The Weekly Observer

Volume 16 Issue 1

An IIJNM Publication

THE WEEK THAT WAS NATIONAL Cauvery Dispute: Karnataka has released 15,000 cusecs a day Karnataka began releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from Tuesday night as per Supreme Court order to release 15,000 cusecs a day for 10 days. Protests against this decision have disrupted inter-state movements.

INTERNATIONAL Obama nominates first Muslim in Federal Judiciary U.S. President Barack Obama nominated Washington lawyer Abid Riaz Qureshi to serve in U.S. District court. It could make him the first Muslim-American federal judge.

IS claimed Bombings in Syria kills 48 people The attacks included six suicide bombings and one remotely detonated blast that killed 48 people.

Bombings were reportedly targeted on the security forces.

SPORTS Serena Williams sets the record for grand slam victories

With a 6-2 6-3 victory over Yaroslava Shvedov at the US Open, Serena Williams set a new Grand Slam record of 308 victories, surpassing Roger Federer in the alltime list of matches won at the tennis majors. Picture courtesy: AP

BUSINESS Urjit Patel takes over as RBI governor Dr. Urjit R. Patel assumed charge as the twenty-fourth Governor of the Reserve Bank of India replacing Raghuram Rajan, on September 4.

Dr. Patel has been given a three year term.

Liberty media to acquire Formula one for $4.4 billion America’s Liberty Media corporation has agreed to buy the company that controls Formula One racing for $4.4 billion in cash and convertible debt.

TECHNOLOGY Iphone 7 and 7 Plus Unveiled Apple on Wednesday unveiled the iPhone 7 and 7 plus, both without headphone jack. These models will be launched in India by October 7 and prices are expected to start from Rs. 60,000.

9 September 2016

The 7.5 Km stretch will be widened to a uniform 45 metres

BANNERGHATTA ROAD TO BE WIDENED: SAYS BBMP

Understaffed PHC in Mahadevpura

Arunava Banerjee arunava.b@iijnm.org

Rishiraj Bhagawati rishiraj.b@iijnm.org

GOTTIGERE: The long-delayed Bannerghatta Road expansion project is all set to get a green signal, with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike preparing tenders to be placed next month for invitation, said Balakrishna M.D., Assistant Engineer of road infrastructure for Bomanahalli division.

The project is expected to ease traffic flow and increase commuter comfort in the area. “The project to be funded by the state government is estimated to cost around Rs 150 crores and will be built in the pattern of Hosur road. The 7.5 kilometre stretch of the Bannerghatta Road from Koli Farm Gate to Jeedi Mara will be expanded to a uniform 45 metres. Presently the road varies in breadth to a maximum of 30 meters in the stretch,” says Balakrishna.

“Bannerghatta Road is an important communication link for people travelling to Tamil Nadu and places like Electronic City, which is fast developing into an important information technology hub,” says Prakash J, Head Constable at the Hulimavu traffic police station.

Bannerghatta Road is a 49-km long state highway. Several educational institutions and hospitals including the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Apollo Hospital and Fortis Hospital are located along the road. Heavy traffic is highly problematic for the ambulances and school buses passing by regularly.

Many residents will be relieved when the road expansion project is initiated. A proposed metro-line connecting a 21-km stretch from Nagawara to Gottigere will also

MAHADEVPURA: The medical officer in charge of the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Dodda Nekkundi, Mahadevpura, attends to almost three times the number of patients as prescribed under the National Urban Health Mission.

“The NUHM says that the doctor-population ratio should not exceed around 1:30,000 but here I alone have to attend to a population of over 80,000,” says Dr. Sumathi M., medical officer at the PHC. The PHC serves over 300 outdoor patients from three wards everyday, which includes cases of TB, Cholera, Maleria, Dengue, skin diseases, diarrhoea, allergies, liver problems and pre-pregnancy checkups. This is in addition to the indoor patients comprising of pregnant mothers who check in hours before the delivery. All of this is overseen

by Dr. Sumathi and her assisting nurse, who also have to physically visit the three wards two days of the week for medical surveys and vaccinations.

Vijayalakshmi, 49, who was waiting outside Dr. Sumathi’s cabin for her check-up says that she has to travel eight km to get to the PHC and since the treatment here is free and trustworthy, she does not think of changing doctors. But she adds that sometimes the stomach ache has brought her to the Centre gets so bad that travelling all the way becomes a very difficult task. She also mentions that her children have never been vaccinated through the outreach programmes of the PHC and that she is sure that her neighbours would have the same story to share.

CONTINUED ON P3

Courtesy: Abhishek Mitra help in reducing the traffic flow.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) originally conceptualised the plan to expand the road in 2009, but it wasn’t until four years later, in 2013, that Mayor BS Sathyanarayana announced that work would begin in three months.

“The delay was due to various obstacles, particularly land acquisition,” say officials.

“There are about 400 private holdings that need to be acquired as per the last survey. A survey will soon be held to identify the required land, and we are planning to invite tenders for the project by next month,” said Balakrishna.

The first survey was conducted in 2009. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had stated that the Bannerghatta Road will be widened to 45 metres along with seven other roads in last

year’s state budget session. This year the state budget decided that grade-separators will be constructed at the Hulimavu Junction on Bannerghatta Road and the Arekere Junction.

Mr Balakrishna said, “Of the 400-odd holdings, some are vacant land holdings and others are residential or commercial buildings that will require partial demolition. The previous survey had registered 11 temples that would need to be partially demolished for the project.”

Balakrishna fears that since 2009, many of these vacant lands might have had new buildings constructed on them by now. “We will know the exact situation only after the survey is conducted. If a building falls in the way of the expansion project, it will have to be demolished,” he said.

