The Rustam Bagh Tribune

RRACE celebrates Dussera and Diwali on Saturday 23rd October, 2010

2010-10-05T08:18:00.002+05:30

Dear Member/Resident,

We have planned to celebrate the forthcoming Dussera and Diwali with an evening of fun and games on Saturday 23rd, 2010, All members and residents are welcome.

We intend having a childrens painting competition, rangoli for the ladies, fancy dress for the tiny tots, a display of dance, music and talent, games, tambola and of course eats. There will be a participation fee of Rs.100 per adult and Rs.50 for children below ten years.There will be a lucky draw and prizes on offer for a lucky few.

We would like all of you to participate and make this an enjoyable evening.

A copy of the flier is attached.

S.S.Kalyanpur.

Minutes of meeting on 5th Sept,2010 and Notice of the next meeting

2010-10-05T08:17:00.000+05:30

The next meeting of the Association will be held on Sunday 10th October,2010 at the premises of Shraddha Green Meadows/Golf Links.
Minutes of the meeting held on Sunday 5th September, 2010 at Subhiksha Daffodils follows...

Members Present:
Varalaxmi Prabhu, V Padmanabhan, Arun Prasad, Ramamurthy, B Chandrashekar, Sandeep Jain, Naveen Sapru, Amol Kamat, Umanath Kamath, Sreram Kumar, M S Shetty, Soma Sunder, Taranjeet Kathod, Savita Baliga, S Sekhar, S S Kalyanpur, Madhura Ray, Renu Madan and Victor Fernandes.

Matters discussed:
1. The Chairperson commenced the meeting thanking all those who attended the meeting and also the Subhiksha Daffodils Residents Association for permitting RRACE to hold its meeting in their premises.

2. The Treasurer presented the accounts for the period September 2009 to August 2010 and reported a surplus of Rs.14806/-. At the same time the issue of non-receipt of contributions from certain apartments and individual houses was discussed. Following suggestions / actions were recommended

Â· To have a door to door campaign to collect dues
Â· Letters to be addressed to the individual apartment Secretary / Treasurer / Chairman.

3. Mr. Kalyanpur thanked the Treasurer, Padmanabhan and Madan Mohan for doing a wonderful job with the accounts

4. It was decided to celebrate Dassera and Diwali this year. However, since both festivals fall over long weekends and with the possibility that many families may be going out of station, it was decided to have one celebration. Further it was decided that we should have the following fun activities / events for children

o Painting competition for children

o Fancy dress competition for children

o Variety entertainment

o Some fire works and a few eating stalls

5. Various date/ options were discussed and it was agreed to have the programme on Saturday 23rd October. Other details will be worked out by the committee to be appointed to handle this event.

6. An update was sought on the Associations notice board at the junction of the !st A Cross which has been uprooted for over a month. Soma Sunder replied that one of the legs of the board was bent by a reversing truck and hence a new support pipe needs to be welded.

7. Arun Prasad reported that individuals/companies from outside come into our Layout and put posters all over even nailing them on trees. He suggested we should organise a group/rally to pull down the posters. The date fixed for this activity is Saturday 18th September. More details will be circulated within the next few days.

8. It was mentioned that all official RRACE messages in future will not be sent as is being currently done from Mr Kalyanpurâ€™s personal yahoo account but we will be using the Rustambagh Residents Yahoo group account. It was therefore announced that invitations will be sent to all the members who are on the mailing list to join the Yahoo Group. Members are requested to respond to the invitation.

9. Renu Madan from Bharat Golf View reported that regularly sparks were seen coming out of the transformer in the Sri Vishnu apartment complex. She said it could pose serious danger to residents and people staying in the adjoining buildings Mr Taranjeet of Sri Vishnu who was present was requested to look into this and help take some corrective action.

10. One of the members present suggested that the campaign for collection of dues be clubbed with the campaign for poster removal..

11. During a general discussion, seeing the limited attendance at meetings, it was suggested by Mr. Ramamurthy whether we should stop having these meetings for a few months. But, all present felt that it will not benefit anybody and there will be an unnecessary discontinuation of effort and that it would take twice the effort and time to revive the system.

12. Later, towards the end of the meeting, our Corporator, Mr Chandrappa Reddy attended the meeting at our invitation as we needed clarifications on a few points that members had raised:

Answers by Mr. Reddy to the following questions:

* Road widening at entry point and near Sheila Kothawala School

Mr. Reddy assured that he will call for the land documents from the School.

* Street signboards

Mr. Reddy replied that orders for the boards have already been given.

* Reflectors / painting on humps

Mr. Reddy made a note in his diary to revert on this.

* Whether they are opening the end near Elegance Golf View.

Mr. Reddy assured that it was not at all possible to do that and that there is no such approval.

Mr. Reddy promised to bring the Mayor to Rustam Bagh some time later to Rustam Bagh before the end of his tenure as Mayor.

* Regarding HP â€“ employees smoking near Food Centre

We briefed him that as instructed the last time we have written a letter to HP. Mr. Reddy asked RRACE to write a fresh letter to him and he would forward it to HP with his covering letter asking that this matter be dealt with in all seriousness.

* Dedicated road cleaning staff

Mr. Reddy urged us to be patient for few more months.

The next monthly meeting of the Association will be held on Sunday 10th October, 2010 in the premises of Shraddha Green Meadows/Shraddha Golf Links

Finding apartments in Rustam Bagh

2010-09-20T09:23:00.002+05:30

The best way to find vacant Apartments in Rustam Bagh is by enquiring with the watchmen of respective buildings. The pricing you can expect will be Rs.15k for 2 bedroom, Rs.20-22K for 3 Bedroom (As of September 2010). The monthly maintenance charges varies between, Rs.1k to 1.5k. There is a mini supermarket in this layout and also a HOPCOMS truck which comes in twice a week for fresh veggies so you need not head out to the main road to places like Nilgiris.

