Citizen's Demand Report for Bengaluru CRS

kbsyed61 - 27-MAY-2010

Here is the draft version of the planned 'Demand Report' for CRS Bengaluru. This is work in rpogress, I am still working on and need lot of information to go into this document. I will keep updating this document and post it here for your review and comemnts.

Are trees needed in this city?

srinidhi - 27-MAY-2010

 Very unfortunate but many in this city seems to hate trees now, trees get bad press when they fall during rains and storms. We like the shade they give, especially during hot summers, but also curse them for the jams created after a storm..fallen branches etc..

BBMP has gone to the extent that they have planted signs below the trees on Chord Road: “Warning! There is a chance of trees and branches falling during the rain. So drive cautiously.”

We, without understanding these trees are out to blame them for the damage they cause. So why do branches fall off trees? There are a few reasons as below:

1. A Weak Branch Union occurs when a branch and stem (or two or more co-dominant stems) grow so closely together that bark grows between them, inside the tree. The term for bark growing inside the tree is “included bark.” As more and more bark is included inside the tree, the weak union is formed that is more likely to fail.

Metro - MG Road Boulevard

Ravi_D - 27-MAY-2010

 BMRC has uploaded an artists impression of the proposed MG Road Boulevard. Large 10MB file full of graphics.
  

Proposal is for a two level boulevard,  spread along a 400m corridor next to the metro pillars that ends at Anil Kumble Jn. 

Should be a nice place to go to if the reality turns out as good.... Couldn't help think why cramp so many different activities in just a half a km stretch. Personally I'd prefer a single theme to a place, and many such places along the Metro lines. Why only MG Road? Why not landscape and use area under the pillars along many such places in the city?

Wanted - park/lung space in whitefield area

silkboard - 26-MAY-2010

Amidst the barrage of not to this and no to that posts, here is an "I need this" instead. Whitefield has seen relentless concretization in last 4-5 years. Nice roads, the best pavements, tech parks, and housing complexes. But life is not all about living, commuting and working. We need to play, mingle around and relax as well. For that, need some serious public space, or a large new park.

Center of the city has plenty of these, but it takes too much time to go to Cubbon Park or Lalbagh or Freedom Park now. Whitefield area has a few lakes, and new recreational amenities can be developed around a few of those. We know that a large park will not bring any white or black money to BBMP or BDA, and that is probably why concrete is the flavor of the decade in Bangalore. If you live around Whitefield, leave your comment with words of support, and we will figure how to take this request forward with local corporators or MLA or BBMP/BDA.

No to musical fountain & laser shows at Lalbagh - petitions

indian - 25-MAY-2010

Lalbagh will be losing trees for a 'Sentosa' look. It/This is a perfect case of the fence eating the crop.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/71424/lalbagh-lose-trees-sentosa-look.html 

The Horticulture Dept, which shoulders the responsibility of protecting and preserving Lalbagh Gardens, is set to axe the precious green cover in the State's only botanical gardens. In its zeal to emulate Singapore's famous Sentosa Island, the dept will chop off nearly 10 full-grown trees to make way for a musical fountain and a laser show.

However, the department has kept this fact under wraps, fearing protests. Even the Chief Minister / CM has not been informed about the need for cutting the trees for the project. This place is presently covered by nearly 20 trees, and at least 10 of them are planned to be cleared.

Mukha Mukhi -- Neighbourhood watch

vinod_shankar - 21-MAY-2010

Be an Active Community Journalist - Give yourself the voice; tell us your stories on “Mukhi Mukhi” – Neighbourhood Watch

Presentation on CRS

idontspam - 21-MAY-2010

 Prepare a presentation on CRS

Commuter Rail meetings with Mr Ananth Kumar, Mr V Madhu - report

silkboard - 21-MAY-2010

Yesterday was kind of a big day for this project. Some of us met Mr V Madhu, Principal Secretary, Infrastructure Development Department, Govt of Karnataka. And Sanjeev managed a meeting with BJP MP, Mr Ananth Kumar.

Murali, blrsri, N, IDS and myself were there with Mr Madhu, spent about an hour with him, mostly listening to his thoughts. He seemed like a high energy guy. And as it happens in the most of these meetings, the ball was thrown back in our court. Mr Madhu asked us to return in a couple of weeks with a report carrying all our ideas on CRS and an actionable way.

Sanjeev too, from his meeting with Mr Ananth Kumar, got this task of getting back to him with a solid presentation on Commuter Rail for Bangalore.

Using GPS to catch tampered rickshaw meters (Updated)

tejvan - 20-MAY-2010

I always carry my trusty GPS whenever I head to places I haven't been to. It helps me to quickly locate a place and I don't have to ask for directions. I dont have a vehicle and so I invariably take rickshaws for trips within the city. The infuriating thing about rickshaws is that their meters are frequently tampered with. Yes, even the digital ones.

Yesterday I was heading out to Vasant Nagar in an autorickshaw and carried my GPS with me. The GPS has an odometer which measures distance covered to a very high accuracy. The rickshaw had a "PERFECT" digital meter (model A-786). I quickly realized that it had been tampered since it indicated 2 kms when the actual distance covered was only 1.5 km. I watched as the gap between the GPS reading and the rickshaw meter reading gradually widened. Towards the end of the trip, the rickshaw meter was off by more than 2 kms and still growing.  

Say no to Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act Amendment - Petitions

indian - 20-MAY-2010

Unless tree felling is restricted, our green cover may disappear through greed and ignorance. The GoK enacted the KPTA, 1976, which made permission from the Forest Dept mandatory for felling trees.

According to the Trees Act, trees may only be felled with prior permission of the Forest Dept which has the duty and liability to preserve and protect trees. Anyone (including officials of govt/civic bodies) is subject to criminal prosecution for felling a tree without the required permission.

This requirement of official permission has prevented large scale felling of trees, and has also restrained people and officials from unnecessarily felling trees owing to fear of criminal prosecution. Thus the KPTA thus put a brake on tree felling and helped protect our green cover.

Almost all the 30 species (many major fruit trees) now included for exemption in addition to the earlier 11 constitute the major tree wealth of both rural and urban Karnataka. It'll/It'd devastate bird life and spread pests.