CONTINUED ON P2

Dogs Trouble RR Nagar Residents ficulty in adapting to a new area,” Dr Thimmaiah said. Addressing complaints made by residents, Dr R R NAGAR: The Bruhat BenThimmaiah said, “Our job is not to galuru Mahanagara Palike’s make these dogs disappear from the (BBMP) animal husbandry departstreets. We do our best to control ment receives almost fifty comtheir population and our proplaints of dog bites every grammes have shown posimonth from the Rajarajeshtive results,” adding, “The wari (RR) Nagar area, Dr number of dogs have not Thimmaiah, assistant direcincreased. The residents tor, BBMP, said. should understand that it is Dr Satish Kumar, gena gradual process.” eral physician at Unity HosMr Sreenivas, senior pital, said they have about veterinary inspector, animal seven patients treated for husbandry, BBMP, RR dog bites every month. He Nagar zone, said garbage added that the stray dog thrown by residents attract menace has been a problem the stray dogs. He added for over five years now. that 75% of dog-bites result Vijay, who works at a local from some provocation by pharmacy shop said, “A the victim. Dr Thimaiah person needs three injecsaid the BBMP animal hustions for dog bites. We sell bandry division prints nofifty such injections a tices in local newspapers to BBMP receives a lot ofstray dog complaints in R R Nagar. month.” spread awareness.

Courtesy: Aarohi Pathak The Animal Husbandry

Aarohi Pathak aarohi.p@iijnm.org

division of the BBMP performs Animal Birth Control (ABC) and AntiRabies Vaccination (ARV) programmes in all wards. “After being vaccinated, the dogs are released in the same area. Dogs are territorial animals and will find dif-

DOODLE WOODLE

cCourtesy: Asvino Signi RELATED STORIES ON BBMP P5

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER FRIDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER, 2016

Underpass Construction Troubles Residents

2

METRO

Agreement to Blame For Road Accidents Aneesh Srinivasan aneesh.s@iijnm.org

Divya R divya.r@iijnm.org KODIGEHALLI: Business has declined dramatically and commuting is nearly impossible with construction of the proposed Kodigehalli underpass being halted, say residents of Kodigehalli. The construction has been delayed for one year due to a dispute over land acquisition.

The dispute regarding this underpass centres on the amount landowners expected to be paid in exchange for their property. They expected an amount of Rs.7,000 per square feet, but when Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagarika Palike (BBMP) offered Rs. 4,000 per square feet, the landowners filed a lawsuit in court leading to a temporary stay in the construction. ‘‘People prefer to go to theatres on the other side of Kodigehalli Railway station like HMT as they have to cover an extra 2-kilometre because of the unfinished under-

pass,” said Raghu, owner of Raja Murali theatre. Business is down 50 per cent from last year, he added.

The incomplete construction has exposed a drainage line and doesn’t let the rain water flow freely. A vegetable vendor, who conducts his business in the area, said his business has gone down by 40 per cent due to insects and mosquitoes as a result of the stagnant water.

Shivanna and Srinivasa, traffic police officers at Hebbal and Yehalanka respectively, said that the number of grievous motor vehicle accidents increased in Kodigehalli from three in 2015 to four in 2016 (till June) because of lack of barricades around the unfinished underpass. Several shop owners, who have their workplaces close to the construction area, said they felt light tremors when workers were digging the land.

Sixty per cent of the Kodigehalli underpass is being funded by the central government and the remaining by the state government, said Natraj, officer at BBMP.

NICE ROAD: The number of fatal accidents on Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Road has increased by 31 per cent since last year, largely due an agreement between the infrastructure companyand Bangalore Traffic Police.

NICE Road is a 111 kilometre peripheral ring road around the city, which connects all highways with the Bangalore – Mysore expressway.NICE Road falls under various traffic police limits but due to an agreement between NICE and traffic police, law enforcement has no right to stop speeding vehicles or check on people who are driving under the influence of alcohol, says Afsa Pasha, head constable at theKengeri Traffic Police Station.

This, say officials, has resulted in an increase in the number of accidents.In 2015, police received about 55 accident cases a month.This year, says Pasha, the number of accidents reported each month has shot up to nearly 80. The trend, he said, is “disturbing” and has to be controlled.

Mr.Gangaramaiah, the spokesperson for Nandi Infrastructure Company, contradicted what Pasha said. “There is no such agreement between the company and the traffic police,” he says. He further

Data-source: Kengeri Traffic Police Station added that the police do book cases of drunken driving and speeding on NICE Road. The road also has an emergency ambulance that attends to accidents and has doctors onboard who can administer first aid.

According to the data collected by traffic police,15 to 20 accidents occur during the weekdays which rise to about 30 accidents during the weekends.

Mr.Gowda, a resident of Kengeri and who frequently commutes on NICE Road, told The Times of India that people drive in speeds in excess of 140-160 kilometres per hour on a regular basis.

“Many young boys race here on bikes and cars,” he said. “The students of engineering colleges in

Bengaluru third in list of unsafe cities in India Police working on changing the scenario, say victims reluctant to speak Yogita Chainani yogita.c@iijnm.org BENGALURU: In spite of police taking several steps to curb crime against women in Bengaluru, a 2015 report by the National Crime Record Bureau places the metropolis as the third most unsafe city in the country.

The report shows a significant increase in molestation cases and dowry related attacks in the city. To counter the situation, police has invested more resources in addressing the issue.

On July 28 2016, three juveniles were charged with molestation for allegedly attacking two nursing students in Vijayanagar.

A school administrator reported the incident to the police.