Please pay your association dues on time

2010-09-20T09:19:00.002+05:30

If you want to avail the services of the Association, please pay your dues on time.

Having a problem with Autos in Bangalore?

2010-07-08T10:29:00.001+05:30

Note the vehicle number and email the details to transcom@kar.nic.in Based on the prefix (for example KA-01), the complaint should be sent to one of the ten RTO offices in Bangalore and adjacent taluk areas. Alternatively, one can also call these offices at the number given below based on the vehicle number prefix and directly lodge a complaint.

Vehicle Prefix (KA-XX) Bangalore location phone number:

- KA-01 Koramangala 080-25533525
- KA-02 Rajajinagar 080-23324104
- KA-03 Indiranagar 080-25254310
- KA-04 Yeshwantpur 080-23376039
- KA-05 Jayanagar 080-26630989
- KA-41 Gyanabharthi 080-28602833
- KA-50 Yelahanka 080-28561366
- KA-51 Electronic City 080-25735522
- KA-52 NeelaMangala 082-34285598
- KA-53 KR Puram 080-25617951

Once the complaint is received at the corresponding office, a notice is issued to the address of the vehicle’s registered owner, requiring him/her to turn up at the RTO office within 7 working days. Every RTO has about 10 IMV’s (Inspector of Motor Vehicles) who seize the vehicles which don’t report to the RTO. Then a penalty is levied on the auto owner under section 200. The various offences among others for which one can lodge a complaint*

- Refusal to come to destination (Any destination!!!)
- Demanding excess fare
- Using rough language
- Cheat the public, for e.g. taking longer routes.
- Faulty Meter

There is also a *helpline number - 080-22353785* available Monday – Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:30 pm on which one can call to lodge complaints.

Please note that any kind of complaint can be filed related to road traffic.span>

Important phone numebers published

2010-07-08T10:22:00.001+05:30

If you face any issues, please call the concerned authorities using the below numbers. Nothing will ever happen if you dont call.http://rustambagh-bangalore.blogspot.com/p/important-telephone-numbers.html

Rain water harvesting in Bangalore

2010-04-28T15:33:00.000+05:30

Here is the link to the official BBMP article on rain water harvesting. Please take appropriate action before May 27th 2010.

Minutes of the meeting held on Sunday 11th April, 2010

2010-04-28T15:16:00.000+05:30

Matters Discussed:
1. Treasurerâ€™s update: Association balance is Rs.9375. Members are again requested to remind their respective apartment associations to clear dues.
2. The Police Commissioner has sent a communication requesting apartments to get occupancy certificate and comply with building fire norms. Inspections have started. Members are requested to alert their respective apartment associations.
3. The garbage collection contactor met with a few representatives of our association. He wants an increase from the current fee. Most of the building associations are paying between Rs.25/35 per apartment per month. The forum has decided to raise it to Rs.40, payable from the month of May 2010 for collection of garbage on every alternate day. To address the issue of the garbage being separated at the time of collection, leading to a trail of garbage on the street, it was decided that each household should segregate their garbage into wet, dry and non-combustible garbage in separate bags. Each apartment association is requested to keep separate bins with labels indicating for â€™Wet Garbageâ€™, â€˜Dry Garbageâ€™, and â€˜Non-Combustible Garbageâ€™.
4. Mr.Chandrappa Reddy, the BJP candidate, has been elected from our ward at the recent BBMP elections. It was decided to invite him to visit our layout so that we could appraise him of the matters needing attention. The following were listed as matters needing priority :
a. Hawker eviction
b. More regular supply of Cauvery water
c. Unscheduled power cuts
d. Regular street cleaning
e. Fresh repainted street sign boards
f. A permanent HOPCOM outlet and childrenâ€™s play parks
g. A storm water drain cover at the main road junction.
5. A circular received from the BBMP/Government says that every building must compulsorily have a rain-water harvesting system in place before the current monsoons season, failing which a hefty penalty will be imposed. The Association therefore invited Mr.Satish of Farmland Rainwater Harvesting Systems, a BWSSB
certified company,attended our meeting and presented some rain water harvesting solutions. Individuals building associations should seriously consider implementing this technology before inspections start.
a. Type1 harvesting employs a filter which filters the rain water collected on the rooftop and sends it back into the sump or tank. He said that since rain water is very pure compared to ground water, this filtering effort is
sufficient to use for daily household needs.
b. Type2 will direct the water to a well type structure with pebbles and sand to recharge the ground water.
6. Mahavir who works in the HP campus will facilitate a meeting with Pooviah the Admin and Facilities Manager to raise the issue of their employees coming into Rustambagh and trashing our community.
7. Enchanting Glen has a low wall which encourages stray people to sit and make petty trouble. The guards are apathetic. Soma Sunder to contact the apartment president and ask him to take some action. Also to remind him about their large dues which need to be cleared.
8. Only 35% of the â€˜No Parkingâ€™ boards have been sold. Members are requested to remind apartment associations to get their quota from Alen (9448076079) and have them fixed on their gates.
9. Following a recent advertisement on the Rustambagh mailing list, the dos and don'tâ€™s on the community mailer were discussed. The forum was in favour of â€œNo advertisingâ€. It was agreed that an info/classifieds mailer service is useful. If any resident wants to take ownership of this project, that would be
much appreciated.
10. Rash driving by residents and visitors, endangering the children playing and pedestrians is becoming a menace. The association to request the traffic police to put up a few speed limit signboards.
11. Soma Sunder is this monthâ€™s lucky winner. Thanks to Shyna and Sachin for helping Mr.Kalyanpur pick the winner!
12. Next meeting is on May 9th in Oxford Manor. Do attend, YOU could be the lucky winner next month!

