Civic agencies to coordinate on city projects

Civic agencies to coordinate on city projects
First Of Such Exercise Will Be On Bannerghatta Road
Aarthi R | TNN

Bangalore: There’s some hope for Bangaloreans. For long, we’ve cursed the lack of coordination between civic agencies as they went about their work. Often, one agency wouldn’t know what the other was up to and this resulted in chaos — right on the roads.
From now on, no public work can commence without all agencies involved signing on a ‘public works coordination agreement’. The traffic police will sign it last in case of BBMP work and BBMP will sign it last in all other cases.
‘Roads closed-traffic diverted’ boards are a common sight across the city. And we waited in vain for works to be completed. The Maharani College underpass and the drain works at the Brigade Road-Residency Road junction are classic examples of uncoordinated projects.
The new rule will apply for all works in the city — from regular maintenance works of Bescom, BBMP, BWSSB and BSNL to big, long infrastructure projects like the Bangalore Metro. For all projects, traffic diversions will be put in place and work will start only after the document is prepared and signed by all agencies concerned.
The first project under this guidelines will be Bannerghatta Road. The work to strengthen the old and weak culvert here might render the entire stretch out of bounds for traffic for almost a month. The other project is the CMH Road works which mainly involves BMRC and BWSSB. BMRC is ready to lay the road if BWSSB completes drain works. Traffic police will initiate diversions only after the document is signed and preliminary works are completed.
“The main objective is to bring about a sense of ownership and accountability among civic agencies so that onsite confusion is reduced. It also hopes to reduce the inconvenience to people most affected by these works and the traffic diversions,’’ explains Ashwin Mahesh, urban research strategist and adviser to CM on urban affairs.
The traffic police will perhaps benefit a lot from this initiative. “We have always assured agencies that no work will wait for traffic clearance. However, there are cases when agencies dig up the road without preparatory work, not even arranging for raw material. It’s left us with no proper time to plan diversions. Further, some works have no clear upper limit to when they need the road closed. Perhaps this document will change it all,’’ said additional commissioner of police (traffic) Praveen Sood.
Two works which came up last week were not allowed to proceed as there was no proper preparation work.
THE DOCUMENT
REQUIRES
Details on description and exact location of works Start and end dates Commitment from agencies concerned that the road will be restored to original state (if not better) after the works
HOW IT WORKS
Agency doing the work will prepare the document, sign it and also get signatures of all related agencies and submit to the traffic department and BBMP for clearance
THE THUMB RULE
First document the work and raw materials Finish secondary works Traffic diversion or roads closed just before work begins

Footpaths and pavements adjoining major roads are shrinking

Footpaths and pavements adjoining major roads are shrinking by the day, making Bangalore among the most pedestrian-unfriendly cities anywhere
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


Bangalore sends one pedestrian to the grave every day. Shocking, but true. All because, for our city planners, pedestrians hardly matter. With pavements literally non-existent or shrinking drastically, Bangalore is all set to top the list of pedestrian-unfriendly cities. Of the 800-plus deaths that occur on the roads of Bangalore every year, about 450-500 fatalities are of pedestrians. The number is likely to increase in the future, because of the indifference of the powers-that-are.
Though Bangalore has a road network of around 5,600 km, there is no official record on the total length of footpaths or pavements dotting the city. While pavements in the central parts of the city are getting extinct because of road-widening projects, they have not even been conceived for the new roads being constructed on the city’s periphery. The average width of a footpath in the city is anywhere between 0.5 to 1 metre; thus jeopardising the pedestrians’ right of way.
KERBING GOOD SENSE
This is how it should be:
The Indian Code for the Pedestrian Facilities — IRC 103-1988, recommends that: There be a footpath on both sides of the road Minimum width of 1.5 m on both sides. LOS (Level of Service) concept dictates the maximum width Dead width of 0.5m and 1m to be added to sidewalk along houses and commercial areas Footpath width to be increased in cases of bus stops and recreational areas Height of footpath to be above the carriageway supported by an un-mountable kerb
This is what we have:
There are no footpaths on several roads.Wherever there are, a majority of those are less than one metre. Gardens are grown by houseowners on footpaths Vehicles owners use footpaths for parking bikes and cars All kinds of public utilities like bus stops and electric poles are located on footpaths While shopkeepers block the way for pedestrians by placing display boards, hundreds of darshinis (fast food joints) place tables on the pavements. Public toilets are constructed on pavements There are no guard rails on most of the pavements. In some areas, pavements and roads are at the same level Pavements are used to store construction material like sand, bricks and steel. DANGER ZONE
About 550 pedestrians are killed and more than 10,000 are injured every year in Bangalore city.The number of those suffering minor injuries is around 40,000 to 50,000 Six per cent of fatal and 15 per cent of non-fatal pedestrian injuries occurred in children below 15 years 51 per cent of those killed and 58 per cent of injured were young men in the age group of 16-45 years. Women were involved more in extremes of age groups 17 per cent of pedestrian deaths and 10 per cent of non-fatal injuries were among the elderly Majority of the pedestrians killed were those with lesser education and moderate income levels While 24 per cent of pedestrian deaths occurred at the crash site, 21 per cent of them died on the way to hospital Pedestrian deaths is higher in the outer areas of the city while injuries were more in the central parts. ALL SO HAPHAZARD
As a result, pedestrians are either forced to walk on the roads or walk on their edges, often having to navigate or get around minigardens, streetlights, transformers, hawkers and bus shelters. Complicating matters for the pedestrian is the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) lack of consistency in footpath design. From granite slabs to cobblestones to concrete blocks to marble stones —- pavements keep morphing twice in 15 months, thanks, of course, to the pavement lobby that is making crores of rupees on the pretext of beautifying the city. There is no application of science while constructing a footpath; instead everything depends on what the contractorpolitician-bureaucrat nexus decides. Moreover, there is no mechanism to repair damaged pavements.
The traffic police too add to the woes of the pedestrian by not banning footpath parking in the city. This apart, guard rails are non-existent in Bangalore: A majority of the pavements, including those on busy roads like M G Road and Kempe Gowda Road, do not have guard rails to prevent pedestrians from jaywalking on the main road. Lack of guard rails facilitates vehicular parking on footpaths.

Get global feel by driving on Vittal Mallya Road

Get global feel by driving on Vittal Mallya Road

Although the two-way work is yet to completed, the flood-proof, disabled-friendly stretch will become motorists' favourite once it is formally opened

Sunitha Rao R. Bangalore



A new-look Vittal Mallya Road has been informally reopened for commuters three days back after nine weeks of repair works. Although some works remain to be done, it already looks better than any other road done by a private agency in the city.
The 430-metre stretch meeting international standards was redone at a cost of about Rs4 crores. The construction work was undertaken by TJ Naik construction company. Its design and construction management was done by Invicus headed by Vivek Menon.
Speaking to DNA, Menon said that the 11-metre wide road has got spare ducts for telecommunication and manholes on either side. There are also 2-metre wide concrete footpaths on either side.
"The storm water drain and the sewage lines, which were running together till now, have been separated to prevent flooding," he said.
A total of 15% of the road space will be used for making mini gardens. "Green patches are required on the sides of the road to beautify the street," said an engineer supervising the road works.
"The road has manholes and drainage covers at every 15 metres. The cleaning of the drains can thus be done easily," he said.
"We have separated all the sewage lines connected to storm water drains which were causing flooding during rainy season. The sewage waste gets into the storm water drain in Lavelle Road and it reaches up to Vittal Mallya Road. We have now placed filters in the middle of the drain," he said.
"This road will remain pothole-free for at least 20 years. It is a complete RCC road. There are iron rods fixed beneath the plain road," said the engineer.
Speaking to DNA, Pandu Ranga Rao, a professional who works near Vittal Mallya Road, said the beautification of the road with gardens was welcome news.
"I would love to walk or drive by the side of flowers, grass and fountains. I am happy that the road is getting ready for commuters," he said.
Nirmala Anand, a resident of the area, said officials of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike did nothing much to the road when they complained about flooding during rains.
"We are happy that at least through a private agency, the road is getting a top class look,"she said.
"We had asked the engineers to put a cross drain near Kasturba Road Circle where the Vittal Mallya Road begins. With the cross drain connecting directly to Rajakaluve, flooding can be completely prevented in this area," another resident said.
"The road is getting underground drainage system and it will definitely be helpful. But this work was pending for many years and people suffered a lot during rainy seasons. The present project will finally bring them relief," said Rashmi D'Souza whose family owns Orgaum House Apartments.
To complete all the works including developing the garden, it will take one-and-a-half months more. The road will be made a two-way within a few days.

State govt comes to the rescue of advocate general in BMIC project

State govt comes to the rescue of advocate general in BMIC project

The state made it clear whatever the advocate general had submitted to the court was the government's decision. It said charges made by Deve Gowda were baseless and requested SC not to entertain the contempt case. Sreekanth Hunasavadi reports

Sreekanth Hunasavadi



The state government on Thursday filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court and defended advocate general Ashok Harnahalli's submissions saying the allegations made by HD Deve Gowda, former prime minister, in the contempt case was totally false.
The state government also reaffirmed before the apex court that the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project would be implemented in accordance with the frame work agreement and the outline development plan dated February 12 2004.
By filing the affidavit, the state government came to the rescue of advocate general Harnahalli. The state made it clear that whatever the advocate general had submitted to the court was the decision of the government. It also said allegations made by former Devegowda were baseless and requested the court not to entertain the contempt case.
On behalf of the state government, principal secretary of the public works department, RB Agawane, filed the affidavit with regard to the contempt case (Dakshinamurthy and BK Das and others case) saying the state has already taken steps for implementation of the project. As such, there was no justification to continue with the contempt proceedings and the proceedings should be dropped in the interest of justice, the affidavit said.
It also explained the constitution of a high-level committee under the chairmanship of the chief minister and also the proceedings of the committee meeting which was held on November 19 2009.
The proceedings of the committee are as follows:
Allotment & possession of land
Till the end of October 2009, 7,124 acres of land has been handed over and the remaining 13,609 acres of land is yet to be handed over. The project company has already completed the toll road coming under section 'a' of the project and the toll road completion notice has been given to the state government. Traffic is allowed on this road and toll is being collected.
However, certain missing parcels of lands have to be handed over by the departments concerned. It has decided to hand over these missing link lands with clear titles to the project company on or before December 30 2009.
Corporate town near Bidadi
The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) was directed to hand over 1,916 acres of land excluding the land covered under stay orders by the court, on or before June 30 2010. When the KIADB raised the issue of fixing the price of land, NICEL agreed to accept the land price fixed by the board according to the rule. In the event of farmers approaching court for higher compensation, NICEL agreed to pay the compensation decided by the courts.
Possession & handing over of land
The deputy commissioner, Bangalore Urban, mentioned that the government lands identified way back in 1998 are to be handed over to the project company. Of 158 acres of land that are to be handed over, nearly 130 acres of land are coming under lakes. It was also decided to constitute a committee to decide on the issues of lakes, land grants, encroachments, exemption form stamp duty, registration fee etc.
Execution of the sale deed
KIADB in the department of commerce and industries shall take action for execution of sale deed for the lands already handed over the project company by February 2010 provided NICEL submits indemnity bonds as agreed upon by both the agencies.

Young trees, not saplings can replenish green cover

Young trees, not saplings can replenish green cover

Bio diversity parks will ensure that citizens become more environment-friendly

Sunitha Rao R. Bangalore



Bangaloreans call the city 'Green Paradise'. But KC Sharma, former director of horticulture at New Delhi Municipality, said the city would loose its green heritage if steps were not taken.
Speaking to DNA during his visit to the city for a seminar organised by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Plaike (BBMP), Sharma said, "No one has bothered to prune the trees in Bangalore. Tree surgery must be conducted regularly to rid them of excess burden of dead weight that they carry."
He explained that since the city's road levels have risen and are now reaching the neck of the tree, "the root system starts dying and there are chances of the tree drooping".
Interestingly, Sharma said that no agricultural university in India teaches tree surgery methods. "Tree surgery is not a nuclear science. It can be learnt out of interest. It only requires passion," said Sharma.
Sharma also seemed against planting of lakhs of saplings on the grounds that, "due to traffic conditions and negligence saplings die. What is required is planting trees that are three or four years old. This will ensure that they have 100% growth rate." He said that just 10,000 such trees would serve the purpose in Bangalore.
Sharma suggested that BBMP develop lakes in the city by promoting bamboo gardens, wood lands and jogging trails there. "There should be bio-diversity parks, colony parks, district parks which will attract people towards them and make them environmental friendly," said Sharma.