According to the police report, the girls were eve-teased continuously for a week by three 14-year-olds, who were arrested within a day.

“Police has started solving molestation and harassment cases on a priority basis. The cases are solved within a year and to ensure this, full protection is given to women and their families,” says Kanak Laxmi, police inspector of crime at the Commissioner’s Office at Infantry Road, Bangalore.

However, on many occasions the state machinery is helpless in resolving such crimes as the victims choose to hide the matter

Data Source: Commisioner’s Office Bengaluru due to social and familial stigma.

“Police is ready to help the victim, but the victim often refuses to come to the court for the proceeding. The main reason for this is that they do not get support from their families,” says inspector Santosh Kumar, Indiranagar police station.

At every police station a special police desk has been set up

with special surveillance desk at the child welfare office. Subdivisional female police officers are also appointed at all divisional levels.

Laxmi said that police have observed an increase in molestation and dowry-related attacks on women this year and the most troubling factor is that most of these cases go unreported. She

said sometimes girls require moral support from their family-members, failing which they try to forget the incident and remain quiet.

She adds, women often feel insecure before lodging a complaint since they are under a lot of pressure and are continuously under society’s critical eye, including their neighbours and family members.

Kengeriare known to race in the mornings. Sometimes, accidents happen when the drivers are under the influence of drugs and alcohol, but often, there is only loss of control over the vehicle due to speeding."

Traffic expert and writer Natraj says that the only way to reduce the number of accidents is by changing the agreement made between Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises andthe Bangalore Traffic Police, so that the police have a little control over the speeding drivers and the ones involved. “They (drivers) should also be sensible enough to not drink and drive, thereby putting themselves and other road users at risk,” added Natraj

Bannerghatta Road Expansion CONTINUED FROM P1 While many residents welcome the BBMP initiative, many others are reeling with worry.

“We were informed long back about the road expansion project.

Our school was built keeping that in mind,” said Mr. Vishwanath B, the director of a local school. “The road needs immediate expansion. It is a nightmare to traverse the road during school hours,” he adds.

“If the road is expanded, then we will have to move. There is not much choice there,” says Rajesh Gowda, who may have his shop demolished.

Apart from the land owners, Bannerghatta Road has a large population of roadside vendors who are likely to be displaced. These are people selling pottery items, blankets, soft toys and the like in make-shift shops beside the road.

The road expansion would require them to vacate. “We will leave and find another place to sell our goods,” a stall owner says.

“All land owners will have to vacate their lands, if it is marked. And those who own buildings will have to demolish it themselves as per the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR). The BBMP plans to expand the road in stages, the first being the 900-meter length from NICE road to Koli Farm Gate.

“The project will be in accordance to the Revised Master Plan, 2015,” says Balakrishna.

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER FRIDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER, 2016

Accidents Levels on NH 4 to Rise in 2016 Phalguni Vittal Rao phalguni.r@iijnm.org PEENYA: Eleven people died in road accidents on Tumakuru Road between January and July this year, officials at Peenya Traffic Police Station said. In 2015, a total of 14 people had died in accidents and in 2014 the death toll stood at 13.

Sixty six accidents were registered in a three kilometre stretch of Tumakuru Road in the first half of 2016. This is one less than the total number of registered accidents in 2015. The stretch from SRS signal to Parle-G Biscuit Factory experiences exceptionally heavy traffic every day with no pedestrian crossings, underpasses and skywalks present.

Basavaraj MH, assistant sub-inspector of police, Peenya Traffic Police Station said, “Most of the (accident) victims are pedestrians,” adding, “The lack of pedestrian crossings, underpasses, and skywalks has aggravated the situation.

Rash driving also leads to many accidents.”

Major traffic junctions along the stretch, like Chokkasandra and Peenya, did not have working traffic lights from April till July this year.

Twenty nine accidents were recorded during this time with five deaths.

Tumakuru Road is a National Highway (NH 4) and is under the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) which in 2010 said that pedestrian underpasses will be

constructed at required places, but no such construction has begun.

“We have been writing letters and submitting reports since 2008 to NHAI through the Traffic Management Headquarters, requesting them to build skywalks and pedestrian underpasses near Peenya, Hesarghatta Circle and SM Circle (Jalahalli Cross junction),” Basavaraj said, adding, “We are yet to receive a response.”

DS Naidu, Project Manager (Karnataka), NHAI said Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) submitted a proposal to build pedestrian underpasses outside Peenya, Dasarahalli and Nagasandra metro stations in 2015, which was approved four months ago. “There is reluctance towards bridging the communication gap between the various civic bodies.

Most of these accidents take place due to vehicles driving on the wrong side. There is a general apathy towards road safety from the public and local government bodies,” he added.

Traffic expert MN Sreehari, however, does not have faith in BMRCL’s proposals. “BMRCL has destroyed Bengaluru,” he said.

Dr Jagdish Shetty, Medical Director, Sanjeevini Hospital, said the hospital recorded around 40 trafficaccident related deaths in 2016.

“We receive about five such cases every month. It is hard to pinpoint the exact location since we treat patients who come from beyond Nelamangala as well,” he added.

Check-ups and Vaccinations Affected Due to Understaffed PHC in Mahadevapura

The Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Dodda Nekkundi caters to patientsfrom three wards. Courtesy: Rishiraj Bhagawati CONTINUED FROM P1 The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), approved by the Cabinet on 1st May 2013 and implemented by the joint efforts of the ministries of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Human Resource Development and Women & Child Development, is a government programme that “envisages to meet health care needs of the urban population with focus on the urban poor, by making available to them essential primary health care services and reducing their out of pocket expenses for treatment,” according to its website. Part of achieving that goal was the understanding that the doctor to population ratio should be lowered to match the human capa-

Local Markets See 40% Drop in Business Ahana Chatterjee ahana.c@iijnm.org BENGALURU: The city’s outdoor retail markets have seen almost a 40 per cent drop in revenue over the last two years due to citizens’ increasing affinity to online shopping.

