How do you react?

silkboard - 18-DEC-2007

[flickr-photo:id=2120083156,size=m][flickr-photo:id=2120084172,size=m] Before I start on a long rant with my reactions, thoughts and ideas, tell me this. How should one react or behave on seeing things like these? And what should change to prevent these drivers from resorting to these shortcuts?

Bangalore Airport Link Rail Corporation

tsubba - 18-DEC-2007

TNN's R Jayaprakash(ToI Dec 18 2007) is reporting that in the next few weeks, the government will float a Bangalore Airport Link Rail Corporation and set up a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to handle the affairs. Quoting an official working on the project the report says that the tentative name suggested is Bangalore Airport Rail Link Corporation. This follows the meeting DMRC’s E Sreedharan had with the governor. The governor’s office will seek Centre’s consent in the absence of an elected body. And get this, apparently, the train promises to take you from MG road to airport in just 15 minutes!!!

BIAL Connectivity Updates December 2007

tsubba - 16-DEC-2007

Updates on the proposed high speed rail, the proposed expressway and improvements to existing NH7 to BIAL.

BMIC Updates

tsubba - 16-DEC-2007

According to The Hindu, Governor Rameshwar Thakur convened a high-level meeting on execution of the BMIC project at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday, Dec 15th 2007. Baba Kalyani, chairman of the Kalyani Group of companies, called on the Governor and urged the government to allot land for the project as per the framework agreement as early possible for early completion of the project. According to ToI(Dec 16, 2007), the Governor was keen on knowing obstacles facing the first phase of the project and is reported to have asked to give in writing the land required for completing the peripheral and link roads. ToI also reports that the governor had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking time to take a re-look at the project.

Robbing The Hungry - the racket called PDS

murali772 - 16-DEC-2007

With even the likes of Medha Patkar critical of the system, perhaps the only ones who would be opposed to it's being dismantled would now be just the racketeers and a few pseudo-socialists. Isn't it a crying shame that the country continues to allow as massive a loot as an annual Rs 10,000 crores by this lot?

text of the letter sent to the New Indian Express:

Impact And Alternatives of Road Widening In Bangalore

tsubba - 16-DEC-2007

ROAD WIDENING SCHEMES OF BENGALURU: IMPACTS AND ALTERNATIVES
Date:    Thursday, 20th December 2007
Venue:  Senate Hall, Central College, Bengaluru
Programme
Display of Road Widening Scheme Drawings: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Discussion on the Scheme: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

The Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka and Members of the Bangalore Metropolitan Land Transport Authority are expected to actively participate in these proceedings.

Commuter Rail can make our city better

sivanandas - 14-DEC-2007

CTTP has all the details for improving transport facilities in Bengaluru through various options. While the Metro / Mono take their own sweet time for completion, making use of the existing railway network on a limited scale on a few routes can be an immediate solution. I understand that the railway lines cover only a certain portion of the city, and local train transport with feeder bus services will have a great impact for that portions. The Kengeri-Whitefield route can be a pilot route as it is already an electrified double track. With the BMTC & private industrial managements, including software tech parks providing feeder services from their respective places to the nearest terminals, this can be a very effective solution in the immediate future. Our daily traffic situation is only growing worser day-by-day and i believe if this is implemented in a small way, our city can become better.

Talk by Malini Ranganathan

tsubba - 12-DEC-2007

Municipal Water and State-Society Relations at the Periphery: Examining the Implications of Reforms in Greater Bangalore.

SPEAKER: Malini Ranganathan
DATE: Monday, 17 December 2007
TIME: 4.00 pm (tea at 3.30)
VENUE: NIAS, IISc Campus Lecture Hall, New Faculty Block

SEC's muddle

murali772 - 12-DEC-2007

Isn't it time that as important a task as preparation and maintenance of the electoral roles (and issuance of EPID cards), on which the success of the entire governance system rests, is out-sourced to professional agencies?

School vans (Omnis) - a disaster waiting to happen

s_yajaman - 12-DEC-2007

When I go to drop my boys at school and pick them up, a familiar sight greets me - Maruti Omnis with about 12-15 kids in each of them. There is not even space to keep their bags inside the Omni and so they are on the roof. Many of these are with white boards and so possibly illegally being used for this. If this overloading is not enough, the way they are driven is horrific. I have seen them go at full speed, jumping lights, taking turns without slowing down, etc. Sadly it seems a matter of time before something serious happens.