Bangaloreans Have you ever Greased a greedy palm?(I am sure you Did) Whose, and how much? Tell the world — it could be a petty Rs 20 over the fare to the autodriver, or a hefty sum to a government official. You can log on to ipaidabribe.com and list your soul-smirching [...]]]>

I Paid A Bribe

Bangaloreans Have you ever Greased a greedy palm?(I am sure you Did) Whose, and how much? Tell the world — it could be a petty Rs 20 over the fare to the autodriver, or a hefty sum to a government official. You can log on to ipaidabribe.com and list your soul-smirching experience.

Set up by Janaagraha on August 15, this website has already gathered 130 reports by people who paid up various denominations for various services. While someone paid Rs 3,000 to an agent to get married, another person from Chennai had to pay a similar sum to get a death certificate after his mother’s death. A group of youngsters, out late in the night, paid up Rs 7,000 to cops to wriggle out of a sticky situation.

These are only a few examples of the bribery cases uploaded on ipaidabribe.com. Here, you can make public what you paid as bribe, when and to whom. But whether this is shame enough for our thick-skinned babus, only time will tell. You could also upload how you managed to get a job done without paying a bribe or how a very honest officer helped you.

www.ipaidabribe.com is Janaagraha’s campaign to have citizens from all cities upload their bribe tales. This unique campaign will document how big the problem of corruption is.

The Website Does not ask you to Share your Details and promises that it will never share your info with any third parties.

On this site you can see the lowest bribe paid is to the Traffic Police and the Highest to the Sub-registrars to register the Property going up to Rs.45000.
Source:Times of India

The HSR Layout residents and          their Corporator Latha Narasimhamurthy are going all out to make their layout clean and garbage-free. They had launched a campaign recently to create awareness about waste segregation in Agara Village and HSR Layout 4th Sector. The campaign emphasized the need for separating wet and [...]]]>

Green=Organic, Red=Inorganic

The HSR Layout residents and          their Corporator Latha Narasimhamurthy are going all out to make their layout clean and garbage-free. They had launched a campaign recently to create awareness about waste segregation in Agara Village and HSR Layout 4th Sector. The campaign emphasized the need for separating wet and dry kitchen wastes and putting them in two different bins (red and green) and handing them over to garbage collectors.

BBMP has already supplied 1,000 red bins and 1,000 green bins to ward No 174, each of which has a capacity to carry two to three kg of waste.  Most of the residents in Agara Village have received the bins and are using them, but the residents in Sector 4 say that they have received only about 50 bins.However, here is the big question: Will the residents use these bins in an effective way even after receiving these dustbins? To this, the Corporator Latha Narasimhamurthy said, “We are not distributing these waste bins just because they come free. We are making people aware of the waste management system and its uses during the door-to-door distribution. We also collect data like the names of the residents, their phone numbers and addresses. This helps us keep track of the waste disposal.”
She also said, “We thought that since Sector 4 is a small area, we will cover the whole sector by distributing waste bins and make it a modal sector. But now we are facing difficulties. Volunteers are very few and many houses will be closed and some won’t open their doors at all. So we have now decided to distribute them in 7th Sector since they too require them.”
By -Punnyavathi Gouli S,  Source Dainik Jagran CityPlus

People in Bangalore have been known to use several novel methods to keep their neighborhood clean, but residents of HSR Layout have come up with a rather simple way to deal with trash offenders: they go and have a polite conversation with them.

The idea, said R S Hiremath, president, HSR [...]]]>

The Revolution Starts at Home

People in Bangalore have been known to use several novel methods to keep their neighborhood clean, but residents of HSR Layout have come up with a rather simple way to deal with trash offenders: they go and have a polite conversation with them.

The idea, said R S Hiremath, president, HSR Layout Sector 2 Residents’ Welfare Association, is not to reason with those who dump garbage in someone else’s yard but to understand them. “We want to know their psychology,” he told Bangalore Mirror.

Every Saturday for the last two weeks, five volunteers from the 10-member association five people have been standing near empty sites in the layout, and watching out for trash offenders. “Around 6 am, maids or housewives come to throw garbage.

Some do it because they have no  choice, but schools, hospitals, and shops come because they haven’t set up their own waste collection systems,” said the 48-year-old Hiremath.

Volunteers go up and casually talk to people casually dumping garbage. They try to persuade the offenders to stop the practice.

ROUND TWO

The group plans to print information collected from such interactions on handbills, and offer solutions to illegal dumping. One solution is to install more wayside garbage bins, and the association is working on that. “In HSR Layout Sector 2, we have about 400 homes. We will give out handbills to all of them,” he said.

Rithika Tiwari, another member of the association, said that garbage collection was not organised enough. “We have found out that many homes don’t have a garbage collection process. Also, we have few dustbins in the area,” she said.

Dr Meenakshi Bharat, who spearheaded a source segregation and solid waste management campaign at Malleswaram, said, “This campaign will help. HSR Layout is a fairly new layout, with a number of individual houses. The residents should know how to handle their garbage.”