Shopkeepers in Ramachandrapuram Market, Chickpet and Commercial Street say that they have seen a drastic fall in their sales process and customer base. In the past, most of Bangalore went to the city markets to do their daily and monthly shopping. Today, with the advent of online shopping and big malls, these markets seldom see a crowd.

“The mall culture and the ecommerce portals have hugely affected our market and business,” said Bhupendra Ajmer, a shop owner at Ramachandrapuram. “In the last two years, all shops here are faced a loss of around 40 percent.

We only have wholesale customers now,” he added.

Fashion designers, the shop-

keepers claim, come to these markets to procure raw materials for their designs. “The designers at times don’t disclose their identity as they fear we will spread information about their designs and their products might get under-sold,” said Govinda of G.P Exports in Ramachandrapuram Market.

“Online shopping has become a threat for us. We have seen the gradual decrease in graph of our busi-

3

METRO

ness. If every Bangalorean starts going online, we might have to quit this business,” said Sambhu Singh, a shop owner at the Commercial Street.

According to a survey done by iamwire.com, retail market share has reduced from 12.6 to 8.5 percent. On the other hand, e-commerce’s market share has increased from 15 to 26 percent.

Local markets are incurring heavy losses with the advent of online shopping.

Courtesy: Ahana Chatterjee

bilities of the commissioned medical officers and that each urban ward should have at least one functioning medical facility.

“On paper there is one other doctor who is commissioned to this PHC but he is always deputed to some government programme or the other and I have to run this place on my own”, says Dr. Sumathi M., who has been working in this PHC for 10 years now. About the outdoor days, she said, “I have Tuesdays and Fridays dedicated for outdoor surveys but on most of those days some emergency case comes up and I cannot leave the Centre.”

Dr. Chandrasekhar, Taluk Health Officer at the KR Puram General Hospital- under whose jurisdiction the Dodda Nekkundi PHC comes- was unavailable for com-

ment. Another senior medical officer at the hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, said that following the guidelines of NUHM with ‘such precision’ was almost impossible although they will continue to try harder, ignoring the apparent disparity in the guidelines and the practical scene.

Dr. Pradeep B.S. of the Centre for Public Health at NIMHANS blames the way government programmes are implemented. “After the NUHM came into effect, the government realised it had to suddenly increase the number of PHCs and sub-PHCs substantially. It is mostly because of this rapid expansion of governmental medical clinics that we see such a confused state of affairs leading to your skewed doctor to population ratio,” he says.

Bikers Cause of Most Road Accidents in Bengaluru Mahak Dutta mahak.d@iijnm.org BENGALURU: As road accidents in the city continue to be a cause of concern, two-wheeler drivers are still the biggest victims and pay the most fines.

According to sources in the traffic police department, 480 deaths have been reported in the first seven months of this year with the total number of accidents nearing 3,000.

Out of these, as The Times of India reports, “bikers represent more than 30 percent of deaths.”

Bike drivers without helmets form a big majority in the accident cases. According to the Bengaluru traffic police website, they represent more than 90 per cent of the total traffic fines- which add upto Rs. 36 crores from January to July 2016.

Dr. Anil Purohit, traffic police inspector of the East Division, says that two-wheeler accidents are mainly reported near M.G. Road, Brigade Road and Residency Road, especially during early morning hours. They continue to be charged

with rash and negligent driving. The total number of cases has crossed the mark of 2 lakhs.

“We have made sufficient provisions on city roads like foot-over bridges and subways for pedestrians and have also put more barricades and traffic signals on roads to reduce congestion,” said Dr. Purohit.

Moreover, 12 interceptors and hooters have begun to function for the convenience of physically challenged people.

“We have also booked many jaywalking cases in areas with heavy traffic like Madiwala, K.R. Puram etc.,” he adds.

On one hand where four wheeler rule violators have reduced considerably this year; two wheelers form a majority in more than half of the cases being registered daily, according to the traffic police department.

To counter the trend, the Bengaluru Traffic Police conducts educational programes to spread awareness about road safety and has also launched mobile applications like BeSafe and The Public Eye.

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER FRIDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER, 2016

OPINION

The Day I Met Government’s Favourite Maoist Gaurav Sarkar gsarkar2490@gmail.com

T

he Homi Bhabha Centre for Science has a different aura about it at night.

The gardens in the front — lush green by day — can be heard emitting the chirp of crickets, and the compound, which in itself, is humungous, rests in a silent ambience of numerous hostellers pursuing their various PHD’s.

It was here, on a rainy Friday night, that I was scheduled to meet with Lingaram Kodopi, an independent journalist and local adivasi from Bastar, Chattisgarh, a region that has become synonymous with Naxalism and police brutalities. Linga is also the nephew of renowned tribal activist Soni Suri, who has been fighting for the rights of local adivasis in Chattisgarh against corporates like Essar, who, along with their MoU’s signed with the government, want to “develop” the region.

I was waiting a good forty five minutes in the watchman’s cabin before Linga arrived from the airport, mentally streamlining questions I needed to ask him for an article that I was writing. My photographer, who knew nothing of Linga, was fascinated, and at the same time, impressed, when he heard about the young so-called revolutionary visiting Bombay to attend a seminar being held by the Bastar Solidarity Network.

