Governance Archives

Sharp claws, but no teeth

February 22, 2008 Sunil Tinani

The corrupt have everywhere to run, but what does the Karnataka Lokayukta need to ensure that they have no place to hide? See what Justice Santosh Hegde has to say in this interview to Citizen Matters.

Economy

Kalyana mantapas: taking more, giving less?

February 11, 2008 Deepa Mohan

There are about 900-odd Kalyana Mantapas in Bangalore today, with
10 new wedding halls coming up every year. Yet, plenty of consumer-unfriendly practices prevail, adding avoidable stress to wedding planning, finds Deepa Mohan.

Civic

What’s TDR to you?

February 4, 2008 Zainab Bawa

How do you go about widening roads when there are private properties, trees, and urban clusters in the areas proposed for widening? Can these be demolished for the sake of ease of everyday travel? Enter TDR. Zainab Bawa walks you through.

Civic

Citizens’ verdict: keep Sakrama in abeyance

January 30, 2008 Samuel Jacob

At a public meeting on 24 January, around 175
associations and groups dissented against Sakrama. Their resolutions will go to the Governor, High Court and political parties. Samuel Jacob reports.

Civic

Flay by the rules

January 28, 2008 Sunil Tinani

From fixing potholes on a ward’s roads to pathways for the city’s parks and more, BBMP officials are breaking down contracts
into Rs.5 lakhs or lesser. A Banashankari citizen’s RTI applications helped trace a web of corruption. Sunil Tinani has more.

Civic

Sakrama throws up more questions than answers

December 9, 2007 Samuel Jacob

Is the Sakrama scheme legally tenable? By many accounts, it appears to be a shoddy piece of legislation designed to skirt what is really a breakdown of civic administration, finds Samuel Jacob.

Civic

What do you think of the BDA?

November 26, 2007 Revathi Siva Kumar

How do some involved citizens perceive the BDA – the state-created planning and development authority for Bangalore. Is it an IT-savvy organisation and has it helped the city, or is it a corrupt body just not upto its job?

Civic

S T Bed Layout’s struggle for infrastructure

November 12, 2007 Samuel Jacob

This cacophony of houses, shops, offices and commercial units is one of the many tank beds that have been converted to layouts in the city. But short-sighted, unplanned and ad-hoc development has led to flooding and severe drainage issues for residents.