Monorail and HSRL will link up Bangalore city soon

2010-04-27T07:54:00.000+05:30

Looking to fast track the monorail and High Speed Rail Link to the airport, the cabinet will take up the projects at its next meeting for approval. The monorail blueprint is as good as ready, with the first phase linking Hebbal to JP Nagar, a 34-km stretch. The monorail, which will take up little space, will cover 60 km, and is expected to cost Rs 8,400 crore. The corridors and routes have also been marked out. CM B S Yeddyurappa also announced that work on the HSRL will start as early as February 2011. [Source: Times of India]

Amazing pictures of the Icelandic Volcano

2010-04-21T15:43:00.000+05:30

Follow this link!

BBMP Property tax payment deadline

2010-04-21T07:55:00.000+05:30

BBMP now offers tax payers to pay property tax online for the year 2009-10, if 2008-09 and 2009-10 details are available online. The good news is that there are no transaction charges for the card users making online payment. Payment gateway is facilitated by IDBI Bank.

Form IV (White form) should be filed by those property owners where there is no change either in the extent of built up area, usage (residential to non-residential or vice versa) or its occupancy (owner occupied to tenanted or vice-versa), or category from the Return filed in the previous year .

.......................................................Click here to File FormIV(2010-11)
.......................................................Click here to File FormIV(2009-10)

Form V (Blue form) should be filed by those property owners who have made changes either in the extent of built up area, usage (residential to non-residential or vice versa) or its occupancy (owner occupied to tenanted or vice-versa), or change in category or vacant land to new completed construction from the Return filed in the previous year

.........................................................Click here to File FormV(2010-11)
.........................................................Click here to File FormV(2009-10)

For Online payment/Receipt generation problems contact 080-22247627/22133029 (between 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM),Email: bbmpsas@bbmp.gov.in

Bomb blast at Chinnaswamy Stadium Bangalore

2010-04-18T08:54:00.000+05:30

How bad things can get? There is a bomb blast outside the stadium, 25000 people are inside and police say it is a minor blast and under control. The game continues! Will things ever change? Is cricket more important than life itself? Dear Police commissioner please respond.

Selective criticism

2010-04-16T10:41:00.001+05:30

Why do people in our community resort to selective criticism? If you are subcribed to the Rustam Bagh Community yahoo groups you know what i am talking about. Recently there was a case of a member trying to sell his swift car and immediately he was criticized with the harshest of words and was threatened to be thrown out of the group. But 2 days later another member tried to promote her kathak performance and there was no criticism what so ever. What is happening? It is time to know the facts.

BBMP is kiiling the Trees in Bangalore

2010-04-16T10:35:00.001+05:30

It is really a pathetic situation. No, they are not chopping the trees but have deviced a long term plan to kill them slowly by cutting of their water sources. Apparently if you have noticed recently, the BBMP is on a drive to create concrete pavements all around bangalore. Now this is done by poring concrete all through the side of the roads and also covering the base of the Trees completely cutting off any source of water seepage either by rain or BWSSB water leaks. I will try to post pictures of these. I dont know where the common sense goes when people come up with such ideas. Please protest by ommenting here.

Guest Houses & Service Apartments in Rustam Bagh

2010-04-14T13:59:00.000+05:30

If you have any complaint against running of guest houses, service apartments in rustam bagh please send in a detailed email to us. We will follow it up with the local police. Lets try to make Rustam Bagh a purely residential community.

Garbage collection

2010-04-14T09:43:00.000+05:30

Our garbage collection system works as follows:
1.    The garbage from individual houses is picked up and taken away by a BBMP auto type vehicle which comes in every day or every other day.
2.    The collection of garbage from apartment buildings has been entrusted to a private contractor. The contractor charges each building an ad hoc fee of about Rs.750/1250 per month. This works out to between Rs.27 to R.s35 per apartment per month.

This contractor has been asking for a hike in his fees, which seems reasonable considering that the current fee was fixed about five years ago. Labour costs have gone up, so have cost of diesel, vehicle maintenance, etc. Besides the BBMP does not permit them to dump this garbage on their BBMP site, so they have to go some place in Hoskote taluka and pay the villagers a fee to dump the garbage there.

The contractor came and called on us last Sunday to discuss this issue. Since it was at short notice we were able to get five representatives to attend this meeting. After hearing his point of view and his request for a hike to Rs.70 per apartment per month, we countered his demand with an offer as follows:
•    We pay at the rate of Rs.40 per apartment per month. So if your complex/building has say 16 apartments, you will be required to pay Rs.640 per month;
•    Collection must be regular on every alternate day (as against the current practice of collection once in 4 or 5 days) The contractor is going to get back to us with either his agreement or a counter offer this Sunday. So please be prepared to pay the proposed rate and if necessary get it approved by your individual building associations.

Classifieds and more

2010-04-08T11:02:00.000+05:30

Dear Rustam Bagh Residents, It has come to our notice that the official yahoo group of rustam bagh residents have some reservations against posting classifieds. But you can always post your classified free of cost right here. Please contact us with the details and we will help you.

Association Meeting

2010-04-06T15:47:00.001+05:30

Our next monthly meeting is scheduled to be held on Sunday 11th April, 2010 at 19.30 am at Shantiniketan Apts on the 1st A Cross (Church Road).

Chandrappa Reddy of BJP wins

2010-04-05T19:14:00.001+05:30

http://chandrappareddy.com/

Association "No Parking' Boards

2010-04-04T09:55:00.000+05:30

Dear Member/Resident,

Please see the attachment to this email. The Association has got "No Parking" boards done for Apartment buildings and individual residences. The board has three segments - right on top in green is the logo, name and email id of the Association, in the middle against a white background in red lettering is the "No Parking in front of this Gate" message, and at the bottom against a yellow background are three sets of important telephone numbers - first the Airport Road Law and Order Police Station, second the Airport Road Traffic Police Station and finally the Central Control Room number for any emergency.

