Namma Metro- still long way to go.

STILL LONG WAY TO GO

NAMMA METRO WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN ZIPPING THROUGH THE CITY BY APRIL. WHILE WE WAIT, A SNAP REVIEW OF THE PROGRESS

I t’s not just the delay in certification that’s worrying Bangaloreans

Its about Metro’s Reach-1 but also readiness of the stations. Till date, none of the six stations along this track, between Byappanahalli and M G Road, is 100% complete.

It might take at least a couple of months for some stations to be ready. The station on M G Road that leads the track is 90% complete. Those at CMH Road and Ulsoor Road have a long way to go.

TOI did a ground check on the preparedness of the six stations. Entry to these is restricted. The status report is based on the works being carried out in the exteriors.

M G Road Rating: Good
The exteriors are almost complete but access needs to be cleared. A sneak peek reveals that passenger facilities — elevators, customer care and ticket counters — are ready. Work on the emergency exits is not complete.

Trinity Circle Rating: Fair
Welding works continue amidst the hustle and bustle of traffic. The outer ramps on either side of the station area are getting ready. Road restoration works are incomplete. The main platform area above is complete.

Ulsoor Station Rating: Poor
Many works are still in progress. Forget the facilities inside the station, even the access to the main entry is difficult. The station in this congested area still requires a lot of restoration work along the road and footpath.

CMH Road Rating: Poor
Work delayed following public objections. Though it has picked up pace now, still far from complete. The main entry remains out of reach due to works in progress. Little is known about the facilities inside.

S V Road Rating: Fair
Exteriors nearing completion. Emergency stairs and roofs for pedestrian skywalk in place. Footpaths on either side of the station restored partially. Welding works in progress. Entry/exit ramp incomplete.

Byappanahalli Rating: Good
Works progressing at a brisk pace in the adjoining depot area. Engineers at the site say most of the passenger facilities are in place at the station. What’s pending is just the finishing touches, they say.

Pay property tax by credit or debit card

BANGALORE: This year, you can just swipe your credit or debit card, at no extra charge, with the city corporation finally implementing its long-planned cashless transaction for one of its regular revenue sources.

According to BBMP officials, the increasing number of bouncing cheques was also a reason to introduce this new method. All revenue collection centres (BBMP One centres and ARO offices) across the city will be equipped with the new swiping machines by Friday.

April 30 is the last day to avail the 5% rebate on full payment of tax for 2011-12. From this year, property owners will also have to fill a separate application form for payment of garbage cess. The applications will be made available at all tax counters. Taxpayers this year can heave a sigh of relief that the corporation will not be going ahead with the 15% revision, as per the revised Self Assessment Scheme rulebook. The exact estimate for property tax collection is yet to be made, but on a rough estimate, collection figures cross Rs 1,100 crore as revenue for the year.

CALENDAR FOR 2011-12
-April 1: Tax collection for 2011-12 begins

April 30-Last day to pay full tax and avail 5% rebate

May 30-Deadline to pay first half-year installment or full (without penalty or rebate)

Nov 29-Deadline for second installment without penalty (2% of tax amount for every month).

Bangalore Home to 9.5 Million

 

 

More people are jostling for space in the city which now has a population density of 4,378 people per sq km.

Bangalore has nearly doubled its population over the previous decade with the citys urban area now home to 9.5 million people according to the provisional estimates of the Census of India.More people are jostling for space in the countrys technology capital which now has a population density of 4,378 people per square kilometre up from 2,985 in 2001.The city which saw its population grow by 46.68% between 2001 and 2011,now accounts for almost a fifth of the total population of 6.11 crore residents across Karnataka state.

Even as the state capital accounts for 15.69% of the overall residents,Karnataka has registered lower population growth of 15.67% in this decade compared to the national average of 17.64%.Population growth this decade in the state is also 1.84% lower than the previous figure of 17.51% during 1991-2001.In contrast,Bangalore has exceeded the 35.09% growth recorded in the previous census survey between 1991 and 2001.Attributing this massive population growth in Bangalore to the growing economic opportunities,Prof KS James,head,Population Research Centre,Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC),said the challenge now was to match burgeoning population growth with basic amenities.The authorities did not anticipate such a massive increase and there will be increasing strain on providing basic services, said Prof James.