Hiremath and his men also plan to talk to institutional offenders and help them set up garbage disposal systems.

Source: Bangalore Mirror, By-Gayatri Nair

They unanimously demanded a clean layout and asked their corporator to look into the garbage problem.

At the resident welfare association (RWA) meeting of HSR Layout on Sunday, members put forth their demands to corporator Latha Narasimha Murthy.

R S Hiremath, who was elected president of HSR RWA, said garbage disposal is [...]]]>

Image Source: Citizen Matters

They unanimously demanded a clean layout and asked their corporator to look into the garbage problem.

At the resident welfare association (RWA) meeting of HSR Layout on Sunday, members put forth their demands to corporator Latha Narasimha Murthy.

R S Hiremath, who was elected president of HSR RWA, said garbage disposal is a major issue plaguing the layout. “The corporator has promised to look into the issue,” he said. Officials from BBMP and BDA also attended the meeting.

Former HSR RWA president Brigadier R S Murthy said Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTC) dug up the road long ago but is yet to repair it. “We had asked KPTC officers to attend the RWA meet but none came. This is very disappointing. Civic authorities shouldn’t just dig up the road and leave it like that. Now, it’s raining every other day, posing a danger to residents,” he pointed out.

The other issues discussed were pig menace, unplanned digging of roads and garbage disposal. The meeting was in two parts — first was the board meeting, in which new president was elected and six more office bearers were included; the second one focused on problems faced by residents and interaction with the corporator.
News Source: Times of India

Wishing you a happy and joyous Deepavali , We would like to start a new Section called “Residents Voice” where we will post your thoughts, problems, Suggestions to make HSR Layout a better place to live. Here is our first mail that we recieved from Mr.Ramkumar

Dear Sir,

I live in HSR layout second sector . [...]]]>

Dry Taps?

Wishing you a happy and joyous Deepavali , We would like to start a new Section called “Residents Voice” where we will post your thoughts, problems, Suggestions to make HSR Layout a better place to live.
Here is our first mail that we recieved from Mr.Ramkumar

Dear Sir,

I live in HSR layout second sector . Residents in 25th C Cross , 27th Main are facing huge water problems for the past 2 months. Around 20 houses which are on an elevation in this street have not received water for the past 2 months. We have to go to the BWSSB office at HSR layout every time and make a complaint. After that we get tankers. Every time we get an answer that pressure is not there. Isn’t it important to find out the cause and rectify the same ? This is creating lot of inconvenience for us. It is very frustrating to see that the residents who are in the low lying areas in the same street get good water but we don’t . It is much more frustrating to see that so much of water is being used for construction whereas we have to struggle for our basic needs. In spite of all these difficulties we promptly get our monthly bills with reading “ No draw” ?????? I request your help in resolving this issue at the earliest.

regards,

Ramkumar

The sudden spells of darkness engulfing the layout, courtesy the load-shedding , is also one of the main contributory factors for the spurt in chain snatching incidents.

We cant blame all on the power cuts, the commissioner however felt that Bangalore was still a safe city. As far as the specifics of [...]]]>

Source:The Hindu (Mockup Image)

The sudden spells of darkness engulfing the layout, courtesy the load-shedding , is also one of the main contributory factors for the spurt in chain snatching incidents.

We cant blame all on the power cuts, the commissioner however felt that Bangalore was still a safe city. As far as the specifics of chain snatching incidents were concerned , the culprits are usually young boys around 20-25 years on Bikes. They are targeting those near the Temples and those who are on a evening walk near various parks of HSR Layout, specially 2nd Sector Park near Purva Fairmont and the one on 5th Main Road.

Police in Action Mode:

HSR Layout police is taking no chance in letting these incidents increase any further. To check this crime, they have increased the patrolling around temples, parks and vulnerable areas like, 23rd  cross, 5th main, Hosapalya road, Mangammapalya main road. So don’t be surprised if any Khakhi Cop stops you and asks you to remove your helmet and asks about your address etc, Be polite and answer all there queries they are doing it for our safety.

Suggestions to avoid becoming sitting ducks of Chain Snatching Gangs:

• Avoid unnecessary display of jewels.
• Be vigilant when walking alone
• In case anyone’s chain is snatched, raise an alarm, alert neighbors or the public and inform HSR Police Station or Madivala Police Station if you are near Silk Board or Teachers colony.

HSR Plice Station- 080-22943467
Hoysala- 080-22943000
Address:No.29/A, 1st Sec,27th Mn, Hsr Layout, Bangalore – 560034

Madivala Police Sation- 080-22942568 / 22942064
Source:HSR Times

The CA Site on 18th Main of HSR Layout-3rd Sector, allotted for the park has been used as a dumping zone by Under Construction Hospital owner.The Hospital is to be constructed on 18th A Main, adjacent to the park Opposite to HSR Club.

Due to the dumping it has hampered the progress of [...]]]>

Looks like Park?