I would request all of you to have these boards fixed on your building gates. If you would like to see them they are available with Mr Alen Peter, Ground Floor Inter Modal Apts, 3rd Cross.(*Mob No 9448076079). Some of the buildings like Oxford Manor, Shradha Temple Trees, Shradha Green Meadows/Golf Links, Inter Modal Apts have already put up the boards.

The boards are available at Rs.100 each - cost the Association Rs.90. Please take one or two depending on the number of gates your building/apartment complex have. They serve the following purpose:
1. Awareness of our Association to visitors and outsiders;
2. Uniformity;
3. Deters Movers & packers/Broadband and Mobile companies from putting up their boards on our premises;
4. Police numbers available immediately in case of any emergency.

We have limited supply so please pick up your set immediately.

S.S.Kalyanpur

City police notification for all building owners - Office of Commissioner of police Bangalore

2010-04-04T09:54:00.000+05:30

A week after the Carlton Towers fire, city police have issued a detailed order with deadlines, regarding all buildings (four-storeyed or higher) on compliance with local rules. If you own, lease or occupy such a building, read the full text here.

GOVERNMENT OF KARNATAKA
POLICE DEPARTMENT

PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE BANGALORE CITY.

SUB : Issue of directions u/s 70 of The Karnataka Police Act, 1963 in fulfillment of the duties cast on the Police u/s 68 Sub Section F of The Karnataka Police Act, 1963.

Deadlines set by Police Commissioner Bidari
Filing of compliance status via Annexure A - 15th April 2010

Ensuring compliance with fire safety rules - 30th April 2010

Ensuring compliance of bldgs to approved plan - 30th June 2010

PREAMBLE:

1. On 23rd February, 2010, fire broke out in a high rise building called Carlton Towers, in the limits of Jeevanbheema Nagar Police Station limits in Bangalore City wherein 9 persons died due to the fire and 60 persons were injured apart from substantial loss to property. During the course of the investigation, it has been revealed that the owner of the high rise building did not adhere to the building plan as approved by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and effected within the building violations, which rendered the fire safety measures required to be maintained ineffective, resulting in serious difficulties to the fire personnel in controlling and extinguishing the fire and in saving the precious human lives. During the course of the investigation, it is also revealed that he has not constructed and maintained the building according to the plan approved by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike.

2. Reliable information has been received by the undersigned that there are a large number of buildings in the limits of Commissionerate of Police, Bangalore City, wherein deviations have been effected by the owners/lease- holders/occupant s/associations of the occupants in the building, in gross violation of the building plan approved by the local authority i.e., Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palik, etc. It has also come to the notice of the undersigned, that in large number of buildings wherein open spaces approved in certain floors/parts of the building were built up and used for commercial/resident ial purpose without approval of the local authority i.e., Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, in gross violation of the plans approved u/s 187 of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964.

3. The information also has been received by the undersigned that a large number of buildings are used for residential and commercial purposes without obtaining the Occupancy Certificate, as required u/s 190 of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964. These acts on the part of certain individuals/ partnership firms and private and public companies, lease holders/occupants including associations of occupants) will give scope for serious man-made calamities in the event of fire breaking out either accidentally or due to mischief, in these buildings.

4. Information also has been received by the undersigned that in high rise buildings, the rules and regulations to be followed as per the Fire Safety Rules under the provisions of The Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964, The Karnataka Fire Force Rules, 1971 and The Karnataka Fire Force Regulations, 1971, are not being followed.

5. U/s 68 (f) of The Karnataka Police Act, it is the duty of every Police Officer to use his best endeavours to prevent any loss or damage by fire.

6. In view of the above facts and in fulfillment of the duties cast on the Police u/s 68 Sub Section (f) of the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, it is necessary that certain directions are required to be issued to the members of the public for strict compliance in the interest of public order and public safety. Hence, the following Order:-

ORDER NO. MAG(2)/AM/6/ 2010-11 DATED 1ST MARCH, 2010.

1. It is hereby directed u/s 70 of Karnataka Police Act, 1963, that the owners/lease holders/occupants (in that order) of all buildings with 4 or more storeys, situated in the limits of Commissionerate of Police Bangalore, to check suo motto:

a) Whether their building is constructed and maintained according to the plan approved by the local authority i.e. BCC/BBMP/Municipali ties/ Sanitary Boards, as the case may be. (Approval of the local authority includes the approval accorded to certain violations under the provisions of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964 and the Rules made there under.)

b) Whether the building adheres to the guidelines prescribed under The Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964, The Karnataka Fire Force Rules, 1971 and The Karnataka Fire Force Regulations, 1971.

c) Whether the fire fighting equipments required to be maintained in the building as per the provisions of The Karnataka Fire Force Act, Rules and Regulations are maintained in good working condition as on 1st March, 2010.

d) Whether the Occupancy Certificate has been obtained in respect of the building, as required u/s 160 of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964.

2. It is further directed, that all owners/lease- holders/occupant s of all the buildings situated in the limits of Commissionerate of Police, Bangalore City, after checking the above aspects in respect of their buildings, on their own or with such assistance from private individuals, private security agencies or the local Fire Force or Municipal Authorities and if their particular building is constructed and maintained in accordance with the plan approved by the local authority and has obtained Completion Certification u/s 190 of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, and has followed The Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964, The Karnataka Fire Force Rules, 1971 and The Karnataka Fire force Regulations, 1971, and if all the fire fighting equipments required to be maintained are in good working condition as on 1st March, 2010, they will intimate the same to the Police Inspector of the jurisdictional Police Station by 15th April, 2010, in the proforma - A annexed to this order. They may download the proforma Annexure "A" from theÂ websiteÂ and they may send the compliance by email also to the email address of the concerned Police Inspector in charge of the Police Station.

