Articles by Padmalatha Ravi

Apartments are bulk generators; we won't collect garbage from them. No, apartments are not bulk generators; we will collect waste from them. BBMP has been going back and forth on this issue for over two months now. As the December 1st deadline, for waste segregation at source is here, there is still no clarity on where the waste from the apartment complexes is going to go. Media reports have quoted BBMP Commissioner Rajneesh Goel saying that apartments are now excluded from the bulk generators list. However BBMP's website has the notification dated October 1st, that has categorised apartments under bulk…

If you are a regular user of BMTC, you would know that the commute during peak time is no picnic. One of my recent trips on a Sarjapura Road route at 5:30pm was no different. The bus driver and the conductor, were on an auto mode - shouting at the women - go inside, don't crowd around the pillars, while driving / issuing tickets. This kamba bittu hogri (leave the pillar/support and go inside) is a refrain I've been hearing since I was a school student.   So why do women crowd around the three kambas in the ‘ladies' section?…

A PIL, questioning the deletion of lakhs of entries from the current voter rolls has come up for hearing at the Karnataka High Court. The court heard the case on November 6th.The PIL has been filed by Commander P G Bhat of Daksh, a Bangalore based organisation working towards accountability in politics and governance, Ashwin Mahesh of Loksatta party and Smart Vote, a campaign that encourages people to vote. The petitioners have named the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Chief Electoral officer (CEO), Karnataka as their main respondents, along with four other Electoral officers from Bangalore zone. It…

On October 13th, a National Law School of India University (NLSIU) student was gang raped in the adjoining Bangalore University campus near Nagarbhavi.By now we all know enough details about the student to construct an image of who she might be. Her age, her boyfriend's name, age, his job profile, that he owned a car, where they both are from, insinuations towards their intimacy levels, whether she got into trouble with hostel authorities earlier for ‘this' kind of behaviour. All this information was culled out in the name of journalism and served as news reports.By now it is almost rhetorical…

Assembly elections are going to be held in May 2013. Parties are beginning to announce their candidates for various constituencies. Each constituency’s report card will start showing up, with ‘progress’ of various kinds highlighted. Bangalore has 28 assembly constituencies, each MLA will flaunt his or her scorecard.But what is topmost on Bangalorean voters’ mind? Garbage is raising stink for last three months, Cauvery is the bone of contention again, even as phase II, stage IV, shows signs of  materialising and traffic woes still top all discussions about the city.  What are our ministers in-charge saying and doing about these issues?…

Filmmaking is a hard profession to break into. But after more than a decade of documentary filmmaking the transition is rather smooth, especially when the subject is as exciting as a little girl in ladakh and her efforts to go to school. Priya Ramasubban, who calls herself a storyteller has made films for National Geographic, Discovery, History Channel and other major international broadcasters. She is now raising funds to make her first ever feature film ‘Chuskit' based on the children's book ‘Chuskit goes to school,' published by Pratham Books. The book is authored by Sujatha Padmanabhan and is inspired on…

How many of you remembered your teachers from your school or college days this teacher’s day? If you are in your 30s or even your 40s, it can be said with some certainty that most of them will still be teaching, most likely in the same school and definitely for a salary that is only marginally higher than it was in your student days. Teaching is often considered an ‘easy’ profession. What with long summer holidays, Dasara and Christmas vacations and ‘good work timings.’ It is also considered an ideal profession for women, since they can be back when their…

Restaurant at the end of the ORR was how Kanua was described to me. And unlike the Douglas Adams' restaurant, food is the protagonist here.Inspired by coastal and Konkani cuisine, the place serves some great food.The open architecture and use of wood in the interiors transport you to a coastal home. The menu tells you the story behind Kanua and their philosophy. Neer dosa. Pic courtesy: Wikimedia commons Kanua is the name of a rice variety that is now extinct. The menu says that this is their attempt at rediscovering, recreating and reviving, the lost cultural history.And this, they do.…

The High Court has ruled in favour of the citizens in the Agara-sirisi corridor project. The order essentially says ‘hear them out,' to the State and BDA. For the moment, the order comes as relief to thousands of Koramangala residents who have fought a prolonged battle for almost a year and a little too late for the numerous trees that were surreptitiously cut, even before the project formally took off.The Rs 119 crores project at four junctions - Jakkasandra (flyover), Koramangala 80 feet road (underpass), Krupanidhi College (underpass) and St John's hospital-Koramangala 100 feet road junction (flyover and underpass), kicked…

In a landmark decision, A S Sadashivaiah, Chairman, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), has directed BBMP and Ramky Infrastructure Pvt ltd, the private operator of landfill, to immediately stop dumping waste in Mavallipura landfill. This comes a week after BBMP handed over an acceptance letter to Ramky for setting up a power plant which produce power out of waste at Mavallipura landfill. Combust making technology at Mavallipura landfill. Pic: Sankar C G “Stop the supply of waste by BBMP to the Mavallipura Landfill site, at survey number eight, Hesaraghatta Hobli, Bangalore North, immediately till the entire accumulated waste is…