Pay-and-park scheme in limbo

Pay-and-park scheme in limbo
Council Divided Over Implementing The Plan Before End Of Tenure
The Times of India

Bangalore: The one civic issue plaguing Bangaloreans — pay-and-park — still remains in limbo. For the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council is adamant on ensuring that the scheme is not implemented before their tenure is over.
On Monday, at the penultimate meeting of BMP, corporators fought over non-implementation of the scheme despite a government order clearly stating that pay-and-park return with immediate effect. BMP commissioner K Jairaj informed that tenders had been called for parking contractors at 13 arterial roads across Bangalore. “This is only for surface parking. There is also a suggestion to have metered parking like Brigade Road, Commercial Street. We have identified 13 different roads.”
Within minutes of his announcement, mayor Mumtaz Begum struck it down saying, “The BMP Council has taken a decision on cancelling the pay-andpark scheme. Therefore we will not re-introduce it. Cancel the tenders for it.”
A furore broke out in the Council with allegations and counter-allegations flying through. Ironically, the Congress corporators kicked up a ruckus blaming the existing ruling government for not approving the resolution of pay-and-park. Whereas, it was the Dharam Singh-lead government that had struck down the payand-park scheme.
Sources, however, say that the scheme would be re-introduced soon after the tenure of the present BMP Council — November end.
Poster zone: Taking note of the glut of posters across the city, the Council decided to have a ‘poster zone’ in every zone where film distributors could put up posters. The BMP has written to political parties asking them to take permission before putting up posters, banners across the city and defiling them.
Another decision was taken on pulling down all publicity material across all wards in the city and calling for new tenders. This could also adhere to the newly-approved advertisement bye-laws, said BMP officials.

Is Bangalore losing its sheen?

Is Bangalore losing its sheen?
For a long time, Bangalore has been the Silicon Valley of India. As the industry has grown exponentially, the fact that the city’s infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with it has resulted in problems aplenty. But there’s hope yet because all key players are seized of the issue and are chipping in with workable solutions
The Times of India


Aquestion that’s sometimes asked in whispers was articulated aloud in an engaging discussion panel at the CEO Conclave, which is part of Bangalore IT.in 2006, at Palace Grounds on Monday evening.
Although many were bold enough to say that the state government’s attitude greatly contributed to the erosion of Brand Bangalore, no one was actually willing to give up entirely on the city or write it off completely. B V Naidu, director STP-B, said: “Silicon Valley has always witnessed brand volatility based on changing tech dynamics. However, Bangalore never felt such drastic erosion as Bangalore Inc was a healthy confluence of multiple businesses including IT, ITES, BT, healthcare, textile and garments and manufacturing. The city still has a good brand. It recently attracted a large retail chain that will soon set up a 2,000-people facility here. Having said that, if the government did not attend to infrastructure, the brand will die.”
It’s all quite relative, pointed out M N Vidyashankar, state secretary (IT). “Who is capable of replicating Bangalore’s tech dominance? Then how can anyone say that it’s losing its lustre,” he asked?
Ghanshyam Dass, managing director (Asia Pacific) Nasdaq, observed: “Brand Bangalore existed even during the pre-Independence era. The city had a strong corporate culture with a large number of PSUs, research institutions and educational institutes. The growth has been pretty evident in the recent past. For instance, the city had only 39 MNCs in 2000 and that number has crossed 800 today. What can keep the brand alive and kicking is a serious look at the quality of its infrastructure and educational system.’’
Bob Kondamoori, managing partner, Sandalwood Capital Partners, took a slightly different view. “Sheen comes and goes. It’s a global phenomenon and China currently has quite a bit of it. Bangalore continues to lure businesses and venture capitalists thanks to its intellectual property. Generally, VCs as a community don’t like to invest in a company that is 10 kms away, but when it comes to Bangalore, they often find exceptions.”
S Sadagopan, director, IIIT-B, said, “All human beings want to be wanted. What happens when that sense of being wanted is lost, and that’s what happened to Bangalore. Nothing but lack of aspiration is killing the city.”
Frank Jones, president, Intel India warned: “The city will remain a brand only if innovation is kept alive.’’
Subash Menon, CMD & CEO Subex Azure, said, “When IT started, Bangalore was alone and could capture exclusive attention. Today, the growth is pan-Indian and hence the attention is divided. However, the government should have the right attitude, otherwise the city will actually lose its sheen. The callous attitude of the government must changed.”
“The problem with Bangalore is that the city cannot grow its infrastructure to cope up the corporate growth it’s experiencing. For instance, on a single stretch of 1.5 km, over 50,000 people are working,” observed Vivek Kulkarni, chairman & CEO, Brickworks India.

The audience, comprising CEOs from the industry and others, listen in rapt attention at the panel discussion.


Bob Kondamoori Managing partner, Sandalwood Capital Partners
More helping
hands needed
There are a lot more hands coming out (in the government) trying to help. Universities should pitch in with more resources since they are the source of the talent pool.


Frank Jones President, Intel India
Let red tape go
Bangalore is the only city people in the US know, even today. We need to have the will to keep Brand Bangalore going. A lot of resources are spent by companies to work through governmental red tape, which should not be the case.


Ghanshyam Dass Managing Director (Asia Pacific), Nasdaq Stock Market
Ecosystem a must
Improve infrastructure; raise quality of workforce; upgrade engineering institutions. Cities like San Diego and Salt Lake City in the US developed because the government created an ecosystem there. Similar efforts are required here.


S Sadagopan
Founder-Director of International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore
We all want to
be wanted
All human beings want to be wanted. When you are not wanted you know what happens. That’s happening to Bangalore.


M N Vidyashankar
Secretary, Karnataka government’s department of information technology, biotechnology and science & technology. More thrust on infrastructure
Tier II/III cities have grown as spikes; the core of Bangalore still hasn’t lost its sheen. You cannot replicate the sheen of Bangalore anywhere else in the world. BPO/ITES companies should seriously consider setting up base in smaller cities in the state. In two years, infrastructure in Bangalore will see a dramatic difference.


B V Naidu Director, Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore/Hyderabad.
Let us come
together
If all people get together — industry, government and academia — the sheen will be back in Bangalore. Industry needs to take more responsibility.


Kris Gopalakrishnan President and Chief Operating Officer, Infosys Technologies
Urgency is missing
Bangalore is losing its sheen. The city does not have the same ability to attract companies and create new jobs it had five years ago. There is a feeling that IT is no longer important; that urgency is missing. I feel future IT parks will be residential. Create facilities for a decent life in other towns to encourage people to move there.


Vivek Kulkarni Chairman and CEO of Brickwork India
Traffic remains
a curse here
Traffic in Bangalore is the big problem. Beyond that, I don’t see any major issue. Bangalore hasn’t lost its sheen; the maximum number of expats still prefer the city.


Subash Menon Founder Chairman, Managing Director & CEO of Subex.
Govt to blame
for this mess
It’s a cliche to say Brand Bangalore is losing its sheen. Everything is relative. We are saddled with some of the worst guys in the government. Their attitude is callous.

Notification soon on display of Kannada boards

Notification soon on display of Kannada boards

The Hindu

Fine to be imposed on violators

# KDA plans `Signboards Week'
# Private cellular phone firms criticised for non-use of Kannada

BANGALORE: As Karnataka is set to celebrate the golden jubilee of its formation, it is time to turn attention to "Kannadikarana" of Bangalore and the rest of the State, says the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) chairman Siddalingaiah.

Private firms, including cellphone companies, and public sector companies like IndianOil and Hindustan Petroleum, are all advertising only in English, and they are all going to be monitored closely in the coming weeks. A notification is soon to be issued by the Government making it mandatory for everyone to display Kannada boards prominently, according to him.

Dr. Siddalingaiah on Monday announced a slew of plans to achieve this objective, and it kicks off with a "Signboards Week" to persuade traders and commercial establishments in Bangalore to display Kannada signboards.

"We will start with Commercial Street, and we have already received a good response from the traders there," he told presspersons.

Dr. Siddalingaiah and his team have been travelling all over State to make an assessment of usage and implementation of Kannada as the administrative language. He said they had found many things that were alarming where the future of Kannada was concerned. However, none of them was "incurable", and timely application of corrective measures could restore Kannada to its primacy.

All corporations and other urban local bodies and panchayats, apart from the Urban Development Department would be directed to ensure that the areas under their jurisdiction featured signboards prominently in Kannada.

He came down on private cellular phone companies and petrol pumps all over the State where not a single Kannada word could be seen on display.

Tuesday is the deadline for traders, commercial establishments and Union Government institutions. During November, violations would be taken note of and fines would be imposed on violators.

After consultations with the officials of the Labour Department and, IT, BT Department, the authority had decided to recommend to the Government that investors and those setting up industries in the State should give an undertaking that they would employ only Kannadigas for Group C and D jobs.

He would call a meeting with Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Commissioner K. Jairaj to chalk out an action plan for "Kannada-isation" of the dozen-odd malls in the city. "It is shocking to note that Kannada is virtually invisible in all these malls. The shop salespersons do not speak Kannada, and there are no Kannada boards in any of the malls."

He said Kannada implementation in many government departments like Commercial Taxes and Energy Department were not up to the mark. During November he would inspect these departments and get them to fall in line.

However, it was heartening to see that scores of Kannada medium schools were running very well in border areas in neighbouring States, be it Andhra Pradesh, Kerala or Tamil Nadu. He found a huge demand for Kannada books on literature and other subjects in places like Hosur and Kasargod and in Andhra Pradesh. He has mooted the idea of supplying textbooks and other books to the libraries of 50 schools in Kasaragod, while the Sapna Book House said it would provide books to 50 schools.