3. If, after check done by the owners/lease- holders/occupant s of the building, it is found that:

a) The building is not constructed and maintained according to the plan approved by the local authority i..e, BCC/BBMP/Municipal Corporation/ Sanitary Board, they will take immediate steps to ensure that the building is modified to confirm to the approved plan as early as possible and latest by 30th June, 2010.

b) If they have not adhered to the regulations prescribed for the building in The Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964, The Karnataka Fire Force Rules, 1971 and The Karnataka Fire force Regulations, 1971, they will take immediate action to adhere to the provisions of these Act, Rules and Regulations, by 30th April, 2010.

c) If the firefighting equipments required to be maintained by them according to the Fire Force Act, Rules and Regulations, are not maintained, they will take immediate action to maintain fire fighting equipments, as required to be maintained by them in good working condition, by 30th April, 2010.

d) If, any building is occupied either for residential purpose or commercial purpose or any other purpose, without obtaining Occupancy Certificate/ Completion Certificate as required u/s 190 of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, they will take immediate necessary action to vacate the building and to maintain the building in a vacant state until they obtain Completion Certificate/ Occupancy Certificate, as required u/s 190 of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964.

4. The responsibility for adhering with these instructions will rest with the following in that order,

a) Owner of the building who is either occupying the building or collecting rent from the building in the first place.

b) If the building has been given on lease by the owner, it will be the responsibility of the lease-holder.

c) If the building has been purchased by a person other than the owner and the building is in possession of the owner, it will be the responsibility of the person occupying, and the concerned Association of the occupants, in the third place.

5. The above mentioned directions should be scrupulously and promptly complied with by all persons mentioned above, whether owners/lease- holders or occupants of buildings with 4 or more storeys, situated in the limits of the Commissionerate of Police, Bangalore City.

6. Any person disobeying these directions will be liable for prosecution and penalty u/s 112 of The Karnataka Police Act, 1963. He will also be liable for punitive action under Sections 338, 304 (A) and 304 of the Indian Penal Code in the event of fire mishap in the building.

This direction is issued under my seal and signature on the 1st Day of March, 2010 at Bangalore City.

(SHANKAR BIDARI)
Commissioner of Police,
Bangalore City.

To

1. All concerned members of the public through the Police Inspectors in charge of Police Stations in Bangalore City and Media.
2. Police Inspectors of all Police Stations including Traffic Police Stations in Bangalore City for strict enforcement.
3. All ACPs in charge of Sub Divisions including Traffic Sub Divisions in Bangalore City.
4. All DCPs in Bangalore City including Traffic/Crime/ Intelligence/ PRO.
5. Jt. Commissioner of Police, Crime.
6. Addl. Commissioners of Police, Admn./Law and Order/Traffic/ CAR.

Copy with compliments for information to :

1. Director General and Inspector General of Police, Karnataka State, Bangalore.Â
2. Addl. Chief Secretary, Home Department, Government of Karnataka, Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore.

ANNEXURE-A TO ORDER NO. MAG(2)/AM/6/ 2010-11 DATED 1ST MARCH, 2010 ISSUED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE, BANGALORE CITY.
To

The Police Inspector,
............ ......... ..Police Station,
BANGALORE CITY. (By e-mail or post or muddam)

Sir,
In accordance with the directions issued vide Order No.MAG(2)/AM/ 6/2010 dated 1st March, 2010 issued by the Commissioner of Police, Bangalore City, I herewith report as follows:

2. I am the owner/lease holder/occupant of the below mentioned building having
............ ..... storeys.
3. The address of the building is as follows:

4. a)This building is constructed and maintained according to the plan approved by the local authority i.e., BCC/BBMP/Municipal Corporation/ Sanitary Board.

b) The building has complied with the provisions of The Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964, The Karnataka Fire Force Rules, 1971 and The Karnataka Fire force Regulations, 1971.

c) All the fire fighting equipments required to be maintained according to the provisions of The Karnataka Fire Force Act, 1964, The Karnataka Fire Force Rules, 1971 and The Karnataka Fire force Regulations, 1971, is maintained in good working condition as on 1st March, 2010.

d) The Occupancy Certificate, as required u/s 190 of The Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964 is obtained and a photocopy of the same is herewith enclosed.

Kindly acknowledge receipt of this report.

Yours faithfully,

(Owner/Lease- Holder/Occupant of the building).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Received report required to be given vide Commissioner of Police, Bangalore City Order No.MAG(2)/AM/ 6/2010 dated 1st March, 2010 in respect of 4 storey or more storeys building having the address as follows:

Police Inspector,
............ ......... ...P.S.

Bangalore City.

Minutes of monthly meeting held in March

2010-03-18T19:35:00.000+05:30

RUSTAMBAGH RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT
Minutes of meeting held on 7th March, 2010 at Surya Apartments Complex...Members Present: Priya K, Soma Sunder, Arun Prasad, Kevin Colaco, R Radhakrishnan, B Chandrashekar, Kevin D’Souza, Naveen Sapru, Victor Fernandes, S S Kalyanpur, Peter Alen, S G Zanzane, M Ramamurthy, Ashok Guruswamy, N Balasubramaniam, Denis D’Souza.

