Everybody knows Bengaluru roads are unsafe. In all likelihood, you or someone you know personally has had an accident – whether inside a vehicle, or more commonly as a pedestrian. While roads of bad quality and unscientific traffic design are one reason, how do we minimise the risk? The government says: wear helmets. So we wrote up an FAQ on that! In parallel, there are a bunch of things the state needs to do. This and more in this edition.

Attn Oorvani Foundation Donors:
We have dispatched receipts to those who have made a contribution during our November-December fundraiser. You can view the complete list of donors here. In case you have made a donation, but are yet to receive your receipt or fail to see your name on the supporters page, do mail us on foundation@oorvani.in.

This week’s highlight: BBMP’s newly opened animal crematorium

An animal carcass being burnt in an incinerator at the BBMP Animal Crematorium. Pic: BBMP

What do you do when your pet or the stray animal you were caring for passes away? Do you wait for BBMP to come and lift the carcass? Or do you look for a space where you can give the animal a decent burial? Here are your options: Where to bury/cremate pets in Bengaluru.

On the road

In 2015, Bengaluru witnessed 4,828 accidents that claimed the lives of 714 people. Shouldn’t we be looking to make the roads safer, to reduce the incidence of such accidents? Read: 10 things that can declutter the roads and make them safer.

Starting January 12th, wearing a helmet is compulsory for both parties on a two-wheeler. The rider will be held responsible if the pillion rider fails to wear the helmet. Read: Don’t forget the helmet!

Living in Bengaluru

What are the key lessons from 2015 the government could learn? What are the challenges Bengaluru poses to the government? What needs to be improved? Nidhi Gupta and Varun Santhosh from The Takshashila Institution share their thoughts. Read: It’s the governance, stupid!

How clean do you think Bengaluru is? Would you like to rate the city in terms of its hygiene and sanitation? Participate in the Swachh Bharat survey before January 15th to have your say.

In the ‘hood

In what is probably a first for the Whitefield area, two wards, Kadugodi and Varthur, appointed their ward committees on the first Sunday of the new year. Read: So, is local self-governance here now?

GAIL has dug the roads in HSR layout in Bengaluru to lay pipelines. But the repair work is taking time. Ultimately, citizens are paying for the mess. Read: HSR sector 7: caught between GAIL and BBMP.

If you live in HSR layout and suffer from the dug roads, you can:

• Register a complaint on bbmp.sahaaya.in
• Contact GAIL to lodge your complaint – Ph: 080-68888081; Email: gailgashelpline@gail.co.in.

While citizens must complain about inefficiencies, they should also highlight the good work being done by local administration. Sapna Prabhu tracks the progress of work on the Hulimavu-Begur road. Read: Akshayanagar Layout road get a facelift.

What can one do when the authorities turn a deaf ear to the issues in your area? Here’s how residents of BDA 6th stage near Kanakpura road got them to pay attention. Read: Protesting against BDA inaction.

Living by the lake

Many lakes in the city have been irreparably converted to public places. Images from a study on floods in Bengaluru show how visible the difference is. Read: Bengaluru lost its water bodies, and here’s what is remaining.

Children climbing trees along the walking track. Pic: Kere Habba

On January 9th, the 2 km walking track around Kaikondrahalli lake was abuzz with activity. The recently concluded Kere Habba at the lake premises is a testimony to how much the community cares about the lake. In pictures: Kere Habba at Kaikondrahalli lake.

Imagine leaving an area, only to come back after many years to find it so much more beautiful than you left it! That’s the case of Munnekolala lake. Read: Something to cheer about.

Charity begins at home and no better examples than these children who live around Puttenahalli lake. Read: Heartwarming gestures by our children.

The lives of others

Thejaswi Udupa is back with a new post on Oorjana, featuring stories of people-neither friends nor strangers-one runs into in Bengaluru. This one is a tale garnered from an Uber ride… Read: The Uber driver.