Better facilities can save Brand Bangalore

Better facilities can save Brand Bangalore
The Times of India

Bangalore: Brand Bangalore is at some risk. But serious, coordinated action through a government-industry partnership, especially on infrastructure, can not only sustain the brand but also strengthen it to make it a leading global technology hub. That was the opinion of the highprofile panel that was part of the CEO Conclave on ‘Brand Bangalore — The Toast of IT’, organised by the Karnataka government’s IT department and Software Technology Parks of India in association with The Times of India on Monday.
S Gopalakrishnan, Infosys president and COO, was categorical that Brand Bangalore is losing its sheen. He cautioned that the gradual shift of companies out of Bangalore to other cities could gather steam, and “suddenly you will find job creation slowing down”.
IIIT-B founder director S Sadagopan articulated the same feeling, arguing that people/investors frequently feel they are not wanted in Bangalore. Several panelists felt infrastructure is Bangalore’s biggest bugbear. “There’s a lot to be done by the government on infrastructure,” Ghanshyam Dass, MD (Asia Pacific) of Nasdaq Stock Market said. A point echoed by Subex CMD Subhash Menon: “Infrastructure is needed. But the Karnataka government often does not have the attitude to do the right things.”
Bob Kondamoori, MD, Sandalwood Capital Partners, felt the more important issue is to further build Bangalore’s intellectual capital. “Universities should pitch in more.” Frank Jones, president of Intel India, expressed his frustration at having to spend an inordinate amount of resources to “manipulate” through red tape. “We wish we could focus on our business,” he said.
Vivek Kulkarni, former Karnataka IT secretary and now CEO of Brickwork India, said companies should look at the option of setting up facilities in smaller cities in Karnataka. “Many of these cities have necessary facilities. Belgaum even has a golf course.” The discussion was moderated by H S Balram, Resident Editor, The Times of India.

Traffic aid to be a call away

Traffic aid to be a call away
Deccan Herald

The City traffic police will be shortly launching a call centre to address people’s traffic-related grievances, get their suggestions for improvement and respond to emergency situations.

The City traffic police will be shortly launching a call centre to address people’s traffic-related grievances, get their suggestions for improvement and respond to emergency situations. The call centre, a public-partnership initiative, will be housed in the public utility building on Mahatma Gandhi Road. It would function like a single-window agency for addressing any traffic-related event, including violations and accidents.

The call centre, which would have a dedicated telephone line, will be launched by the end of this year. The present toll free number for road accidents — 103 — will be integrated into it. It will also accept complaints and suggestions through postal mail, e-mail, fax and SMS. “All mails and phone calls will be attended to within a time frame. Accidents and emergencies will be given priority and the response will be immediate,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M N Reddi.

He said that the responses will be segregated into three categories. While ‘A’ will be to tell callers that their work has been done, ‘B’ would be to inform that it is being attended to and ‘C’ would mean that it cannot be done. The centre, to be modelled on the Delhi traffic call centre, will also facilitate timely help to road accident victims.

Mayor cancels tenders

Mayor cancels tenders
Deccan Herald

Noting that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike administration had not taken the BMP council into confidence before calling for tenders pertaining to re-introduction of the paid-parking system in the City, Mayor Mumtaz Begum ordered their cancellation on Monday.

However, Commissioner K Jairaj did not attach much importance to the mayor’s order, stating to reporters later that the administration is standing “on strong legal ground.”

This was just another episode of the political and administrative wrangle that has been on since the beginning of the year – after the State Government (on December 31, 2005) struck down the BMP’s decision to make vehicle parking fee-free in the City. (Parking has been fee-free since April 2005.)


Responding to media queries, the commissioner said the memo intimating the State Government’s decision was recorded in the BMP council many months ago (in mid-February), and therefore, the administration has done nothing wrong in calling for tenders. However, he added that he would consult legal experts again.

He also did not think much of the mayor’s argument that the BMP’s sub-committee, which reviewed the matter (in the wake of the government’s decision), had also maintained that parking should be free in the city. “It is a different matter,” Mr Jairaj said, noting that right now, the government’s order is the final word on the issue.

The tenders, which were called in mid-September, are scheduled to be opened on October 31, he said. The same pertains to the re-introduction of the manual paid-parking system on 13 roads in the City.

Questions raised

The mayor’s order came after questions were raised on the tenders by Opposition BJP leader A H Basavaraj. Confusion prevailed for a while, when Congress members got the facts wrong and charged the JD(S)-BJP coalition with playing politics with a popular measure introduced by the Congress-ruled BMP. Gleeful BJP members corrected them — it was the previous Congress-JD(S) government that had struck down the BMP’s resolution.

The competence of the City’s traffic cops was also questioned by the corporators. “If traffic in the city can be regulated only through the paid-parking system, then what good are traffic cops? They are asking the public to perform their role,” noted Congress corporator Sayeed Jaleel.

Unauthorised hoardings more in Mayor’s ward

Unauthorised hoardings more in Mayor’s ward
Deccan Herald

Mayor Mumtaz Begum was in for a spell of embarrassment on Monday when the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike council was informed that the number of unauthorised hoardings, posters and banners were relatively higher in the Shivajinagar area that Ms Begum represents (Ward 79) in the BMP council.

Updating the council on the monthly drive against these unauthorised exhibits, Joint Commissioner (East) Nagaraj noted that the monthly drive in Shivajinagar was not undertaken recently because it was a festive period and added that the drive would resume soon. The council meanwhile resolved to make it mandatory that advertisement hoardings shall be in Kannada, especially on the occasion of the Suvarna Karnataka year.

Corporator B M Mangala (BJP) noted that the highlight readings in the hoardings should be in Kannada and that English translations may follow it.

Emirates Airline begins Dubai-Bangalore operations

Emirates Airline begins Dubai-Bangalore operations

The Hindu

BANGALORE: Emirates Airline, the wholly owned airline of Dubai Government, commenced operations between Dubai and Bangalore on Sunday.

Emirates added 2,000 seats and 120 tonnes of cargo per week with eight flights through the Bangalore operation.

Nabil Sultan, Emirates' senior vice-president-commercial operations (West Asia and Indian Ocean), told presspersons here on Monday that the Dubai-based airline's presence in India included 71 weekly flights to eight destinations, of which Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram commanded 39 flights.

Nearly 50 per cent more seats were added to India during the last one year with the sub-continent contributing over eight per cent to the total revenues of the airline and carrying 17 per cent of the total number of passengers. During 2005, global revenues of the Emirates was $ 6.6 billion and the airline carried a total of 14.5 million passengers.

It operates freighter services to Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi. The airline has a fleet size of 99 aircraft and has ordered for 45 A380s from Airbus with the first delivery of the aircraft expected in August 2008.

Celebrating the start of its flights, Emirates launched its Bangalore-Dubai-Bangalore stopover deals. First, business and economy class passengers travelling between October 30 and February 2007 would receive a complimentary three, two and one night stay respectively at the Traders Hotel, Dubai.

It has also simplified visa procedure for passengers visiting or transiting through Dubai by launching the Dubai Visa Processing Centre.

Utility building to get a facelift

Utility building to get a facelift

The Hindu

Renovated building to have provision for rainwater harvesting and a sewage treatment plant

# Walls to be identified for putting up posters
# Advertisement byelaws to come into effect from January

Bangalore: The Public Utility Building will finally receive a much-deserved face-lift. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike council on Monday passed a unanimous resolution to renovate and modernise the building.

Apart from physical upgradation, the renovated building will have provision for rainwater harvesting, fire safety and a sewage treatment plant, the resolution said. The resolution also called upon the BMP Commissioner to take action against those who had illegally sublet spaces allotted to them. It also states that rentals could be hiked and legal action initiated against a restaurant on the 24th floor of the building. The lease period of that hotel management had expired yet the restaurant continued to run, said A.H. Basavaraju, BJP leader at the BMP Council.

Also called Subash Chandra Bose commercial complex, shop owners at the building currently pay a measly rental of Rs. 7 a square feet. The revenue generated from the complex falls far short of the maintenance expenditure. The Standing committee of accounts and finance had recommended that the rentals be hiked to 15 per cent of the existing fee.

Poster walls

To curb the menace of unauthorised posters coming up at different parts of the city, BMP Commissioner K. Jairaj said that "poster walls" could be a solution. He said that 10 or 12 walls could be identified in every zone and all posters put up there. The Film Chamber of Commerce had requested that space for at least 300 posters be made available to them, he said. If this proposal comes through, Bangalore could be among the few big cities to restrict film posters to designated spots. Film hoardings are already limited here to premises of cinema halls.

Mr. Jairaj said that the advertisement byelaws would come into effect from January following the State Government's approval.

Filtered down: B’lore to get a coffee university

Filtered down: B’lore to get a coffee university
The Economic Times


COFFEE is commonly brewed in universities across the world, especially during exam time. But a university for coffee is not an everyday occurrence, is it? Come January, the Trieste-based Universita del Caffe, which currently trains 2,000 professionals in the hotel and hospitality sector every year on how to make and serve that perfect cup of coffee, will be starting a full-time course in the coffee-growing and consuming capital of India — Bangalore.
The Universita del Caffe was started in ’03 by the Italian company illy, 6m cups of whose illycafe are drunk every day in over 40,000 hotels and restaurants in 144 countries worldwide. This makes it the world’s leading espresso. However, the company’s chairman Andrea Illy says the consumption reflects the quality of his espresso, the consistency of which in cupping profile is derived from a blend of the finest Arabica Parchment (Plantation A) beans from nine of the world’s premier coffee-growing countries.
This is where, he adds, India comes in. India’s Plantation A beans are a key component of the blend in each cup of illycafe. Sourcing from India has doubled over the past five years to an extent where illy has become a leading international buyer of India’s premium Plantation A beans.
“We are the biggest buyer of gourmet Arabica Parchment coffee from India. Last year, we sourced 35,000 bags of 60 kg each from India, aggregating 2,100 tonne of Plantation A beans. Our quality standards are so rigid that each lot of 150 bags has to have zero olfactory defects (aroma defects). In terms of visual defects, our electronic sorters tolerate only one scratched bean for every 150.”
The reason for starting a Universita del Caffe in Bangalore is not just the constantly improving quality of Indian Arabica, a process which, says Mr Illy, has been catalysed by illy’s four-year-old India Coffee Quality Prize for the best growers.
“We see India as not just a sourcing centre but a potentially major
market for illycafe. Today’s per capita consumption may be just over 2.2 gm, but all the ingredients for a coffee consumption revolution are there in India in terms of an annual 8% GDP growth rate, urbanisation, a retail boom and rapidly increasing personal disposable income. India’s domestic coffee consumption has soared by 14% in just a year or two. We will start our Universita del Caffe in India to cash in on the coffee-consumption revolution. In October ’05, we signed a $15-m deal with the Sterling Group to make illycafe available in 5,000 vending machines in five years. illycafe is now being served in 80 of the Sterling Group’s Barista bars,” he said.