Rossi, a hosteleer at the Centre at whose dorm Linga was putting up at, arrived with Linga in a taxi, slightly drenched. Linga had just one laptop bag slung across his shoulder.

I managed to signal a “hi” as he got off the cab, and introduced him to my photographer.

Just as the four of us had finished the requisite customary formalities (Hi, how was the journey?, was the traffic bad?) and were heading into Rossi’s room, the watchman shouted at me from the back, “You don’t have a laptop in your bag, do you?” I shook my head, but Linga kept shut. Once out of the guard’s earshot, he shot me a boyish smile, and stuck out his tongue, saying, “I did have my laptop and video camera, but there’s no way I’m letting the guard come near it.”

Rossi’s room was small, like the dorm rooms in most hostels, but you could tell he had made an effort to tidy it up. I placed myself at his writing table, and briefed Linga about the outline of my story. We began chatting about journalists in Bastar; how people like him and Prabhat Singh were termed as Maoist sympathisers because they reported the ongoing police atrocities of rape and violence. An avid video journalist himself, Linga has managed to make his videos of authoritarian violence in the Bastar region go viral on social media, the price for which is nothing short of torture, according to him.

“No child in the state would want to grow up and become a journalist — it is a profession that attracts all sorts of problems,” he stated, recalling his 35-day period torture at a police station in Dantewada in 2009, a tenure during which, he claims, an iron rod smeared with chilli powder was inserted into his anus, in an effort to make him divulge information about Naxals in the region. “I don’t have anything to do with them; what information could I possibly have?”

Finally, a haebus corpus petition was required to bring him out of police custody.

But his battle against the authorities, as well has his infamous enmity with then Superintendent SRP Kalluri, began here. After his release, Linga was pinned down with various criminal charges.

After the Salwa Judum was banished by the then-UPA government, Kalluri was transferred out of Bastar, but only temporarily.

“As soon as the BJP came into power, they reinstated Kalluri at a higher post of Inspector General (IG), and at the head of Mission 2016,” said Linga. According to him, Mission 2016 — an action plan launched to combat the growing threat of Naxalism in Bastar — is the new Salwa Judum. “Under Kalluri’s supervision, things have gone from bad to worse in Bastar. Rape is the most common phenomenon…police officials don’t even hesitate for a second. They know that if a case is filed against them — something that rarely happens — it will stay stagnant for at least a decade, before a court hears it out.”

However, it’s not like atrocities are being committed only on one end. Naxals and Maoists are notoriously well known for blowing up village schools on the pretext that they house army camps. Doesn’t this adversely affect the spread of education in a region where people need it the most? “You don’t need four walls and a roof to educate someone; wisdom can be imparted even under a tree,” stated Linga. “Our fight is different than that of Naxals and Maoists; it’s one of non-violence, much like that of the one that Gandhi led. Even at his time, other revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh resorted to violent methods, but Gandhi managed to see through an independent and free India with his methods of satyagraha.”

The next day, while Linga attended the conference in Dadar, all of Bastar had called for a bandh. “For the first time, local adivasis themselves have called for a market bandh as a sign of protest against the increasing police violence,” remarked Linga, proudly.

“Next month, we will be having an August Kranti movement of our own, for which, I will take back the soil from August Kranti Maidan in Bombay, a place where Gandhi issued his famous Quit India speech.”

“There will be peace in Bastar within the next ten years,” said Linga, more to himself than to me, as we came to the end of our conversation. “There will be shanti. Until then, our battle will be on.”

The author works as a Special Features Correspondent at Mid Day, Mumbai.

Plebiscite is the Solution to Kashmir’s Unrest

4

Masked Kashmiri protesters shout slogans against India during a protest in Anantnag, Kashmir, on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. Courtesy: Sameer Mushtaq, The Dawn

Soumya Chatterjee soumyachatterjee1992@gmail.com

W

hile the centre has softened its stance and strumming the rhetoric of ‘kashmiriyat, insaniyat and jamuriyat’, the situation on ground remains in a state of stalemate (as the curfew in the valley is on its 60th day, today ).

In the process of containing the crowds protesting over the elimination of pro-Azaadi militant Burhan Wani, Indian forces have killed at least 75 civilians, blinded many, injured thousands and lost at least two lives while sustaining injuries to thousands of its personnel.

The Indian state’s handling of Kashmir has been imperfect from day one.

As successive central and state governments have failed to reach a permanent solution, subsequent oppositions, separatists indulged in realpolitik only to safeguard their petty interests.

Looking back, there’s no black and white take to the crisis (since 1947) not to discount the bloody massacre and mass exodus of the Pandits.

Till date, at least a 3,000 civilians have been ‘martyred’, many others ‘disappeared’ and innocent women have been raped in their tryst with the Indian State who have opposed their quest for Azaadi. Add to that, the vitriolic terrorism brewed across the border which pops up in the form of recurring hostile, armed visitors.

Very little has changed over the years.

Charismatic separatist leaders continue to romanticize violence and inspire the Kashmiri youth to martyrdom (or blindness, courtesy

the infamous pellets) and hand them stones (if not firearms with cross-border co-operation) to fight the Indian establishment.

This stalemate works only in favour of the separatist leaders at the expense of ordinary Kashmiris as none from their family spend their daily lives in the Valley. Forget picking up stones or guns, some of them even send their family members to Christian institutions/western countries while they invoke Islam and justify their tilt towards Pakistan.

Even though the separatists might speak in favour of a plebiscite, they are actually pro-status quo. A solution will reduce their stature to mere mortals as compared to now- with the Indian establishment treating them with cotton gloves, Pakistanis endorsing their anti-India stand and locals looking up to them as godfathers.