Matters Discussed:
1. The Treasurer’s report indicated that the Association has a credit balance of Rs.16370. It also indicated that many apartments have not paid their dues for over a year. Members will again remind apartments and individual homes during the Jaagte Raho campaign.
2. Asian Paints has a specialized paint called Apcotrac for marking roads. It costs about Rs.2250 for a 20 liter can. The paint has been made specifically for marking roads and and dries in 20 minutes. Asian Paints guarantees that 2 coats will last 6 months. Members decided to try this paint on the road bumps.
3. The NO PARKING boards are ready. Thanks to Alen for completing the task. All buildings are requested to remove existing boards advertising XYZ companies and replace with RRACE board. Each board costs Rs.100.
4. The RRACE notice boards are also ready but need to be painted. One will be put up opposite Food Center and the other will be at the corner of the 1st A Cross entrance..
5. The electoral list is 99% complete. No inclusions are possible for this election, hopefully they can happen for the next election. RRACE will have a help desk on the day of the election where residents can come and check whether they are on the list for this ward and whether they can cast their vote here.
6. The JE Mr. Vijaykumar has been transferred and the new incumbent is Mr. Hegde. We need to meet with Mr. Hegde, he could not make it for this meeting.
7. Once the BBMP candidates for this ward are announced, the Association proposes inviting them to come and address our residents with their agenda for our ward. We can also present our top burning issues.
8. We need make sure that all buildings pay the same amount for garbage collection. We will meet with the contractor Venkatesh and discuss and sort out these discrepancies. There are also issues of their truck not coming regularly to collect the garbage.
9. The trees planted have grown, but some buildings are not watering them. Members are requested to remind building office bearers.
10. Summer holidays are coming up. The Association is planning on hosting a painting competition for the children in one of the schools. Somu will try to get a sponsor for the event.
11. The Rustam bagh entrance is very inconspicuous. There’s no street light or any sign to indicate that the entrance to the Layout is being approached and as a result visitors zip past without noticing. After the elections, we can request BBMP to provide a direction board for us.
12. Tankers are coming to unload water into the Manipal Hospital sump practically round the clock - 24 hours - creating a menace. Residents would like to have the timings regulated and ensure that they ply during the day time only. The association will join Surya apartments’ Mr. D’souza to meet with the concerned people in Manipal Hospital.
13. Recently, since Manipal’s ambulance entrance is moved to Rustam bagh gate, ambulances are parking with impunity on the road. No response from the ambulance companies or from traffic police. We will raise this issue with the Manipal Authorities.
14. The entrance of Rustam bagh is not an easy one to negotiate. A curve in the footpath would help. The issues will be taken up with the new corporator.
15. Manipal security guards are making rounds between 7 and 11pm. It would be helpful for Rustambagh residents to be able to contact them for an emergency. The representatives who will meet with Manipal officials will discuss this issue with them.
16. Garbage collection has been flagging. In spite of repeated reminder calls to the BBMP contractors, there is no real response from them. There is a huge dump in front of Surya Apartments created by the road cleaning dept which is a real nuisance inviting further garbage dumping. The entire process needs to be streamlined. This issue should be taken up as a high priority with the new corporator.
17. All buildings should be compliant with rainwater harvesting norms. Somu will get quotations from 2-3 vendors for a bulk order. He will arrange for them come to Rustambagh and present their solutions.
18. Post the Carlton Towers tragedy, there’s awareness of fire safety. All buildings with 4+ floors need to be compliant. The association will get a vendor to demonstrate their products for the apartment buildings.
19. Mr. Ashok Guruswamy won the lucky prize among all the attendees. Congrats Ashok!!
20. The 4th of April being Easter Sunday, it was decided that the next meeting will be held in Shantiniketan Apartments on April 11th

Beware of who you employ as domestic helps!

2010-01-06T16:21:00.000+05:30

There is a network of domestic help from East/North East India currently being run in Rustam Bagh. What I have noticed is that with the establishment of a network, it starts with one maid giving a freebie (i.e. stolen from the house she works in) to another maid and then expecting something back.

When they travel back to their villages, they carry huge bags - partly the old clothes etc we give them and partly stolen items. I normally keep a picture of the domestic help, in my most recent case I forgot. My last domestic went for her annual holiday 2 months ago (original schedule 15 days), and has taken with her the cell phone given to her and one months advance - also we have realised that there are a few missing items from home (like blankets etc).

I think she will reside in her village for a few months and when the time is right return for another job in the neighbourhood to hoodwink someone else. Through this mail I would like to warn all residents against employing a maid called Suchritra (age about 40, dark hair, heavy built, bengali woman). I am sorry, I wish I had taken a photograph , but missed that one.

If anyone else has had a similar experience, pls do forewarn us."

Another case of 'eve-teasing'

2010-01-06T16:17:00.000+05:30

I thought of writing to you on a subject which has been of great concern off late within our community. I have been living in Rustam Bagh for the last 3 years and this is the third time I have witnessed the evil of Eve Teasing in our neighborhood. The earlier two times things went unnoticed because it was once in the night and once late evening, however yesterday right in front of the Cema Electricals (3rd cross) a non resident misbehaved with a young girl in broad day light around 3 PM on a Sunday afternoon the 3rd of January 2010.Rest of the post here!!

It was quick thinking by the girl who managed to message her friend whom she had come to visit that got the residents come out and catch hold of the miscreant. The culprit tried his best to get away however we happened to be walking towards the City Food Centre shop around the same time and together we managed to keep him under control till the time the police arrived.

I must appreciate the quick work of the Old Airport Road Police, who did come within minutes of our call and took the culprit to the Police station.

I have always appreciated the good work that has been done by providing important information through emails about the developments that happen in Rustam Bagh, It would be good if you could also highlight this incident so that the menace can be collectively tackled by the residents so that our family members especiall women and young girls can walk around safely in our neighborhood.

Telephone numbers of Police Stations and other important people should also be shared with more residents so that at the time of such incidents they do not have to just keep quiet, rather bring to books the offenders.

Ultra-right wing potato sandwich launches in India

2009-06-19T17:23:00.001+05:30

Shiv Sena, the ultra-right Hindu nationalist party in India, has launched a global brand of snack food called the Shiv Vada -- a sandwich containing deep-fried potato ball. They want to make it as popular as hamburgers.

The initiative is being seen as an attempt by the saffron party, which popularised the 'vada pav', staple diet of many a Mumbaikar, four decades ago, to establish rapport with the 'Marathi manoos', whose tilt in favour of Sena offshoot MNS, cost the party dearly in recent Lok Sabha polls.

"In foreign countries, burger is available 24-hours. Why can't vada pav be also available similarly," Uddhav said. The party, which has started a cooperative to encourage Marathi entrepreneurs, showcases 'Shiv Vada' as its first project under the new initiative, sources said. "To begin with, 25 Shiv Vada stalls would be operational in the city," they said.

