Jan 2007-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rs. 1,700-crore project for sewerage system

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rs. 1,700-crore project for sewerage system: "

JNNURM is the buzzword this season with government officials. More dreams about better infrastructure are in the pipeline for citizens with a project on improvement of sewerage system in the city in the planning stages.Close on the heels of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike's request to the Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) seeking nearly Rs. 1,000 crore for infrastructure projects, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is planning a Rs. 1,700 crore project to restore the sewerage system in the city.

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Dec 2006 The Hindu : Front Page : No utility links for unauthorised houses

The Hindu : Front Page : No utility links for unauthorised houses: "

Owners and residents of unauthorised buildings may have to face more than notices about the violations from the civic authorities in the near future.Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, while awaiting its larger role, may go in for some tough steps to tackle the increasing instances of building law violations and illegal constructions carried out without sanction.

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Dec 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 50 wards to get Cauvery water in six months

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 50 wards to get Cauvery water in six months: "

About 50 wards in the eight urban local bodies around Bangalore will get Cauvery water within the next six months, said N.C. Muniyappa, chairman of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Tuesday.He was speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for a Rs. 16.65-crore BWSSB scheme to get 100 million litres of water per day (MLD) from the Cauvery to these urban local bodies.'While we are getting 500 million litres of water per day for Rs. 3,300 crore under funding from the Japan Bank International Cooperation, we have reduced the expenditure on this scheme from Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 16.65 crore thanks to our engineers,' he said.Mr. Muniyappa also said, 'Until now, we have not given importance to sewage management in the city. For this, we have developed a master plan and getting funds under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).'

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Dec 2006-KR Puram can’t wait for the merger! - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition

KR Puram can’t wait for the merger! - Deccan Herald - Internet Edition: "

Eager, hopeful and a tad apprehensive -- that sums up the mood among officials, elected representatives and the general public in the Krishnarajapuram City Municipal Council on the impending merger of their local body with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and other surrounding local bodies to form Greater Bangalore.The population of K R Puram is 1,86,453 (2001 census); the current number is estimated at over 2.5 lakh. A large part of its working population has to make the daily trip to the City proper for work, and accounts for a major chunk of the peak-hour traffic on Old Madras Road.

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Dec 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Gear up to meet additional requirement, BWSSB told

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Gear up to meet additional requirement, BWSSB told: "

Citizens of the proposed Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will get 100 litres per capita water each day after the new civic body is formed, Health and Family Welfare Minister R. Ashok said here on Tuesday.The Minister, who held a meeting with BMP Commissioner K Jairaj and senior officials of the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, told The Hindu that he had directed the water board to gear up to meet the additional demand of water supply. BWSSB will require an additional 100 million litres a day to meet the drinking water needs of BBMP, the Minister said.Mr. Ashok, who asserted that the process of forming BBMP would be completed by March, said elections to the new civic body would be conducted after that.'We will not postpone elections at any cost after that,' he said.

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Dec 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : New environment policy on the cards

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : New environment policy on the cards: "

When the larger metropolitan area of Greater Bangalore comes into being, along with a larger population may come more work for pollution control officials.A problem already felt and may get replicated in several new townships may be of residential zones getting commercialised, with or without the permission of the authorities. The phenomenon of makeshift automobile repair garages and 'lathe shops' coming up in areas such as Shantinagar in the city may create new problems for the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board.

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Dec 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Redressal: consumers' power watered down

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Redressal: consumers' power watered down: "

Redressal of a grievance is sometimes ignored even when it is adding to losses. A resident of Dwarakanagar in Hosakerehalli (name withheld) filed a complaint recently that her water meter was not working. 'After complaining thrice, a BWSSB official came and cleaned it. But even now, the meter is not running and we get only the minimum bill,' she said.

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Nov 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Agencies told to ensure supply of potable water

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Agencies told to ensure supply of potable water: "

In perhaps the first effort of its kind in the country, the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA) has begun the process of bringing under an umbrella several civic agencies in Bangalore to tackle the menace of water pollution and contaminated water supply.The authority, which conducted an exclusive Lok Adalat for discussing the issue of contaminated water supply and pollution of water bodies, on Tuesday, cajoled the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) to take expeditious steps to ensure potable water supply to the residents of Bellandur and some surrounding villages.