Many miles to go from Bangalore to Bengalooru

Many miles to go from Bangalore to Bengalooru
Deccan Herald

Only an announcement on IT City’s new name — Bengalooru — is expected to be made on November 1 at the mega event to be held at Chinnaswamy Stadium to mark the golden jubilee of the State’s unification. However, the city of 6.5 million will have to wait for some more time before ushering in its new name in Kannada.

According to officials in the Kannada and Culture Department, the name change process is not simple. It includes seeking clearance from the Centre and a gazette notification after inviting objections from the public.

“Though the State government has the prerogative to change the name, it will first have to be placed before the Union Home Ministry for approval. The Geological Survey of India will also have to be notified so that it can make changes in all its records”, according to Kannada and Culture Secretary I M Vittal Murthy.


Moreover, the State Cabinet is yet to pass a resolution on the new name. Bangalore can officially junk its Raj nomenclature to become Bengalooru only after a final gazette notification is issued.

On December 11, 2005, the State government announced that it had accepted the proposal by Jnanpeeth awardee U R Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to its Kannada name Bengalooru.

On September 27, 2006 the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change, pending approvals from the government. On October 7, 2006, the Government accepted this resolution and decided to implement the name officially on November 1, 2006. However, the wait, it seems, is not yet over.

Meanwhile, the decision of the government to rechristen Bangalore has spotlighted the city’s origins.

According to the popular version, the city came to be first known as “Bendakalooru” (boiled beans) in the native language (Kannada) six centuries ago when king Ballala of the Hoysala dynasty coined it after he was served boiled beans by an old woman while on a hunting expedition in its vicinity.

With the advent of the British Raj in the 18th century, the city came to be known as Bangalore after its officials and troops settled in the cantonment area and anglicised the local name for their convenience.

However, noted historian Suryanath Kamath rubbishes the boiled bean version as “mere stories”.

According to him, an inscription found near the Parvathi Nageshwara Temple in Begur, dating back to 890 AD, shows Bangalore is over 1,000 years old.

BMRC board reviews progress

BMRC board reviews progress
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Board members of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) held a meeting on Saturday, to discuss various issues regarding the progress of the project. Union Urban Secretary, Anil Kumar Baijal, chaired the meeting.

Speaking to this website's newspaper, BMRCL MD V Madhu said that various aspects of the project came up for discussion. He said that the approval for acquisition of land for the project is expected soon.

Regarding the agitation by residents and traders of CMH Road for a change in the alignment, Madhu said that Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy had not decided what is needed, after an inspection of the site on October 25.

Meanwhile, the first phase of the Metro rail project has already begun with soil-testing being conducted in many sites around the city.

Folksy tunes ring the air in Lalbagh

Folksy tunes ring the air in Lalbagh
Deccan Herald

hues. On Saturday, the ‘Janapada Jaathre’ - an effort to bring the urban populace face-to-face with their roots through folk art, witnessed a huge turnout of over 1,000 people.

A drifting cloud set the evening sky free, as though paving the way for a confluence – of folk art in its different hues. On Saturday, the ‘Janapada Jaathre’ - an effort to bring the urban populace face-to-face with their roots through folk art, witnessed a huge turnout of over 1,000 people.

The folk festival, which was hosted for the first time in front of the Vidhana Soudha a fortnight ago, was shifted to Lalbagh this time, with a promise to return every fourth Saturday and Sunday.

‘Janapadakke Marali’ - a call to return to ones’ roots was the message that was beautifully delivered to the audience by a team of 222 folk artistes from across the State.


Sheer joy took centrestage as artistes ‘rode’ the ‘keelukudure’ (horse), ‘peacocks’ and ‘giants’ (on stilts) took a stroll in the illuminated lanes of Lalbagh. Watching the masked faces in ‘Somana Kunita’, cheerful beats of ‘nagari’ and ‘tamate’, rhythm of the ‘kolata’ and the sudden distraction in the form of ‘Bhoota Nruthya’, one got acquainted with the various folk cultures of Mysore, Mandya, Anekal and Dakshina Kannada. No troupe or art form, presented at the Vidhana Soudha was repeated here.

The ritualistic folk art forms of rural communities, were interspersed with the urban experimentation of folk dances by the City-based troupes. “The festival has infused new enthusiasm among the youth — both to practice and to appreciate folk art,” says Sankara (29), a ‘Nagori’ artiste from Mysore, almost summing up the spirit of the festival.

On the occasion, a CD of a collection of folk songs by renowned folk artistes was released by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

IT’s a damp squib on Day One

IT’s a damp squib on Day One
Deccan Herald

The dark clouds threatened to break into a thunderous downpour keeping the sunshine away from Bangalore IT.in, 2006. A thin stream of visitors trickled in post noon. But after strolling through the stalls, visitors preferred to cluster around the popcorn, candy and fizzy drinks stalls.

The dark clouds threatened to break into a thunderous downpour keeping the sunshine away from Bangalore IT.in, 2006. A thin stream of visitors trickled in post noon. But after strolling through the stalls, visitors preferred to cluster around the popcorn, candy and fizzy drinks stalls. The ninth edition of the IT showcase event of Karnataka was a damp squib (quite literally) waiting to take off.

With an impressive line-up of pavilions such as eNations, Digital and Lifestyle, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI), eStates, eInfocomm and IT Parks, the event has all the ingredients of an exhibition with substance. Blame the rain gods, the dying novelty of a once unique event or the rows of empty stalls, but the first day was slow and dull.

‘It’s just first day’


“We thought the show starts tomorrow. When we came in this morning, the stalls were still being put up. We experienced power problems and could not connect our laptops,” said Hartmut Ade, Manager Sales, SAR Elektronic GmbH, Germany. But it is only the first day, he consoled himself, confident that he could compensate for it in the next three days.

The slow start, however, did not seem to dampen the confidence of first-time participants, Germany and Japan. Participants of both countries are pretty gung-ho about attracting good business through successful networking. “Ten German companies are participating, mostly first-timers. The main aim is to expose the participants to opportunities in India as well as to generate interest in these companies within the IT industry here,” says Alokha Mendens, Manager- Business Development, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce.

The free WIMAX promised at the venue also logged in late. Officials from the service provider company, Aircel, was eagerly awaited at the venue to get it up and running. City Swaps, the recently launched sightseeing service on a bright red, open-air double decker bus arrived at the venue at 9:30 am to take visitors on a two-hour guided tour of Bangalore.

The Utility Area housed the stalls of the event organisers, the police, security, first-aid, a travel desk and a flower stall. While the only active one was the flower stall, the first-aid, police and security stalls were dotted with empty chairs.

Some colour, at last

A burst of vibrance and some splash of colour came in the form of the Greenpeace stall with its energetic staff, boldly announcing in sunny yellow and green: “When the last tree is cut, the last river is poisoned and the last fish dead, we will discover that we can’t eat money”.

Snoozing stall managers, half empty stalls, soaked red carpet and an unenthusiastic turnout. Day one was lack-lustre. It remains to be seen whether the momentum will pick up in the next three days.

BMP survey to spot violation of buildings bylaws on

BMP survey to spot violation of buildings bylaws on
The Hindu

The aim is to curb violations at an early stage

# Officials say 90 p.c. of structures under construction have violated the bylaws
# Under the new law, no case of misuse of basement space meant for parking can be regularised

Bangalore: When the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) demolished four buildings in Koramangala for alleged violation of zoning regulations, there was widespread protest. Many citizens wanted to know what the civic body was doing while the buildings were being constructed.

Over the past two months, BMP has been trying to prove that buildings under construction are being watched too and a survey is on to spot violation of building bylaws. This relatively unobtrusive survey has also covered the misuse of basements meant for parking in new buildings.

This survey came soon after the State legislature passed the Karnataka Town and Country Planning and Laws Amendments Bill, dealing with "regularisation" of building bylaw violations. The aim was to curb violations at an early stage and to determine to what extent violations can be penalised and then regularised.

According to some civic officials, close to 90 per cent of structures under construction being surveyed are found to be violating one or more stipulations in the bylaws. The norms about Floor Space Index, the open space to be maintained around multi-block apartment complexes and high-rise commercial buildings are frequently violated.

In addition to ventilation, the space around buildings is also meant to facilitate the movement of fire engines and similar vehicles during an emergency. High-rise buildings are also expected to provide emergency exits and staircases wide enough to be used when lifts break down. The number of lifts and their capacity is also fixed according to the number of occupants, and certain categories of buildings need to go through inspection by the fire services, in addition to that by BMP engineers.

Violating the rules about use of basement space has been found to be common in both commercial areas and residential areas such as Malleswaram, Jayanagar and Shantinagar.

Under the laws, basement space other than for storage or stairs or lift machinery has to maintained for parking vehicles. Large-scale misuse of basements even for commercial use was found last year in some areas like St. Mark's Road, and the shops and godowns were removed and the owners fined.

MTC to introduce electronic display system soon

MTC to introduce electronic display system soon

The Hindu

It will be set up at 80 bus shelters along routes covered by Volvo services


BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will soon introduce electronic display of passenger information at 80 bus shelters along the routes being covered by Volvo services.

It will offer real-time information with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS), according to BMTC officials.

While GIS will digitally map the city's road network, GPS will enable tracking of vehicle movement and its exact location at a given point of time with the help of a satellite. GPRS helps in the communication of data so collected between the control room and the display units.

Volvo buses are being operated along five routes — between Kempe Gowda Bus Station (KBS) and Kadugudi; KBS and Electronic City; KBS and JP Nagar 6th Phase; Shivajinagar and ITPL; and Central Silk Board and Hebbal.