Shiv Sena launches 'Shiv Vada'; to take it global

(Image: Jumbo Vada Pav.jpg, CC-BY, Wikimedia Commons

A New Peek Inside Saddam's Old Palaces

2009-06-16T14:07:00.001+05:30

Flavorwire has an interview up with photographer Richard Mosse, who recently returned from Iraq, where he photographed what remains of Saddam Hussein's many palaces, which American soldiers have repurposed as combat headquarters. Snip:

This month, the American army is set to handover the last of the palaces back to the Iraqi army. Mosse, who has previously photographed war-torn areas of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, sat down with us to discuss his latest project and the deeply disturbing, though darkly humorous, aspects of the ongoing war in Iraq.

The Architecture of War: A Look at Saddam Hussein's Palaces (image, Richard Mosse, thanks, Caroline Stanley)

Blue Angels Cockpit Cam Viewing Experience

2009-06-15T16:56:00.000+05:30

I knew the Navy's Blue Angels were good, but seeing their stuff from inside the cockpit actually got a few butterflies stirring in my gullet. [Danger Room]

Mr Das Munshi’s Medical Expenses

2009-06-02T12:46:00.001+05:30

Rediff reports:

In the midst of hectic ministry making, the Congress leadership has taken out time to deliberate on the future of one of its senior most leaders who is ill in hospital, Priya Ranjan Das Munshi.

Sources confirmed that his wife, first time MP, Deepa Das Munshi who contested and won from the Raiganj constituency in West Bengal is likely to be sworn in as a Minister of State when the Manmohan Singh council of ministers take oath.

An exception is being made for first term MP Deepa to ensure that Munshi is provided with the same level of medical care as he has been receiving for the last many months.

So, according to this report, Mrs Das Munshi is going to be sworn in as minister just so that her husband gets medical care at state expense. This is another illustration of the the party in power treating state resources as their private property, distributing largesse where they wish. Hell, the money being spent on these ministers did not land up from the sky, that is our money, taken from us ostensibly to serve our needs. The vast majority of the people who have coughed up that money—remember, anytime you buy something in India, you are effectively paying taxes—cannot afford the kind of health care Mr Das Munshi is getting. Why should our money pay for his health care?

The report says that "it was Pranab Mukherjee who sought that Deepa be made a minister for the sake of Munshi." If Mr Mukherjee feels such compassion for Mr Das Munshi, he should pay for the treatment out of his own pocket. Why dig into mine?

Rotten Neighbors Website

2009-05-29T15:09:00.003+05:30

There is a new website out that helps you identify whether you are moving into a home with good neighbors or not. Rotten neighbors can make life a lot harder than it has to be. You don't want to buy a home and then find out after your large investment, that you have neighbors who keep complaining at every small incident, who object to drinking or smoking inside your own house, that let their dog poop on your lawn; or have loud parties every other night. That just wouldn't be worth the investment. Of course you can complain, but a true rotten neighbor never stops with their antics. Rotten Neighbors find any way they can to antagonize you. It's just bad. Luckily all of the neighbors I've had throughout my life were all nice people except the current ones. But if you have had a bad neighbor, you would understand why the rotten neighbor website could be of great use.

Google Wave "Is What Email Would Look Like If It Were Invented Today" [News]

2009-05-29T14:42:00.002+05:30

Google announced today a new, experimental idea aiming to reshape the future of communication on the web. It's called Wave, and if you believe its developer, it's "what email would look like if it were invented today." It's also going to be totally open source. Intrigued?

Primarily, Wave is about improving real-time communication on the web. I've been waiting all day for Google to upload the video promised on the Wave homepage, but since it's still not there, here's the skinny from Google's mouth:

What is a wave?

A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.

A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.

A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.

Pretty broad, right? Wave is clearly something we'll need to see in action and, even better, use before we completely understand how it works. Like email, Wave has been developed as a standard that will be able to run on any server, so it won't belong to Google. Anyone will be able to run their own "wave," and that wave can compete with Google or do whatever it wants to. But since it's created as a standard protocol, different waves can talk to and understand each other.

This addresses an issue that I (and many others much smarter than me) have had with Twitter—namely that it lives on one company's servers, and your information is subject to whatever that company wants to do with it. RSS, email, and IM work using standard protocols that anyone can take advantage of, and since they use standards, I can, for example, send an email from Gmail to someone using Yahoo Mail and know that they'll be able to read it without any problems.

Tech news weblog TechCrunch has a very detailed rundown of Wave (linked below) and the directions Google has taken it so far (it's still incredibly young), but Wave is also very intriguing in the whole future-of-the-web way. It could amount to nothing, but considering the popularity and direction of Twitter and Facebook, the idea of a protocol that turns a similar sort of communication into an open standard sounds very promising.

Wave isn't available in any practical sense to you and me right now, and much of the technology behind Wave requires HTML 5 updates that we won't see completely implemented in most browsers for at least a little while, but you can sign up for Google Wave updates if you're eager to stay updated on any new developments.

Google Wave [via TechCrunch]

Teaching Copyright -- EFF curriculum for balanced copyright education

2009-05-29T14:34:00.001+05:30

You may have seen the new anti-copying educational program the Copyright Alliance is promoting to the nation's teachers. Today, EFF launched its own "Teaching Copyright" curriculum and website to help educators give students the real story about their digital rights and responsibilities on the Internet and beyond.
The Copyright Alliance -- backed by the recording, broadcast, and software industries -- has given its curriculum the ominous title "Think First, Copy Later." But EFF's curriculum (the result of more than a year of work) introduces critical questions of digital citizenship into the classroom without misinformation that scares kids from expressing themselves in the modern world.
There are a lot of good resources on TeachingCopyright.org -- everything from lesson plans for high school students to guides to copyright law, including fair use and the public domain. So it's worth checking out whether you are a teacher, a student, or a parent.