With migration into the city expected to continue in the coming years,the only alternative would be to develop other nearby locations such as Tumkur and Mysore.Bangalore with a population growth of 15.69% is the most populous district followed by Belgaum,Mysore,Tumkur,Gulbarga and Bellary.Kodagu and Bangalore Rural are the only rural districts in the state with a population of less than one million.While Bangalore,Bellary,Yadgir and Bijapur have shown higher growth rates (than the one witnessed in 1991-2001 ),Chikmagalur was the only district that saw a negative growth (- 0.28%) during 2001-2011.

The states sex ratio (which is the number of females per 1,000 males),increased from 965 to 968 during the decade with Bangalore having the lowest number at 908,a constant over the decade.Kodagu,Chickmagalur,Chamarajanagar,Dharwad,Shimoga and Mysore have seen a increase in the sex ratio.The literacy rate of the state has increased from 66.64% in 2001 to 75.60% in 2011.Male literacy increased from 76.10% in 2001 to 82.85% in 2011 while female literacy jumped from 56.87% in 2001 to 68.13% in 2011.

Thanks: afakar

Karnataka mulls mandatory use of CFL bulbs

Use of compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs in all households in Karnataka may be made mandatory as part of measures to reduce power consumption, state energy minister Shobha Karandlaje said Monday.

‘We have decided that use of CFL bulbs in households in the state should be made compulsory,’ she said at a function here to launch a campaign to save power.

The CFL bulbs consume 80 percent less power than incandescent bulbs, she said.

Karandlaje said that to encourage people to go for CFL bulbs, they will be sold at Rs.15 each, with the government subsidising their prices.

Officials of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company would go to each house in the city and sell four CFL bulbs at Rs.15 each.

‘The families will have to hand over four incandescent bulbs to these officials,’ Karandlaje said.

Launching the campaign ‘Belaku Yojane’ (Light Programme), Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said his government would come out with measures to ensure all households in the state use CFL bulbs by September this year.

He said: ‘We need to educate people to go for CFL bulbs. The manufacturers, government employees and women’s organisations would be involved in formulating the programmes,’ the chief minister said.

Karnataka is a power-deficit state and frequent power cuts, particularly in the summer months of April-May, have become a norm for several years.

The state needs around 7,200 MW of power daily, but the supply is 6,000 MW. The deficit is being met by purchasing power from energy-surplus states.

Source: IANS

Metro feeder buses designed

BMTC will operate 64 buses along 26 routes in and out of six Reach-1 stations

While Namma Metro’s first commercial run is yet to be announced, BMTC has already identified feeder routes to the Byappanahalli-Chinnaswamy Stadium Reach-1 stretch. In fact, the corporation has already designed some of the buses in the Metro coach colours. The dedicated feeder buses, with altered interiors, will operate within a six-km radius of each of the six stations on Reach-1.

A total of 26 feeder routes have been identified for Reach-1. From the MG Road station, these buses will connect points like Commercial Street, Cantonment Railway Station, Corporation Bus Stand, Brigade Road, Shoolay Circle, Mallya Hospital, Residency Road and Lavelle Road. The six stations on Reach-1 are Byappanahalli, SV Road, CMH Road, Ulsoor,Trinity Circle and MG Road.

A BMTC official said, “The feeder service will connect Metro stations to points like malls and high streets with commercial activities. Of the six Reach-1 stations, Byappanahalli and MG Road will be connected by the maximum number of buses.
    
BMTC sources said the feeder service was decided on after studying a similar service for the Delhi Metro. BMTC will operate 64 buses in and out of the six Reach-1 stations, of which 10 will be mini-buses.