Shabby BIA not international, says state panel

Shabby BIA not international, says state panel

Hemanth Kumar. Bangalore

The state legislature committee has given a thumbs down to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA), dismissing it as 'shabby.'
The committee headed by BJP MLA D Hemachandra Sagar is said to have come down heavily on BIA, calling it unfit for an international status. It has recommended construction of a new terminal with international standards. The committee is expected to submit the report during the next legislative session, which begins on December 14.
The committee was constituted to examine whether BIA conformed to international standards in construction, passenger services and aesthetics, after several legislators, including Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president DK Shivakumar, alleged gross irregularities in implementing the BIA project.

Stop demolition drive, orders HC

Stop demolition drive, orders HC
Bangalore,Nov 26,Deccan Herald News Service:

Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered status quo and a halt to the ongoing demolition drive taken up by to clear encroachments and constructions over storm water drains in the City.


Hearing a PIL by P R Ramesh, former mayor, challenging the Section 228 D of KMC Act, which makes a provision to remove encroachments without notice, the division bench comprising Chief Justice P D Dinakaran and Justice Anand Byra Reddy ordered notice to BBMP and stopped the demolition drive in BBMP limits. The petitioner, in his submission, has said that the people had constructed the houses after obtaining required sanctions from the BBMP. The petitioner further said that the residents have invested their hard earned money and have raised loans. The BBMP had ordered immediate demolition violating Article 21 of the Constitution.

Challenging the Section 228 D which provides powers to the BBMP Commissioner to demolish illegal structures without notice, the petitioner sought to quash the Act saying that it is against the natural justice. The petitioner had sought to restrain BBMP from demolishing at Ittamadu Layout and other places over the storm water drains. The bench, which heard the matter has ordered status quo.

HC: find alternative route for new project

HC: find alternative route for new project
Already Hit By Metro Work, Petitioner Asserts Okalipuram-Yeshwantpur Road Can Be Delayed
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The high court on Wednesday issued a notice to BBMP on a PIL relating to the proposed Okalipuram-Yeshwantpur signal-free corridor project.
A division Bench headed by Justice V Gopala Gowda asked the petitioners to produce a topog r ap h i c a l sketch of the area. Then the Bench told the g ove r n m e n t advocate to find an alternative route for smooth traffic in Rajajinagar.
NGO Samarpana filed the PIL, claiming that if the project with six underpasses is undertaken, residents of Rajajinagar will face more hardships, who are already affected by the Metro Project work on Chord Road.
“On July 30, BBMP issued a public notice about taking up the project. On October 26, we sent a letter to the additional commissioner (traffic) about the problems we would face if the corridor project is undertaken... BMRC has already placed barricades on West of Chord Road and Navarang Road, causing traffic jam. If the corridor project is undertaken simultaneously, it will cause us a lot of inconvenience,” the petitioner said.

LEFT RALLY DRIVES CITY RED

LEFT RALLY DRIVES CITY RED
Thousands of protesters march on Anand Rao Circle flyover, causing a massive traffic pile-up on Seshadri Road and in and around Majestic; commuters fume, but police just throw up their hands
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


When the Freedom Park in the central part of Bangalore was opened 10 months ago, it was expected to liberate Bangaloreans from traffic jams caused by protests and rallies. But on Wednesday, thousands of Bangaloreans fumed again as they were caught in a nearly 3-km traffic pile-up. With nearly 10,000 people marching under the banner of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) from Majestic to the Freedom Park protesting against the Food Security Bill, the six-lane Seshadri Road was jammed for over two hours. So much so that even the flyover above Anand Rao Circle was closed for traffic as it was chock-a-block with protesters.
The effect of the jam on Seshadri Road could be seen on roads that link other parts of the city. What raised motorists’ temper was not the gridlock, but the lack of prior warning from the traffic police.
The mayhem started around 10 am when protesters marched from Chikkalalbagh near the City Railway Station to Freedom Park, venue of the public meeting presided by Left party bigwig Prakash Karat. The motorists, who were caught unawares, used expletives at the traffic police for not streamlining traffic flow. What pushed up their frustration levels was the scorching heat and the
pollution caused by emission from vehicles.
Two-wheeler rider Anantha Rai, a businessman and a resident of Malleswaram, yelled, “Why can’t this situation be managed better. It looks like the cops have no idea what they are doing. Isn’t it stupid on their part to allow the rally on a flyover? It is not legal for pedestrians to walk on the flyover and the police are breaking rules by stopping vehicular movement on the flyover.”
Though the police maintained they cannot stop people from attending public rallies, motorists were in no mood to listen. “How can you give them permission to stomp the streets during the peak hour?” they asked. COPS CLUELESS Praveen Sood, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security),“We agree there was a jam and it was confined to the Majestic area. But unfortunately, the jam that took place due to the protest affected areas like Seshadri Road, Majestic and Shantala Junction, from where traffic cannot be diverted. But we did not have an inkling that so many people would turn up for the protest. If a small group had come, then their movements would have been restricted to the side of the roads. But this protest had many volunteers and that is why things went slightly out of control. Unfortunately, this particular strike took place on the roads on which people cannot be stopped from going.Tomorrow, there is another protest, but this time we will be better prepared.” The police claimed helplessness. A police official from Upparpet said, “The traffic has been uncontrollable since 10 am. People are rushing in from the railway station and the Kempe Gowda bus station. For the last one hour, we are struggling to manage the motorists. Most of them have taken other routes to reach their destinations. When they reverse the cars, another jam is created. This is frustrating for us.” Since it was peak hour, many were late to office. After some time, the stretch from Majestic to KR Circle was covered with party w o r k e r s ,
most of whom didn’t even know their purpose of visit. Two-wheeler rider Pai Venkat, a techie who was racing against time to reach MG Road, said, “What the hell are these people doing? It has taken me one hour to reach Anand Rao Circle from Platform Road. The traffic management is ridiculous.”
Venkat maintained he could
have either changed his
travel schedule or the
route had he been alerted about the rally. Some motorists like Gopal Krishna Rao slammed the traffic cops for lack of common sense. “Is this the way to manage traffic? They should have left the rally workers walk below the flyover and let the vehicles move over it. Instead, they have allowed the rally workers over and under the flyover.”
For some, the crawling traffic gave some heart-pounding moments. Vijay, a techie with Reliance Systems, said, “I am not sure if I will be able to swipe in on time at my office.”
While the motorists blamed the police, the latter pointed an accusing finger at the organisers of the rally. “We did not expect thousands of people to take part in it, which is why everything went out of control,” a cop explained sheepishly.
But the bottomline is the rally had wasted two hours of thousands of motorists. This was one of the worst traffic jams in recent months.

BUS CAN’T PASS, SALA!

BUS CAN’T PASS, SALA!
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


Heard of a traffic jam? Well, something of this kind happened at the Kempe Gowda bus station in Majestic on Wednesday morning when nearly 800 buses came to a grinding halt. Reason: These buses could not move out of the station as there was no way out! With members of the Left parties taking out a protest from Shantala Junction to Freedom Park through the Railway Station Road and Seshadri Road, the massive traffic jam in Majestic area
froze the movement of buses.
A Bangalore Metropolitan Transportation Corporation (BMTC) official said, “Heavy traffic kept coming in from Khoday Circle to Maharani’s College underpass junction. Buses could not come out of the Majestic bus stand. Adding to the confusion, a private vehicle broke down on Railway Station road, blocking other vehicles. Later, police rushed to the spot and moved the vehicle off the road, giving a
breather to the following vehicles.” BMTC operates more than 5,500 buses and a vast chunk of these ply on Seshadri Road to different destinations.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, A S Vishwanath, Chief Traffic Manager (Operations) admitted the services of BMTC were disrupted for some time. He added, “We are not sure about the cancellation of services as depots give reports at the end of the day.”
As the BMTC bus station records peak hour entry traffic of 598 buses per hour, the financial loss caused by the traffic jam runs into thousands of rupees as the bus schedules went haywire. A BMTC official said, “As it is we lose about Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per day because of traffic jams across the city. A jam near the nerve centre (Majestic) takes a heavy toll.” Thousands of BMTC passengers, especially those heading towards the eastern and southern parts of the city, were stranded in the buses. The traffic jam also affected the movement of KSRTC and APSRTC buses.

LEFT RALLY DRIVES CITY RED

LEFT RALLY DRIVES CITY RED
Thousands of protesters march on Anand Rao Circle flyover, causing a massive traffic pile-up on Seshadri Road and in and around Majestic; commuters fume, but police just throw up their hands
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


When the Freedom Park in the central part of Bangalore was opened 10 months ago, it was expected to liberate Bangaloreans from traffic jams caused by protests and rallies. But on Wednesday, thousands of Bangaloreans fumed again as they were caught in a nearly 3-km traffic pile-up. With nearly 10,000 people marching under the banner of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) from Majestic to the Freedom Park protesting against the Food Security Bill, the six-lane Seshadri Road was jammed for over two hours. So much so that even the flyover above Anand Rao Circle was closed for traffic as it was chock-a-block with protesters.
The effect of the jam on Seshadri Road could be seen on roads that link other parts of the city. What raised motorists’ temper was not the gridlock, but the lack of prior warning from the traffic police.
The mayhem started around 10 am when protesters marched from Chikkalalbagh near the City Railway Station to Freedom Park, venue of the public meeting presided by Left party bigwig Prakash Karat. The motorists, who were caught unawares, used expletives at the traffic police for not streamlining traffic flow. What pushed up their frustration levels was the scorching heat and the
pollution caused by emission from vehicles.
Two-wheeler rider Anantha Rai, a businessman and a resident of Malleswaram, yelled, “Why can’t this situation be managed better. It looks like the cops have no idea what they are doing. Isn’t it stupid on their part to allow the rally on a flyover? It is not legal for pedestrians to walk on the flyover and the police are breaking rules by stopping vehicular movement on the flyover.”
Though the police maintained they cannot stop people from attending public rallies, motorists were in no mood to listen. “How can you give them permission to stomp the streets during the peak hour?” they asked. COPS CLUELESS Praveen Sood, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security),“We agree there was a jam and it was confined to the Majestic area. But unfortunately, the jam that took place due to the protest affected areas like Seshadri Road, Majestic and Shantala Junction, from where traffic cannot be diverted. But we did not have an inkling that so many people would turn up for the protest. If a small group had come, then their movements would have been restricted to the side of the roads. But this protest had many volunteers and that is why things went slightly out of control. Unfortunately, this particular strike took place on the roads on which people cannot be stopped from going.Tomorrow, there is another protest, but this time we will be better prepared.” The police claimed helplessness. A police official from Upparpet said, “The traffic has been uncontrollable since 10 am. People are rushing in from the railway station and the Kempe Gowda bus station. For the last one hour, we are struggling to manage the motorists. Most of them have taken other routes to reach their destinations. When they reverse the cars, another jam is created. This is frustrating for us.” Since it was peak hour, many were late to office. After some time, the stretch from Majestic to KR Circle was covered with party w o r k e r s ,
most of whom didn’t even know their purpose of visit. Two-wheeler rider Pai Venkat, a techie who was racing against time to reach MG Road, said, “What the hell are these people doing? It has taken me one hour to reach Anand Rao Circle from Platform Road. The traffic management is ridiculous.”
Venkat maintained he could
have either changed his
travel schedule or the
route had he been alerted about the rally. Some motorists like Gopal Krishna Rao slammed the traffic cops for lack of common sense. “Is this the way to manage traffic? They should have left the rally workers walk below the flyover and let the vehicles move over it. Instead, they have allowed the rally workers over and under the flyover.”
For some, the crawling traffic gave some heart-pounding moments. Vijay, a techie with Reliance Systems, said, “I am not sure if I will be able to swipe in on time at my office.”
While the motorists blamed the police, the latter pointed an accusing finger at the organisers of the rally. “We did not expect thousands of people to take part in it, which is why everything went out of control,” a cop explained sheepishly.
But the bottomline is the rally had wasted two hours of thousands of motorists. This was one of the worst traffic jams in recent months.

'After midnight, eat at bus stands or railway stations'

'After midnight, eat at bus stands or railway stations'
By: Imran Gowhar Date: 2009-11-25 Place: Bangalore




Police commissioner says in-house company canteens can remain open beyond deadline, but other places better get permission

Though the Karnataka High Court has ruled in favour of the police strictly enforcing the midnight deadline for eateries in the city, it has also said establishments may remain open if the police grant them permission.

The police say they are ready to be lenient in extending the deadline for a particular restaurant if it offers a genuine reason while seeking permission.

Reiterating that the city police will strictly enforce the deadline, Police Commissioner S M Bidari said the rule helped maintain law and order, especially during the night.

Excerpts from an interview with MiD-DAY.

Has this deadline issue become an ego issue between the police and restaurateurs?
Of course not. The rule is being enforced keeping in mind the requirements of maintaining law and order, and for the good of the general public.

What about policemen, journalists, BPO workers who need food at night?
There is no bar on in-house company canteens, where the general public is not admitted. For the benefit of others who feel hungry at night, we have given permission to hotels and restaurants to operate at bus stands, railway stations and airports.

