Civic life deplorable in Garden City as BBMP flounders

Bengaluru: Our Bengaluru stories were a big hit — from those that put lapses of civic agencies in the spotlight to killer potholes and encroachment drives. Our readers lapped them all up in 2022.

The Karnataka High Court in February warned that strict action would be taken against the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Chief Engineer and other officers responsible. "We cannot allow the public to die like this," the Court said, as the Bengaluru roads are yet to get free from potholes and craters. A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum noted that Bengaluru roads continue to be in a dilapidated condition despite multiple repairs being conducted.

After the Karnataka High Court expressed concern over the quality of work in road repairs in response to the claim by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) that all potholes in the city were fixed, civic body Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta warned that a criminal case will be filed against those who dig roads without prior permission from the authorities. The roads in the BBMP limits are extremely dangerous, according to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). "These roads have 19 to 20 hazards per kilometre," the report noted.

The BBMP 2022-23 budget for an outlay of Rs 10,480.93 crore was prepared by a team of officials in the absence of elected council members for second consecutive year. An hour before the end of the fiscal year, the Special Commissioner of the Finance Division TulsiMaddineni presented the budget and got the approval of the administrators.

The government has provided Rs 6,768 crore for three years between 2018 and 2021 for construction and repair of major and sub roads in the city. Of this, 7,011 km of road development work has been undertaken and 4,696 km of road development has been completed.

On May 7, the Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner TusharGirinath took charge and has expressed optimism that the system can be corrected by creative decisions. When a pothole appears on the road, an immediate action should be taken to fix it. Otherwise the pothole will turn into a crater. A stretch of road, asphalted as part of the Rs 23-crore road work, the Jnanabharathi Main Road was repaired at a cost of Rs 6 crore and Modi travelled on this stretch in June. After a spell of overnight rain, this stretch of road caved in.

The potholes in Bengaluru are now death beds, where is the permanent solution? Former CM HD Kumaraswamy questions the state government. He has also made a series of tweets in this regard, by taking government to task.

The ChamarajpetEidgah ground controversy did not end that soon. While Muslims were claiming that the EidgahMaidan belongs to them, the BBMP stated it is a playground and it belongs to them. A bandh was called for in Chamarajpet on July 12 by several pro-Hindu organisations. Around 52,262 people have been bitten by dogs under the BBMP limits in two and a half years since 2020. This fact was revealed during the survey conducted by the Corporation in August.

The BBMP, which had started Rajakaluve encroachment drive, has now taken a break from bulldozing. Due to the disaster from flooding in the Bengaluru east part in the recent torrential rains. The corporation officials have indiscriminately destroyed the houses built by the poor and the middle class, and have put a brake on the operation as soon as they come across the buildings of the rich. Bengaluru is becoming a concrete jungle day by day and the greenery is diminishing. Trees are being felled in the name of development works, BBMP has cut down 1,671 trees for various projects in the last 4 years.

The flyover expansion project designed to solve the vehicular traffic problem in the Hebbal flyover has no work progress. The project is nothing but an election campaign and voter wooing strategy for the political parties, as the administrative machinery does not seem to have the will to implement the project.

Even though the financial situation of BBMP has improved and all the debts obtained by mortgage of the BBMP properties have been repaid. However, a letter has been written seeking a grant from the state government to pay the bills to the contractor who have completed the work. Also the BBMP ensured there is no plastic used in the city, as they seized around 19.5 tonnes of banned single use plastic and imposed a fine of Rs 70,000. The use of single-use plastic is completely banned and the BBMP is creating awareness among vendors and citizens to use reusable cloth bags and paper covers. Meanwhile, the BBMP finance department is already preparing the budget for the year 2023-24, and this time it has been discussed to set the budget size at Rs 5,500 crore. The budget will be set regarding the projects and maintenance works to be undertaken under BBMP.