Food for thought

Ashwin Mahesh says good governance means increasing the number of problem-solving people, and being accountable in policy and implementation. Read: Finding loopholes to escape the legal net…

Culturati

Whether out-of-towners should learn Kannada has been a long-standing bone of contention in Bengaluru. Here is a man who is teaching Whitefielders how to speak Kannada. Read: How a cartoonist is teaching Kannada on Facebook.

When three women – a flautist, a violinist and a vainika – got together to give a Carnatic concert a few years ago it was the beginning of a new journey. Chitra Srikrishna interviews the musical trio: Unique venu-violin-veena team.

While competitions between performers can raise the bar in terms of the quality of music, if the rivalry continues off stage, it can easily get blown out of proportion. Read: Musical competitions – Boon or Bane?

The 8th Bengaluru International Film Festival is set to begin on January 28th, and will showcase around 170 films in 18 different languages, including the critically-acclaimed Kannada films Rangi Tharanga and Nanu Avanalla Avalu. Read: A filmy treat for movie buffs.

The wonders of nature

A group of mushrooms is called a troop! Pic: Vandana Murthy

There are some organisms that thrive in the moist, humid environment that the monsoons bring. And though they have a short life, they are beautiful and intriguing, when they appear. Read: Nature’s umbrellas.

The week that was

• With BBMP adding stringent norms in the new garbage tenders, the tenders have received very poor response this time. Of the 95 wards where tenders were floated, bids were received for only 38 wards. Of these, 29 wards received only one bid each.
• Over a year after the bomb blast on Church Street, the National Investigative Agency (NIA) has released the footage of a person suspected to have planted the bomb. The NIA has sought public’s help to identify the suspect and has announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for those who give information.
• Fed up over BBMP trucks dumping garbage in vacant plots in BTM Layout, members of the BTM IV Stage RWA have started doing night vigils. Around 500 citizens are taking turns to keep vigil in the area.
• BJP leader and former corporator NR Ramesh has brought to light a promotion scam that has been taking place in BBMP. Addressing a press conference, Ramesh has said that a tenth pass head gangman Narasimhaiah was promoted to junior engineer, and a 10th pass health inspector G R Nanjudappa too became a junior engineer.
• While hearing a public interest litigation case on Wednesday, the High Court has ordered the BBMP to repair the roads and keep them in good condition for better transport in the city. The bench, comprising the Chief Justice, advised the Palike to formulate a policy to ensure smooth flow of traffic.
• The Karnataka government has announced the laying of a separate bus lane from MG Road to Hope Farm (ITPL). However, the date of launch of the new service has not yet been finalised. The lane which will pass through Old Airport Road, Domlur, Marathahalli, ITPB, Whitefield and Hope Farm, is expected to help the IT employees commute quicker.

Events this week

 Behind the Door, Alliance Francaise on January 20th

• Watch Koogu, a solo-performance by Bengaluru-based theatre artist, Anish Victor at Alliance Francaise on January 14th.
• Watch the HandleBards’ rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (the four actors will play out 40 characters) at Jagriti Theatre on January 15th, 16th and 17th.
• Some in 8 Billion, an exhibition capturing the diversity of people travelling by rail is on display at Goethe Institut from January 16th onwards.
• On January 16, bask in the glory of Makar Sankranti, as the skies of Bengaluru give way to colourful kites at the Kite Flying Festival at Karle Town Centre.
• Go on a guided walk through one of old Bangalore’s oldest suburbs at Malleswaram Darshan on January 16th.
• Watch A Time Upon Once, a dance performance choreographed by French movement artist, Oliver Besson at Alliance Francaise on January 17th.
• Revisit the turmoil of families impacted by the partition of India in 1947 at a lecture-demonstration, Stories of Partition, at Bangalore International Centre on January 20th.
• Watch Behind the Door, a silent performance, which mixes humour, poetry, magic and juggling at Alliance Francaise on January 20th.

To know more about events in Bengaluru, click here

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