In this week’s edition of Bengaluru This Week, we feature a story on the condition of Supreme Court mandated night shelters for the homeless in the city. Read about the multiple skywalks purportedly coming up in Bengaluru and who they will benefit. We also have guides on using trains for your daily commute, getting the name changed on your electricity bill and applying for birth and death certificates. Also check out a lovely photo feature on the Arkavathy and the Vrushabhavathy. All this and more… Happy reading!

This week’s highlight: For whom, the skywalks in Bengaluru?

People prefer crossing over on road, beneath the Mysore Bank skywalk. Pic: Shamala Kittane Subramaniam

For whom, the skywalks in Bengaluru? Who uses them? Who benefits? Key questions answered as the city plans over a 100 skywalks! Read: Skywalks help no one but advertisers.

NGO estimates say there are over 17,000 homeless people in Bangalore. BBMP’s own number is way lower at 1,250.Meanwhile the ten operational night shelters can accommodate barely 250. Many of them are devoid of funds and see few inmates, while countless brave harsh conditions in the open. Why? Read: Night shelters for homeless: fundless and neglected.

Guides to living in the city

A train draws into the railway station at Whitefield. File pic.

Do you know that you can use long distance trains for your daily commute to Bengaluru? Especially if you are coming in from areas like Tumkur, Doddaballapur and Ramanagaram. Here’s how: Trains for daily commute in and around Bengaluru.

Get the name on your electricity bill changed without depending on brokers/agents, pay no bribe or additional charges! Read: How to get the name changed on your BESCOM bill.

Want to know when your area could see a power cut? Here is the load shedding schedule that has been shared by BESCOM. Read: Schedule of power cuts in Bengaluru. Also read: Here’s why Bengaluru is facing power cuts.

Here’s an overview of how to apply for and get a birth or death certificate  in Bengaluru city, again without having to resort to paying a bribe. Read: Getting birth and death certificates.

If you are yet to book tickets to visit your hometown for Gowri Ganesha, worry not. KSRTC has arranged for additional buses this festive season. Read: Special buses for Gowri Ganesha.

In pictures

The Arkavathy is born here. Pic: Vishwanath Srikantaiah

The Vrushabhavathy river rises from the Bull Temple in Basavangudi and meets the Arkavathy, which rises from the Nandi Hills range, at Kudlu. Vishwanath Srikantaiah traces the journey of the mother river and her tributary: By the rivers of Bengaluru.

Food for thought

Divya Sreedharan questions how people sometimes fail to recognise others silent cries for help. Have we become so self-obsessed with ourselves, that we don’t notice what’s happening around us? Read: Lives of quiet desperation

Ashwin Mahesh points out the lacuna in the Right to Education Act and says that for it to be truly effective, it must be amended. Read: Why the RTE Act should be amended.

Vox populi

For anyone new to Bengaluru, one of the things that they set out to do is find a house. Nimit Shah shares his misadventures while looking for a house. Read: House hunting – a big welcome from the city.

Do you know whom to contact if you want a broken streetlight repaired? Here’s what a Malleshwaram citizen did when his pleas to the authorities fell on deaf ears. Read: A broken lamppost, MLAs office and other things.

After having to resort to travelling by taxi in the late hours of the night, Deepa Mohan questions BMTC on the irregularity of its Vayu Vajra services from the airport. Read: Where are the Vayu Vajra buses when one needs them?

The heroes among us

Canara Bank’s new corporate social responsibility initiative aims to bring otherwise expensive computer training within the reach of the common man. Here’s how: Canara Bank to offer computer training to unemployed youth.

Living by the lake

Celebrate International Literacy Day with The Boy and the Drum, a storytelling session at Puttenahalli lake on September 12th.

If you live near Horamavu, here’s a chance to reconnect with your neighbourhood lake. Attend the Horamavu Kere Habba on September 12th and be a part of games, workshops, walks and more.

Every year, during Ganesha Habba, there is plenty of non-biodegradable material that makes its way into Bengaluru’s lakes. To encourage people to use clay idols, MAPSAS is hosting two events at Kaikondrahalli lake on September 13th. Read: Preparing for an eco-friendly Ganesha festival.

Also read:  Five ways to celebrate an eco-friendly Ganesha Habba.

In other news

• The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday, allowed the participation of non-corporators including MPs and MLAs in Mayoral election scheduled for September 11th. However, the Court said it would decide on the constitutionality of their participation after full hearing of the petition filed by five BJP corporators, post the election.
• With only a day left for the Bengaluru’s Mayoral election, an alliance between the Congress and JD(S) is almost confirmed. The Congress has sent its councillor-elect and independent councillors to resorts in Kodagu to avoid any attempts of horse-trading by the BJP. Corporators will directly come to the election venue on Friday.
• BESCOM which had earlier announced of three hours of load-shedding in residential blocks, has on Tuesday decided to increase the load shedding to four hours everyday. Industrial and commercial set-ups will have to face two hours of power cut.
• BBMP will reintroduce paid parking in 56 roads in the Central Business District from October. Each road will have a ticket vending machine and vehicle owners can pay through smart cards provided by BBMP or Credit/Debit card or through an exclusive mobile app.
• Bengaluru police have arrested a city-based sales executive MG Gokul for sending hoax messages of bomb threats to Bengaluru and Delhi airports. He has also been charged with murdering his wife Anuradha a month ago.
• Nasscom along with Bengaluru police will organise ‘Urban Hack’ in the city on October 3rd and 4th. It is themed around improving transportation, crime prevention and public safety through the use of technology.
• A high school in JP Nagar was shut down temporarily as a precautionary measure after 15 students complained of fever, when two students who were diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease, returned to school after medical leave.

Events this week

• Watch Biswa In Your Face, comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath’s second hour-long stand-up special at Alliance Francaise on September 10th.
• Attend the book release of Creating a New Medina, authored by Venkat Dhulipala on September 11th at Bangalore International Centre
• Watch the docu-drama Banned Aid, and get an insight into child labour in India at Bangalore International Centre on September 12th.
• Watch the play Made in ILVA to understand the impact of the biggest steelworks of Europe on the environment. The play is being staged at Jagriti Theatre on September 15th.
• Pay a visit to Rangoli Metro Art Centre in September 18th and 19th for 60 Solutions Against Climate Change, a photographic exhibition.

Click here for the complete list of events in Bengaluru.

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