If the polling percentage (the highest ever) of the 2014 general elections (latest) are something to go by--an overwhelming majority of Kashmiris have rejected the idea of Azaadi by simply taking part in the electoral process (the pro-Azaadi brigade had called for a blanket boycott).

And more than the Indian state’s fear of losing its ‘crown’, the Geelanis and the Farooqis have more reason to be afraid of joining Pakistan given its history of having constant tussle between its military and civilian leadership.

Although the idea of an Azaad Kashmir seems implausible by the day, then also they are likely to opt to be invaded by Pakistan or be a puppet of an already unstable State.

The author works as the staff writer for The News Minute.

All sketches and articles on this page are authored by guest writers and cartoonists. The opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and the paper does not endorse or validate the aunthencity of any view.

Courtesy: Asvino Signi

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER FRIDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER, 2016

This is a series of articles where, every week, we discuss a civic body in Bengaluru and explore how they all collaborate for successful urban planning

5

METRO

City

KNOW your

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike In the year 1862 nine leading citizens of the city formed a municipal board under the Improvement of Towns Act of 1850 which was known as the Bangalore City Municipal.

A similar municipal board was also formed in the cantonment area of the city known as the Bangalore civil and military station municipality. Post Independence both the bodies were merged to form the corporation of the city of Bangalore in 1949, under the Bangalore City

Corporation Act. The name was changed to Bangalore City Corporation (BCC) and then to BMP. In January 2007, the Karnataka Government issued a notification to merge the BMP with seven city municipal councils, one town municipal council and 111 villages around the city to form a single admin body, leading to the creation of the BBMP. In recent times the BBMP along with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA ) has been in news

for the demolition drives.

The BBMP commissioner is Mr Manjunath Prasad, IAS .

The mayor is Mr. B.N. Manjunath Reddy, and Deputy Mayor is Mrs. Hemlatha Gopalya The following laws and by laws help the BBMP in carrying out its administrative functions 1. Karnataka Municipal Act and Rules, 1964,

2. Karnataka Municipal Act and Rules, 1976 3. Urban Development Secretariat (Property Tax Rules 2009) 4. The Karnataka Municipal Accounting and Budgeting Rules, 2006 5. BBMP Building Bye-Laws 2003 6. MSW Rules 2000 (English version) 7. MSW Rules 2000 (Kannada version)

8. Issue of DRC/TDR amendment to KTCP Act-1961 9. The Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act 1961 10. Advertisement Bye Laws 2006 11. The Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act, 1981 12. Guidelines for Construction and Demolition Waste Management.

Source: BBMP Website

“Minimum Contact, Maximum Governance”: BBMP Commissioner

Cherry Agarwal from The Observer engages in a conversation with N Manjunath Prasad, Commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. In the interview he talks about the need for a wave of digitisation to put information on public domain, the long term plans of the BBMP, the challenges he faces and more.

In a tell-all interview with BBMP Joint CommissionerManjunath Prasad reveals the working behind Bengaluru’s municipal body.

How has your journey been since 1994 to being the BBMP Commissioner?

In 1994 after getting into the IAS I was allotted the West Bengal cadre. I joined the service in Midnapore, West Bengal and had the opportunity to work in the remotest districts there. I learnt quite a few things while working there. First we have to shed the three letters from your name. You can’t throw your weight around saying I am an IAS officer and get work done. You have to be humble and polite, and you have to be one of them. This service in Bengal also taught me simplicity.

The politicians – MLAs and MPs – many of them travel by two wheelers and public transport. This is what I have seen in my years of service in Bengal. When I used to hold meetings at 6:30 – 7:00 pm, they would say that they would miss their last bus to go back home.

You served as secretary to the Government in the Department of Agriculture before this. How are

the operating mechanism and cultures in the two departments different? What were the challenges you faced?

In the agriculture department I was the secretary for agriculture.

That was a government department whereas this is a corporation. In the case of agriculture I was there for almost one year and that was when the state was reeling under severe drought. At that time one of the flagship programs of the Hon. Chief Minister was ‘Krishi Bhagya’ and that was the challenge for us. Under that program we had to form ponds and the lining of the ponds were to be made of a geo-membranous sheet, give diesel pumps and provide drip irrigation.

Why was this challenging?

This was challenging because Rs. 500 crores was allotted to this program and the expenditure was only about Rs. 30 crores that year.

In the year I joined out of another Rs. 500 crores, only Rs. 20 crore – 30 crore was spent.

The problem was money not getting spent?

Yes because the entire procedure was so complicated that it was not reaching the farmers. But when I left the department the entire 1,000 crores was spent and it [Krishi Bhagya] had become such a popular program that the entire farm community had met the Hon. Chief Minister to appreciate his efforts.

About 10 days back in Koppal, a huge program was organised where 50,000 ponds were dedicated to the farmers. These were long term measures done for the farm community.

What development plans are you undertaking here as the Commissioner here?

A lot of programs have been planned in Bangalore. Number one is that in the next two years you will be seeing a lot of infrastructure here in Bangalore. The Hon. Chief Minister has allocated nearly Rs. 7,300 crores for infrastructure development for the next two years. A lot of time, though, will go in preparing the plan, in tendering etc.

Do you think a Commissioner’s term is too short to make a difference?

Usually even the Supreme Court, Civil Services Board and the Department of Personnel & Training say that a minimum of two years’ tenure is reasonable. So if you are at this post for about two years and if at least two years is guaranteed, you can see a lot of projects turning into reality. But if you are transferred within a very short span then you can’t really put your ideas into practise.

