Minutes of a SCEP Meeting on “Global warming”

psaram42 - 28-APR-2010

 We have a weekly SCEP (Senior Citizen Enrichment Program) meeting on every Wednesday at 4:30 PM at Mother Tree a beautiful place provided by one of our SCEP members We were about 20 senior citizens at this meeting to day. It was a very hot evening and the welcome rain was the saving grace. 

The speaker of the day was Ms Arun Shivasaran a young and upcoming Architect of repute. 

The speaker started the talk on a poignant note of alluding to the commonly used greeting when we meet viz “how are you” meaning how is your health. Now it is high time we talk about global warming instead. For Architects it is now common to grade Silver gold and platinum standards based on Global warming compliance. 

Wastewater management, recycle, reuse

nanosciences@hotmail.com - 27-APR-2010

Most of the survived lakes in and around bangalore are drying up and some of them are fed with sewage..it is high time they are saved. treat the sewage before discharging into lakes... latest technologies are inplace... it is only that one has to open upto modern and innovative technologies check them on merits and implement them with seriousness... water hyacinth weed is another big problem to be addressed

Peoples' Movements today - Tasks and Challenges ahead- 27 Apr

vinay_sreenivasa - 26-APR-2010

Peoples' Solidarity Concerns

Bangalore

We are happy to inform you that many representatives of peoples'
movements from various struggles such as anti- SEZ, anti-mining, anti-
water privatization, anti-Posco, Fish workers struggles, adivasi
struggles are arriving in Bangalore for a political convention. We
felt that this would be a good occasion for the like-minded people of
Bangalore to meet and discuss with at least some of them on the some
of the grave issues around all of us. It is also important to think
about how we react to many of these struggles around us.

We at People’s Solidarity Concerns therefore invite you to attend a
Public Meeting to hear these leaders on the topic "Peoples' Movements
today - Tasks and Challenges ahead".  Please do come and let us
discuss the possibilities and alternatives for the future.

Date: 27th of April 2010

Time: 5pm

Venue: Bangalore University Senate Hall, (City Campus) Near K R
Circle, Bangalore.


Speakers:

Building bye laws

psaram42 - 26-APR-2010

 The comprehensive Building bye laws of 2003 available as a pdf document  is impressive which tries to set the rules in a professional way for preserving heritage Bangalore. However the BJP government thought in its wisdom that it is very stringent and some minor deviations are in the public interest. I built my house in 1986 fully complaint to the set backs specified, and some thing more than specified and built a duplex building exclusively for one family. However I built a toilet at a corner outside which was not as per the rule book. However such akramas are now Sakrama. This according to me is a step in the forward direction. 

Bangalore Water Index - Project Proposal to the BWSSB

Neha_Dar - 26-APR-2010

Folks,

Attached here is the project proposal we plan to go to the BWSSB with. Most of it is similar to Pranav's ppt, with a couple of edits - thanks for taking the lead on this, Pranav!

Have a look, and let us know what you think. Also - the parameters are not part of the presentation. That list will be enclosed separately.

Cheers,

Neha

"Water and a City" - discussions following the screening

murali772 - 26-APR-2010

The movie brought out the scenario fairly well, but which most on Praja are quite aware of.

During the discussions that followed, I brought up the matter of the reported 40% odd losses, largely on account of the inefficiencies/ mismanagement in distribution (compared to less than 10% in an efficient system), and followed it up with a suggestion "if the kind of contract entered into between Mysore City Corporation and JUSCO, was not the way to address the issue?".

Prof Mohan Kumar (Civil Engg Dept, IISc) responded saying a study/ survey had been conducted by L&T and Anglian Waters (or, one of the other foreign players - I am not quite sure which) a few years back covering some parts of Bangalore (I thought I heard the name Fraser Town mentioned) at a cost of Rs 32 crores - did he mention World Bank funded?. He did not mention if any work was actually undertaken. But, went on to add that it raised all kinds of technical issues, like "how do you replace the pipes in an area like Avenue road, etc?"

Meeting with Prof. Mohan Kumar

deepakar - 24-APR-2010

Prof. Mohan Kumar, http://cistup.iisc.ernet.in/files/mohankumar.pdf, Civil Engineering Dept., IISc

Participants: Shekhar Mittal, Deepak Rajanna, Manjari Vishnoi

The agenda of this meeting was to share the vision and approach of the Praja Water Index project with Prof. Mohan and to get his feedback and guidance. The feedback from Prof. Mohan was as follows

Raison d'être for continuance of the Public Sector

murali772 - 24-APR-2010

Is this why they won’t disinvest Air India, kept afloat at massive expense to the taxpayer? In a violation of DGCA rules, an AI aircraft was pulled out of a scheduled flight from Delhi to Coimbatore in order to ferry IPL players, apparently at the behest of aviation minister Praful Patel’s daughter Poorna. It appears the public sector airline fulfils the private and nepotistic purposes of public servants.

For the full report in the TOI, click here.

Isn't this also why the government persists with BMTC/ KSRTC (check this), BESCOM, etc, so that they can further the interests of the Poorna Patels of this world? - all in the name of Socialism; the tax payer be damned.

Muralidhar Rao

HSR Flyover - overhead power lines a problem?

silkboard - 24-APR-2010

While the work at a flyover on Outer Ring Road near HSR Layout is in full swing, I don't see anything that indicates that the overhead power transmission lines will be raised to accomodate the new flyover. Took some pictures ...

Bus Day - May 4th

silkboard - 24-APR-2010

Back to 4th of the month, May bus day is indeed on the 4th date of May.

• What new experiements or announcements will we see from BMTC?
• How has BMTC been addressing the volumes of feedback Bus Day event has been generating?
• Will newly elected corporators join the Bus Day band wagon, and help BMTC improve its information systems and services?

Let us all take the bus once again on the 4th of May, and keep sending feedbacks, posiive or negative to BMTC.