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I N V I T A T I O N

Dear Friends,

Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM), Public Affairs Centre, Swabhimana and Consumer Advocacy, KERC are pleased to invite you for a workshop on Customer Care to commemorate World Customers' Day.

Yeah, we said so, a month ago (Feb 6), right here, about possible delay around ATC equipment. Newspapers are reporting this morning that BIAL will open 2-4 weeks late due to delay in geting ATC facility ready. The delay is either around installation of equipment or staff-training, depending on which newspaper you trust more (Hindu, Biz-Standard).

So the state government extended the deadline, and also reduced 'regularization' fees. The BJP wants the scheme to be put on hold, and I think we will soon hear more from the courts via some pending PILs.

Sakrama may not be a perfect scheme, but it is the only step government has taken towards solving the mother of all ills that plague our city - plan violations. I don't like the one time fee concept (why not make violators pay a fee every year, that way you will make them think of altering constructions). I don't see clarity on what will happen to the buildings with 'unacceptable' level of violations - demolitions or not? I don't see any talk of punishing the 'officials' who may have been involved in letting things come to such a state where 70-80% of buildings have violations. I don't see creation of new fund or special task-force (regularization fees can be used for this) to improve policing of building norms so that we don't require a Sakrama every five years. But, but, but.

Heres something thats totally counterproductive.

For all of you who have travelled on the Bangalore/Mysore road, the Vrishabhavathi canal on the outskirts of Bangalore is a familiar sight. Theres also a water treatment plant that was set up at great cost just before Kengeri.

The railway budget 08-09 is out. The fares are down. Plea for Bangalore-Arsikere-Mangalore is left un-answered, but we have been blessed with a handful of other trains instead. Also featured in the new budget are more half hearted promises on the same old projects that have been on simmer since more than a decade now (be done with the Gulbarga Bidar line already). As far as Bangalore, in and by itself is concerned, the CRS finds no mention in the 08-09 budget. With this two years would have passed in the Comprehensive Traffic and Transport Plan's Phase I(07-12) with no action on the 204 km CRS project.