Opportunity for public service fellowships

silkboard - 17-MAR-2008

Here is a note on an opportunity from Indicorps, a non-profit organization that offers opportunities for aspiring young leaders of Indian-origin to engage in intense grassroots development projects through one or two-year public service fellowships. They are looking to get the word out about this opportunity to those who are interested in dedicating a year of their lives to India's development and to their own personal development as leaders of the Indian diaspora. More details ....

Kasturirangan Committee

tsubba - 17-MAR-2008

November, 2007
Panel will chisel out city’s growth strategy
ToI via bangalorebuzz

Noted space scientist and Rajya Sabha member K Kasturirangan will head the expert committee constituted by the Karnataka government to suggest strategies to ensure planned growth of the city under Greater Bangalore. The committee will work on a new comprehensive law that will deal with the development and regulation of the Bangalore Metropolitan Region (BMR) that has been witnessing rapid economic and demographic growth.

Members of the Kasturirangan committee
K Kasturirangan, scientist and Rajya Sabha member
A Ravindra former chief secretary and deputy chairman of the State Planning Board ,
Samuel Paul Public Affairs Centre chairman,

Cauvery junction underpass - maintenance?

silkboard - 15-MAR-2008

Now that the underpass is ready, its time to maintain it. So BBMP is asking for private parties to undertake maintenance of Cauvery junction underpass on BOT basis (tender here). Private parties keeping the underpass clean and painted etc while they make money displaying advertisements, that is fine. But after reading the document, I was confused as to what is the "build" part of BOT (build, operate transfer) here. I thought the underpass was ready. BBMP has mentioned a penalty clause for delay in construction:

Silent ritual

blrsri - 15-MAR-2008

Request you to look around to see the celebrations..its a beautiful treat. It started off with the mellow pinks blooms and now the purples are filling up.

Ugadi, our new year starts when the trees are in full bloom. It is probably this link between people and nature that was identified by our ancestors and it was decided that we have our new year start with natures best time.

I will try to put more pictures here, thanks to the high res cameras on phones now. Request you all to enjoy nature’s generous display and share it too.

Home built without a single brick - Green buildings

mcadambi - 15-MAR-2008

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb292008/realty2008022854674.asp

Signature and lobbying Campaign for a smooth start to BIAL !

kbsyed61 - 14-MAR-2008

To All the Well Wishers of BIAL, Greetings !

It is time all those who wish to see BIAL starts functioning from May 11, to come to gether and start a campaign that could pull all the starings that we can, right from PM, Congress Party President, Governer, Civil Aviation ministry, DGCA, AAI, BIAL, BBMP, anybody and everybody that matters for BIAL.

New Building Byelaws

tsubba - 14-MAR-2008

A technical committee comprising of town planners, structural engineers, architects, representatives from the Fire Force, Airports Authority of India, Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), BDA and other service providers of the city is working on the revision of building bylaws for Bangalore based on the recommendations of the masterplan 2015. It will take atleast 3 months for the committee to work on the changes, then a draft will be sent to govt for approval. After this there is a month's time for citizens to file any objections. (Source: Building bylaws being revised, DH )

I think it might be useful to track this carefully.

Anand Nagar MagicBox

Photoyogi - 14-MAR-2008

Yesterday while I drove down RT Nagar - Anandnagar I noticed that the service road is almost complete and the magic boxes are in place too. However I did find the boxes much narrow. Does any one have the sketch / model of this junction with dimentions? It looks to me like a bottle neck for Anandnagar residents.

Bangalore's Water: 38% is not "accounted" for!

silkboard - 14-MAR-2008

Some newspaper reports (Hindu, ToI) this week mentioned that:

"... water supply to Bangalore is ... 694 million litres a day ... consumption which is actually billed ... around 429 million litres a day. The unaccounted for water comes to an alarming 38.2 per cent"

Wow, 38.2 percent (quoted from Hindu)! This would include two types of losses, 1) distribution loss: damages, leakages etc, and 2) water that is not getting billed. There is no clear mention or estimates of split between the two categories. Assuming distribution loss (leaks) to be 20% (double the 10% developed world aims for, google "Water Management Act US"), 18% of water could be going unbilled. That guesswork tells us that 1 in 6 of us, Bangalore citizens, isn't paying for his/her water.

Its official, its 11th May

shas3n - 13-MAR-2008

It is official. The new opening date for the Bangalore International Airport is 11th May. Below is the message from BIAL:

New Airport Opening Date for Bengaluru International Airport is May 11, 2008

Bangalore, March 13, 2008

We have received communication from the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking a consideration of a suitable airport opening date after May 10, 2008 due to delays on the Air Traffic Control (ATC) services. BIAL has decided the new date of Airport Opening as May 11, 2008.

We are clearly disappointed with this delay especially as our employees and all our partners have been working tirelessly to launch Bengaluru International Airport on schedule on March 30, 2008. This delay is beyond the control of BIAL. To mark the successful readiness of the airport infrastructure, BIAL will hold an event to showcase the new airport on March 28th 2008.