Jan 6

50% occupancy in Namma Metro during weekends

The Bengaluru Metro Railway Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Wednesday announced reduction of commuters' occupancy to 50 percent during weekends in view of rising Covid cases in the city. According to BMRCL Managing Director AnjumParvez, the metro services will run only with 50 per cent occupancy.

Jan 14

ICMR's test waiver for primary contacts draws mixed reaction

Amid increasing Covid-19 cases across the country, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recently issued a new advisory waiving testing requirements for many categories including contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases unless identified as "high-risk" based on age or comorbidities. While the ICMR decision found favour with a section of city doctors, others say irrespective of whether high or low risk they should be tested.

Feb 3

BBMP threatens criminal action if roads are dug without permission

After the Karnataka High Court recently expressed concern over the quality of work in road repairs in response to the claim by the Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) that all potholes in the city were fixed, civic body Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta warned that a criminal case will be filed against those who dig roads without prior permission from the authorities.

Feb 21

Mother donates kidney to save her 12-year-old's life

A 12-year-old girl child suffering from End Stage Kidney failure successfully underwent a Robot assisted living donor kidney transplant at Fortis Hospital. Owing to her critical condition, the mother decided to donate her kidney and give a fresh lease of life to her daughter.

Feb 22

BBMP alone has 10,000+ Sakala applications

The state government's Sakala, the law that guarantees delivery of citizen services within a stipulated time, in a bid to encourage people to make use of online channels to get services they need are not adequately available to the people in the city. Out of the total number of applications submitted for various services, 11,256 applications are pending in Bengaluru city.

Feb 25

Citizens to focus on improving footpaths, toilets

The 'MyCityMyBudget' campaign will focus on collecting budget inputs from citizens, with a special focus on parks, footpaths and public toilets. The budget bus will traverse across the city and collect inputs from people in different neighbourhoods of Bengaluru till 15 March.

Mar 7

Gynaecologist performs live keyhole surgeries

Bengaluru's renowned laparoscopic surgeon and infertility specialist Dr Vidya V Bhat, Medical Director, Radha Krishna Multispecialty Hospital, performed keyhole surgeries on women patients on Sunday, which was broadcast live to over 3,000 gynaecologists all across India.

Mar 14

City MLAs obstructing elections to BBMP?

One and a half years have passed since the term of elected council of the Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) has ended. But when the civic election will be held remains to be a question mark. The MLAs representing various constituencies in Bengaluru are being blamed for obstructing the elections.

Mar 18

CAG report says Bengaluru roads extremely dangerous

The roads in the Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) limits are extremely dangerous, according to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). "These roads have 19 to 20 hazards per kilometre," the report noted.

Apr 4

BBMP presents hush hush budget for 2022-23

The BBMP 2022-23 budget for an outlay of Rs 10,480.93 crore was prepared by a team of officials in the absence of elected council members for second consecutive year. An hour before the end of the fiscal year, the Special Commissioner of the Finance Division TulsiMaddineni presented the budget and got the approval of the administrators.

Apr 5

4,696-km roads developed in Bengaluru in 3 yrs

The government has provided Rs 6,768 crore for three years between 2018 and 2021 for construction and repair of major and sub roads in the city. Of this, 7,011 km of road development work has been undertaken and 4,696 km of road development has been completed.

Apr 27

Suburban rail project to be completed in 6 yrs

Bringing a great relief to the people in the city, the long-pending Bengaluru suburban rail project will finally take offin May and it will be completed in six years. The long delay in the implementation of the project has irked the commuters.

May 2

Disciplinary cases lifted against 7,200 KSRTC employees

The KSRTC celebrated Labour Day meaningfully across all the divisions of the corporation. As a goodwill gesture, disciplinary cases against 7,200 employees have been waived and KSRTC has issued reporting orders to them.

May 7

'System can be improved by creative decisions'

The Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) new Chief Commissioner TusharGirinath has expressed optimism that the system can be corrected by creative decisions. When a pothole appears on the road, an immediate action should be taken to fix it. Otherwise the pothole will turn into a crater.