The feeder service will connect the CMH Road station to points like the Leela Palace bus stand, Manipal Hospital, HAL main gate and Domlur. The Byappanahalli station will be linked to Ramamurthy Nagar, Jeevanbhima Nagar, Kodihalli and Kasturi Nagar, while the Trinity Circle station will be connected to Garuda Mall, Lake Side Hospital, Life Style, Ashirvadam Circle and Austin Town.
    
However, the feeder routes identified are not final and are subject to change once BMRCL starts operations on Reach-1. An official said, “There may be some additions or deletions in the feeder routes, based on passenger response.”
    
The dedicated BMTC buses will be painted in Metro coach colours and will have LED signboards. However, they they will not be air-conditioned. A BMTC official said, “It is not feasible to operate air-conditioned buses for short distances.”

 By Suchith.Kidiyoor @timesgroup.com

Complaints against rude Auto Rickshaw drivers in Bangalore

Hi,

Once again I publish this for the benefit of all. Please give as much wide publicity as you can.

M.Prabhakaran

You are in a hurry to catch the train. You pack all your stuff and frantically run out in the hope of catching an auto. You come out and see 5 autos standing at the corner. You thank God and ask them – “Majestic chaloge kya??” The Answer is “Rs 200 hoga!!”. “Kya?? It just cost Rs 100 till Majestic”. “Bahut rush hai sir!!”. You move on to the next auto, to try your luck and surprisingly, you have the same conversation “Bahut rush hai sir!!”. Finally you give up and bargain the price to Rs 170 and hope you don’t miss your train.

Sounds more than familiar??

You stand on the road and keep on asking the passing autos for a ride to your destination – if it’s not your day, the autos will not even bother to stop; if you’re a bit lucky they might actually slow down to hear your destination’s name and think for a second (i always wonder if they are calculating their net profit) and then speed away. However if you are luckier, the auto guy might quote an exorbitant price and then speed away. But if it’s your extremely lucky hour of the day, you might end up getting an auto which is ready to take you to the destination at meter price.

In my twelve years of existence in Bengaluru, these experiences have been really instrumental in teaching me great virtues – Patience and Tolerance. But at what price??? exorbitant rates, extremely rude behavior and what not ……After years of feeling used, i set out to find the answer for this misery – was there no government system that could bring these auto guys to justice? As a citizen, how can i express my concern?

This search took me to the Koramangala RTO office (BDA complex) and to my surprise i found that there did exist a government system which i believe 99.99% of Bengaluru is unaware of !! the System.

Note the vehicle number (KA-XX-YY-ZZZZ) and email the details to transcom@kar.nic.in. Based on the prefix XX (for example KA-01), complaint will be sent to one of the ten RTO offices in Bangalore and adjacent taluk areas.Alternatively, one can also call these offices at the number given below based on the vehicle number prefix and directly lodge a complaint.Vehicle Prefix (KA-XX) Bangalore location Phone number

KA-01 Koramangala 080-25533525
KA-02 Rajajinagar 080-23324104
KA-03 Indiranagar 080-25254310
KA-04 Yeshwantpur 080-23376039
KA-05 Jayanagar 080-26630989
KA-41 Gyanabharthi 080-28602833
KA-50 Yelahanka 080-28561366
KA-51 Electronic City 080-25735522
KA-52 NeelaMangala 08234-285598
KA-53 KR Puram 080-25617951

Once the complaint is received at the corresponding office, a notice is issued to the address of the vehicle’s registered owner, requiring him/her to turn up at the RTO office within 7 working days. Every RTO has about 10 IMV’s (Inspector of Motor Vehicles) who seize the vehicles which don’t report to the RTO.The penalty levied from the auto-waalas is Rs.100 under section 200.

The various offences among others for which one can lodge a complaint

• Refusal to come to destination (Any destination!!!)
• Demanding excess fare
• Using rough language
• Cheat the public, for e.g. taking longer routes.
• Faulty Meter

There is also a help line number – 080-22353785 available Monday – Saturday from 10:00 am – 5:30 pm on which one can call to lodge complaints.The numbers speak for itself was shocked when I found that the Koramangala RTO office received only 5 complaints a month. With over 1,00,000 autos plying on Bangalore roads, shouldn’t it be like 5 complaints a minute?What’s wrong with the system?

