In this edition of Bengaluru This Week, look out for our BBMP Elections Special – there’s a survey you can take, and for corporators, a way of reaching out to voters. Also check out our report on the BBMP Restructuring Committee’s suggestions for splitting Bengaluru. In addition, you can also read about the Mestripalya Lake in Koramangala which after decades is still awaiting water, why doctors ask for a commission while referring patients, and much more. Happy reading!

Here are the top stories from Bangalore for this week:

• The State Election Commission (SEC) is expected to announce BBMP elections very soon, probably today. The SEC had assured the Karnataka High Court of submitting a fresh calendar of events for BBMP elections before July 17th, when the Court questioned it for the reason behind withdrawing the previous election schedule.
• Meanwhile, after the confused interpretations of last week’s Supreme Court ruling, the State government on Wednesday filed an application before the SC seeking clarification on the deadline fixed for conducting BBMP elections.
• A Special Investigation Team headed by Additional Director General of Police Kamal Pant began the probe into the corruption case at the Lokayukta office, on Monday. The team of SIT officials visited the Lokayukta office and collected necessary documents.
• District-in-Charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy has announced that 44 roads in Bengaluru will get a facelift under the Tender SURE project. The list includes Brigade road, KG road, Raj Bhavan road and Indiranagar 100 feet road, among others.
• BBMP employees staged a protest at the Palike premises on Wednesday evening, opposing the suspension of two of their colleagues by BBMP Administrator TM Vijay Bhaskar. The Administrator had suspended two employees for dereliction of duty. The employees have decided to continue their protest today as well.
• One of the Bengaluru’s premier women’s colleges, Mount Carmel College, is looking to open its doors to boys for post-graduate courses, and has filed an application for the same with the Higher Education Department.

This week’s highlight: BBMP Elections Special

In the lead up to the BBMP elections, Citizen Matters’ will be presenting an in-depth, continual analysis of all that’s happening. Keep a track of our ongoing coverage here: BBMP Elections.

Survey: How has your corporator performed?
How has your corporator performed in last five years? Take our Pre-Poll Survey and share your feedback. Your inputs will help us in publishing a performance analysis for the corporators. Click here.

Aspiring corporators: Reach out to voters
For those of you looking to contest in the upcoming polls, here is your chance to reach out to voters. Fill our Candidate Information Form that will be shared with lakhs of readers. Available in English and ಕನ್ನಡ.

Reorganising Bengaluru

The BBMP Restructuring Committee submitted its report on splitting Bengaluru to the Chief Minister on July 13th. Their suggestions include 400 wards, 5 corporation and 5 mayors, all intergrated under an umbrella institution called Greater Bengaluru Authority. Could this be the new Bengaluru?

There are many aspects of the BBMP Restructuring Committee report that did not please everyone. Here are some of the bouquets and brickbats. Read: Skepticism in the air over Greater Bengaluru Authority idea proposed by panel.

In other news…

A few concerned citizens of Bengaluru who were aware of the problems faced by laymen while purchasing a house in the city, have drafted their objections and suggestions to the amended Real Estate Bill 2013. Here’s what they had to say. Read: Bengaluru citizens highlight lacunae in new real estate bill.

A brief summary of some news you might have missed out in the last few days. New mandates for school principals, applications for jobs, awards and other important stuff that happened in Bengaluru! Read: Bruhat Buzz.

Living by the lake

Mestripalya lake, waiting to be filled with water. Pic: Holly Thorpe

Here’s the story of a lake that was overgrown with weeds, and a receptacle for waste not too long back. After decades of delays and legal complications, the finish line for Mestripalya Lake in Koramangala is in sight—but just out of reach. All it needs now is water! Read: Mestripalya lake developed, but water yet to reach the lake.

Voice of the people

Wonder what it is like for a Whitefielder to make his/her way to the centre of the city? A citizen shares his thoughts… Read: Ruminations en route from Whitefield to the heart of Bengaluru.

A surgeon talks about the habit of doctors asking for ‘cuts’ while referring patients to other doctors. He says that these cuts are akin to bribes. Read: A tricky web of hospital referrals and cuts.

Culturati

Looking to develop a dramatic side? Here’s how you can start off your love for the dramatic arts in Bengaluru! Read: All the world’s a stage, but here are some must-visit theatres in Bengaluru!

One of south India’s most prolific music composers, MS Viswanathan, passed away on July 14th. Here’s our music expert Chitra Srikrishna’s tribute to him: Creating musical history on the silver screen.

Differential pricing for Indian and foreigners. Pic: Holly Thorpe

When foreigners visit historical sites in India, they can be charged more for admission than Indians. Holly Thorpe, our intern from University of Washington writes about the kind of message it sends to tourists. Read: A jab on a tourist’s face.

Food for thought

Divya Sreedharan writes about our obsession with everything ‘thin’… phones, television sets, clothes, even ourselves! Read: Sizing things up.

Events this week

• Kathakali exponent, Prabal Gupta will be talking about the Influence of English Literature on Kathakali at Bangalore International Centre on July 17th.
• Visit Zero 8, Zero 3, Zero 0, an exhibition featuring the works of 20 Bangalore-based artists, below the age of 30. This is on at Goethe Institut from July 17th to July 23rd.
• Soak in the old world charm of Richards Town, catch a breath of fresh air and some snippets of local history in the verdant Richards Park at the Bungalow Walk on July 18th.
• Learn to create visual narratives with puppets and light, at the Shadow Puppetry Workshop at Atta Galatta on July 18th.
• Alliance Francaise will be screening the French film, Jour de Fête, about a fair that comes to the little town of Sainte-Severe-sur-Indre on July 23rd.

Click here for the complete list of events happening in Bengaluru.

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Help sustain our work

The journalism that we publish on Citizen Matters is possible only through the support of readers like you. If you would like to make a donation to Oorvani Foundation to help sustain our journalism, please click here. For any queries, you can write to foundation@oorvani.in.

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