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Karnataka - highest tax generator in south

Economy

Karnataka is the highest tax generator in the south & leads all other states by a huge margin, as reported in TOI today - See this link.

Incompetent BBMP?

Urban DevelopmentGovernance

It is time to ask some tough questions on BBMPs competencies to maintain the Bengaluru City's civic infrastructure. Looking at various mishaps and neglect by BBMP becomes very apparent that BBMP does not have the technical and administrative competencies to create and maintain the civic infrastructure.

Commuter Rail - Station air space could give 2000 Crores/year

Commuter RailPublic Transport

There is air space available above all railway stations in Bangalore. What if some stations can be utilized as a source of income by the PPP or SPV operating Commuter Rail Service in Bangalore? What would the numbers look like? Tried doing some, and came close to Rs 2000 Crores per year. Here are the calculations for everyone to poke holes and correct.

BDA and M/s Simplex Infra - Just Curious

Governance

Disclaimer first. Not pointing any fingers here, things are very likely to be squeky clean, and I only have the rights to ask as a citizen. Just curious, and want to know if anyone else noted that Simplex Infrastructure has been awarded almost all Outer Ring Road flyover projects coming up on South/East side of city.

The cable tangle - free ride?

Governance

It might sound like a trivial crib to many of you, but the freedom with which Cable TV operators ride on City's infrastructure conveys something to us. It might be a ignorable case of lax enforcement, and umpteen such small small things add up to promote the feeling that anyone can do anything with city's walls, pavements, poles, roads etc etc.

Bangalore region - Track doubling & electrification

Commuter RailPublic Transport

The below figures should speak for itself. Except for the line from Mysore towards Chennai via city & Tumkur, all other lines around Bangalore are single track. I cant think of any other major city (even tier 2 towns) which is in such a pathetic situation?

Do Water & Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Acts cover housing complexes?

Urban DevelopmentGovernance

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.

 

Ads Volvo buses illegal; but, BMTC carries on unmindful

Bus

Regional Transport Authority officials never had it so tough. While they have managed to stop all private and government vehicles from displaying advertisements, they've found the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) a tough nut to crack. They're armed with an Act of law, a high court ruling and a Road Safety Authority (RSA) decision which prohibits display of ads on vehicles as these could distract other drivers. However BMTC buses, especially the Volvos, continue to display huge ads. What's worse, government ads with large photographs of chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and transport minister R Ashoka are on almost all buses plying towards IT corridor areas like Whitefield and Electronic City. Interestingly, BMTC managing director Syed Zameer Pasha says he's unaware of this blatant flouting of rules.

Pollution Control Board - the government's cash cow

Governance

Even as BWSSB, KPCL, KPTCL, BESCOM, etc are desperately strapped for cash, there is another government agency that's just rolling in money, viz the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). A cursory glance at the financial statements, provided on its web-site ( http://www.kspcb.gov.in/ - though not quite in a reader friendly way as one would have liked it, which but is quite the norm with most government agency web-sites), shows the revenues at Rs 190 cr for total expenses of just Rs 23.54 cr, a mere 12% of the revenues, with the direct costs being just 5%. And, it's not as if they are being very frugal in their practices or anything like that.

BWSSB - story of unclaimed dues

Though fund-starved, BWSSB is doing little to claim dues running into crores of rupees from Govt agencies. Says Board chairman P B Ramamurthy: "Since bill collection is the main source of revenue for BWSSB, we have been continuously pressing both the government and semi-government bodies to pay their bills.''

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