Why is it that no other city feels such a rule is necessary?
Every metro has got this rule. In fact, Bangalore is the only city which enforced the rule late. I have copies of the order from other cities. The rule also says that any eateries or restaurant that wants to get an extension for even one hour has to pay a hefty amount in licence fee, besides providing a genuine reason for the extension.

Are the city police less competent in handling law and order during night?
The city police are competent enough. Otherwise you would not see people sleeping peacefully as you do now.

Is it not the duty of the police to make humane rules rather than deprive people of food?
We are making human rules. Earlier it (deadline) was 11 pm; we have extended it to midnight. Besides, very few would like to have their dinner late in the night.

The background
The Karnataka High Court on Monday disposed of an appeal filed by the management of Empire Hotels challenging a single bench order of July 3 that had upheld a notification stipulating midnight as the deadline for restaurants. The court held that restaurants must take permission from the police commissioner if they wanted to operate after 12 am.

As the midnight closure order was issued as per Section 31 of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, to maintain peace, and law and order, and the court said it found no grounds for interference. On August 27, the police commissioner had rejected an application filed by the management of Empire Hotels seeking permission to operate six establishments from up to 3 am. On May 19, the police had directed all hotels and restaurants mentioned under the Public Entertainment Order issued in August 2007 to comply with the midnight closure deadline and conduct their business from 6 am to midnight.

Sorry Bangalore, but you got a bad road ahead

Sorry Bangalore, but you got a bad road ahead

Union highways minister Kamal Nath says IT capital lacks basic road infrastructure

Sobia Khan. Bangalore

Namma Bengaluru came in for some scathing criticism from Union road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath, who said the IT capital had nothing in terms of road infrastructure.
"The biggest deficiency in infrastructure will be in the road sector and it is right here to see in Bangalore," Nath said addressing the Construction Equipment and Construction Technology trade fair on Wednesday.
Infrastructure is the biggest shortcoming in India's growth story today and the challenge is not just to develop but also to manage the network, particularly the rowdy element on the roads, the minister observed. "You all must be aware of how rowdy Karnataka is," he added in a lighter vein evoking peals of laughter from the gathering.
The country needs to bridge the deficit by creating more infrastructure to meet the increasing demand, he said.
Towards this, India has sought a $2.96 billion loan from the World Bank for two-laning of over 1,7,000-km of national highways in the country. The World Bank president Robert Zoellick is visiting India on December 2 to discuss the issue. "We are in the process of preparing the proposal," he said.
The minister also called for India-specific R&D and skill development to drive growth for the Indian earthmoving and construction equipment industry.
There is need for capacity-building across the spectrum of the infrastructure industry if the government is to achieve the target of building 7000 kilometres of roadways per annum, he added. The ministry is also in the process of setting up the Expressways Authority of India, a function that is currently being carried out as a division of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The division was created 15 days back and would be constituted into a separate authority.
The Indian government is looking to set up 1,7,000-km of green field express ways.

‘Bangalore should fight to retain Garden City tag’

‘Bangalore should fight to retain Garden City tag’

Staff Reporter
Urban trees need careful nurturing to survive, says expert
Trees cannot grow on their own

BBMP to improve 183 lakes

BANGALORE: Providing a bio-aesthetic look for Bangalore with retention of green cover appears to be on the agenda of the town planners.

At a seminar on Beautification and Environment Development of Bangalore City, organised by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Lalbagh here on Wednesday, K.C. Sharma, former Director of Horticulture at New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), who delivered the keynote address, said: “Three cities in India — Bangalore, New Delhi and Chandigarh — have a garden city character, but they are losing it with shrinking parks and disappearing trees.”

Trees need care
“In urban areas, trees cannot be left to grow on their own. Branches need to be cut periodically to ensure their growth in a symmetrical way.”

Among other measures, he said: “Trees need to be washed, tree guards removed after a certain period and they should be ridden of parasites. Proper aeration should be provided to them.”

Breathing space
Trees in Bangalore were planted too close to each other, which restricts breathing space.

All these, he pointed out, were “small but very important steps” that could increase their lifespan.

Mr. Sharma said: “Some 90 per cent of the saplings die within a year of plantation. Trees need to be at least four to five feet tall to survive. Instead of planting lakhs of trees, plant 10,000 right and see the difference.”

Plans
BBMP Commissioner Bharatlal Meena said that there was a need to attach more value to Bangalore’s sobriquet of Garden City.

Reiterating BBMP’s makeover plans for the city, he said a survey was being undertaken to improve 183 lakes, and fencing work had already started.

He outlined BBMP’s interest in building theme parks in open spaces.

Souvenir released
Earlier, releasing a souvenir on developed parks, traffic islands and other horticultural activities of BBMP, Transport Minister R. Ashok said that funding was not a problem, but public support and awareness were needed to carry on such projects.

Chickpet MLA Hemachandra Sagar released BBMP’s brochure on parks.

Night safari at Bannerghatta

Night safari at Bannerghatta

Special Correspondent
Bangalore: The State Government has proposed to commence night safari at the Bannerghatta National Park in the city. The investment for the project is estimated around Rs. 180 crore. Minister for Tourism G. Janardhan Reddy told presspersons here that the proposal would be placed before Cabinet for the approval. The Tourism Department is keen on the project and the safari would be on the lines of the night safari at the Singapore Zoological Gardens, he said.

About the tourism potential in the City, Mr Reddy said Bangalore City would be developed as one of India’s tourist destinations.

Sculptures to raise city’s profile

Sculptures to raise city’s profile

Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: After murals on walls, sculptures may be installed on traffic islands to beautify Bangalore. BBMP Commissioner Bharatlal Meena expressed his interest on the suggestion of K.C. Sharma, former Horticulture Director of NDMC.

Mr. Sharma suggested mass planting of ornamental trees for a “bold effect” and spoke on how an area around storm water drain could be turned into a beautiful landscape.

Flyover nearing completion

Flyover nearing completion

Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) will complete and throw open the flyover at the intersection of outer ring road (ORR) and Magadi Road at Sumanahalli by next month.

This was revealed by BDA Commissioner Siddaiah to Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath while the latter was inspecting work along the ORRs. The Commissioner said the junction improvement works being undertaken by the BDA.

‘Save lakes and beautify Bangalore’

‘Save lakes and beautify Bangalore’



Express News ServiceFirst Published : 26 Nov 2009 03:54:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 26 Nov 2009 10:19:46 AM IST
BANGALORE: Bangalore is getting beautified. But according to Minister R Ashok, a new vision and fresh ideas can make the work on the environment and beautification of the city a whole lot better.
He said that instead of focusing on green lawns, parks in the cities should get more trees and plants.
After inaugurating a daylong seminar on ‘Beautification and Environment development of Bangalore city’ on Wednesday, he said that the lawns could add beauty to the parks but a more pertinent requirement is planting of trees.
“While we make efforts to develop new lakes, we can also at least make an effort to save them. The government is making effort to save the remaining lakes of the city,” he said.
“There is no dearth of funds and we have released enough money for the development of the lakes but we can do a better job only when such campaigns are supported by the public and environment organisations,” he said.
“People are not aware about environment issues and therefore the initiatives taken up by the government are not been put to use accordingly,” he added. He also suggested a reduction in the use of plastic.
BBMP Administrator KM Shivkumar also urged people to help the Palike clear encroachments.

And the most polluted lake is...

And the most polluted lake is...


Nagesh polali

Y Maheswara ReddyFirst Published : 26 Nov 2009 04:05:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 26 Nov 2009 09:35:35 AM IST
BANGALORE: Perhaps, it will not be an exaggeration to say that the 82-acre Kaggadasapura Lake is the only lake in Bangalore South to have the distinction of being the most polluted lake.
Near Kaggadasapura Lake, though there is no dearth for residential apartments, neither a builder nor an association has come forward to develop it.
Instead of lending a helping hand to authorities concerned to keep the lake clean, many apartments use it as sewage pit by letting sewage water into it.
The Karnataka Pollution Control Board and Lake Development Authority has issued several notices to a number of apartment owners for allowing waste water into the lake. “More than a hundred apartment complexes have mushroomed in GM Palya, Malleshpalya.
The BBMP generously issues occupancy certificates to builders without bothering to find out whether these builders made arrangements to dispose waste water,’’ says an official from Karnataka Pollution Control Board under the condition of anonymity. A few years ago, a Joint Legislature Committee directed the KSPCB, to give a report to the government on not only land encroachments but also on pollution caused by waste water.
Encroachment too is happening from all sides of the lake. A temple has come up and a house with a compound was built near the lake bund adjacent to Malleshpalya.
The encroachers are very powerful. They can do anything and get away because of their money and muscle power,’’ says Muniraju of Malleshpalya.
This is how the encroachment happens: People who own a piece of land near the lake dump debris on the lake bund. After a few days, they level the ground and dump debris again on the tank bund thus slowly extending their land adjacent to the lake.
However, S Raghu, MLA from CV Raman Nagar has accepted that there was an encroachment of the lake by a few people. “As of now, my focus on the development of Malleshpalya Main Road. I will take measures to clear the encroachments.
I am planning to spend funds under MLA’s quota,’’ says Raghu.

Think beyond grass, Ashok tells park developers

Think beyond grass, Ashok tells park developers
Bangalore: Nov 25, DHNS:

Aggrieved by the degrading environment in and around the City and the silence adopted by Bangaloreans, Transport Minister R Ashok said that the planners should know that lawns with tuft of grass and a few playthings does not amount to parks. They should look at traditional fruit-bearing trees, as well.


Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Environment development and beautification,’ at Horticulture Information Centre, Lalbagh on Wednesday, he said, “A number of articles have been appearing on environment. Though we show our concern and are aware of the pivotal role played by the environment in our lives, we tend to forget it once we return to our mechanised lives.”

Taking strong exception at the way the BBMP was going ahead with its park development programme, the minister said that there should be prior planning about developing parks, kinds of trees to be grown etc. “Parks do not mean growing grass and ignoring trees. There is no different park development model before us. From North to South Bangalore we have a similar model. Can’t we think differently?” the minister questioned. He added that fruit trees like mango, guava and jamun ensured the stay of various birds and other fauna. But our park developers seem to have forgotten this.

Sapling for Rs 5,000!
The Minister said he is aware of that a sapling was bought at Rs 5,000 when the saplings of the trees were available for just Rs 10 to Rs 12.

“There is no dearth of funds for developing parks but it should be spent judiciously in the public interest. Pavements around Lalbagh are being constructed with one-inch thick slab. I wonder its fate after a couple of months,” said Ashok. Tanks are among the most abused natural resources in the City. They either fall prey to land sharks or are converted into dumpyards. The BBMP needs to initiate steps to curb such practices, he added.
Also, speaking on the occasion, BBMP administrator Shivakumar said people are unable to differentiate between growth and crass development. Our focus should be sustainable development.

BBMP Commissioner Bharat Lal Meena, MLAs Hemachandra Sagar and M Krishnappa were also present.

Travel light on Namma Metro

Travel light on Namma Metro
P M Raghunandan, nov 25, Bangalore:

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation has decided to follow the footsteps of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation as far as passengers’ luggage is concerned.


Namma Metro will not allow people to carry heavy luggage -- not more than 15 kg per individual. “Namma Metro is designed on the lines of Delhi metro. We too will not allow heavy luggage as people are likely to misuse it as luggage van. There are also security concerns in allowing heavy luggage inside the metro,” BMRC Special DC N R Nagaraju said.
He further said that as there will be a heavy rush of people for metro it will not be possible to allow people to carry heavy luggage in the coaches. Though CCTVs will be installed in all metro stations to keep a watch on people, it is difficult to scan all luggage like it is done in the airport. Hence, heavy luggage cannot be allowed in the interest of security, the Special DC said.

This is sure to disappoint many local businessmen and especially, international air travellers as they generally carry more luggage. Such people have to depend on either BMTC bus or taxi services to reach BRV Grounds off M G Road, to board the proposed high speed rail to the airport. The proposed high speed rail has no restrictions as it is mainly meant for air travellers. Every economy class air traveller is allowed to carry maximum of 20 kg, while a person travelling in business class can carry 30 kg of luggage.
When contacted, DMRC Public Relations Officer Anju Dayal said: “Delhi Metro allows only light hand baggage which is less than 15 kg into the train. Our priority is to accommodate as many people.”

He, however, said plans are on the cards to reserve one or two coaches for air travellers.