The units will display the arrival timings of Volvo as well as other buses plying on the route.

The corporation had selected two private firms — Aum Infotech and Versabyta Data Systems — after closing the technical bid. It has almost completed technical evaluation of the system being offered by the companies, which have installed two prototype boards at Domlur and Corporation bus stops. Financial bid would be opened soon and those who would offer the lowest bid would be selected, the officials said.

As of now, BMTC has fitted GPS equipment in 700 of its own buses and 350 hired buses. It is now being used to track the movement of vehicles, especially hired ones, and the data are retrieved once in four hours. Officials said 1,500 more BMTC buses would get GPS equipment shortly.

The display unit, which provides arrival timings with the help of stored data, would be able to display real-time information once the system becomes online after deploying GPS, GIS and GPRS.

The officials said it was entirely the responsibility of the selected firm to operate the units while BMTC would provide only the data required. If the bus shelter had power connection, the companies would use it or else solar power, they said. The corporation will pay the service charge. MTC to introduce electronic display system soon

Staff Reporter

It will be set up at 80 bus shelters along routes covered by Volvo services



PASSENGER FRIENDLY: A file picture of the electronic display system at a bus shelter at Domlur in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will soon introduce electronic display of passenger information at 80 bus shelters along the routes being covered by Volvo services.

It will offer real-time information with the help of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS), according to BMTC officials.

While GIS will digitally map the city's road network, GPS will enable tracking of vehicle movement and its exact location at a given point of time with the help of a satellite. GPRS helps in the communication of data so collected between the control room and the display units.

Volvo buses are being operated along five routes — between Kempe Gowda Bus Station (KBS) and Kadugudi; KBS and Electronic City; KBS and JP Nagar 6th Phase; Shivajinagar and ITPL; and Central Silk Board and Hebbal.

The units will display the arrival timings of Volvo as well as other buses plying on the route.

The corporation had selected two private firms — Aum Infotech and Versabyta Data Systems — after closing the technical bid. It has almost completed technical evaluation of the system being offered by the companies, which have installed two prototype boards at Domlur and Corporation bus stops. Financial bid would be opened soon and those who would offer the lowest bid would be selected, the officials said.

As of now, BMTC has fitted GPS equipment in 700 of its own buses and 350 hired buses. It is now being used to track the movement of vehicles, especially hired ones, and the data are retrieved once in four hours. Officials said 1,500 more BMTC buses would get GPS equipment shortly.

The display unit, which provides arrival timings with the help of stored data, would be able to display real-time information once the system becomes online after deploying GPS, GIS and GPRS.

The officials said it was entirely the responsibility of the selected firm to operate the units while BMTC would provide only the data required. If the bus shelter had power connection, the companies would use it or else solar power, they said. The corporation will pay the service charge.

They clear up urban filth with their bare hands

They clear up urban filth with their bare hands

The Hindu

Pourakarmikas are constantly exposed to infections and disease in the course of their work in cities and towns


Bangalore: Babaiah, a municipal cleaner, emerges drenched in filth from a blocked manhole in the busy N.R. Colony bus stand. The people around him hold their noses and step back. This particular manhole needed to be cleaned manually, and Babaiah was there to do it. In many city municipal council areas around Bangalore, septic tanks are still in use, and `scavengers' like Babaiah have to clean them out.

Another class of workers, pourakarmikas, who are government employees, remove stinking garbage and waste from hotels, clinics and slaughterhouses using small pushcarts. The garbage is then manually loaded onto corporation trucks in places such as Anjaneya Temple Street in Malleswaram, which have several waste collection points.

Narasamma and five others in her family are employed as sweepers by contractors in Subedarpalya. Saroja, Jayamma and Rajamma, her co-workers, complain that they get frequent chest pain and fever since they work amid garbage most of the day.

Achamma of Seshadripuram, another pourakarmika, broke her leg in an accident but received no compensation. Municipal cleaners like her work in difficult and unhygienic conditions.

Many of them go down manholes, some as deep as 20 ft, and get into soak pits and septic tanks and collect and load garbage/waste onto trucks.

The manholes come under the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the soak pits/septic tanks are found in the municipal council areas under the Departments of Municipal Administration.

The BWSSB has 64 service stations for managing 1.60 lakh manholes, but only a small group of 236 permanent employees to clear blockages. They have no protection against bacteria, cockroaches, rodents and harmful gases such as methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, benzene and ammonia. There have been cases of cleaners falling unconscious inside manholes.

Chest pain, typhoid, polio and leptospirosis are common among such workers. They contract skin diseases through cuts received from glass and metal pieces in manholes and soak pits. Most of the municipal councils and village panchayats have not recruited scavengers/sweepers on a permanent basis.

According to M. Subbarayudu, general secretary of a federation of seven pourakarmika associations, several workers have died of water-borne diseases, but contractors who employ them wash their hands of by paying a few hundred rupees to the families of the workers.

Poorly paid

Citing the report of the I.P.D. Salappa Committee on Improvement of Living and Working Conditions of Sweepers and Scavengers, Mr. Subbarayudu says Bangalore city requires at least 15,000 pourakarmikas, but there are only 4,000 permanent and 7,000 contract employees. To make matters worse, the workers get a measly sum of Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,500 a month of which contractors take Rs. 300 from each, he said. Incidentally, pourakarmikas in Gulbarga get Rs. 4,900 a month, thanks to the initiative taken by the former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh. This should be extended throughout the State, says Mr. Subbarayudu. They clear up urban filth with their bare hands

T.S. Ranganna

Pourakarmikas are constantly exposed to infections and disease in the course of their work in cities and towns



DAILY GRIND: Contract workers loading garbage onto trucks in Bangalore. — Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Bangalore: Babaiah, a municipal cleaner, emerges drenched in filth from a blocked manhole in the busy N.R. Colony bus stand. The people around him hold their noses and step back. This particular manhole needed to be cleaned manually, and Babaiah was there to do it. In many city municipal council areas around Bangalore, septic tanks are still in use, and `scavengers' like Babaiah have to clean them out.

Another class of workers, pourakarmikas, who are government employees, remove stinking garbage and waste from hotels, clinics and slaughterhouses using small pushcarts. The garbage is then manually loaded onto corporation trucks in places such as Anjaneya Temple Street in Malleswaram, which have several waste collection points.

Narasamma and five others in her family are employed as sweepers by contractors in Subedarpalya. Saroja, Jayamma and Rajamma, her co-workers, complain that they get frequent chest pain and fever since they work amid garbage most of the day.

Achamma of Seshadripuram, another pourakarmika, broke her leg in an accident but received no compensation. Municipal cleaners like her work in difficult and unhygienic conditions.

Many of them go down manholes, some as deep as 20 ft, and get into soak pits and septic tanks and collect and load garbage/waste onto trucks.

The manholes come under the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the soak pits/septic tanks are found in the municipal council areas under the Departments of Municipal Administration.

The BWSSB has 64 service stations for managing 1.60 lakh manholes, but only a small group of 236 permanent employees to clear blockages. They have no protection against bacteria, cockroaches, rodents and harmful gases such as methane, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide, benzene and ammonia. There have been cases of cleaners falling unconscious inside manholes.

Chest pain, typhoid, polio and leptospirosis are common among such workers. They contract skin diseases through cuts received from glass and metal pieces in manholes and soak pits. Most of the municipal councils and village panchayats have not recruited scavengers/sweepers on a permanent basis.

According to M. Subbarayudu, general secretary of a federation of seven pourakarmika associations, several workers have died of water-borne diseases, but contractors who employ them wash their hands of by paying a few hundred rupees to the families of the workers.

Poorly paid

Citing the report of the I.P.D. Salappa Committee on Improvement of Living and Working Conditions of Sweepers and Scavengers, Mr. Subbarayudu says Bangalore city requires at least 15,000 pourakarmikas, but there are only 4,000 permanent and 7,000 contract employees. To make matters worse, the workers get a measly sum of Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,500 a month of which contractors take Rs. 300 from each, he said. Incidentally, pourakarmikas in Gulbarga get Rs. 4,900 a month, thanks to the initiative taken by the former Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh. This should be extended throughout the State, says Mr. Subbarayudu.

Garuda Mall gets more land in spite of violation

Garuda Mall gets more land in spite of violation
Vijay Times

Garuda Mall is in the news again. Despite stiff opposition from some corporators against the mall for alleged violation of building by-laws, here comes some shocking news.

The BMP Standing Committee on Town Planning has passed a resolution granting an additional 3,456 sq ft land to the mall. The resolution is likely to be discussed at the BMP subject meeting for the council’s approval on Monday.

BMP commissioner K Jairaj had admitted the mall promoters had violated the contract it had entered into with the BMP for construction of a shopping mall-cumparking lot on Magrath Road.

When the issue was raised by BJP opposition leader A H Basavaraj in the council, Jairaj said the BMP Joint Director of Town Planning (JDTP) had issued notices to Garuda Mall for violating BMP conditions and encroaching upon the parking lot.

The BMP had directed the mall promoters to rectify the flaws.

As regards the additional grant of 3,456 sq ft land, the commissioner said the land was granted by the BMP Project Management Group (PMG).

This led to a pandemonium in the council, following which Jairaj said he would have an audit done on the same through the Information Development Corporation (iDeC).

Later, Basavaraj told VViijja ay y TTiim mees san inquiry should be conducted on violations committed by the mall promoters. “The commissioner should ensure flaws and violations are rectified before granting additional land.”

Demolition drive put off in Girinagar

Demolition drive put off in Girinagar
Deccan Herald

The Bangalore Development Authority Ta-sk Force arrived at its favourite spot, Girinagar, on Friday to demolish the 750 houses which had come up in the area.

The Bangalore Development Authority Ta-sk Force arrived at its favourite spot, Girinagar, on Friday to demolish the 750 houses which had come up in the area. The BDA which owns over 80 acres of land in the Girinagar area saw the houses being built during its 25-year legal battle with Vishwa Bharathi House Building Co-operative Society.

