ option on the ballot machines. So all in all, the people who opted for NOTA was 1.4 per cent of the total number of votes cast. NOTA was introduced for the first time in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in last general election. The number of NOTA votes cast in Tamil Nadu just reflected the citizens frustration over the political parties and candidates. The concept of NOTA was first introduced in October 2013, following the Supreme Court’s order to the Election Commission of…

The newly formed Bengaluru Blue Print Action Group (BBPAG) has ruffled several feathers within the civil society. People from various quarters have denounced the new Action Group as “exclusively elitist,” full of elected representatives, bureaucrats and corporate honchos, with none to represent common citizens. The citizens who have seen several such independent or government-led groups or task forces in the past, are wary of the functioning of BBPAG. Task forces and committees are not at all new to Bengaluru. There have been several of them, including Bangalore Agenda Task Force, ABIDe, Kasturirangan Committee, BBMP Restructuring Committee. Each of them worked…

We have seen many vision groups earlier. Now it's time for an action group! While the Assembly election is just two years away, the State government has constituted Bengaluru Blue Print Action Group (BBPAG). Here is a quick look into the various vision groups/task forces that were formed in the past, why were they formed, what have they achieved and couldn’t. Also is the list of bigwigs who have made it to more than two groups. Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) was formed in 1999, when S M Krishna was the Chief Minister. It was…

Difference between the topography of the land between Kasavanahalli and Kaikondrahalli lakes, in 2002 and 2016, as seen on Google Earth. The Southern Bench of National Green Tribunal has dismissed the petition of Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) and Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti (MAPSAS) related to a residential project coming up between Kasavanahalli and Kaikondarahalli lakes. Stating that the case on the grounds that the developer has a valid Environmental Clearance, the NGT dismissed the petition and allowed the developer of Shriram Chirping Woods to continue with the project.In an order delivered on April 26th, NGT bench comprising Dr…

City planning authorities who often come under fire for their decisions, are facing yet another accusation this time, for sanctioning a mega development project in an ecologically sensitive area. BDA has approved a private residential project in an area comprising valley and buffer zones in Varthur Hobli, while State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) have issued the environmental clearances. The residential project - Shriram Chirping Woods by Shrivision Homes Pvt Ltd - is under construction in an ecologically sensitive area between Kasavanahalli (Harlur) and Kaikondarahalli lakes in Varthur hobli. The area is a…

If you are a resident of Hagadoor, Muneshwara Nagar, Kumaraswamy Layout or a few other wards, it’s better you verify your name in the final electoral roll published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka. There are chances that you might have been “disqualified” from voting! Higher the chances of disqualification if your ward comes under Mahadevapura Assembly Constituency. Like every year, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer published the final electoral roll for the year 2016, on January 11th. Most of them might not have checked their names in the electoral roll after it was published, as election…

It’s a tiny single-room house nestled among similar dingy structures in a slum locality in Mangammanapalya. The house is located close to Hosur Road, which was an epicentre of garment workers' protests that took Bengaluru by storm when the Central government notified rules for Employee Provident Fund (EPF) restricting withdrawal of the PF till the age of 58. A cot placed on one side of the room occupies half the available space. On another corner is an old TV, the only source of entertainment. There is an open utensil washing-cum-bathing space at one end of the room and a kitchen…

A view of Bellandur lake from Sobha Lakeview Club House. Pic: Akshatha M Enough has been said and heard about infamous Bellandur lake. But what does the lake spread across 800 acres actually look like? How polluted it is? A team of researchers from Indian Institute of Science led by Prof T V Ramachandra and army personnel from Madras Engineering Group (MEG) have been conducting bathymetric survey of Varthur and Bellandur lakes for the last 10 days. Bathymetric survey aims to study the character of water across the various layers. This will help in scientifically deciding how to restore the…