No entry
* No entry into Namma Metro for people with more than
15 kg luggage
* BMRC cites security and misuse as reasons for the
decision
* BMRC to follow the footsteps of DMRC in this regard

Rains hamper BBMP's efforts to fill potholes

Rains hamper BBMP's efforts to fill potholes

While civic engineers blame it on the bad weather and movement of heavy duty vehicles, commissioner plans to fine errant officials and order an inquiry

Senthalir S and Bosky Khanna. Bangalore



With city receiving rains for the last few days, many potholes have resurfaced all over the city hampering the civic authorities' efforts to fill them.
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike had started the drive on October 14 to make the city pothole-free. The number of potholes that have been identified for filling in all the zones of the city has been put at 7,258. However, the recent rains have added up BBMP's work of filling the potholes.
While the engineers of each ward blame rain and heavy duty vehicular movement along the roads for the havoc, BBMP commissioner has decided to take stern action against officials for poor quality work.
Speaking to DNA, BBMP commissioner Bharat Lal Meena said that only Mahadevapura zone officials had adhered to the drive.
"I will review each ward and take stern action against officials for the poor quality work. Rainfall cannot be the cause for potholes to reopen again and a cover for officials not to complete the task. A fine of Rs500 to Rs1,000 will be imposed on the errant ward engineers followed by a departmental inquiry,'" Meena said.
This is the second time such a drive has been initiated by the BBMP in the recent past and a fine system introduced. It was earlier introduced by former BBMP commissioner K Jairaj, but was not successful.
Citizens, however, are not confident whether the instructions will be strictly implemented, errant engineers fined, and mistakes rectified.
"All this is an eye wash and the situation of city roads will not improve. People pay hefty amounts as road tax but the roads are in the worst condition. There are many instances where people have fallen or met with accidents due to big potholes dotting the roads. All complaints seem to have fallen on deaf ears as no action has been taken," said S Anandahari, a commuter and senior citizen.
A budget of Rs25 lakh was allocated to each ward for filling the potholes and the task was to be carried out during the day in residential and minor roads and at night on major roads.
When DNA contacted various engineers from each zone, they had various reasons for the resurfacing of potholes. According to them, they were due to the downpour or contractors performing sub-standard task. Some said it was because the new tar laid on the roads failed to stick well to the old stretch due to continuous movement of heavy vehicles. Others blamed it on diesel leaking from vehicles which resulting in cracks and potholes opening up.
But citizens can help out the BBMP. If you find a pothole in your area which has not been attended to
or which has reopened, you can call up the BBMP commissioner at 22221286 or 22237455.

BDA creates database on property

BDA creates database on property

November 25th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Tags: BDA, Total Station Survey

Bengaluru
Nov. 24: Clearly having had its fill of encroachments and litigations, the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) has hit upon the idea of building a database of all its properties by commissioning a survey to unravel what it is up against.
The Total Station Survey (TSS), as it is called, will aid the Master Plan 2015 drawn up to guide the growth of the BDA region over the next six years. To cull out properties lost to encroachments, BDA layout plans will be juxtaposed with the maps drawn under the survey to see what remains with it and what has been taken over by others. The survey will also help it assess the hurdles created by litigation and perhaps chalk out a way to overcome them, according to official sources.
“A lot of this information will help the BDA evict encroachers and reclaim its lost property,” they added. Currently, the required software is being developed for the survey, which will be conducted by a suitable agency selected through tenders. Having let a few loose ends hang when its jurisdiction was expanded for more holistic development of the city, the BDA is now relying on the survey to help it tidy its desk. It is particularly looking at the revenue department, which had transferred some to its land to the BDA at the time, without registering it in the records, to make the necessary entries and clear things up for good.
“Some of the BDA developed layouts, which were transferred to BBMP for maintenance, will also be covered by the survey,” explained a senior BDA official.
Approved and private layouts, besides villages under BDA’s jurisdiction are also up for careful scrutiny.
Besides acquainting the BDA with the ground situation where its properties are concerned, the survey will also categorise land as commercial, residential, government, civic amenity, or mixed use, sources added.

Eateries put on pollution watch

Eateries put on pollution watch

But the decision has not gone down well with the units, which feel they are a green industry

Bosky Khanna. Bangalore



Every day, Bangalore generates about 3,500 metric tonnes of garbage, a large quantity of which comes from hotels and restaurants.
To control the generation of waste in the city and to protect the environment, the government has now decided to bring even the small hotels and restaurants under the purview of stringent environment norms.
For the first time, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), has issued a notification dated November 4, 2009 making it mandatory even for small hotels to treat waste products before they are disposed of and effluent treatment norms have to be followed too. Presently, hotels dump waste in sewerage lines or hand it over to the corporation.
The MoEF amended the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986, to include small hotels — with at least 20 bedrooms, banquet halls with minimum floor area of 100 square metres and restaurants with minimum seating capacity of 36 — under its purview, to maintain the effluent standards. The notification stated that the rules of maintenance come into force from the date of publication in the official Gazette of India, dated November 4, 2009.
The KSPCB has decided to give some time to these units to adapt. Speaking to DNA, KSPCB chairman, AS Sadashivaiah, said that it was important to get the smaller hotels to comply with the environmental norms as well.
"It is for the first time that these sectors have been included. We will issue a circular to all establishments in this sector and give them time to prepare for the pollution check so that the air and water quality can be maintained. If they fail to maintain the standards even after that, action will be taken against them. KSPCB officials will survey such units to find out the amount and type of waste being disposed. We will support them to increase their chimney height; items like oil and grease must be neutralised before being released into underground drains," he added.
However the decision of the authorities has not gone down well with the units. According to the president of the Bruhat Bangalore Hotels Association, KN Vasudeva Adiga, small hotels and restaurants are like an extension of homes and are listed under the green category. This means that they are not a polluting industry and thus should be excluded, Adiga said. The number of 40-seater restaurants in Bangalore is around 1,000 and of 20-bedroom hotels is around 500.
"So far we have not received any intimation. Once it comes, we will request the central and state governments to exclude these hotels as the waste generated by them is organic in nature and the quantity is also less," he added.
Managing director of Ebony Hotels, Rajesh Rajaram, said that restaurant waste is similar to household waste. Since restaurants are small units, treating waste before disposal is difficult. However, he said that when all houses start treating wastes, restaurants would also follow suit.

Lake despair: Filth over troubled waters

Lake despair: Filth over troubled waters



Y Maheswara ReddyFirst Published : 24 Nov 2009 04:05:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 24 Nov 2009 10:18:08 AM IST
BANGALORE: A few years ago, Bangalore’s green activists got a faint ray of hope when the Bangalore Development Authority decided to rejuvenate the Benniganahalli Lake. The ray of hope has been obliterated by the inefficient follow-up by the authorities concerned.
There was a time when the Benniganahalli Lake water was used to irrigate paddy fields in the surroundings of Old Madras Road.
When the agricultural lands became residential layouts, the lake became a place for dumping garbage and for other activities. That was when the BDA stepped in. When the BDA undertook the construction of a flyover that connects the Outer Ring Road with the Old Madras Road more than a decade ago, it also spent about Rs 2 crore to develop the lake.
Residents of this area, especially the joggers, were satisfied with this development. The BDA had planted a number of saplings and made seating arrangements on the lake bund for people who want to spend time in its serene surroundings.
This pleasure was short-lived.
The BDA wrote two letters (2007- 08/352 on March 17, 2008 and 759:2008-09 on December 22, 2008) advising the Lake Development Authority to take over the maintenance of the lake. These letters did no good.
At present sewage water from surrounding areas such as Benniganahalli, Kasturinagar, Vijayapura, Chinnasandra flows into the lake.
“The bad odour from the lake water is unbearable. The lake is a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” says M Narayana (45) of Benniganahalli.
The lake also serves as garbage dumping place for people around the vicinity. They bring the garbage in plastic bags and throw it into the lake from atop of the flyover. The lorries that bring sheep from neighbouring states also contribute their bit. “No one has removed the rotten carcass of a sheep that was thrown into it,” says Narayana Gowda.
Apart from an overgrowth of parthenium weeds in the lake, the caterpillars abounding in the area are proving to be a problem. Krishnarajapuram MLA, claims that he is doing his best to develop the lake.
“I deputed some workers to trim the bushes. I am planning to divert the sewer lines that bring sewage water to the lake. I am also planning to put up a fence to prevent any encroachments,” he says.
The other drawback of the lake, that could have very well become the Sankey Tank of the area, is that there are no lights on the lake bund, especially on the walking track.
“There are incidents of drunkards harassing people who use the walking track on the lake bund after 7 pm. There have been complaints of robberies too. Some people even use the tank bund as a public toilet,” a senior citizen claimed.

Green autos

ss FeaturesFirst Published : 25 Nov 2009 04:59:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 25 Nov 2009 07:52:09 AM IST
BANGALORE: We have been hearing of the green autos for a long time now. And finally they are ready to hit the roads. In a thumbs up for green punch in Bangalore, green autorickshaws were finally unvieled on the city roads on Tuesday.
These four-stroke vehicles relies on LPG for fuel and also has tamper-proof digital fare metres.
At the formal launch in front of Vidhana Soudha, Transport Minister R Ashok said that the drivers of these autorickshaws have been trained to attend to passengers with courtsey and maintain certain - driver-customer etiquettes.
With the introduction of green autos the countdown for the eventual phase out of original noise makers and smoke emitters on Bangalore’s roads begun. What is more, the autos coming into the market hence will be of the specified new make only, the minister has said.

Grabbing a piece of the lake

Grabbing a piece of the lake


The dotted line shows the wall built around the lake. This land is prone to encroachments/Nagesh Polali.

Y Maheswara ReddyFirst Published : 25 Nov 2009 04:56:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 25 Nov 2009 07:51:53 AM IST
BANGALORE: Around Kaggadasapura and Doddanekkundi, the groundwater table is fast depleting. And the only source that could help keep it alive, the Doddanekkundi Lake, is slowly becoming history due to the negligence of the authorities.
This lake has always been subject to encroachment by all people, including politicians and landlords who are ever ready to increase their property purchases. “There is no dearth for encroachers here. They are trying their best to encroach the lake bund,” says a senior citizen.
Recently, the forest department officials cleared one encroachment by removing the foundation wall on the 40x50 feet site. “Yes. Some encroachments are already present and people are on the lookout to encroach the lake land. Our staff keep a vigil on encroachment. We are trying to prevent encroachment with the available means and resources.
We have already filed cases against the encroachers. We expect to clear those encroachments shortly,” says a forest official.
The drawback, however, is that the lake does not have either a boundary wall or a fence. A few months ago, the forest department planted a few saplings on one side of the lake bund. The other problem of the lake is the sewage water that flows from a temporary slum at Abbaiah Reddy Layout and from a few apartments.
When you go there the first time, you could find it hard to even spot the lake amidst all the hyacinth growing in it. The quantum of weeds and hyacinth prove the apathy of officials concerned. “One or two cows that entered the lake recently had to pay with their lives. The lake has become a breeding place for mosquitoes. It is very tough for us to cope with mosquitoes in the night,” says Ramanna of Kaggadasapura.
When contacted, Lake Development Authority officials made it clear that their responsibility was reduced to only giving suggestions and attending meetings of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike whenever it decides to discuss about lakes in Bangalore.
Many people in this area suspect political support behind the encroachers.
However, local political leaders deny such allegations.
NS Nandish Reddy, MLA from Krishnarajapuram constituency, said that he had asked the authorities concerned to survey the lake and fix boundaries. “I am very interested in protecting the lake. I want to develop the lake but lack of funds makes it difficult. I will take up the development of this lake shortly,” says Nandish Reddy.
On encroachments by politicians or influential people, Reddy said that no fresh encroachments have taken place recently. “I have not encroached a single inch of land. If any one proves my involvement in encroachment of the lake, I will retire from politics permanently. I come from a decent family. Regarding the defunct brick factory near the lake, the land belongs to my family.
I am yet to remove the remains of the factory. I am waiting for the right time to start a new venture at that place,” adds Reddy.

Partial demolition?

Partial demolition?


The ‘controversial’ Terrace Garden Apartment/Aniruddha Chowdhury.

