I am also on skype & can be involved as necessary.

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 regards

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Just the two of us?

The site structure doesn't help - projects and events get mixed up with discussions, which are clearly the attention magnates on this site.

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 I have a land line, Internet and computer. Is there any special software requirement?

PSA

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Requirements - PC/Laptop with microphone, Broadband connection. Here are the instructions to join these skype meetings

• Download and install skype from www.skype.com. It is a program like yahoo/MSN messenger, but with very good capabilities to do "voice chat" (or internet phone call).
• Your PC should have a microphone attached. Laptops have it by default. Desktop PCs may need a mic attachment.
• Preferable to have a headphone as well (otherwise, voice chat may be bad due to "feedback" problem)
• Register to get your personal skype account
• At the scheduled meeting time, login to Skype program on your computer, and be ready to receive an "internet call"

Once you are done with above, just private_message/email me your skype id. I will conference all skype ids I get.

For privacy reasons, it is best not to announce personal skype ids on an open forums, thats why this private message business.

With time, we will do more of these skype meetings (we are all part-timers here, frequent face to face meetings are not possible), so better get setup and build our Praja contact lists in skype.

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Was off Praja (and internet) for a couple of days - saw this post just now. I might be a bit late for the meeting (depending on nama Bengaluru traffic) but i will try and make it.

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Will join the meeting

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Had our first meeting last night. Got delayed a bit due to Skype tech setup etc. But once we were setup, it worked well.

Zenrainman sir, ananthram sir, Sanjay, Rithesh, Manjari and myself were on.

What did we plan to do next?

On BWSSB front, two things

• Meet ex BWSSB executives, to know BWSSB better. It seems a lot of senior knowledgeable folks are retirring there, so a lot of "stored knowledge" may be getting lost with retirements.
• Track BWSSB project - start with one. Zenrainman sir will start with a post listing a project and what we need to no about it. Then, two of us will frame questions and file RTIs

On lake front

• Let us try one simple thing. Collect 7 year snapshots (thanks to big brother) of 17 big lakes in and around the city, and just give a conslidated document to Lokayukta.
• Doing RTIs to expose possible lake side encroachments is difficult as well as risky. Let us raise awareness via posts and possible Lokayukta intervention.

Bangalore and water - the worst is yet to come. So please come and join these BWSSB engagement and tracking projects. Take interest now itself, before it gets late :)

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Looks like SB has already captured the gist.  Here are my notes which are slightly more detailed.

BWSSB/Lakes meeting

Attendees:

Ritesh, Pranav (SB), Manjari, Vishwanath sir (Zenrainman), Sanjay

Introductions were made about Praja as well as members.

Vishwanath sir is the person here working with water issues since the late 80s.

Pranav to Zenrainman - Is BWSSB open to people/group approaching them with issues?

- BWSSB is going through a transition. Many people are retiring and with that lot of knowledge about Bangalore water is leaving the institution. The replacements are not as familiar. Frequent change fo chairman. New chairman is a listener.

Pranav: Water as an issue does not get as much publicity and activity on Prahja as much as traffic. Looking for some projects that we could do.

-Vishwanath works with a group called Civic (spelling?) on gathering information by filing RTIs. 7 responses received so far. A slow process, takes 3 months for answers.

Q: Is BWSSB open to RTIs? DO they feel it is adversarial. Would it be easier to go for a meeting and get answers.

Ans: yes, they are quite open. The PRO is friendly. However, the organization itself consists of silos and often finding the right dept to get an aswer is difficult. With RTI, one gets an official response.

What projects can we work on?

Sanjay, Manjari - We would like to first understand the issues. Lot of ignorance about Bangalore water and sewage.

Ritesh - Interested in lakes

Is lakes part of LDA or BWSSB?

BWSSB has put a proposal to get control over 16 tanks, but no decisions yet.

Potential projects

(1) Tracking BWSSB projects

(2) Gathering info on projects, B'lore water

(3) Lakes

- Decision was to (a) Track one or two projects. Suggestion was Cauvery Phase 4, Sewage

(b) Tentatively, a Sunday meeting with an ex chief engineer of BWSSB, about 1 hour?

(c) Lakes is an interesting topic, but can be dangerous. Idea is to simply make a list and collect data on the major lakes in B'lore. Manjari and Ritesh will compile list and divide between attendees to collect history on the lakes via snapshots. Potentially could consider Lokayukta intervention.

Action items:

(1)Vishwanath sir will compile all the RTI replies he has received so far which are fairly short.

(2) He will also suggest some potential questions to file RTI on.

(3) Vishwanath sir will also try to arrange meeting with former BWSSB official.

(4) Ritesh and Manjari - dividing lakes

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We had made some plans for this project, but nothing has happened since then.  Did I miss something or has it been passive?

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PSA-sir and others,

       I was for a long time struck up with some personal work. Now that i have gained 'freedom', I would love to join you. Please let me know if I am needed. I am game for this work.

-Srivatsava V

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Hi,

I had put up all the lakes on a google map in bangalore. the link is

http://maps.google.co.in/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104875068120087393568.00046924477a49100d64e&z=10

I was told that Anatharam sir will look into the same.

I am not aware of what happened after that.

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Manjari,

       It is indeed wonderful effort to have located all the lakes on the maps, though lalbagh lake is not marked.

May I please understand the intension behind plotting these on the map. To put it differently, now that you have marked the lakes on the map, what do we do with this hereafter?

-Srivatsava V

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 Manjari,

SB wanted me to do some posts on lakes, though my main interest is on “On line elections”. He told me that he will request you and Ritesh to contact me, in this connection, as both of you were already on the project. Ritesh helped me on Google Earth new version, which I have down loaded. This helped my second post, below.

As per SB’s request, I have made 4 posts:-

1. Importance of Lakes in and around Bengalooru for drinking water needs of the city
2. The changing face of Bengalooru lakes over a 9 year period - a study
3. The Bellandur Lake Photo Stream
4. Importance of Bellandur Lake in the ecosystem of Bengalooru

I was hoping the lake group would have comments to offer. Any way I am sorry for what has happened.

Pl do check on this post and my comment.

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Hey please dont apologize!!!!!

All I wanted to say was that I am not aware of what is happening and nothing else. Which just means 'I' dont know :)
I saw your posts and there is a nice amount of interseting information and there is no doubt about it.

Maybe we all can do some brain storming and figure out how to take this project forward.

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