As many as 1,500 members of the Society living in Girinagar gathered and protested the demolition move. By 5 pm, however, the officials backed off, without bringing down any building as they “didn’t have sufficient police force to back their drive”.

According to BDA officials, except for 37 houses, whose owners had brought a stay order, the other houses could be demolished.


The owners of these 37 houses have obtained an interim stay order of eight weeks, (up to November 4), from the High Court. And as per the stay, the construction activities, being carried out by the people, cannot be disturbed.

‘Revisit soon’

“We are free to demolish the houses there, whenever we want to. Since it was not possible today, we will revisit the area soon,” the official added.

Dream plan for unclogging B’lore

Dream plan for unclogging B’lore
Deccan Herald
Dream plan for unclogging B’lore
DH News Service Bangalore:
In a well-deliberated response to solving the ordeal commuters in Bangalore face every day, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said his government was working towards equipping the City with wireless broadband access.


In a well-deliberated response to solving the ordeal commuters in Bangalore face every day, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said his government was working towards equipping the City with wireless broadband access.

This, he believes, would encourage telecommuting, where people will work from home and eventually help solve the eternal problem of driving through the city, which is becoming increasingly difficult in Bangalore.

Mr Kumaraswamy emphasised that his government has also decided to set up five sector-specific, fully integrated, self-sufficient townships around Bangalore. This he said would obviate the need for travel to and from Bangalore city, reducing the pressure on transport infrastructure.


Delivering the inaugural address at the ninth edition of Bangalore IT.in 2006, he said his government will spare no efforts to maintain its pre-eminent position in the knowledge sector. For this, some of the initiatives would be better delivery of all public services, efficient traffic management and integration of web-based technology to help decongest Bangalore.

With the implementation of “Bangalore Unwired” project, the city will be the first in India providing seamless wireless broadband connectivity anytime, anywhere, covering a range of about 40 km radius. The wireless connectivity will be based on the latest WIMAX technology. The State government will work as the facilitator with private service providers entrusted with the task of actual roll out of this technology.

“As Mysore is also emerging as an IT hub, we are setting up a knowledge city between Bangalore and Mysore in Bidadi near Ramanagaram, covering more than 9,000 acres. We are putting in the necessary infrastructure to make Tier-II cities such as Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belgaum attractive IT destinations,” he averred.

The government will take up the issue of upgrading the quality of IT curriculum in the education system to meet the requirements of the IT industry, he said. The ‘Students Internet World’ programme, which was held only at Bangalore along with this event, has now been extended to the district and taluk level, he added.

The ‘Rural IT Quiz’ conducted every year has a record number of 9,55,477 participating this year as against a paltry 65,000 last year, as it has been extended to the district level.

He said, of the $23 billion of IT exports generated by India during fiscal 2005-06, Karnataka alone contributed $8.3 billion, about 37 per cent. Of the 3,500 IT companies in India over 1,700 are located in Karnataka. Bangalore has over 1,600 of them.

Speaking at the event, Dr Debesh Das, Minister for IT, West Bengal, said 1.30 crore sq ft was being developed for the IT industry in West Bengal, which will provide jobs to 1,30,000 people. “We have 5 STPI centres in West Bengal which we will develop further,” he said.

Sir Michael Arthur, British High Commissioner to India, said India-UK relations and business relations have been growing from strength to strength, with India now becoming the third largest investor in the UK.

He said, “India and Britain are partnering in becoming world class knowledge economies.”

This year’s IT.in will see the participation of 250 companies, 14 countries, 13 State governments and 1 lakh visitors. Spread across 25,000 sq metres in the Bangalore Palace Grounds, the event will span 4 days from October 28 to 31.

JOB DEMAND

Vatal stages protest

Bangalore, dhns: The inauguration of the ninety edition of Bangalore IT.in saw Vatal Nagaraj, head of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, throwing the spanner in the works. No sooner had the function begun than slogans of “IT, BT companyalli, Kannadigarige Udyoga” (we want jobs for Kannadigas in IT, BT companies) rent the air with Mr Nagaraj and his supporters waving black flags at the dignitaries on the dais.He and his followers were unceremoniously ushered out by the hawk-eyed policemen on duty.

In a well-deliberated response to solving the ordeal commuters in Bangalore face every day, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said his government was working towards equipping the City with wireless broadband access.


In a well-deliberated response to solving the ordeal commuters in Bangalore face every day, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said his government was working towards equipping the City with wireless broadband access.

This, he believes, would encourage telecommuting, where people will work from home and eventually help solve the eternal problem of driving through the city, which is becoming increasingly difficult in Bangalore.

Mr Kumaraswamy emphasised that his government has also decided to set up five sector-specific, fully integrated, self-sufficient townships around Bangalore. This he said would obviate the need for travel to and from Bangalore city, reducing the pressure on transport infrastructure.


Delivering the inaugural address at the ninth edition of Bangalore IT.in 2006, he said his government will spare no efforts to maintain its pre-eminent position in the knowledge sector. For this, some of the initiatives would be better delivery of all public services, efficient traffic management and integration of web-based technology to help decongest Bangalore.

With the implementation of “Bangalore Unwired” project, the city will be the first in India providing seamless wireless broadband connectivity anytime, anywhere, covering a range of about 40 km radius. The wireless connectivity will be based on the latest WIMAX technology. The State government will work as the facilitator with private service providers entrusted with the task of actual roll out of this technology.

“As Mysore is also emerging as an IT hub, we are setting up a knowledge city between Bangalore and Mysore in Bidadi near Ramanagaram, covering more than 9,000 acres. We are putting in the necessary infrastructure to make Tier-II cities such as Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belgaum attractive IT destinations,” he averred.

The government will take up the issue of upgrading the quality of IT curriculum in the education system to meet the requirements of the IT industry, he said. The ‘Students Internet World’ programme, which was held only at Bangalore along with this event, has now been extended to the district and taluk level, he added.

The ‘Rural IT Quiz’ conducted every year has a record number of 9,55,477 participating this year as against a paltry 65,000 last year, as it has been extended to the district level.

He said, of the $23 billion of IT exports generated by India during fiscal 2005-06, Karnataka alone contributed $8.3 billion, about 37 per cent. Of the 3,500 IT companies in India over 1,700 are located in Karnataka. Bangalore has over 1,600 of them.

Speaking at the event, Dr Debesh Das, Minister for IT, West Bengal, said 1.30 crore sq ft was being developed for the IT industry in West Bengal, which will provide jobs to 1,30,000 people. “We have 5 STPI centres in West Bengal which we will develop further,” he said.

Sir Michael Arthur, British High Commissioner to India, said India-UK relations and business relations have been growing from strength to strength, with India now becoming the third largest investor in the UK.

He said, “India and Britain are partnering in becoming world class knowledge economies.”

This year’s IT.in will see the participation of 250 companies, 14 countries, 13 State governments and 1 lakh visitors. Spread across 25,000 sq metres in the Bangalore Palace Grounds, the event will span 4 days from October 28 to 31.

JOB DEMAND

Vatal stages protest

Bangalore, dhns: The inauguration of the ninety edition of Bangalore IT.in saw Vatal Nagaraj, head of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, throwing the spanner in the works. No sooner had the function begun than slogans of “IT, BT companyalli, Kannadigarige Udyoga” (we want jobs for Kannadigas in IT, BT companies) rent the air with Mr Nagaraj and his supporters waving black flags at the dignitaries on the dais.He and his followers were unceremoniously ushered out by the hawk-eyed policemen on duty.
Dream plan for unclogging B’lore
DH News Service Bangalore:
In a well-deliberated response to solving the ordeal commuters in Bangalore face every day, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said his government was working towards equipping the City with wireless broadband access.


In a well-deliberated response to solving the ordeal commuters in Bangalore face every day, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said his government was working towards equipping the City with wireless broadband access.

This, he believes, would encourage telecommuting, where people will work from home and eventually help solve the eternal problem of driving through the city, which is becoming increasingly difficult in Bangalore.

Mr Kumaraswamy emphasised that his government has also decided to set up five sector-specific, fully integrated, self-sufficient townships around Bangalore. This he said would obviate the need for travel to and from Bangalore city, reducing the pressure on transport infrastructure.


Delivering the inaugural address at the ninth edition of Bangalore IT.in 2006, he said his government will spare no efforts to maintain its pre-eminent position in the knowledge sector. For this, some of the initiatives would be better delivery of all public services, efficient traffic management and integration of web-based technology to help decongest Bangalore.

With the implementation of “Bangalore Unwired” project, the city will be the first in India providing seamless wireless broadband connectivity anytime, anywhere, covering a range of about 40 km radius. The wireless connectivity will be based on the latest WIMAX technology. The State government will work as the facilitator with private service providers entrusted with the task of actual roll out of this technology.

“As Mysore is also emerging as an IT hub, we are setting up a knowledge city between Bangalore and Mysore in Bidadi near Ramanagaram, covering more than 9,000 acres. We are putting in the necessary infrastructure to make Tier-II cities such as Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Gulbarga and Belgaum attractive IT destinations,” he averred.

The government will take up the issue of upgrading the quality of IT curriculum in the education system to meet the requirements of the IT industry, he said. The ‘Students Internet World’ programme, which was held only at Bangalore along with this event, has now been extended to the district and taluk level, he added.

The ‘Rural IT Quiz’ conducted every year has a record number of 9,55,477 participating this year as against a paltry 65,000 last year, as it has been extended to the district level.

He said, of the $23 billion of IT exports generated by India during fiscal 2005-06, Karnataka alone contributed $8.3 billion, about 37 per cent. Of the 3,500 IT companies in India over 1,700 are located in Karnataka. Bangalore has over 1,600 of them.

Speaking at the event, Dr Debesh Das, Minister for IT, West Bengal, said 1.30 crore sq ft was being developed for the IT industry in West Bengal, which will provide jobs to 1,30,000 people. “We have 5 STPI centres in West Bengal which we will develop further,” he said.

Sir Michael Arthur, British High Commissioner to India, said India-UK relations and business relations have been growing from strength to strength, with India now becoming the third largest investor in the UK.