Express News Service/Sharan PoovannaFirst Published : 25 Nov 2009 04:54:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 25 Nov 2009 07:51:46 AM IST
BANGALORE: The BBMP seems to be hell bent on driving away all encroachers.
The anti-encroachment drive by the BBMP started in the Mahalakshmi Layout on Tuesday.
The BBMP started razing down illegal structures at the Vijayanandanagar slum of Mahalakshmi layout.
The area was flooded during the recent rains and the CM BS Yeddyurappa and BBMP officials who inspected the slum after the incident had directed the officials for the clearance of encroached properties in the area which had caused flooding in and around the locality.
“With the directions from the Chief Minister, the BBMP conducted a survey and had identified about 12 houses that were constructed encroaching upon the storm water drain,” said a senior BBMP official.
The drive which started on Tuesday morning continued till late evening and the encroached properties were partially demolishedd.
“While a few houses and a 3-km-long wall constructed on the drain was completely demolished, other properties were partially razed,” said the official.
“There are other houses that are encroaching upon the drain but before we take action, we have to check the records. The drive will continue for the next few days,” he said.
Chandrashekar had thought that his home dreams were realised when he got an approval to build a house in 2002. Three years later, his three-storeyed house was built at Idematu, and he moved in with his family. However, on Saturday, his house came under the BBMP JCBs.
His wife and two children have moved into a rented house in the same area after this incident.
Chandrashekar says that he has paid betterment tax and other property taxes after his property was surveyed many times over the years. He claims that he was not once given any notice or intimation that his property was encroaching on the drain by either the visiting inspectors or any other official from the housing authorities.
The people of the locality sought the help of ministers and other officials to get the exact plans of demolition but it was all in vain, they said. “We even voluntarily offered to demolish part of our homes to make way for the drain but the BBMP engineer dismissed our pleas,”said one of the residents. He added that more than 300 police personnel were brought to this locality and people were threatened with lathi charge by the engineer. “And when the demolition began, we requested the authorities to give us an hour to clear our things but to no avail,” he adds. “They did not allow our children to finish their food even. They sent their men to start demolishing while we, with the help of the other residents, threw home appliances and furntiture from higher floors,” he says.
Preferential treatment
Residents of Idematu also claim that the BBMP was giving preferntial treatment to the residents of Terrace Garden, an apartment complex in the locality, as that building still stands. When the locals asked the authorities about this partiality the officers warned the residents to mind their business and added that they did not have the equipment to break down part of the apartment.
The drain breaks many houses on the way, a government school and even a temple that is allegedly on BBMP land. The residents are wondering why their homes were approved when the officials could have informed them about the encroachments. Bharath Lal Meena said that the builders and other officials from the corporation who have approved them will be brought to task after the investigations.

Commuters spared tampered meters

Commuters spared tampered meters
Digital Ones Mandatory In Autos Within A Year
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Green autos, the ambitious project of the transport department, are showing the way ahead. These autos, some already on the roads, were officially flagged off by transport minister R Ashoka in front of the Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday.
Ashoka told reporters later: “The four-stroke autos are LPG fitted and they are environmentally friendly. They’re
also fitted with digital meters, which will spare commuters the hassle of dealing with tampered meters. We’ve also instructed manufacturers to henceforth produce only fourstroke autorickshaws.”
He said within a year, twostroke autos in the state will phased out and digital meters will be mandatory for all autos within a year. “Autos which don’t comply will not pass the fitness test next year,’’ he said.
To assist this process, the minister announced the government’s subsidy schemes, wherein auto drivers will get Rs 10,000 subsidy for converting from two-stroke to fourstroke, Rs 1,000 for converting to digital meters and Rs 3,000 for fitting LPG kits. Of the 80,000-odd autos in the city, nearly 50,000 are two-stroke vehicles.
Ashoka claimed that Karnataka is the only state to have taken such eco- and commuter-friendly measures. The minister said initially only Bangalore will have green autos, but gradually other cities will have them as well.
BBMP WARD RESERVATION
Ashoka said that within two or three days, the BBMP ward reservation list will be released. He added that the second round of title deeds will be distributed under the Nemmadi Narayana project and the report regarding Akrama-Sakrama has been submitted to the chief minister.
“We’re not taking development activities only with an eye on the polls,” he said.

No longer a walk in the park

No longer a walk in the park
Soon, Walkers And Joggers Who Want To Enter Lalbagh Must Carry An ID Card
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The horticulture department at Lalbagh will begin issue of applications for identity cards for morning and evening walkers and joggers in 7 to 10 days. The ID cards for Lalbagh will have to be produced by walkers and joggers between 6 am to 9 am as well as 5 pm to 7 pm. Entry will not be permitted in those hours without ID card.
The implementation of the timings at Cubbon Park will be taken up only after gates, fencing and grills are fixed around the park. An initial set of 10,000 applications will be issued and depending on the response more will be issued. These will be handed out at the horticultural office inside Lalbagh initially, officials told TOI.
HOW TO GET THE ID CARD
Walkers and joggers will have to bring three to four photographs and ID proof like voter ID card, ration card or passport that will also be proof of residential address. They’ll have to fill in their age and as well as whether they are morning or evening walkers and joggers or both to enable better regulation.
While the application forms will be issued in 10 days, the issue of ID card after processing will take about a month. The fee for the ID card has not yet been fixed and discussions are on as to how much is appropriate.
GENERAL VISITORS
Visitors can enter Lalbagh between 9 am and 5 pm and need not produce ID cards in this period. They have to pay Rs 10 as entry fee. General visitors will not, as of now, be permitted along with morning and evening walkers and joggers if they don’t have ID cards.
WHY ID CARDS?
“The decision to have ID cards for walkers and joggers is primarily because of safety. The police asked us to ensure people are safe in the garden through the day and especially during morning and evening hours. For that, we need to know who is coming in and going out. Regulation and ID cards will enable us to have proper identification and a head count of people entering Lalbagh,” senior officials said.
“The issue of safety has come up due to two factors — the bomb attack at Lumbini Gardens in Hyderabad and a recent murder in Lalbagh. We also have to ensure the safety of foreigners who visit the garden,” officials added.
TOURIST VISITS
Horticulture officials said no decision had been taken on ID cards for tourists who may want to visit Lalbagh in the morning and evening during the fixed hours. “We’ll discuss the issue and work out a proper system. As of now, they can visit the park between 9 am and 5 pm,” they said.
SECURITY INPUT
Lalbagh, which falls under Siddapura police station limits, has a police outpost attached to it. It is manned by an ASI and four more personnel. Even Cubbon Park falls under Cubbon Park police station limits. Beat constables are frequently sent to check these parks
CUBBON PARK TIMINGS
The government will enforce timings for Cubbon Park only after iron grills, fencing and gates are constructed all around the park. “This may take at least a couple of months. Only after fencing is completed will we begin implementation of timings. Until then, the situation will be as it is now,” horticulture department officials said ‘Why pay to breathe fresh air?’
The entire issue seems simple yet strange. We’ve been unable to take a clear stand on it due to the mixed response — some say paying Rs 200 is no big deal while others say why pay to breathe fresh air. This is a futile exercise as it serves no purpose. Having an ID card on you is always good. It helps in easy identification in emergencies. However, don’t think it will generate enough revenue to beef up security. Maintaining public parks needs much more funding. More than that, it needs regular screening and implementation.
— N S Mukunda | PRESIDENT, CITIZENS’ ACTION FORUM
During our walkers’ meeting, we agreed in principle on ID cards — we only differed on entry fee. Theoretically, ID card sounds good and necessary. However, the reason cited for the card is security. But, I feel, an ID card cannot be the answer, considering even passports are not always genuine.
Further, there are practical problems: i) If I don’t have the card with me one day, will they prevent me from entering? If they do, it’s not right as the park is a public space and as a member of the public, I have the right to be there.
If a family member or visitor wants to come with me and has no ID card, what’s the way out? The freedom of entry to the park should not be curtailed or restricted by the ID card.
M R Doraiswamy | LALBAGH WALKERS’ ASSOCIATION

The first batch of volunteers of Bangalore Traffic Squad

The first batch of volunteers of Bangalore Traffic Squad, a
Bangalore Mirror
initiative, gets a hands-on experience of the state-of the-art Traffic Management Centre, which monitors traffic infractions in the city 24/7. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Praveen Sood puts them through the paces
BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU


All the habitual traffic offenders take note. You are watched every minute of the day and you can’t escape all the 167 surveillance cameras in the city always. The first interactive session between the volunteers of Bangalore Traffic Squad and Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Security) Praveen Sood was an eye opener of sorts for all concerned. For the first time, these volunteers got a sneak peek of Traffic Management Centre at Ashok Nagar police station. The centre is a one-stop-shop that controls everything from the street lights to the cameras at the signals to spotting traffic offenders. It houses the best technology to keep our roads as safe as possible.
There were many in the first batch of the volunteers of Bangalore Traffic Squad who had no clue just how technologically advanced the cops really were. One message that really hit hard was just how much the people sitting in the control room could see. The eye in the sky was in fact very close to earth. The group watched as the camera at a traffic signal, that had seemed like a distant UFO, zoomed in on registration plates of people breaking rules. You got on the footpath and your number was noted; you had your helmet hanging on the handle bar, your number was noted, you picked your nose that just got recorded!
EYE IN THE SKY
“If you think that the government does nothing in their offices, this is the right place for you to come,” said Sood as he took them through all the technical razzmataz. So impressed were the volunteers that they swore off any attempt to break rules- ever. “I think the best deterrent factor is get people here and have them take a look at how closely they are observed. We are on our best behaviour only when we know that people are watching,” said Mandeep Bhuthalia, one volunteer.
“It looks like a scene straight out of a James Bond movie, with multiple screens spread across the wall that tells you exactly what happens all over the city at the click of a mouse,” said Angika Sudarshan. While Sood explained how the centre functioned, the volunteers also pitched in with suggestions and questions about the roads. “What happens to the fines that we pay, how many people have been identified for driving on the footpath, how do we deal with auto drivers, why so we allow a U-turn on Airport Road... “ the questions were endless.
The volunteers will be working closely with the Traffic department to help keep problems in check in problematic junctions like Dairy Circle, Bannerghatta Road, Sarjapur Junction, Madivala Checkpost among others.
HOW TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CENTRE WORKS
Nine LCD screens, 20 cops and 167 surveillance cameras: A synchronisation of these is what is behind the challan that you get for committing a traffic violation on the roads. The synchronisation happens at the Traffic Management Centre in Ashoknagar. Resultant effect: Over 1000traffic violators are caught on camera every day.
At the centre, there are several LCD screens that are mounted on the wall and they are connected to computers. These screens show a grid of nine small screens that air traffic movements captured through cameras that are installed at several junctions across the city. These are cameras that you get see at the traffic junctions —- all you have to do is to look up the signal lights to spot it. The cameras are of two types: Surveillance cameras and enforcement cameras.
All the cameras are connected to the centre through cables installed by BSNL. The cameras can zoom in and capture the number plates of the vehicles. The number is transmitted to the automation computer, which has a database of all vehicles. Subsequently, the address of the violator is ferreted and a challan is sent to him. The violator can pay the penalty at any of the Bangalore One centres.

B’lore shifts into 1-BHK homes

B’lore shifts into 1-BHK homes
Anshul Dhamija | TNN

Bangalore: A city that rarely saw a 1-bedroom hall kitchen (BHK) apartment or a studio apartment could soon have a plethora of them. Many developers in the city are looking at building such units — 1-BHK ranging between 500 sqft and 800 sqft with a price tag of around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. This could particularly benefit young professionals, newly-wed couples, and senior citizens.
Most of the handful of 1-BHK apartments around are actually 2-BHK apartments converted into 1-BHK ones, sporting a large drawing room. Pricewise, these units command the same rates as a 2-BHK.
Electronic City, Whitefield, Marathahalli and Bannerghatta Road are the current hotspots for 1-BHK and studio apartments. “The trend of buyers wanting 1-BHK units and developers acceding to their wishes hinges on affordability,” says Ravi Ramu, director, Puravankara Group. Ramu adds that in the heyday of real estate, even 2-BHK units were not in great demand, as majority of consumers here preferred 3-BHK ones. With salaries in the IT sector zooming, so did aspirations and spending power of buyers and the demand for 1-BHK units vanished.
Brigade Group, which just announced the launch of its value homes, says that 30% to 40% of the 10,000 units it’s expected to build would comprise 1-BHK units. “As investors in the realty market become younger, it spurs the demand for smaller units which fit their wallets,” says M R Jaishankar, CMD, Brigade Group.
COMPACT & AFFORDABLE Area: 500 sqft to 800 sqft
Price: Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh
Hotspots: Electronic City, Whitefield, Marathahalli, Bannerghatta
Road Investment options: Lease out as serviced apartment or rent out as studio apartment 1-BHK units will also help rental market
Bangalore: Small is beautiful again in the realty sector as many developers in the city are looking at building studio apartments ranging between 500 sqft and 800 sqft. The 1-BHK units and studio apartments will also benefit the rental market.
Rather than people paying through their nose for 2- and 3-BHK homes, they could settle for cheaper rentals that smaller units offer.
Akruti Developers has launched a 150-unit fully-furnished studio apartment project in Whitefield. The units range between 650 sqft and 800 sqft in size and come fully loaded with AC, TV, and furniture including a coffee maker. According to Nikhil Jadhav, MD, Akruti Developers, “We are offering this product as an investment option to buyers whereby they can either lease them out as serviced apartments or give them on rent as studio apartments.” For a serviced apartment model, the per night tariff would be between Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000, while on a monthly basis the rental could start from Rs 10,000.