May 19

CM visits rain-hit areas

Chief Minister BasavarajBommai on Wednesday visited the rain-affected localities of the city and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of two migrant workers, who were killed at a pipeline work site following a heavy downpour.

Jun 1

'Amend COTPA and make public places 100% smoke-free'

In a bid to expose the rampant smoking in public places thousands of cigarette and bidi butts were collected by NSS volunteers, citizens and civil society organizations across Bengaluru. All the collected butts were displayed at NIMHANS on the occasion of 'World No Tobacco Day' urging all the MPs from Karnataka and the Union Health Ministry to get the principal tobacco control law COTPAamended and make public places 100 percent smoke-free.

Jun 8

27,000 children not back in school post Covid in State

As many as 26,000 children have not returned to schools across the State post the Covid pandemic. For two years during the pandemic with schools remaining closed, students lost learning skills.

Jun 24

23 cr spent on roads ahead of PM's visit goes down the drain

A stretch of road, asphalted as part of the Rs 23-crore road work, the Jnanabharathi Main Road was repaired at a cost of Rs 6 crore and Modi travelled on this stretch on Monday. After a spell of overnight rain, this stretch of road caved in.

Jun 25

Union Minister lobbied for Bommai as CM: BJP MLA

The Mahadevapura constituency MLA AravindLimbavali made a shocking statement in the presence of the Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekar, at an Intel event. MLA Aravind Limbavali said, "Union Minister Rajeev Chandra shekar being close to PM Narendra Modi has lobbied for CM BasavarajBommai to the Chief Minister post." However, the Union Minister later clarified that he has no role in appointing the CM.

Jul 4

EidgahMaidan row: Forum calls for bandh

The ChamarajpetEidgah ground controversy did not seem to end any time soon. While Muslims are claiming that the EidgahMaidan belongs to them, the Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) stated it is a playground and it belongs it. A bandh was called for in Chamarajpet on July 12 by several pro-Hindu organisations.

Jul 12

'Post-Covid,many patients developed multiple cardiac symptoms'

The outbreak of Covid-19 brought with it unforeseen health challenges to people across the world. These included both mental and physical health issues. World over, a large number of people were seen being affected by various diseases brought about by Covid-19.

Aug 1

52,000 people have fallen victim to dog attacks since 2020

Around 52,262 people have been bitten by dogs under the Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) limits in two and a half years since 2020. This fact was revealed during the survey conducted by the Corporation.

Aug 5

Residents stage protest against 'apathy' of officials

Residents of Rainbow Drive Layout at Sarjapur in Bengaluru took to streets in protest against civic authorities' 'apathy'. The layout which has more than 35 houses, was flooded due to incessant rain in Bengaluru for the last several days. The flooding has reportedly left the residents stranded for more than 24 hours now.

Aug 11

Various govtdepts owe Rs 147 cr to Water Board

The water supply and sewerage management fee is the main source of revenue of the Jalamandali. However, the departments under the central and state governments have kept the due of Rs 147 crore and pushed the Jalamandali to a loss.

Sept 2

KicchaSudeep postal envelope to be released

The Indian postal service department is bringing out a special "Postal Envelope" of Superstar KicchaSudeep for completing 25 years in the entertainment industry.

Sept 28

E-office' software to come into effect from October 1

A proposal to make the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) office paperless and maintain transparency in all its operations had been in the works for many years. Now the deadline has been met and BDA is all set to operate. The authority implements the 'e-office' software from October.

Sept 29

ZP-TP elections only after assembly polls?

There is no way that the Zilla Panchayat-Taluk Panchayat (ZP-TP) elections to be held within May 2023, which were considered as the penultimate for the upcoming state assembly elections. Considering the current developments in the state government, the ZP and TP elections will be held only after the assembly elections.

Oct 1

Is BBMP demolition drive only to displace poor people?

The Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP), which had started Rajakaluve encroachment drive, has now taken a break from bulldozing. Due to the disaster from flooding in the Bengaluru east part in the recent torrential rains. The corporation officials have indiscriminately destroyed the houses built by the poor and the middle class, and have put a brake on the operation as soon as they come across the buildings of the rich.

Oct 4

Now travel around Karnataka in luxury caravan

How cool is it to travel in a mobile home? Karnataka Tourism Department is all set to make such a comfortable, luxurious travel dream come true if you like. Such caravan arrangements are available for eco-tours, wildlife sanctuaries, adventure and pilgrimages.

Oct 11

Covid-induced e-shopping results in ghost malls

The people of Bengaluru who have turned towards e-shopping after the Covid epidemic, seem to be coming out of the mall culture. Therefore, the business in the malls have reduced and the stores are empty. Also, the use of OTT platforms is increasing and the number of people going to multiplexes in malls is also decreasing.

Oct 27

1,671 trees felled by BBMP in four years

Bengaluru is becoming a concrete jungle day by day and the greenery is diminishing. Trees are being felled in the name of development works, Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) has cut down 1,671 trees for various projects in the last 4 years.

Nov 1

BMRCL first Metro to introduce end-to end ticketing on WhatsApp

On the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava, from November 1, BMRCL will be bringing in additional conveniences to the commuters of Namma Metro. Henceforth, Metro commuters who are having a smart phone can avoid hassles of standing infront of ticket counters for purchasing tokens. BMRCL is the first metro in the Global Transit Space to introduce an end-to-end ticketing system on WhatsApp.

Nov 9

Seized vehicles lay rusted near police station

Vehicle thefts are increasing and on the other hand the disposal of detected vehicles is decreasing. The reason is that vehicle owners lack interest to collect due to delay in settlement of cases in court. Thus, thousands of vehicles are rusting on the police station premises and vacant government plots.

Nov 25

Fall in govt school enrolment due to minister's incompetence : AAP

AamAadmi Party (AAP) Bengaluru president Mohan Dasari claimed the enrolments in government schools declined by 1.62 lakh this year due to Education Minister B C Nagesh's incompetence and BJP government's "negligence" towards the education sector.

Nov 29

No security check at rly stations, bus stand causes concern

In the aftermath of the pressure cooker explosion in Mangalore, the lack of police inspection at railway stations, bus stations, crowded areas and markets in the Bengaluru city has raised concerns. The security forces in railways, are yet to wake up to the warning signals after the recent mangalore incident. They have failed to establish proper security checks at the entrance of the city railway station.

Dec 2

Hebbal flyover expansion project sees no progress

The flyover expansion project designed to solve the vehicular traffic problem in the Hebbal flyover has no work progress. The project is nothing but an election campaign and voter wooing strategy for the political parties, as the administrative machinery does not seem to have the will to implement the project.

Dec 5

Emphasis on digital evidence sees rise in conviction rate

The police have modified the methods of collecting evidence in various criminal cases including theft, extortion, dacoity, murder, rape and assault in Bengaluru. Now the cops are all set to crack the new pattern of crime cases giving more importance on digital evidence.

Dec 13

Will BJP deny tickets to MLAs who are 70+?

On the backdrop of the success of BJP's strategy of giving priority to new faces in the Gujarat Assembly, tension has started for senior leaders in the state BJP. In the background of the demand that priority should be given to new faces in the party, the question has also arisen whether the party high command will give tickets to MLAs who have crossed 70 years in this election.

Dec 22

Traffic rules violation: Nearly one crore cases booked till Nov

Preventing motorists from violating traffic rules has become a big challenge for the traffic police who are struggling to navigate the maze of traffic in Bengaluru. On an average, 3000 traffic violation cases are being reported every day. As a result, traffic police have registered more than 96 lakh cases in 11 months of this year. The number of cases is likely to cross one crore by the end of the year.