He said, “India and Britain are partnering in becoming world class knowledge economies.”

This year’s IT.in will see the participation of 250 companies, 14 countries, 13 State governments and 1 lakh visitors. Spread across 25,000 sq metres in the Bangalore Palace Grounds, the event will span 4 days from October 28 to 31.

JOB DEMAND

Vatal stages protest

Bangalore, dhns: The inauguration of the ninety edition of Bangalore IT.in saw Vatal Nagaraj, head of Kannada Chaluvali Vatal Paksha, throwing the spanner in the works. No sooner had the function begun than slogans of “IT, BT companyalli, Kannadigarige Udyoga” (we want jobs for Kannadigas in IT, BT companies) rent the air with Mr Nagaraj and his supporters waving black flags at the dignitaries on the dais.He and his followers were unceremoniously ushered out by the hawk-eyed policemen on duty.

Every house needs some parking space

Every house needs some parking space
The Hindu

Many buildings in Bangalore do not have this provision and vehicles are parked on roads, says MALLIKARJUN SWAMY



ENCROACHMENT?: Vehicles being parked outside compound walls is a common scene in Bangalore.

There is no space to park vehicles in many houses/apartments in Bangalore. Builders do not make provision for this in order to "save" space. This has forced people to park their vehicles on the road. And safety of the vehicles is the casualty.

"Every day, my car gets damaged in one way or the other. Someone punctures the wheels just because I park it on the roadside," says Nishant, a J.P. Nagar resident. Harish, a resident of HBR Layout, lost his motorbike that he had parked on the roadside. "Parking your vehicle inside the compound of your house is always safe. If you park it on the roadside, it can be stolen easily," he says.

Raghavendra, a resident of Jayanagar 9th Block, lives in a rented house. He says that his owner has not provided adequate parking space. "I get up twice or thrice in the night just to see whether my bike is still there."

This is a common problem for people who live in rented houses anywhere in the city today.

`Waste of space'

Many building owners do not see the importance of it. For example, Nagendra, who has rented out 10 houses, says "I would rather construct a room and give it on rent instead of wasting the space for parking."

Rash driving by other vehicle users too can cause damage to your vehicle if you park them on the roadside. The solution is simple. Every house should have adequate parking space. The size of the space depends on the number of vehicles in a building. If there are many, basement parking is a good choice, says Sudhakar Lodaga, architect. It is advisable to keep the entire basement for parking if more than five houses are rented out, he says.

"Due to increase in the land value, people do not want to waste their space for parking," says Sudhakar. He says that only 70 per cent of a site should be used for constructing a house and the remaining should be utilised for parking, ventilation and for gardens.

You can park two cars and a motorcycle in a space of 16x16 ft., says Ravi, a contractor. And in a space of 16x12 ft. you can sufficiently park one car and three motorcycles.

"In a site measuring 30x40, the house owner should leave a minimum space of 10x12 ft. for parking," says Ravi. The space increases as the dimension of the site increases.

Compulsory

Providing parking space is also compulsory for other types of buildings like commercial complexes, apartments and theatres as per the Government rules.

If you are constructing a house of two or three floors in a site measuring 30x40 or 40x60, a minimum parking space of 12x16 ft. will be an intelligent choice. In this space you can park at least a car along with two or three motorcycles.

Another alternative is the basement. And you can design your portico (entrance) without giving too much of space for parking if you go in for basement parking. Also consider the possible future expansions in mind while constructing the ground floor.

Plan the ground floor in such way that you do not regret later. Many people who take houses on a monthly rent of more than Rs. 4,000 nowadays usually own cars.

Those constructing apartments may plan for space to accommodate visitors' vehicles.

# You can park two cars and a motorcycle in a space of 16x16 ft. and one car and three motorcycles in an area of 16x12 ft.

# Parking space of 12x16 ft is ideal in a multi-storeyed house on a 30x40 or 40x60 site.

# The basement is a good option for parking vehicles in apartments.

Jaywalking rampant at most junctions in City

Jaywalking rampant at most junctions in City
Vijay Times

Motorists anyways are breaking rules, but to make matters worse, pedestrians are offering their heads to the guillotine by resorting to jaywalking, which has assumed menacing proportions.

Go anywhere in the City and you will find people walking on the road instead of footpaths, even where footpaths are well-laid.

Psychologists agree jaywalking has resemblance to those with behavioural problems and who try to seek attention.

Witness the ‘great Bangalore crossing’, as it should be called, at any busy junction. Hordes of people unknown to each other gather right next to vehicles and cross along with them.

Traffic experts admit jaywalking in Bangalore has reached proportions making it quite unstoppable. They say the menace is much more than that in New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.

The zebra crossing never existed, exists, and nor would it exist in the minds of the people.

And when accidents do occur, the hapless motorist is held responsible though it is the pedestrian’s fault - something which runs in the blood of all Indians, who seem to believe “it is always the bigger one’s fault”.

The Indian Motor Vehicle Act says in case of a vehicle colliding with a human, the vehicle driver will be held responsible.

In case of two vehicles colliding, the driver of the vehicle with the higher horse power is held guilty, according to M N Sreehari, chairman of Traffic Engineers and Safety Trainers, and traffic advisor to the State government.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Traffic (East) M A Salim says punishing pedestrians or vehicleusers after a road accident involving them is a debatable issue.

He says if any accident takes place where pedestrian crossing facility is available, then pedestrians will be held responsible for the accident and they will be punished.

It is only on the ring roads or highways on the City outskirts - where pedestrian-crossing facilities like zebra-crossing or elevated pedestrian crossings are not provided - where the right of way should be given to pedestrians.

“On such roads, vehicle users must be held responsible in the event of any accident. Vehicle users have to be careful and they must allow pedestrians to cross roads if found waiting to do so,” he says.

“For instance, on Avenue Road where there are no adequate footpaths or barricades for footpaths, vehicle users have to be cautious and allow pedestrians to cross the road,” he said.

That applies to every area. In many areas which never had footpaths, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has ensured levelled pavements are laid.

But that does not seem to convince a majority of pedestrians. Even encroachments are being removed where they obstruct free movement of pedestrians on footpaths.

People have no reason to complain. The BMP has agreed to provide barricades for a distance of 10 km on footpaths this year on some majpr roads.

Mumbai had a serious jaywalking problem. Barricading made it difficult. Ditto in New Delhi. The few who continue can be easily spotted and fined.

Skywalks, pelican signals (pedestrian-operated signal lamps) and zebra crossings are all there. What is lacking is the peoples will to follow rules.

This year, 2,500 jaywalkers were penalised (each fined Rs 50) on MG Road, Brigade Road, Residency Road, Cubbon Road, Raj Bhavan Road, KG Road and near Town Hall, says Saleem.

Experts say Rs 50 is too insignificant a sum. So, pedestrians dont mind jaywalking and some day.... pay with their lives.

Karnataka mulls Knowledge City near Bangalore

Karnataka mulls Knowledge City near Bangalore

The Hindu Business Line

The Karnataka Government proposes to set up a Knowledge City spread across 9,000 acres at Bidadi, between Bangalore and Mysore, said the Chief Minister, Mr H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday.

Speaking at the inaugural of the 9th edition of BangaloreIT.in 2006, Mr Kumaraswamy said that the Government would take all necessary steps to promote the IT sector in the State and see that the pre-eminence was maintained. About 250 companies are participating in the BangaloreIT.in this year.

Sector-specific

In a bid to decongest the growing pressure on Bangalore, the Karnataka Government is planning to set up five sector-specific cities around the city, of which one would be dedicated to the knowledge sector. The proposed cities would be integrated townships consisting of commercial and residential sectors and will obviate the need for travel to and from Bangalore, he said.

The British High Commissioner to India, Mr Michael Arthur, said the Indo-UK relations have been growing from strength-to-strength every year and India has emerged as the second largest investor in the UK after the US in the first six months of this year. Till last year, India was the third largest investor in UK.

BDA to scrutinise revised CDP

BDA to scrutinise revised CDP
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The revised comprehensive development plan (CDP) for Bangalore - Master Plan 2015 is coming up before the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) board for approval on Friday. The revised CDP has been awaiting the BDA’s approval, and later it will go to the government for final approval.

BDA officials said that the CDP would throw light on the areas where development activities are allowed and not allowed (green-belt areas). They expect the CDP to be cleared by the government without much delay.

The future housing projects of the BDA hinge very much on the CDP and their launch depend on how soon the government clears the CDP. The government had, some time ago, announced its plans to develop 50,000 housing sites, distribute them to eligible Bangaloreans, and clear the backlog.

The officials say that they are not yet sure where this project would finally come up, as the Master Plan is not yet through. The land acquisition process for the new layout will begin only after the final picture emerges.

The officials are not sure if the CDP will be approved in its original form or with modifications and therefore do not want to guess about the location of future projects. The latest thinking in the BDA, however, is that it is better to have more layouts in different areas than one with 50,000 sites. The BDA is more likely to identify clear areas according to the new approved CDP and acquire them for the new layouts, instead of focussing on just one area, which, officials think, may become unwieldy.

After the formation of BDA in 1976, this is the third CDP that is being drawn up. Other two were drawn up and approved in 1984 and 1995 respectively.

Soil testing begins for Metro Rail

Soil testing begins for Metro Rail
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Secon Private Limited, a Bangalore based company involved in drilling work, has begun soil testing in various places along the route of the multi-crore Metro Rail project.

Sources at the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited said that the company had begun to test the soil from Anil Kumble Circle up to Ring Road Junction on Mysore Road and from Yeshwantpur to R V Road in the first phase of the project.

The soil will be tested at every 50 metres in sections where the rail corridors will go underground and at every 100 metres where the rail tracks will be elevated.

The report of the soil test is expected to be submitted by March 2007.

BMP struggles with compensation conundrums

BMP struggles with compensation conundrums
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The much-hyped bill to regularise buildings that had overstepped the bylaws, will be in conflict with a favourite scheme of the BMP, the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR).