• Lack of Awareness among the Bangalore citizens
• The system is inefficient in data gathering emails or phone calls cannot be stored and processed properly, leading to ineffective use of these complaint data.
• Converting these complaints into notices issued to vehicle owners is still a manual process
• Limited government officials to handle

So, will our impatience always have to take a backseat? Can something be done to improve/compliment the system to make it more effective? Will we get a better platform to raise our voices democratically?

Sainik Welfare -50% rebate in the Property Tax

 The Government of Karnataka have included a proposal in the budget for the year 2010-2011 to provide  50% rebate in the Property Tax payable in  on the houses owned and occupied by the Soldiers, Ex-soldiers or their families with effect from 2010-11. The formal orders are yet to be issued. It is understood that those who have already paid the tax for the year 2010-11 can adjust the rebate amount against next year’s tax payable. However we need to await for detailed orders in this regard.

To download the proposal under “Sainik Welfare”, CLICK HERE

 

FOR AUTO COMMUTERS

 Do you use auto rickshaw for your day-to-day commuting? Then you must be wasting an average of 20 to 30 minutes on the road trying to get a willing auto to take you in. REFUSAL!! This is a major challenge that you face everyday.

Just call 9844112233 any time you want an auto to commute and  they will send it to your doorstep. These  auto rickshaws have GPS devices installed in them, and they track the vehicles using highly sophisticated servers that track the satellite data from the GPS devices that is updated every 3 minutes. These autos are safe and the drivers are always polite and at your service, the agency claims.
 
For more information visit http://easyauto.in/?page=why

Have you been taken for a ride lately by auto-wallahs?

You are in a hurry to catch the train. You pack all your stuff and frantically run out in the hope of catching an auto. You come out and see 5 autos standing at the corner. You thank God and ask them – “Majestic chaloge kya?? ” The Answer is “Rs 200 hoga!!”. “Kya?? It just cost Rs 100 till Majestic”. “Bahut rush hai sir!!”. You move on to the next auto, to try your luck and surprisingly, you have the same conversation “Bahut rush hai sir!!”. Finally you give up and bargain the price to Rs 170 and hope you don’t miss your train.

Sounds more than familiar?? You stand on the road and keep on asking the passing autos for a ride to your destination – if it’s not your day, the autos will not even bother to stop; if you’re a bit lucky they might actually slow down to hear your destination’s name and think for a second( I always wonder if they are calculating their net profit) and then speed away. However if you are more lucky, the auto guy might actually quote you an exorbitant price and then speed away. But if it’s your extremely lucky hour of the day, you might end up gettingan auto which is ready to take you to the destination at meter price.

In my six years of existence in Bengaluru, these experiences have been really instrumental in teaching me great virtues – Patience and Tolerance. But at what price??? exorbitant rates, extremely rude behavior and what not …
After years of feeling used, i set out to find the answer for this misery -was there no government system that could bring these auto guys to justice? As a citizen, how can i express my concern?

This search took me to the Koramangala RTO office (BDA complex) and to my surprise i found that there did exist a government system which I believe 99.99% of Bengaluru is unaware of !!
The System Note the vehicle number (KA-XX-YY-ZZZZ) and email the details to transcom@kar.nic.in<mailto:transcom@kar.nic.in>. Based on the prefix XX ( for example KA-01), complaint will be sent to one of the ten RTO offices in Bangalore and adjacent taluk areas.
Alternatively, one can also call these offices at the number given below based on the vehicle number prefix and directly lodge a complaint.

Vehicle Prefix (KA-XX) Bangalore location Phone number

 *   KA-01 Koramangala 080-25533525
 *   KA-02 Rajajinagar 080-23324104
 *   KA-03 Indiranagar 080-25254310
 *   KA-04 Yeshwantpur 080-23376039
 *   KA-05 Jayanagar 080-26630989
 *   KA-41 Gyanabharthi 080-28602833
 *   KA-50 Yelahanka 080-28561366
 *   KA-51 Electronic City 080-25735522
 *   KA-52 NeelaMangala 08234-285598
 *   KA-53 KR Puram 080-25617951
Once the complaint is received at the corresponding office, a notice is issued to the address of the vehicle’s registered owner, requiring him/her to turn up at the RTO office within 7 working days. Every RTO has about 10 IMV’s (Inspector of Motor Vehicles) who seize the vehicles which don’t report to the RTO.