TECHIE SIGNALS AFREE MG ROAD

TECHIE SIGNALS AFREE MG ROAD
In what could be a trendsetter, a software engineer from Cisco decides to apply his grey cells to devise a blueprint that would decongest M G Road and Cubbon Road. His plan wins expert approval
SAMEER RANJAN BAKSHI


While others of his ilk wring their hands in despair, indulge in the occasional rant and continue to endure Bangalore’s traffic mess, Vijay Padiyar, a software engineer working for Cisco, decided to do something about it. Twenty-nineyear-old Vijay has come up with a detailed blueprint to ease traffic snarls on M G Road and Cubbon Road by converting them into signalfree corridors.
He made a presentation to this effect at Mobilicity, Bangalore’s first sustainable transportation unconference, organised by Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) and Praja recently at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus. His plan won the appreciation of experts, including those from the state government.
FORCED BY NECESSITY
Vijay’s quest for traffic solutions was born out of the harrowing experience he underwent while travelling from his house in Malleswaram to Marathalli. It was a pain negotiating the sea of traffic with a dozen major junctions between the two points. He soon shifted his house to HSR Layout. Though it came as a breather, those earlier nightmarish moments continued to haunt him. This ‘routing’ engineer began to use his network engineering skills to develop a model to make the city’s network jam-free.
FOREIGN INPUTS
His visits to western countries gave him perspective while localising traffic solutions. He tried to cannibalise some foreign traffic management techniques for his model of signal-free traffic on M G Road and Cubbon Road.
Vijay has also designed a model for underpasses which could dechoke traffic on Outer Ring Road. He said that the existing infrastructure, which is disproportionate to the ever-increasing vehicular population, will turn out to be a monster in future if not addressed with focused planning and efficient technology.
A NEW MODEL
His idea is to convert M G Road and Cubbon Road into one-ways having no signals. According to his model, if someone coming from North Bangalore has to reach Brigade Road, he has to take Cubbon Road after crossing Minsk Square. He won’t be allowed to take Queens Road to reach Kasturba Road. He will come to Dickenson Road and take a right to reach M G Road and then to Brigade Road following the one-way off M G road. He said: “According to my model, people will have to move from Trinity circle towards Anil Kumble circle and not backward. And Cubbon Road will be a one-way from Minsk square to Dickenson road-end.”
It will be a non-stop drive and even the smaller roads will not get clogged. He justifies his model by saying, “Malleswaram has the same amount of traffic, but there is no heavy traffic jam. Because there are two one-ways from Seshadripuram to Malleswaram, both running parallel in opposite directions.”
APPLYING THOUGHT
Vijay is suggesting that bus stops should be closer to residences and should be just a 10-minute walk away. To reduce corruption among traffic police, he feels that 40 per cent of the challan amount for traffic violation can be given to cops, thus preventing cops from taking bribes. Vijay’s effort to convince authorities is a pointer to how Bangalore’s techie crowd has begun to brainstorm on solutions for the problems that nag them on a daily basis.

It is people's power v/s parties in the forthcoming civic polls

It is people's power v/s parties in the forthcoming civic polls

Fed up by the negligence of civic authorities, NGOs and residents' welfare associations are in the process of identifying candidates to clean up the civic mess, bring transparency in administration and ensure public role in urban development, Senthalir S reports

Senthalir S



Politicians will have to battle it out with public representatives in many city wards in the much-delayed forthcoming civic elections.
Residents' welfare associations (RWAs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are fielding candidates to clean up the civic mess, bring transparency in administration and ensure complete public participation in urban development.
"Many of the new corporators of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be from among the people. There is a need to bridge the gap that exists between the political parties and the urban poor. We felt that a person from the community with leadership qualities has to be identified for the candidacy. The NGOs would mobilise support for the individual. We are still in the process of planning and the agenda will be ready in four days," said Lakshapathy of Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA).
For the first time in the city, at least 40 NGOs have come together to form Janadhwani (People's Voice) party to contest the elections. The inception of Janadhwani began when the NGOs took up the initiative to frame people's agenda to place before the political parties contesting the elections.
"During the process, we felt people required a more transparent leadership to solve their problems at local levels, an administration that would hasten the progress of basic infrastructure works and help in empowering the urban poor. To achieve this, Janadhwani was formed. The delimitation of wards and the increase in the number of wards has given them the confidence to contest the elections," said a NGO worker who requested anonymity.
The candidates will be chosen from the community itself. They are likely to contest from areas with large Dalit population such as Laggere, Neelasandra, Lingarajapura, Benniganahalli, Siddhapura, Jayanagar, Kadugondanahalli, Chinnappa Garden, Yeshwanthpur, and Rajarajeshwari Nagar. The first formal meeting to finalise the agenda and logos for Janadhwani was held in October.
"The Janadhwani party will be floated soon. The date is yet to be finalised. Since the elections have been postponed, we had decided to put off the launch," said Lakshapathy.
Besides NGOs, the representatives of RWAs from Citizens' Action Forum are in the fray. Abhyudaya, a group of about 30 RWAs with about 400 volunteers, and Malleswaram Federation consisting of about 20RWAs have identified candidates for the elections. Abhyudaya is planning to field candidates in all the wards of the Padmanabhanagar assembly constituency.
R C Dutt, convenor of federation of RWA of Sanjaynagar, said they had already formed citizen anchors. At least 37 such anchors are there in one ward comprising retired engineers and experts in infrastructure planning who will guide and monitor the implementation of work at the locality.
"We, as residents of the locality, know our needs better. If there are any complaints of encroachments, people can inform the anchors and action would be taken against the encroachers immediately. Thus, we have planned to correct the problems at the local level," he said.
Underlining that money is not an issue for campaigning during the elections, he said "Theatre personalities, and local residents have volunteered to campaign for us. Our top priority would be to provide water, power and good roads."
However, while selecting candidates, some RWAs have fears that politicians, who have been denied tickets, may try to sneak into their camp.

It's a park after all, not a theatre of the absurd

It's a park after all, not a theatre of the absurd

Walkers in Lalbagh are furious over the move to introduce mandatory identity cards

Vaishalli Chandra. Bangalore



There will soon be nothing public about Bangalore's landmark parks, Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. And those who go on a daily stroll in these parks, are naturally agitated.
On Monday evening, after the horticulture minister went public with his decision to introduce ID cards for those using Lalbagh and Cubbon Park, dark clouds had literally gathered over the former.
But the overcast sky had not kept the people away from its walking-jogging tracks.
"ID card for what?" asked Bhanu Seshadri, for whom a walk in the Lalbagh has been a daily ritual — maintained for 25 years. "One doesn't require an ID inside the park," she said and added that while she is okay with paying a nominal maintenance charge of the park, the ID seems absurd.
Homemaker Uma and her group of friends don't think that IDs are of any use. "We have been hearing many things — charge for maintenance, ID card, etc. Nothing is really done." But, what if this goes as planned? "Do authorities listen to people?" she asked. "People's opinion does not matter, newspaper coverage does not matter. People in authority will make their own decisions," she said, as her friend nodding in resigned agreement.
"I think ID cards are a good idea," said MM Prasad, who had come all the way from Jayanagar IIIBlock. "It will ensure unnecessary elements are kept at bay."
But, another young jogger did not agree. "All this doesn't matter; those who want to create nuisance will do so, ID or not," she said.
A young couple felt such a rule would make the park a private zone. "It is a money-making scheme," the guy, who didn't want to be named, said, adding, "Parks are for all, where else will we go?" He felt parks were places where couples get some privacy without a dent in their wallet.
Another regular, Beerappa, said, "This is just a new stunt, nothing like this ever works." He wanted to know how the ID would help walkers in general. "What is the idea behind such an introduction?" asked another walker, who was with his wife. "We have been coming here for over 20 years. Carrying an ID card would feel like going to some office." His wife added, "Our son has one too that he wears in his office."
But most walkers felt that if ID cards were made mandatory, they might have no choice. "These people (authorities) don't care about our opinion," said 80-year-old Thimme Gowda.

Making public transport popular

Making public transport popular

Three final-year students of NID have developed a model to promote mass transit

Arunima Rajan. Bangalore



To encourage more and more people to use the public transport system in the city, students of National Institute of Design (NID), R&D campus, Bangalore, have come up with a unique model, which if approved, is likely to benefit commuters.
For instance, if you are planning to take a Volvo bus of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) to the Bengaluru International Airport from your home, or vice versa, all you will have to do is to send an SMS to the service centre about the destination and the boarding point as well your preferred mode of transport (metro/BMTC).
The commuter will then receive an SMS that will have information on the schedule of buses on the route, travel duration and fare. You could also book tickets online and the money will be deducted from the balance of your cell phone currency.
Three final year students of NID have developed this model, which is aimed at encouraging the commuters to use mass transit modes. The project, 'Information Mobility for Bangalore Public Transit', includes various provisions to improve the visibility and accessibility of public transport system.
The students want to incorporate information about both the metro as well as BMTC timings in their model. In addition to it, the students have designed kiosks and digital signages to give real time information about the BMTC.
According to the students, this system will also considerably reduce the ticket trash.
"The digital ticket will reduce the paper trash. The hand-held device used by the conductor will be extended by a digital reader, which will automatically read the code. It will help the BMTC to document details about the commuter and can be helpful in building a database," said Prachi Desai, a III semester student of Information and Interface Design.
The students took around three months to finish this academic project. They collected information from the transport systems of other cities like London.
"We travelled around 500 kilometers for project research. We visited the four BMTC main depots, second-level depots, BangaloreOne centres and Jayanagar Traffic and Transit Management Centre (TTMC) also. The timetables and booklets of other countries were used as reference material," said Vaibhav Sharma, a III semester student.
The students claimed that their research showed that many commuters do not know about the facilities available to them. "The ticket rates in non-IT routes of Vayu Vajra and Volvo are lesser than that of IT routes. However, many people think that Volvo buses are expensive and stay away from them," Prachi Desai said.
The students have also identified the access points where information can be disseminated. The list includes malls, gardens, transit junctions and the metro.

CM to take final call on HSRL

CM to take final call on HSRL

November 24th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Tags: High Speed Rail Link

Bengaluru
Nov. 23: With three powerful ministers in the government making contradictory statement on implementing the Rs 5,767 crore High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) transit system to Bengaluru International Airport, Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will have to take a final call on the project.
Sources in the secretariat told Deccan Chronicle that the process of shortlisting names in the technical
qualification round has been completed. “Some ministers have raised doubts about the approval of the project by the Cabinet. The project was approved by the Cabinet during the Belgaum session in February. A government order was also issued to implement the project. We have no clue what the ministers were talking about,” a source said. “We will seek clarity from the Chief Minister on the issue.”
While tourism and infrastructure minister G. Janardhan Reddy has openly supported the 33.4 km high speed rail project, stating that he was the minister in charge and has the final say, excise minister Katta Subramanya Naidu and transport minister R. Ashok, close aides of the CM and also ministers in charge of Bengaluru, set off fresh speculation by saying the project is still open to debate and will be placed before Cabinet for discussion.
ABIDe, the advisory body for infrastructure in the city, formally headed by the CM and actively led by MP Rajeev Chandrashekar, has on the other hand opposed the project on the grounds that it is too expensive. It suggested that Metro Rail be extended to BIA. But Bengaluru Airport Rail Link (BARL), an SPV created by the government to execute the project, tried to clear the air by saying that it was a PPP model based project with a viability gap funding by Centre of 20 per cent. However, not convinced by the argument, ABIDe has written to the CM to pursue Metro Rail over HSRL.
“Five consortiums, Reliance Infrastructure, Pioneer Infratech-Seimens (Tata Group), Larsen & Tubro, Lanco Infra and ITD-TDC. CEM, have submitted their application for the project. We are though with the evaluation of RFQs submitted by these companies, so technically the project is on course,” he said.

If you can pay in MTR, why not in Lalbagh, asks minister

If you can pay in MTR, why not in Lalbagh, asks minister
Bangalore, Nov 23, Deccan Herald News Service :

“Morning walkers of Lalbagh don’t mind spending Rs 150 per day on breakfast at MTR, but refuse to pay Rs 200 a year”, this is how Horticulture Minister Umesh Katti responded to the walkers’ refusal to pay the entry fee.

The department has withdrawn the entry fee proposal and decided to issue identity cards for the walkers.

Katti, speaking to press persons on Monday, said the department earlier planned to introduce the entry fee to keep a check on entry of anti-social elements to the park.

There was no profit-making motive behind the move. But the public opposed the proposal and the department withdrew it. He pointed out that Rs 200 was not a big amount for the walkers and was cheaper than a day’s expense at MTR hotel!

However, identity card are must for the walkers. The issue of ID cards have already begun for walkers who have pay up Rs 50 for the cards. The department would soon begin issuing the cards for walkers of Cubbon Park too. The department would also install scanners at all entry points to check use of fake identity cards. The walkers would be allowed between 5.30 am to 8.30 am.