While the TDR seeks to save money for the civic body by offering higher floor area ratio (FAR), instead of cash, regularisation seeks to legitimise FAR violations for a fee. The BMP had hoped that building bylaw violators would purchase FAR credits.

TDR is a concept mooted by the Dharam Singh Government, as an alternative to cash compensation to owners of property that were acquired by the Government.

The owner has to demolish, fence and surrender the land as required by the Government. In return, the owner would be given a Development Rights Certificate (DRC), but no cash. DRC entitles the owner to a floor area ratio (FAR) of 150 per cent of the space surrendered. DRC is a tradeable instrument and can be bequeathed.

For trading purposes, the city is devided into three zones: A, B and C. A DRC originating from zone C cannot be sold in zone B and zone B DRC cannot be sold in zone A. But the converse is allowed. There are other conditions concerning the minimum width of road, which has to be 12 metres, and the building must have basement parking.

Regularisation

As violations of building bylaws became uncontrollable, the BMP thought to make some revenue by regularising the offence. Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) hoped to save on compensation money by offering DRC.

Once the violations are waived, who will buy DRC? Or, once DRC has regularised FAR violations, where is the scope for regularisation?

BMP sources said that a clear framework for regularisation, TDR and demolitions is yet to be formalised. And with Greater Bangalore underway, the task has just got bigger.

Bangalore walks the talk!

Bangalore walks the talk!

The Hindu Business Line

From corporate visitors and expatriates to proud locals... they `walk' to discover the many fascinating faces of this boom city.


Bangalored! A tour of a ruined bungalow in the heart of the city.

Most Bangaloreans have an impulse to tear their hair out whenever they have out-of-town visitors. What can they possibly share with them, apart from two gardens and a crumbling palace, as a neighbour put it?

Launched in March 2005, Bangalore Walks (www.bangalorewalks.com) offers an alternative route, coaxing city dwellers to cast away their indifference. Corporate visitors from GE, Volvo, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Unilever, IBM and Accenture, besides local citizens, have greeted the concept with a high five.

This is the brainchild of Arun Pai, whose former avatars included time as an Arthur Andersen consultant, at a New York education company, and at a Mumbai angel fund. Each unique walk experience involves months of research, market testing and pre-launch fine-tuning for clients aged eight to 90. Pai explains, "If you visit London, New York or Singapore, you feel there's so much to do, so little time to do it in. But even cities like Bangalore have fascinating stories underlying their growth. The time has come to tell them. Our concept grew in response to a personal passion and a serious market need."

For instance, take their weekend Lalbagh Walk through a hallowed green space. What's special about it? Standing at the foot of the 16th-century mandapam erected by the Yelahanka chieftain Kempe Gowda, presenter Vijay Tiruvady addresses our motley group of eight:

"Of the world's 2,000-odd botanical and horticultural gardens, few contain the diversity that Lalbagh does within its 200 acres. You'll find the Chilean Araucaria here, the Cannonball tree from Guyana, the Panamanian Candle tree, and the beautiful Amherstia Nobilis from Myanmar... "

Layered history

In those magical moments, Tiruvady offers us new eyes through which to view the familiar. Over the next three hours, we discover layered histories within the public park that is the city's pride.

For instance, that Lalbagh originally began as a 40-acre 18th century Islamic garden that Haider Ali of Mysore modelled on the pleasure gardens of Sira, near Tumkur. That the Rose and Cypress Garden that it morphed into under Haider's son, Tipu Sultan, owed some of its floral brilliance to the Tigala community from Tamil Nadu, known for its gardening expertise. That Tipu imported plants from distant lands where he had envoys. That Lord Wellesley redefined Lalbagh as a botanical garden. Each layer was superimposed on a 3,000-year-old gneiss formation, perhaps once part of the legendary Gondwanaland before the continental drift.

As we wander with Tiruvady, questions bloom in our minds. From which sacred tree did god create heaven and earth (clue: Indian mythology)? Which fruit has flowers that grow inwards, nurturing wasps that help it to pollinate? Which tree has resin that is prized as amber? Which Indian tree "plants itself," according to Pliny the Elder?

We connect with Tiruvady's passion for Lalbagh, as we cull answers like flowers for a puja. We discover the secret lives of bamboos and peepals, the Talipot Palm and the Paperbark tree. The nature-propelled spell sparks camaraderie and conversation over masala dosa, grape juice, and other traditional breakfast delights at an eatery with a history to round out the experience.

Noted playwright-actor Girish Karnad observes of Lalbagh Walk: "I can't remember when I have had such a delightful time re-exploring a venue I thought I knew intimately. In three hours your `walk' brings to life history, environment, botany, culture, landscape architecture, gardening and food — unpeeling an unknown Bangalore/ Bengaluru."

An experience just as extraordinary awaits those who take a Victorian Walk down central M.G. Road with Pai. It all begins at the Holy Trinity Church, as we close our eyes and listen: "It is the year 1791, and each one of us is a soldier in the English army... "

Then and now!


Arun Pai

Thus transformed, we gaze outwards at 7 a.m. — and perceive an upward slope leading to South Parade, the heart of the British cantonment. In a trice, the traffic seems to vanish. Instead, we imagine never-ending parties amidst bungalows with lavish gardens, chukkas of polo, rounds of golf, and hunts with baying English dogs!

By degrees, we rub shoulders with Cornwallis and Wellesley, Napoleon and Tipu Sultan. And we plunge into the Great Trignometric Survey of India. We realise that now-bustling M.G. Road was once the preserve of the army, the church and a few landed families.

As we delve, we jettison mundane notions about Bangalore. We garner answers to a tale of two cities. What makes over 15,000 expatriates feel at home amidst the Garden City's monkey-tops, those ornate external wooden trappings that crown most local windows, perhaps to keep monkeys away (or for them to swing from)? Did our city play a role in the Allied landings at Normandy on D-Day in 1944? Which was the first city in south Asia to be electrified? What role did this knowledge capital play in the stellar lives of Sabeer Bhatia and Krishna Bharat?

Melding quiz time with a fellowship meet, the Victorian Walk is an adventure that woos us with both wit and trivia. May Worng, an Australian Subject Matter Expert who spent over four months at the local ANZ Bank, recalls, "I'd never realised there was so much history on M.G. Road alone — Yahoo, the Bible Society, the Hotmail founder, Winston Churchill, etc. I've now started exploring the backstreets."

Lahar Appaiah, a Bangalorean for over 23 years, now a corporate lawyer with a large IT firm, notes, "The walk reinforced notions I had about our city. But I also learnt about Bangalore's importance as a military and defence location." Jamshedpur-bred Anjali Varma, currently with a Bangalore recreation company, stresses, "I always thought Bangalore was a mix of a small town and semi-metro, though the history was a little hazy. The walk added newer dimensions to my understanding. I fell in love with this city all over again."

The word spreads


Vijay Tiruvady presents the Lalbagh Walk to delegates of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation

Today, Bangalore Walks also offers customised tours for overseas business visitors, out-of-town fort explorations, teambuilding activities, a 45-minute city-based musical that is a hit at corporate themed dinners, besides history and nature `Exploriences' for schoolchildren.

Pai jokes about its word-of-mouth client routing, "Can you believe we are a company with half-a-dozen product offerings, thousands of retail customers, and a veritable who's-who of corporate India on our client list — and we have never printed a brochure!"

Professionalism with a personalised edge — maps, refreshments, other surprises — ensures that all the client needs to do is put his/ her best foot forward. In response, Bangalore emerges from the business haze as an incredible tourist destination. Anyone in the mood for an exploration?

Commute cool with car pool

Commute cool with car pool
Bangalorean Starts Online Facility; 1,285 Users Register
The Times of India

Bangalore: Do snarling traffic jams, loud honking and pollution greet you every morning? With the city’s public transport leaving a lot to be desired, IT professional Vipul Kasera has an answer for you — car pools.
Kasera, who himself uses a pool every morning from Basaveshwaranagar to his office on Airport Road, has started an online city car pool forum on www.commuteasy.com. Specify the location of your residence and your office and timings and a car pool will reach you.
“Research has shown that in most Indian metropolitan cities, the occupancy rate of a car is 1.3 persons. Which means that usually, only the person who’s driving uses the car, while there’s room for at least four more persons,” says Kasera. “This is a criminal waste of resources and adds to traffic every morning. Imagine if there were only one-fourth the cars on the roads.”
This initiative, that was started last month, has 1,285 registered users, with at least 120 registered pools. “At least 85% of the users are IT professionals, while the remaining are students from colleges like R V College of Engineering and B M S College of Engineering,” says Kasera. Little wonder then that most car pools are headed to the IT hubs, Electronics City, Marathahalli, Whitefield and Airport Road.
Women too seem to have taken to the pool as the site has around 300 women registered. “Most women prefer a pool where there’s at least one more woman or an all-woman pool,” observes Kasera.
The flexibility of the car pool is its USP. All users can either take turns with their cars or hitch a ride with one person and split the fuel cost on a weekly basis. “Some even hire a city cab and divide the cost incurred among themselves. Some companies offer to foot half the bill as an encouraging measure,” he says.
Kasera has no control over the pools that result from his effort, which is a free service. It helped that Kasera’s employer company ThoughtWorks was greatly supportive of his effort. So far, e-mail chains and Orkut have been the only method of promoting the car pool. “I even wrote to Google asking them if it’s alright to speak about my site. They replied saying they don’t mind since it was for a social cause,” he says.
POOL IT
Users can take turns with their cars Or hitch a ride and split the fuel cost on weekly basis Some hire a cab and divide the cost Women prefer a pool where there is at least one more woman Corporates offer incentives to employees who pool

Order on helmet rule to be issued today

Order on helmet rule to be issued today

The Hindu

BANGALORE: The Government will on Friday issue an order making wearing of crash helmets by two-wheeler riders mandatory. The rule will come into force in the limits of Bangalore city and five other city corporations areas in the State from November 1.

Officials in the Home Department told The Hindu on Thursday that the rule would come into effect next month and those riding pillion have been exempted from wearing helmets.