Being an administrative body, how do you plan to make the BBMP more approachable and citizen-centric?

This is the digital age and we don’t want people coming to the BBMP personally, sitting before the babus pleading for their work. We want to move in a direction where there is minimum contact but maximum governance . That being the case we have started [online] payment of property tax this year. Earlier people had to go to the BBMP or ward officers for these payments leading to a lot of irregularities.

From this year we have made it online reducing the need to run from pillar to the post. Likewise we are thinking of providing many other services online as technology is the answer to reducing bureaucratic hurdles.

What reforms does the BBMP want to bring about in the city?

We want to put all Bangalore properties on the GIS portal and put it on public domain. If you ask me for the exact number of properties in Bangalore- taxpaying or those out of tax net- we don’t have the list.

In the past five months we have taken it very seriously to identify the properties and bring them under the tax net.

We want to see that the accounts of BBMP are prepared on time. For the last two –three years, accounts and audits were pending. Now this year we are bringing a lot of financial and audit reforms to ensure that 2016-2017 accounts will be ready within the stipulated time. So when the financial year ends in March, within the next two months [after

that] the accounts should be ready.

What is the frequency of the audits and internal checks?

The frequency of audits will be as per the financial prudence of the Government. Once the financial year is over within the next two months the statements must be ready. Three months following that,

by October or November, the audits should be completed.

How can the general public access the audited balance sheets?

They can access it provided everything is put on the public domain. Each and every paisa we spend in BBMP is from the taxpayer’s money and they should know where their money goes.

Slowly in phases we will make all our activities public. So they will be

“

The floods gave us an opportunity to clean up this mess.

Demolitions didn’t take place due to pressure on the local officials.

”

able to see where their money is being spent as well as look at the wards which are productive or not productive.

We have already started the process. The first step is a user friendly website as our current website is complicated. We have remodelled it in such a way that it will become simple for the citizens to look at the details without any difficulty. This will be accessible to the public in a month’s time.

There are multiple civic bodies working in Bangalore. How do they co-exist? Are there regular meetings? How do they communicate and cooperate?

There are many bodies working, it maybe BDA, BWSSB, BESCOM or BMRDA. Each one is headed by a senior officer. We have a mechanism where the Chief Secretary

calls a coordination meeting every Saturday where each one of us raises issues which need the attention of the other departments. So, all inter-departmental issues are brought up in these meetings. Secondly people say on one hand BBMP makes the roads and tomorrow BWSSB will break open the roads to lay their pipelines. We have developed a system known as multiagency road cutting software where each one of the agencies has to put their action plan for the next one year online, on this system. So whenever anyone asks for road cutting permission this issue has to be flagged on the system and circulated amongst all the stakeholder departments. Once we receive the feedback, only then the permission is given.

Is there clarity on the role of the multiple civic bodies and the clout they hold?

As far as the responsibility goes there is absolutely no confusion. We know what we are doing. There are some areas where we feel we have jurisdiction. At the same time there is some other department which feels they have jurisdiction as well.

Then such issues are discussed in the Saturday’s meeting. Once the Chief Secretary gives a decision then it is binding on all the departments and we go by that.

With the city growing beyond its limits is the BBMP taking urban planning seriously? What is the BBMP’s stance on urban planning?

Planning is done by the Bangalore Development Authority. They have a master plan and currently they are in the process of preparing master plan for 2031. BBMP is also providing recommendations and consultations.

So what have been the BBMP’s inputs?

They have shared the master plan with us. There are a number of issues like the solid waste management where the BBMP is proving consultation. .

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER FRIDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER, 2016

6

UNWIND

Ganesh Chaturthi: Celebration or Pollution ?

BENGALURU: Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival observed to honour the Lord Ganesha. This day marks his return to life on earth with an elephant head. Celebrations are traditionally held on the fourth day of the second fortnight of Bhaadrapada in the Hindu calendar, which falls in August or September in the Gregorian calendar. This year the Chaturthi fell on the 5th of September.

Bangalore, like all other major Indian cities, celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi with great fervour. Most families organise the festival privately in their homes but some like the Dodda Ganesh idol at Basavangudi are for the public and attract large crowds.

After the festival is concluded, the idol is usually immersed in a BBMP Interview cont. from P5

What is the BBMP’s strategy for holding officials accountable who issued A-Khatha’s for properties built on storm water drains?

The revenue records weren’t digitised [then]. Since the last 1015 days we have been scanning the revenue records in order to digitise them. This will prevent people from tampering the revenue records. Earlier there was scope for doing illegal things.

Once the digitisation is done we will be able to identify the places where manipulations have been done. This digitization process will take about six months’ time.

Once put in place we will be able to identify these irregularities and set it right.

What are your thoughts on the current demolitions? Why are the major structures like the

nearby water body.

The environmental damage caused by these idols upon immersion in water was a subject that has been in the public debate since long, but not until this year did the authorities take serious action.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to ensure that the 30,000 plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols that are believed to be in the city are disposed off in an eco friendly manner.

The BBMP, who verified this number, say that 30,000 idols are on sale in the city while another 70,000 are available `in the rest of the State.

Courtesy: Keyur Joshi Orion mall and Gopalan Arcade not being demolished? What is the strategy ahead?

You can’t just go on demolishing without proper survey or without ascertaining the facts properly. If someone says there is a demolition here, I just can’t go on demolishing it without fully ascertaining it. With respect to what we are doing right now, this exercise of identifying [the properties] was done for the last three years.

Three years back we filed an affidavit in the High Court [stating] that we will identify all the encroachments built on the storm water drains and also the procedure [that] we would be adopting.