CCTVs in Cubbon park

The minister said the process to install CCTVs in Cubbon park is on. The department would also install barricades on either side of the roads passing through the park to avoid entry into the park by parking vehicles on the road. Once the entry gates were identified and barricades were installed, entry fee would be fixed for Cubbon Park also, he added

Centre to control city's traffic soon

Centre to control city's traffic soon
Bangalore, Nov 23, Deccan Herald News Service :

A Traffic Management Centre being set up at the cost of Rs 90 crores will be inaugurated at Yeshwanthpur next July, Minister for Transport R Ashok said.


Speaking at the inauguration of the newly constructed bus stand at Rajmahal 2nd Stage, Chikkamaranahalli here on Monday, Ashok added that the work on establishing the Centre, aimed at bringing city's traffic under control, was nearing completion.

The centre will accommodate as many as 60 buses and 400 car at a time. Another centre on similar lines would be set up at Hebbal, he informed. "That centre, to be constructed on eight acres of land, will accommodate 2,000 cars," he said.

He said that more than 1000 BMTC buses in the city are being parked on roads because of lack of adequate space. Hence, for easing congestion, five new units would be established at Kottanur, Kannalli near Magadi Road, Siddapur,Chikkanagamangala and Bidadi, he announced. For allaying people's complaints about the attitude of BMTC bus drivers and conductors, Ashok said that a Drivers's Training Centre would be established at the cost of Rs 12.25 for imparting training to the drivers and helping them improve their performance.

Maharani’s College underpass two-way now

Maharani’s College underpass two-way now
Bangalore, Nov 23, Deccan Herald News Service :

The Maharani’s College underpass will be made a two-way from Tuesday onwards.

According to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, the underpass which had a one-way arrangement previously, extending from Maharani College towards Vidhana Soudha was delayed due to asphalting and road-widening works.

“ As we have completed the asphalting and road-widening works now, the underpass can be thrown open to the public as a two-way,” said a Palike official. BBMP officials said that the underpass should have been made two-way from Monday itself, but the Palike was waiting for the nod of the traffic police to ascertain the arrangement. The underpass was inaugurated on June 15, 2009 by Chief Minister B S Yedyurappa. The completion took nearly two months and cost nearly Rs 4.5 crore.

Easy traffic flow

Palace Road between Mysore Bank Circle and Maharani Circle will be converted into two-way from Tuesday.

The stretch was closed for road-widening work near Maharani College.

* Vehicles from KR Circle can take left turn at Maharani College Circle to join the Palace Road and to reach Mysore Bank Circle and proceed further on KG Road.

* Vehicles from Basaveshwar Circle (Chalukya Hotel Circle) can move on CID office and directly reach Mysore Bank using the Palace Road. The vehicles can proceed further towards City Civil Court and Cauvery Bhavan or towards KG Road.

* Vehicles from Ramachandra Rao Road ( behind the Old Central Prison) can take right turn on Palace Road and reach City Civil Court and Cauvery Bhavan.

* Vehicles from Legislators Home and Vidhana Soudha west gate can use AGS Circle, move infront of CID office, proceed on Palace Road towards Mysore Bank Circle and reach Central Bus Stand and City Railway station using KG Road.

Save our public transport, save our city

Save our public transport, save our city

Anil Kumar Sastry
A good metro should have a public transport system that can prevent its private vehicles from congesting its roads
— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP SEA: With individually-owned vehicles and three-wheelers occupying every inch of the road, little space is available for BMTC buses, the lone public transport service provider in the city.


BANGALORE: So you bought that high-end car which packs real power under its hood. It purrs sensuously as you slide it out of your parking space. You get out on to the road and, instead of the fluid speed you were expecting, you find yourself — horror of horrors — crawling half-clutch.

When the best of cities offer a peerless public transport system for its citizens, we in Bangalore, ensconced in our own four-wheelers, manage an average speed of 12 kmph in the central business district and 18 kmph elsewhere.

Our arterial roads are crumbling under traffic two or three times their capacity.

For a truly enlightened civic administration, one of the priorities is a top-notch public transport system used by the bulk of its population, which is a precursor for economic growth in the form of easy access to workplaces, educational institutions and places of recreation.

Going by the number of individually owned vehicles — two-wheelers and cars constituting 90 per cent of the vehicle population in the city, there appears to be no sincere government effort to encourage people to use public transport.

Carbon footprints
Public transport, which occupies less road space, causes less pollution per passenger per kilometre and offers seamless mobility at cheaper rates, is yet to get its due in Bangalore.

Unlike other metros — Mumbai, Delhi or Kolkata — that have a combination of road and rail services, Bangalore is entirely dependant on bus service provided by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). Even before the creaky BMTC realised what was happening, it found itself unable to cater to the city’s explosive growth in the 1990s. An opportunity was lost when young, well-paid professionals on the move chose to invest in their own mode of transportation.

According to traffic expert M.N. Sreehari: “No serious effort is being made by the Government to decongest the city roads, except widening of roads on Metro route. Though options such as congestion tax, car rationing and hefty parking fee are available, the Government has not made any effort in this direction.”

Alarming rise
While the number of households increased by 3.6 per cent between 1981 and 2006, it was an 11.5 per cent rise in the case of vehicles, according to the Comprehensive Traffic and Transport Plan (CTTP) prepared last year by Rites Ltd.

The share of cars and two-wheelers has increased from 3.5 per cent and 12.1 per cent in 1982 to 7.2 per cent and 32 per cent in 2006.

On the other hand, the share of public transport and bicycles declined from 55 per cent and 16.1 per cent in 1982 to 45.7 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively in 2006.

The CTTP had recommended creation of extensive mass transport system to provide wide coverage — 137 km of Metro, 60 km of monorail or light rail, 291 km of bus rapid transport and 204 km of commuter rail, creating a network of 607 km.

Though the Government created Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) in 2007 after the National Urban Transport Policy was formulated, two years down the line, all BMLTA has done is to hold a few meetings and workshops. The year-old proposal to offer it statutory position is yet to get legislative sanction.

Statutory powers
BMLTA Commissioner Mohammed Mohsin said the authority will soon get statutory powers once the Cabinet ratifies the draft proposals. Thereafter, the authority, apart from coordinating all land transport issues, can enforce the provisions to bring in uniformity aiming at promoting public transport.

According to M.K. Shankaraligne Gowda, Secretary to Government, Transport Department, the travel and transit management centres (TTMCs), built by BMTC, where people can park private vehicles and ride a bus, are aimed at promoting public transport. Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic and Safety) Praveen Sood said the 6,000 BMTC buses are inadequate to cater to the needs of the city, which requires at least 10,000. One bus can replace 20 cars and people are willing to pay for a comfortable journey.

However, the infrastructure, in the form of roads and bus depots, has to be upgraded, he said. Dedicated bus lanes have to be planned wherever new roads are being constructed. Of the 35 lakh vehicles in Bangalore, 25 lakh are two-wheelers and six lakh are cars.

Good old BMTC lumbers on

Good old BMTC lumbers on

Hemant Gairola
Crew behaviour not up to the mark: commuters

Travel experience of commuters has improved marginally

BANGALORE: Twelve years after Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) was carved out of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), the former is far from being a reliable public transport system for the Bangalorean.

During the last 12 years, BMTC could add only around 4,000 buses to its fleet, taking the total to 6,000 even as Bangalore’s population has burgeoned from five million to eight million during the period.

As a result, dependency on individually-owned vehicles shot up and their share has gone to 40 per cent in 2006 from just 14.6 per cent in 1982 even as BMTC’s share dipped from 55 per cent to 45 per cent during the period.

It is not as if BMTC did not make any attempt to oil its wheels. Besides improving its financial performance, the corporation introduced several innovative measures, including air-conditioned Volvo coaches and airport-dedicated services. It can be said that thanks to its Vayu Vajra, the Bellary Road that connects the Bengaluru International Airport is not clogged with thousands of cars.

By these, the travel experience of an average commuter has improved marginally if not substantially. H.S. Vishwanath, a software engineer who moved here over two decades ago, says the frequency and reach of services have definitely improved over the years. The main glitch, according to him, is punctuality. The other areas that need attention are cleanliness, display of destination boards and parking at bus bays. Hemanth Kumar, a regular on Vajra services, is a satisfied customer. “I’ve stopped driving my car to office after finding the convenience and comfort that Vajra buses offer,” he said.

But on an online forum, Nirupama, a commuter, was annoyed over the driver’s attitude problem. He did not stop the bus at the designated spot and she had to run to catch it.

The crew behaviour, despite holding several training and orientation sessions, is yet to improve.

Commuters’ comfort
A BMTC spokesperson told The Hindu that the organisation was working at optimum levels for the convenience of commuters. “Not all problems have a solution,” he said and added that people “will have to tolerate” the peak hour rush.

K.S. Vishwanath, Chief Traffic Manager, said the issue was more of civic sense than enforcement. Commuters may complain to Sarathi squad.

Transit management centre by July next

Transit management centre by July next

Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: Transport Minister R. Ashok on Monday said the new travel and transit management centre (TTMC) at Yeshwanthpur will be operational by July next year.

Speaking after inaugurating a bus stand at Chikkamaranahalli in RMV Extension II Stage here, he said 400 cars and 60 buses can be parked at the TTMC at a time.

The Minister said the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is on a mission to construct TTMCs across the city to offer park-and-ride facility for the public.

More than 1,000 BMTC buses are forced to park on roads every day due to space crunch in depots. As many as five new depots will be constructed at Kothanur, Kannalli, Siddapura, Chikkanagamangala and Bidadi, he said.

To offer better training, BMTC will open a driver training centre at Voddarahalli at a cost of Rs. 12.25 crore.

12 lakes get BDA push

12 lakes get BDA push



NR MadhusudhanFirst Published : 23 Nov 2009 01:05:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 23 Nov 2009 08:18:42 AM IST
BANGALORE: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is planning to develop the 12 lakes handed over to it by the government by turning them into aqua parks. The BDA also plans to involve people of the area to maintain them after they are developed.
Nearly 200 varieties of different species of water plants that have the capacity to absorb and store heavy metals would be planted in these lakes.
Many trees like Moringa Ptergosperma and Stirynchus would be planted on the periphery of the lakes. The fruits and seeds of these trees have the capacity ot improve the quality of water. Whitex Nengandu, a species of plants that repel mosquitoes, would be planted around the lakes and the smell of these plants are supposed to be good for health.
The BDA is planning to educate the people and educational institutions around the lakes about the adverse effects of indiscriminate dumping into lakes. People will be encouraged participate in the maintenance of these lakes after they are developed. Besides setting up a walker’s path and a cycling path, the BDA is also planning to do the landscaping and develop a garden and children park and erect Gazebos and fountains in these lakes.
Reputed environmentalist and advisor to BDA on developing the lakes AN Yellappa Reddy said, “We are planning to develop these lakes into sound ecological bodies that would be conducive to health.” At present BDA is focusing on preventing the sewage water from entering these lakes. Sewage treatment plants would be set up to treat the water before entering the lakes in which the sewage water enters the most.
In the other lakes the sewage water is being diverted away from the lake.
Many people in the catchment areas defecate and urinate in open areas and it flows into the lakes.
In order to prevent such pollution, wet lands with various duck weeds that have the capacity to purify the water that enters the lakes will be constructed.
BDA has completed the dewatering process of these lakes.

Fountains, pools, and more for JP Park

Fountains, pools, and more for JP Park



Express News ServiceFirst Published : 21 Nov 2009 07:37:33 AM ISTLast Updated : 21 Nov 2009 09:36:02 AM IST
BANGALORE: The Garden City has of late been on the receiving end as far as taking care of its parks goes. But this announcement could redeem some of the negative image.
JP Park, one of the largest parks in the city, is to soon become the first park to get international standard infrastructure. The park is to get a swimming pool, fountains, illumination and other modern features. Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA M Srinivas announced this on Friday.
He was speaking after the foundation stone laying ceremony for the housing project for SC/ST beneficiaries at Akyappa Garden in B Ramaiaha colony.
Around 426 houses would be constructed for the beneficiaries under this project by the BBMP and the houses will be ready within March next year, said Srinivas.The approximate cost alloted for the housing project is Rs 1,600 lakh.
The development work in the park would begin by December 5, 2009, he added.
“Various other infrastructure and housing projects have been initiated in this constituency,” he said.
“We have already started work on housing facilities in the constituency at the cost of Rs 22 crore and more than 2,000 houses are to be constructed,” said Srinivas.
“There are about 40 to 45 per cent backward class population and we have suffient funds to provide houses for all these people.
And not just for the SC/ST community, housing facilities will be provided to the other backward classes too. Palike officials and banks are holding talks regarding this,” he said.
Srinivas was all praises for Chief Minister Yeddyurappa. “The Chief Minister has allotted sufficient funds for the development of the constituency,” he added.