The rule will come into effect within the limits of the Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA), Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Hubli-Dhawad and Belgaum city corporations. Bellary City Corporation has been exempted in view of the high day temperatures prevailing at the place.

In Bangalore, the rule will be applicable in the entire city and seven city municipal councils of Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Byatarayanapura, Krishnarajapuram, Mahadevapura, Yelahanka, and Rajarajeshwarinagar and the town municipal council of Kengeri. All riders should use helmets manufactured to ISI specifications, officials said.

Flight between Bangalore and Male from November 2

Flight between Bangalore and Male from November 2

Deccan Herald

Bangalore: Indian will introduce a new international flight between Bangalore and Male in Maldives, from November 2.

These non-stop flights will be operated with Airbus A-320 aircraft, with 20 Business Class seats and 125 in Economy Class. Operating five days a week, except on Tuesdays and Fridays, IC 965 will leave Bangalore at 10.30 a.m. and reach Male 12 noon (local time). The return flight, IC 966 will leave male at 12.50 p.m. local time and reach Bangalore at 3.15 p.m. The new link is expected to meet the growing outbound and leisure traffic from India,particularly the booming travel market out of India.

It will also benefit Indian expats in Male and Maldivians who need to travel to India for medical needs, studies and as tourists. Indian said the flight timings offer convenient connections to passengers from Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and other cities. The introductory fares start from Rs 10,000 for a return economy class ticket. Indian is currently operating a daily service between Thiruvananthapuram and Maldives.

B’lore logs on to IT.in today

B’lore logs on to IT.in today
Deccan Herald

The event is expected to see close to a lakh visitors (general and business) taking part. Thirteen countries and about 300 Indian and multinational companies will be on the stands.

The ninth edition of BangaloreIT.in 2006 will kick off on Friday evening with the inaugural function which will be attended by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

The event is expected to see close to a lakh visitors (general and business) taking part. Thirteen countries and about 300 Indian and multinational companies will be on the stands.

This time round, the focus of the mega IT event would be on the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) segment and Intellectual Property rights.


“With over 3,500 SMEs being part of the software export business, the SME contribution is less than 40 per cent,” B V Naidu, Director, STPI said, adding that SMEs would play a great role in India’s next generation businesses.

Briefing reporters at the curtain-raiser function of BangaloreIT.in, Mr Naidu said, “We want to highlight the fact that India is involved not only in IT services but also in creating IP. We want to show people how much IP is actually created in Bangalore itself.”

Besides promoting the City as an IT hub, the trade show will be a hi-tech affair from the word go. For one, an SMS facility has been made available wherein, visitors and delegates can receive information on the events happening by messaging INFO to 600642.

“You can be in Timbuktoo or New York, you just need to message and you will get all the required information,” said M N Vidyashankar, IT Secretary, Karnataka. Registration can be done via mobile phone by typing the message “reghr” or “regsme” to the same number.

9 incipient illegal layouts razed

9 incipient illegal layouts razed
Deccan Herald

Personnel of the Nelamangala Planning Authority (NPA), Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Revenue Department and Nelamangala police, swooped down on nine of the 29 layouts identified as unauthorised in the taluk and razed down whatever had come up in them including roads, culverts and power transmission poles.


Clamping down on the mushrooming of unplanned residential areas in and around the City, the government on Thursday began a massive drive to nip in the bud ongoing works in several layouts coming up in Dasanapura hobli of Nelamangala taluk.

Personnel of the Nelamangala Planning Authority (NPA), Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), Revenue Department and Nelamangala police, swooped down on nine of the 29 layouts identified as unauthorised in the taluk and razed down whatever had come up in them including roads, culverts and power transmission poles.

The nine layouts, spread over 75 acres, were being formed either in areas earmarked as agricultural lands or on agricultural lands that had not been converted into residential areas. The drive was conducted in broad daylight, even as promoters pleaded with the authorities to exclude infrastructure in their properties from being removed. When this reporter visited the layouts, culverts, road signs, and electricity poles were being pulled down by the authorities.


Thursday’s drive was conducted in one layout in Kittenahalli, three in Rauttanahalli, and six in Kadabagere villages.

The officials said that notices were served on the developers of the 29 layouts on September 14, 2006, and drive against the other layouts would be taken up in the coming days.

The NPA & BMRDA, in their joint notice, stated that the landholders, without taking permission under the Kanataka Urban & Rural Planning Act, 1961, Section 17, have formed layouts and are selling sites. The government will not provide infrastructure in these layouts, the notice said. “We can continue our drive provided we have sufficient police security. Today, some of the developers promised to remove the electricity poles and stone slabs and use the lands for agricultural purpose as per the rules,” an official said.

Why the drive?

The Tippagondanahalli Reservoir (TGR), situated about 34 km west of the City, is one of the major sources of drinking water for Bangalore and surrounding areas since 1930. The reservoir is fed by rivers Arkavati and Kumudavati. Spread over 1,453 square km, the catchment area of the reservoir extends from Dobbaspet on the NH-4 up to Nandi Hills, 60 km north of the City.

In recent years the inflow to TGR has been drying up and the quality of water has also deteriorated. In view of these facts, the BMRDA initiated a study by the Indian Space Research Organisation in association with the Indian Resources Information and Management Technologies Pvt Ltd (IN-RIMT) to ascertain the reasons for the reduced inflow of water to TGR.

The study revealed that unplanned development in the catchment area was one of the main reasons for the deteriorating quality of water and reduced inflow to the reservoir. Increased urbanisation had also altered the drainage pattern, it pointed out.

To curtail further pollution of both the streams, ISRO and IN-RIMT made recommendations under Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act 1986, to implement which the government decided to declare a schedule of zones in the catchment area in January 2003.

While the entire TGR catchment area was categorised as Zone 1, areas within 2 km of TGR boundary was put under Zone 2.

Zone 3 comprised areas within 1 km of the banks of Arkavati and Kumudavati, whiel Zone 4 was made of areas within 1 to 2 km of both the river banks.

The areas coming under Zones 2 and 4 are meant only for agricultural purposes, and development of any kind is prohibited in these areas.

Katha holders in Dasanapura hobli Area Zone

Chennamma and others, Rauttanahalli 7.15 acres 3

B Chandrappa, Rauttanahalli 4 acres 3

Puttarudraiah, Kittanahalli 4.10 acres 3

Muniraju, Kadabagere 1 acre 3

Siddalingappa, Kadabagere 2.30 acres 3

Doddarudrappa, Kadabagere 2.38 acres 3

G R Ramamurthy, Kadabagere 5.25 acres 3

S Bhageeratha, Kadabagere 3.02 acres 3

Ramakrishnaiah, Kadabagere 1.06 acres 3

Hucchegowda, Shivanapura 3.15 acres 4

Kare Arasappa, Shivanapura 1.33 acres 4

Venkatarasaiah,Shivanapura 2 acres 4

Gurulingappa, Shivanapura 1.03 acres 4

Basamma and Shivanna, Shivanapura 3.13 acres 4

Gurulingaiah, Shivanapura 1 acre 4

Munivenkatappa, Shivanapura 1.14 acres 1

Lakkanna, Shivanapura 1.03 acres 1

Gangappa, Shivanapura 25 guntas 1

Gangabylaiah, Shivanapura 25 guntas 1

Narayanappa, Shivanapura 2.17 acres 1

Boregowda, Lakkenahalli 37 guntas 1

Savitha Bijo, Hullegowdanahalli 19.47 acres 1

Nagappa, Kittanahalli 3 acres 4

K S Srinivasachari, Gattisiddanahalli 1.30 acres 4

Nataraj, Gattisiddanahalli 1.23 acres 4

H E Jayalakshmi, Gattisiddanahalli 38 guntas 4

B S Dakshinamurthy, Gattisiddanahalli 23 guntas 4

B N Shivaprasad, Gattisiddanahalli 1.16 acres 4

* The first nine are the names of those whose lands were included in the Thursday drive.

THE FACTS

One layout in Kittenahalli, three in Rauttanahalli and six in Kadabagere (75 acres)

Located about 16 kms from Bangalore

Violation: Layouts formed in agricultural lands

In line of fire: 20 more such layouts

Expressway for airport drive

Expressway for airport drive
Deccan Herald

Eighteen months ahead of the airport’s scheduled opening, BMRDA has kicked off work on an expressway that is tipped to offer an easier commute to the airport’s projected 11 million passengers (per year).

The Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) is taking an expressway route to drive out apprehensions regarding connectivity between the City and the upcoming Bangalore International Airport in Devanahalli, a good 35 km away.

Eighteen months ahead of the airport’s scheduled opening, BMRDA has kicked off work on an expressway that is tipped to offer an easier commute to the airport’s projected 11 million passengers (per year). The proposal for the 26-km expressway — starting at the Hennur-Challakere stretch on the Outer Ring Road — was formalised at a BMRDA board meeting on Wednesday.

“The expressway will start near Babusaheb Palya on ORR, and pass through stretches covering areas like Bagalur before reaching the International Airport. It will then pass further through northern alignments and connect to the National Highway (N-207),” BMRDA Chairman Sudhir Krishna told Deccan Herald on Thursday.


The survey and DPR on the project will be taken up by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited (KRDCL). “We’ve fixed four months as time-frame for submission of the preliminary and final reports on the project. We hope that the road will be on by early 2008,” Mr Krishna said. He said it was early to make predictions about the budget involved in the project and added that the exact volumes of land acquisition and human displacement could be arrived at, only after the reports were submitted.

According to BIAL estimates, the airport when fully operational, will have the capacity to handle 11 million passengers every year. The figure is a pointer to how the traffic pattern in the surrounding areas will be, and calls for sustainable road infrastructure to complement the airport’s potential growth.

“When you count in the number of passengers and people who accompany them to and from the airport, we are looking at a figure well in the excess of one crore (commuters on the road) per year, when the airport becomes fully functional,” Krishna said.

He, however, said BMRDA had a margin to extend the January 2008 deadline for the expressway, considering that the airport’s development has been planned in phases. The Bangalore International Airport is scheduled to open by April 2008.