On the basis of this High Court directorate and the ongoing surveys, we started these demolitions. The floods gave us an opportunity to clean up this mess. So as per our affidavit some demolitions were done at a slow pace after they were identified and marked. In

Auto Expo In Bengaluru Aneesh Srinivasan aneesh.s@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Bengaluru is known to be a hub for car aficionados, with exotic car showrooms of Lamborghini, Maserati etc. So it comes as no surprise that The Hindu is organising an auto expo in Bengaluru. The first edition of this auto expo was organised in 2009., The then chief minister of Karnataka, B S Yeddurappa, stated, “The automobile sector is one of the drivers of

growth of the economy.”

The auto expo this year will feature big shots of the automobile industry like Porsche, Hyosung while companies like Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Toyota will also showcase their latest vehicles.

Complete address of the venue is- White Orchid #9, Hebbal-K R Puram Ring Road, Nagavara, DadaMastan Layout, Manayata Tech Park, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560045

some places like Dodda Bommasandra markings were done six months back but demolitions didn’t take place due to some pressures on the local officials. But today if you mark it, after the survey is done, it has to be demolished the next day.

In his 2016-2017 budget speech M. Shivaraju (Chairman, Taxation and Finance Committee, BBMP) said there is a huge financial burden of approximately Rs. 665 crores.

With so many infrastructure projects that are being undertaken, how is the BBMP planning to overcome the financial burden?

There are two issues: the BBMP’s internal resources and the funds provided by the State government. We have a financial burden because of bad financial management in the previous years.

They mortgaged buildings and have taken loans amounting to Rs.

800 crore to 1,000 crore. In addition to this the earlier body has taken up projects beyond their financial capacity hence there are pending bills for the last two years. The only way is augmenting revenue and resources. We are in the process of doing that by increasing property tax, increasing number of billboards and advertising tax.

Bangalore’s urban poverty is increasing with so many slums and encroachments. What is the BBMP doing for urban poverty alleviation?

There are 597 slums in Bangalore out of which 380 are [officially] declared slums. Despite that the BBMP is developing the basic infrastructure in all these slums. Wherever they are sitting on the BBMP land we are giving the titles [to these lands]. Plus wherever it is possible to go vertical we are exploring those opportunities as well.

Skype session at IIJNM with Michael Rezendes KUMBALGODU: “You learn journalism only by doing, being there and experiencing,” says Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Rezendes to aspiring journalists of the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bengaluru.

He served as a senior member of the Boston Globe Spotlight Team

for over a decade, and has played a key role in many of the Globe’s most significant investigations including the prize winning story about the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal that created a great social impact and was later made into a movie.

For more on the session, follow the story online.

NGMA: A Respite for Art Lovers Ayushee Chaudhary ayushee.c@iijnm.org The National Gallery of Modern Arts, Bengaluru, offered a visual treat to art lovers across the city last month, with its newest collection titled, “PORTA(Y)IT.” “PORTA(Y)IT” showcased an exclusive collection of portraits by artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Mukul Dey, MF Pithawala and Rabindranath Tagore. The exhibition aimed to revive the essence of portraits that have become a word from the past. A notice put up at the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA), read, “In today’s world of technological advances and especially ‘selfies,’ the word ‘portrait’ might seem to take us back in time, a time which probably belongs to the past.”

While paintings by Abanindranath Tagore (1875-1951) including ‘Wine, Woman and War’ and ‘Study in face’ captured expressions of women in various moods, Raja Ravi Verma’s ‘Portrait of a lady’ captures

the traditional Indian woman, taking the viewer on a nostalgic stroll.

Among other paintings were Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Bird’ and ’Veiled Woman’, and H. Baburao’s ‘Monalisa in Time.’

National Gallery of Modern Arts. Photo courtesy: Cathline Chen

Portrait-making has been an important aspect of Indian Art History since early medieval times. The exhibition captured the transition of portraits through the last century.

The display also explained the genre, ‘portrait’ in context of modern Indian art. Through the array of distinct styles, mediums, techniques and drawings, the exhibit captured objects’, emotions and highlighted social and religious identities through various time periods and art movements.

The NGMA hosts various exhibitions, talks, events all through the year. A permanent collection at the NGMA gallery illustrates cultural ideologies of Indian art from the 18th century. From modern and fancy to classical and serene, the collection is sure to enthral every art lover.

Twitter This Week

President Obama & Putin fail to reach deal on Syria - so what else is new? Obama is not a natural deal maker.

Only makes bad deals!

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Tamil Nadu should stop whining about Cauvery River and instead desalinate sea water for drinking purpose as well as for irrigation Subramanian Swamy @Swamy39 Any excuse is good enough for thrashing the weak. Can be cows in Gujarat or liquor in Bihar. Nitish must re think Shekhar Gupta @ShekharGupta Innocent question : If JIO data gives trouble with speed and connectivity should the complaint be registered with PMO ?

Rana Ayyub @RanaAyyub THE WEEKLY OBSERVER TEAM EDITOR- IN - CHIEF Rishiraj Bhagawati ASSISTANT EDITORS Arunava Banerjee and Aarohi Pathak COPY EDITORS Bibin Raj PB, Mahak Dutt LAYOUT EDITORS Phalguni Vittal Rao, Nivedita Naidu, Divya R PHOTO EDITOR Ahana Chatterjee, Mitali Goyal SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Yogita Chainani STAFF Sandra Branger, Cherry Agarwal, Ayushee Chaudhary, Karishma Jayapaul, Aneesh Srinivasan, Sumukh Kadekar, Supriya Dedgaonkar For comments, feedback and to write letters to the editor, mail at observethis16@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter @ObserveThis16