Here is a review of a book on urban spending. It substantiates most of what we have been saying variously on Praja. The review highlights an example of how BBMP is spending 32 times lesser than the norm for streetlights. This translates into lower coverage and bad maintenance.

Recently, a group of residents from certain streets in Koramangala petitioned to the ward level authorities to evict food-vending hawkers from the neighbourhood. Some were on pavements and some occupied vacant plots. After many meetings, the authorities obliged. In some cases, the carts reappeared the same day.

In a courageous move, the Karnataka government has decided to crack down on unauthorized religious shrines, including temples, churches, mosques and gurdwaras, which encroach upon roads, parks, storm water drains and other public places.

When the KSPCB sent us a notice for the first time in May, '07, I, as the then President of the association, raised a query with them as under:

Ours is a high-rise apartment complex comprising 126 dwelling units, situated at the above address. The only waste we generate is the sewage from toilets which is discharged into the BWSSB sewage line running below the main road adjoining our complex, for which BWSSB is levying us a 'sanitory charge', as a part of the monthly water bill. As such, please advise on what basis your organisation should be levying any annual 'consent fee' on our complex.