BDA plans underpass at Hebbal flyover

BDA plans underpass at Hebbal flyover



N R MadhusudhanFirst Published : 23 Nov 2009 04:09:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 23 Nov 2009 08:16:55 AM IST
BANGALORE: The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is contemplating constructing an underpass at the Hebbal flyover, instead of the loops that were proposed to make the junction signal free.
Construction of an underpass would necessitate a traffic signal to regulate vehicular flow from Marathahalli side towards Yelahanka and from Yelahanka towards Yeshwantpur. It would, however, ease traffic flow from Maratha hall it owards Yeshwantpur.
According to the earlier plan, two loops were to be constructed to make the junction signal free.
One loop was for traffic flow from Marathahalli to Yelahanka and the other from Yelahanka to Yeshwantpur. Both loops were to pass above the existing Hebbal flyover.
The change has been suggested by the technical committee after studying the conditions at the site and the costs involved.
The major problem that BDA would face while constructing the underpass is managing traffic as the flow of vehicles on both the roads that converge at the junction is heavy. Moreover, there are limited options for constructing an alternative temporary road as there is a tank on one side of the road and a railway track on the other.
Moreover, the existing flyover has limited space below it.
“We are still in the initial stages. We have to plan the underpass and we will have to construct it as soon as possible to reduce traffic congestion at the junction. It will take at least 12- 15 months to construction the underpass,” said a BDA official.

Three years of not building a Greater Bangalore

Three years of not building a Greater Bangalore



Kavitha KushalappaFirst Published : 23 Nov 2009 03:58:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 23 Nov 2009 08:17:15 AM IST
BANGALORE: Bangaloreans may like to mark this Monday. In a country that boasts of a thriving democracy, laws on decentralisation, local self governance and so and so — its showcase city has gone without an elected body for three long years.
It was on November 23, 2006 that the 100-member elected council of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) bowed out of office after completing its five-year term and Bangalore came under the prolonged administrator term.
The stretch has been a case of taking in the odds: Bengaluru International Airport got going (May 2008); the annual Bangalore IT.biz moved out of the front pages; two editions of the biennial Aero India shows kept their date with the city (2007 and 2009).
And in the signal-free stretch leading to the Bangalore International Airport or Aero India, Bangaloreans came to contend with apologies like the Cauvery theatre underpass or magic box.
Of good intentions
The good-intentioned excuse for an administrator tenure had come 21 days before November 23, 2006. On November 2, a day after the grand Suvarna Karnataka celebrations the then Kumaraswamy- led JD(S)-BJP coalition had issued the draft notification on Greater Bangalore — the merger of the city’s administrative unit with its surrounding local bodies — seven City Municipal Councils, a Town Municipal Council (Kengeri) and 111 villages.
It was the culmination of the deliberations that were initiated during the previous Congress-JD(S) coalition led by Dharam Singh.
Greater Bangalore was to a be a one-stop solution to managing the city.
As the council exited, Dilip Rau took charge as administrator and K Jairaj, who continued as commissioner, became the first commissioner of Greater Bangalore (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike).
The administrator’s rule would pave way for “quick decisions” in the city’s administration, Jairaj had said.
On the immediate priority list were road widening works, infrastructure projects like automated and multi-level car parking lots, inner core ring road and rejuvenation of the Malleshwaram market.
Since then Jairaj has moved on, S Subramanya has left and the incumbent Bharatlal Meena is the third commissioner since. Dilip Rau too has moved on; K M Shivakumar is the administrator now.
On the political side, in the run between 2006 and 2009 there was also the assembly elections and general elections.
The 2008 assembly polls was so much a battle for Bangalore itself.
Did things change?
Between the neta and the babu here are a pick of some quick facts:
POOR CASE
On September 27, 2006 the then BMP council gave its nod for receiving nearly Rs 8,000 crore as Central assistance under JNNURM.
About Rs 2,000 crore of the same was listed under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) component of JNNURM.
The Kalyaninagar slum in Sampangiramnagar was the first project to be taken up under BSUP. Officials in the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation — the state nodal agency for JNNURM — note that the work on the Kalyaninagar slum was completed almost a year ago, but it is yet to be allotted to the beneficiaries. The CM is yet to give a date for the formal inauguration of the project, BBMP sources said.
PARKING FEE
In April 2005, Narayanaswamy, the first-time corporator who went on to become mayor, indulged in some populism. Vehicle parking was made free in the city.
The traffic police saw hell.
The Cong-JD(S) combine of Dharam Singh in the state did not mind expressing reservations on the Congressled BMP’s move. BMP and the traffic police seemed to be working out some kind of a rectification. When exit time came in November 2006, it was JD(S)-BJP in the state; no party wanted to risk a reversal.
INNER CORE RING RD
With Metrorail in progress things had to obviously change for the inner core ring road which was meant to regulate the traffic flow into the city’s central business district. The project is now merged in the 12 signalfree corridors mentioned in the recently announced Rs 22,000-crore infrastructure plan.
What the HC says
Following an interlocutory application by the State Election Commission, the High Court recently directed the state to finalise the wardwise reservation by November 30 and make way for the SEC to notify the BBMP election by December 7.
WHAT THEY SAID
Express recalls some voices on Greater Bangalore heard in one of BMP council’s penultimate sittings on September 28, 2006 “If we are making a concrete jungle of our CMC areas too, from where will the city’s daily needs like vegetables come from? Bangalore’s drinking water is sourced from 100 km afar — will GB have enough water? Our city will become a dead city.” Kupparaju, a four-time corporator; he belonged to the BMP’s main Opposition JD(S) “The state government is upto nothing but a political game. Only politicians, land developers and MNCs will be served by GB, not the common people. The government should seek to start special economic zones in the city’s periphery.” Corporator and former mayor P R Ramesh; the Congressman, was the first person to petition the HC on delay in polls.

Lake drained

BANGALORE: Bird watchers of the city were in for a surprise on a Sunday morning, when they found their favourite lake, Kommaghatta, (near Kengeri) drained and empty. Appalled, they went back home in dismay, thinking that another lake had met with a tragic death.
However, officials of the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority) clarified that the lake was not being killed.
On the contrary, it is being rejuvenated. And that is what it has been drained out for.
“This morning I felt like meeting some waders and headed out to Kommaghatta lake near Kengeri with my friend,” says Garima Bhatia, who being a chemical engineer and an avid bird watcher.
Garima is also a member of the group BULBs ( Bangalore Urban Lady-Birders).
Garima says she had been there only twice before - once in June with her friend who has documented 100 bird species of this lake and then in July.
“But to our surprise, we found that the entire lake bed had been drained and dredged up, and the reed beds at the periphery which were buzzing with munias and streaked weavers, only a few months back have been completely cleared. I had never dreamt that I would be walking on the lake bed instead of along it,” she says.
When Garima asked around, a few locals informed her that the lake was being converted to a park and that the work had started at least a month ago.
No need to panic When contacted, BDA officials said that there was no cause of worry. “As part of the Rs 104-crore lake development project, 12 lakes were handed over to the BDA for dredging, creating walking paths, installing chain-link fences and making provisions for boating and security,” a BDA official said. BDA official Puttanna told Expresso, “We are rejuvenating this lake as part of the lake development programme. At the moment we are removing the silt from the lake bed. In around 12 months, this lake will be developed as the lung space for the people around this area.”

The root causes of traffic snarls on Old Madras Road

The root causes of traffic snarls on Old Madras Road are cable-stayed bridge over KR Puram railway station and railway bridge at Benniganahalli


You may experience one of these two things if just drive for a kilometer from Benniganahalli to KR Puram railway station on Old Madras Road: You may either faint looking at the sea of vehicles ahead of you or develop serious symptoms of road rage! Blame it on faulty engineering design of the road or the laid-back attitude of officials in finding early solutions to past mistakes, the Benningahalli-Tin Factory-KR Puram railway station stretch has turned out to be a daily nightmare for motorists. A majority of those who use this road are techies travelling from North Bangalore to the tech-corridors in Whitefield and Electronics City. This is also the stretch where the Outer Ring Road criss-crosses with National Highway4.
But the bane here is two bridges: The cable-stayed bridge over KR Puram railway station and the railway bridge at Benniganahalli. Both the bridges have turned out to be ‘chicken-necks’. The Bennginahalli bridge reduces an eight-lane road to two-lanes: resulting in jamming vehicles coming from Tirupati-Chennai side into the city as well as the outbound vehicles. Though roadusers have complained to the authorities countless times about the bottleneck, widening of the bridge is a dream yet to come true. During peak hours, vehicles are seen stranded for over a kilometer on either side of this bridge.
The other nightmare is the pancreatic bulge at the KR Puram railway station, below the cable-stayed bridge. Vehicles going towards Information Technology Park-Bangalore (ITPB) and Marathalli-Hosur Road pass through the opening below the bridge. A traffic jam here starts at around 6:30 am when most of the trains arrive at the station. Swati Narayan, a call-centre employee, said, While autorickshaws and taxies are parked haphazardly on the road, BMTC buses join the competition of wooing train passengers. The resultant effect is a snarl. What annoys everyone is when the trucks pile-up behind these vehicles and start honking incessantly. It is irritation to the core.
The nuisance reaches a crescendo between 8 am and 11 am, when everyone gets on to the road. A bus stop near the railway station also slows down the traffic. It takes 25-30 minutes for a motorist to travel from Tin Factory to KR Puram railway station in the mornings. The same mayhem prevails in the evening too. While motorists curse the traffic cops for the mess, the latter point towards faulty design of the bridge and claim helplessness. The bridge was constructed to ease traffic on the national highway. Nobody had thought that Whitefield will turn out to be the tech-corridor at that point of time, a cop explained.
The traffic blocks caused by both the bridges have a cascading effect on the pedestrians at the Tin Factory junction, the mid-point between the two bridges. With traffic density being 12,000 passenger car units (PCUs) on the road, Tin Factory junction has turned out to be a death-trap for pedestrians. On an average, about 90 fatal accidents and 600 non-fatal accidents used to be reported in KR Puram traffic jurisdiction. But some pro-active measures taken by the traffic police in the recent times have come as a breather for motorists.
K R Puram police inspector (traffic) B K Umesh has succeeded in streamlining traffic to some extent by deploying a whopping eight cops at Tin Factory junction during peak hours. Though pedestrian signals were installed recently, they keep conking out because of technical errors.

Now, read your bus’s mind!

Now, read your bus’s mind!
The BMTC is all set to introduce the Passenger Information System in bus stops
SUCHITH KIDIYOOR


Waiting without a clue for that Volvo bus to arrive at your bus-stop? Well, here’s some good news! The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is all set to flag off the Passenger Information System (PIS) in its bus stops!
To start with, the PIS will be installed in 20 major bus shelters on the Bangalore International Airport (BIA) routes. With this, passengers will be able to get real-time information on Volvo bus arrivals. The PIS panels fitted in these bus-shelters will display information pertaining to route numbers, destinations, type of bus service, expected time of arrival of buses, vehicle numbers and other details. The PIS will work with the help of the Global Positioning System (GPS). The information will be displayed in both English and Kannada.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, BMTC director (projects) P K Garg, said,”We have already fitted GPS technology in 200-odd buses. Shortly, we will install PIS panels in bus shelters all along BIA routes. It will help passengers to access real time information of bus arrivals to a particular station. It will also promote Volvo bus services operated by the Corporation.”
It may be recalled that installation of PIS in bus shelters as well as inside buses was a long pending project of the BMTC. Though it had cleared the tender of a private firm, it could not go ahead with the plans because of a row over advertisements between the supplier and Bruhath Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) which constructs the bus shelters. Earlier, it had planned to install PIS panels in 80 bus shelters on 12 routes from the city to the international airport. This time, however, the BMTC is confident of clearing all hurdles and of installing the PIS in bus shelters with the help of KEONICS.
An official of the BMTC said that the Corporation has already installed PIS panels in three bus shelters in the city including the Shantinagar bus shelter. The BMTC has identified 20 bus shelters at various points in the city which includes Marathalli, Mekhri Circle, Hebbal, Malleshwaram, Shivajinagar, Majestic bus stand, Jayanagar and other areas. This time, the BMTC has decided that it will not display any kind of advertisements in PIS panels. It will only display real time information for the benefit of passengers.
PIS TO PROMOTE VOLVO SERVICES
BMTC which operates 300 odd city Volvo buses and 63 Vayu Vajra buses to the BIAL has not yet found good occupancy rates in all the routes. Installation of PIS in bus shelters will help the BMTC to increase occupancy. “Now passengers are clueless about bus arrival timings. Hence, the poor occupancy rates,” said an official.“If the PIS project proves successful, we will extend the project to all the areas in the city. We also have plans to install the PIS in Volvo buses which ply to BIAL,” the official added.