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Nov 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rs. 22,536-crore CDP for Bangalore gets approval

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Rs. 22,536-crore CDP for Bangalore gets approval: "

For integrated development of infrastructure services in the proposed Greater Bangalore, the State Government has approved a Rs. 22,536-crore City Development Plan (CDP) under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).A steering committee headed by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy approved the outlay last week. The Union, State governments and the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) will invest in ratio of 35:15:50 in the JNNURM, which will be implemented in the next seven years. In the case of Mysore city, the ratio of investment by the Centre, State and Mysore City Corporation is 80:10.10. The Centre has cleared JNNURM in 63 cities across the country with the required investment of Rs. 1,20,536 crore.JNNURM will cover Rajarajeshwarinagar, Dasarahalli, Bommanahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Mahadevapura, Byatarayanapura, Yelahanka city municipal councils, Kengeri Town Municipal Council, BMP and 111 villages adjacent to the BMP that will merge with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, official sources in the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike told The Hindu.

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Nov 2006-The Hindu : Front Page : First step towards formation of `Greater Bangalore'

The Hindu : Front Page : First step towards formation of `Greater Bangalore': "

Two days after the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations, the State Government today set in motion the proposal to constitute a Greater Bangalore Authority by merging seven city municipal councils (CMC) and a town municipal council (TMC) along with 111 villages with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP).Executive powersThe executive powers of the Greater Bangalore Authority would be vested with a commissioner who will be directly assisted by eight deputy commissioners.As part of the notification the Government has called for objections, if any, from the people before constituting the authority.The new authority will have 140 wards compared to the existing 100 of the BMP.Also known as the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (the greater Bangalore municipal body), it would comprise the areas now in the jurisidiction of BMP, and the CMCs of Rajarajeshwarinagar, Dasarahalli, Bommanahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Mahadevapura, Byatarayanapura and Yelahanka; Kengeri TMC, and 111 villages.

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Oct 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : They clear up urban filth with their bare hands

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : They clear up urban filth with their bare hands: "

Many of them go down manholes, some as deep as 20 ft, and get into soak pits and septic tanks and collect and load garbage/waste onto trucks.The manholes come under the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the soak pits/septic tanks are found in the municipal council areas under the Departments of Municipal Administration.The BWSSB has 64 service stations for managing 1.60 lakh manholes, but only a small group of 236 permanent employees to clear blockages.

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Oct 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BWSSB plans to issue bills on the spot

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BWSSB plans to issue bills on the spot: "

If the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) plans to go hi-tech materialise this time, soon your water bills will be issued on the spot.Though the board had chalked out a similar proposal during the tenure of the former chairman M.N. Vidyashankar, it was unable to implement the plan as the company that had bagged the contract failed to provide the services within the stipulated time.

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Oct 2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Two bulk water suppliers for `Greater Bangalore'?

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Two bulk water suppliers for `Greater Bangalore'?: "

If Greater Bangalore comes into being, there may be a single civic body, covering an area of 700 sq km and perhaps, 140 wards under Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. It will also have more revenue if property tax in the city municipal council (CMC) areas is assessed on par with areas within the city proper.Under the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) Act, 1964, the board is empowered to provide safe drinking water to the metropolitan area. Legal experts say this may not cover areas now under the CMCs, and fresh legislation may be needed to serve these areas.

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Oct 2006-Irregular water can be unhealthy-Bangalore-Cities-NEWS-The Times of India

Irregular water can be unhealthy-Bangalore-Cities-NEWS-The Times of India: "

Intermittent water supply is not an uncommon practice in the city. Its implications, however, are far more hazardous. The vacuum accumulated in the water pipes in such cases allows contamination, said Anand K Jalakam, a project development specialist of United States Agency for International Development (USAID).Making a presentation on 'Urban water services - the need for reform,' on Thursday at a session organised by the Bangalore International Centre, Jalakam explained that with continuous water supply, pipes is under continuous pressure, preventing the growth of external contamination in the pipes. But when the water supply is intermittent, pipes get empty and the joints suck the dirt nearby due to vacuum.

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Oct2006-The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Greater Bangalore water supply project, a burden?

The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Greater Bangalore water supply project, a burden?: "

The Greater Bangalore Water Supply and Sanitation Project (GBWASP) may result in centralising the decision-making and control while decentralising the debt burden. The city municipal councils (CMCs) served by the project may have to incur debts to finance their part of the funding and pass it on to consumers in the form of increased tariff.This may happen even if the seven CMCs and one Town Municipal Council are merged under Greater Bangalore. A disturbing feature is that while the CMCs incur debts to fund the water supply, they may have fewer funds left for providing civic amenities to the residents. The urban poor in 'non-notified slums' may be left out of the picture altogether.Because the project was developed with little public consultation or disclosure of information, GBWASP appointed citizens' representative Janaagraha, walked out of the project in February this year. Now both Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation control the project design and operation. Elected members of the CMCs have had no part and their role has been left unclear.

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