The CA Site on 18th Main of HSR Layout-3rd Sector, allotted for the park has been used as a dumping zone by Under Construction Hospital owner.The Hospital is to be constructed on 18th A Main, adjacent to the park Opposite to HSR Club.

Due to the dumping it has hampered the progress of developing the park, for which all approvals and necessary formalities are complete with the BBMP.

Going Back to History this Park was a Stone Quarry, later which turned into a Garbage dumping place, and during monsoon it was a Deep Water Tank, giving a look of Dhobhi Ghat, because nearby Dhobhi’s used this water for washing 100’s of cloths, everyday.

It is said that a super specialty Hospital is to come up on this site for which the cost is around 30Crore, to be taken up by a charitable trust.

Hospital Site

One Interesting thing about this hospital is that It has just about 15ft Narrow Roads on all 4 sides and there are many Residential Houses facing this Upcoming Hospital all of them built on a 20×30ft Plot area! and many of them have developed cracks thanks to the Foundation work taken up for this Hospital.

Image Credits: Brig(retrd). R S Murthy

By Brig (retd.) R S Murthy (This Article was written by Brig(retrd.) R.S Murthy President of HSR Layout 2nd RWA )

The seven-year old HSR Layout Sector II Residents Association [...]]]> The annual general body meeting of the HSR Layout, 2nd Sector led to freewheeling interaction between government body officials and residents.

Image Credits: Brig(retrd). R S Murthy

By Brig (retd.) R S Murthy
(This Article was written by Brig(retrd.) R.S Murthy President of HSR Layout 2nd RWA )

The seven-year old HSR Layout Sector II Residents Association convened their annual general body meeting on 19th of July at Cambridge Public School located in the vicinity.
The meeting was well attended by residents and had a focused agenda. The concerns of the residents included:

Bad Roads & silted/clogged Storm water drains:
a. Blacktopping of all roads and regular clearance of shoulder undergrowth.
b. De-silting of all storm-water drains
c. Proper repair of road cutting.

Garbage clearance
a. Daily clearance of garbage in a proactive manner. There is improvement but a system has to be in place, this will stop the menace of pigs, stray dogs& rodents, reptiles and prevent health problems.
b. Aggressive awareness campaign by BBMP on educating residents through posters, notices and audio visual road shows.
c. Boards at  prominent places instructing  people not to  litter, urinate and  defecate at public places and  vacant sites
d. Educating school-children in the area on the importance of having a clean and healthy environment who, in turn, will educate their families.

Labor Camps
a. Immediate eviction of camps in a coordinated and complete manner.
b. Heavy fines to be levied on owners and contractors who do not provide temporary accommodation/facilities to laborers during construction.

Road Space
a. Unauthorized trucks occupying road space and owners/contractors dumping building material on the roads should be heavily fined
b. Eviction of unauthorized vendors on the road side and pavement
c. Eviction of construction sheds along the footpaths of Main and Cross Roads .These encroachments need to be evicted on an urgent basis in the interest of the community.

Vacant plots and Sanitation:
a. Ensure that both owners as well as BBMP agencies maintain vacant plots. Legislation might be needed for this.
b. Proper maintenance of parks that have been created in the last few months.

Meeting proceedings

Officials from BESCOM, BWSSB and BBMP also attended the function along with residents, with a very frank and fruitful interaction.

It was mentioned that there is a perceivable change for the better on the condition of roads and garbage clearance but a lot more needs to be done with proactive initiative for permanent solutions with coordinated action by civic agencies, BBMP and BDA. Responsibility of garbage management rests on residents too, they need to be aware of this.

The civic officials promised resolution of residents’ grievances relating to garbage management, proper lighting of roads, maintenance of parks and water supply through close working relationship with the residents and association.

The residents requested for early decision on their petition to BBMP and BMTC, on shifting of the bus stand from Parangipalya bus stand in HSR layout  to either the junction of 17th Cross and 19th Main road or the area near the KEB power station ahead of Purvankara  apartments on 24th Main Road where ample space and turning radius (for the buses) are available.

The MLA of the area, Satish Reddy (Bommanahalli) attended the meeting for some time and assured full support towards resolution of the many issues pertaining to infrastructure.

Most of the previous office bearers were once again re-elected during the election.

Office Members

• Brig. Murthy-President (re-elected)
• Hiramath (now elected as Vice President)
• Chana Keshava-General Secretary (re-elected)
• James Tharakkan-Treasurer (re-elected)
• Bhasker Reddy (now elected as Joint Secretary)

Committee Members

• Suma Keshav (re-elected)
• Brinda Gourav (re-elected)
• Girish (re-elected)
• Krishnamurthy (re elected)
• Mahesh (re-elected)
• Sanjeev Balagopal (re-elected)
• Basavakumar
• Chandru
• Putta Reddy

A number of new residents have also volunteered to be part of the association activities, including Nagaraj, Mr. and Mrs Thimmaiah,  Poojary and Purshotham.