The penalty levied from the auto-waalas is Rs.100 under section 200.

The various offences among others for which one can lodge a complaint

 *   Refusal to come to destination (Any destination!!!)
 *   Demanding excess fare
 *   Using rough language
 *   Cheat the public, for e.g. taking longer routes.
 *   Faulty Meter
There is also a helpline number – 080-22353785 available Monday – Saturday from 10:00 am – 5:30 pm on which one can call to lodge complaints.

The numbers speak for itself
I was shocked when I found that the Koramangala RTO office received only 5 complaints a month. With over 1,00,000 autos plying on Bangalore roads, shouldn’t it be like 5 complaints a minute?
So, will our impatience always have to take a backseat? Can something be done to improve/compliment the system to make it more effective? Will we get a better platform to raise our voices democratically?

MUGGING AND SAFETY ON THE ROADS

Of late, we have been getting the reports of incidents of IT employees travelling in cars getting mugged by a gang in areas around Outer Ring Road like Iblur Circle – Sarjapur road, Bellandur Circle – Yamalur road on Bellandur Tank bed, Sarjapur road – Hosur road via Jail road, Sarjapur road – Hosur road via Haralur. These incidents occur during lean traffic times of 11 AM to 4 PM and at night.

 The Modus Operandi of the gang is as follows:

 a)     The gang generally has a black pulsar with a driver and a pillion. Usually they the target the car with single person inside.

b)    They continuously honk from behind to stop the car saying that you have committed an accident.

c)     As soon as you stop the car and open the door, they will enter and sit inside and tell you that you have injured a person in the accident and have to pay compensation.

d)    They will immediately confirm the amount you have to pay saying that the injured is the brother of local Don! Then try to convince you that you have to face his ire if the amount is not paid.

e)     They will ask you to give them the money by drawing from nearby ATM.

f)     The members of the gang speak Kannada and broken Hindi and are known to take only money or gold but not cell phone.

 
The following guidelines may be helpful in dealing with such situations:

 a)             Always lock the doors of your car from inside when driving alone.

b)            Don’t panic when you hear continuous honking from behind.

c)             If you have to stop the car, call police immediately and try to make sure that you stop in a place which is not isolated.

d)            Don’t get down from the car and allow any stranger to get in.

e)             In the event of them getting into your car, get out immediately as you will be in public place. Raise your voice and get the people around.

f)             Don’t loose your temper. Be cool and handle the situation diplomatically.

g)            If possible, take their photograph and vehicle number plate in your cell phone.

h)             If pushed into a situation, tell them that you can arrange money from your friend and take them to place, where people known to you are available.

i)              Keep the “Pepper spray” ready as a defense and use it properly and carefully only if they try to threaten you or attack you. Pepper spray is available in outlets of More and Health & Glow.

j)              Do not get panicky and give away all your valuables at the first instance.

k)             Remember that their operation is a planned one and even they are equally scared but pretend to be courageous.

l)              If the situation aggravates, don’t risk your life. There is no need to be a hero! Your safety is important.

 A mobile patrol squad consisting of four police personnel from HSR Layout Police Station is formed to nab the gang. Apart from this, crime branch constables are also patrolling in these roads in plain clothes.  These teams will be working alternately day/night. We have checked and confirmed these numbers and employees are requested store the numbers and call them if they need help.

          Cheetah Mobile Patrol 1 –  Sri. Ashok -9902660986   

         Cheetah Mobile Patrol 2 –  Sri. Vijayamurthy – 9980834703

         Crime Squad Constable-1 – Sri.Manjunath Mobile No-9845668681 

          Crime Squad Constable 2 – Sri. Ravindranath Mobile No-9980399551