Gummi Bear Surgery

2009-05-29T14:30:00.001+05:30

I like this photo from the Instructables article on Gummi Bear Surgery.

North Korea Nuclear Test

2009-05-29T14:29:00.000+05:30

"North Korea apparently tested another nuclear weapon and my mind immediately goes to bad jokes. For those who don’t get it: Fat Man & Little Boy. Xeni deserves part of the blame for asking if I knew any Kim Jong LOLs. You’d be surprised how hard these are to make without ripping off Team America or being racist!"

A parable of Love, life and dance

2009-05-29T10:00:00.000+05:30

I was just three years old! I just loved the sound of drum beats! Reminds me of mummy’s heart beat when I lean on her! I just used to dance! I had only one move and my parents and family loved me! I used to sway up and down and I was super star at my house! First time I learned dancing should be the way of life because everyone is so happy because I dance!

I was five year old! I still loved dancing; I heard a song outside my school window! Promptly I got up and danced! Couple of my friends joined me and Immediately my class teacher took a stick , gave me a whack & warned me about my behaviour and she told me that I am in school to learn and get disciplined and not to dance like a stupid fellow! First time I got hurt because I felt like dancing. I learned it is important to control your dance and your happiness! Otherwise I might look stupid!

I was 10 years old! I loved what was on TV, I knew I could shake and thrust my hips better than that cabaret dancer on TV! Within no second Dad switched off TV and warned me about my vulgar behaviour! He said "I cannot dance like that!" Mom supported him and told me that "I am getting into bad habits and my character needs to be stronger " First time I felt dancing may be sin! I have to be careful not to commit those sins often; I felt God might punish those who dance for no reason! I felt Guilty!

I was 20 years Old! I loved the music in Pub’s to glory! On that day I went to pub with my girlfriend and the atmosphere was great! I just loved that Raunchy woman who got drunk and danced! She was so drunk; she called me to shake a leg with her! I couldn’t resist the dance of someone who was careless about the world and I loved that character of woman who allowed dance to swallow her! And I joined and did pelvic dance to the claps of onlookers. I went wild and lost myself to rhythm of beats! I kissed that wild dancing woman! I have to say it was wild and nice!

My girl friend almost slapped me and left that pub in disgust due to my behaviour! She thought I am a low character asshole and she left me saying I should have had some manners to behave when I am with girlfriend at least. She didn’t see me again and we broke up! First time I felt You can only dance according to expectation of others, I felt dancing is correct only if others approve, there is nothing in it for the dancer, everything is for onlookers!

I was 30 year old and my friends called me for a dance and I was busy with my blackberry! This is no time to dance and I was talking to a customer about potential business! First time I knew I should focus more on money and my career; these are not the times to dance away! I can always dance few years later once I make money!

I was 40 year old and I was trying to dance with my daughter. She laughs hysterically and says "you don’t have moves! Dad"! You just can’t dance Dad! You are too tight and you look ugly on dance floor!

I could see she was not feeling comfortable with me and I let her join her friends. First time I learned I have little dance left in my body, There is little rhythm left in my body, I have become too stiff and rock like. I look like mannequin with no life!

I was 60 and my daughter has moved out and I am alone at my house, Across my window there is a party and I can see people dancing and I feel like watching them dance! I stand and watch them from my window and I can see lot of them are getting uncomfortable with old man watching them! So I slowly move back. I have moved away so much from dance that I can’t even watch others dancing! I feel low and felt like man with no legs!

I am 75 now……….
Now money, career, security all are there! But I don’t have a dance!
I am trying to learn dancing, I could have just learned to dance at every problem of my life, but I have travelled so far taking hard way!
I am trying to dance again like when I was just one and half year old!
Now I have learned again that dancing is the way of life!
Now I dance alone! I dance to the tune of winds and I dance to the fragrance of flowers!
Now I dance to the sound of silence!
Finally I found dancer and dancing disappear into dance! I guess this peace in dancing ! I re-discovered myself in dance!
Life is nothing but one helluva of a dance!
After years of struggling looks like all I need is dancing shoes to my grave!

Maybe you should stay where you are

2009-05-28T14:27:00.001+05:30

When one spouse relocates for another, they generally end up earning less over their career because of it. So maybe spouses should stop relocating, period. There is a widespread feeling among Generation Y that transience is exhausting, and relocating away from family and friends for a job is a nonstarter. And anyway, it used to be that you could get a company to pay for your relocation, but Microsoft just announced they are no longer doing that, and you can bet other companies will follow.

Move to where your friends are

2009-05-28T14:25:00.002+05:30

If you move within a mile of a good friend, both of you will become significantly happier, according to Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist at Harvard. If you’re considering relocating away from friends and family because you believe money will buy happiness, you are sort of right. But Nattavudh Powdthavee of the University of London shows that you’d need to have a salary increase of at least $133,000 in order to have a net positive impact on your happiness from that move.

Live by water

2009-05-28T14:25:00.001+05:30

People who live inland are not as happy as people who live near water, according to research coming out in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. And some scientists think this is because humans evolved by following the shorelines and living off water life. So, the Journal of Preventative Medicine shows that if you live in the Appalachian Mountains you are twice as likely to have mental illness than if you live in Hawaii.

Countries that are Least Affected by Recession

2009-05-27T14:36:00.001+05:30

This world map shows a list of countries that are considered least affected by the global economic crisis.

Australia takes the top spot followed by China with India and Singapore in equal third place. Qatar is the only gulf nation that figures in this "relatively" recession-proof list.

The data is based on the results of a business confidence survey that was done on international business people of 24 nations to identify which countries they believe are surviving the crisis the best. More on Herald Sun and Servcorp, the company that commissioned the survey.

The countries perceived to be surviving the economic crisis the best, as voted by international businesspeople are:

Missed Opportunity

2009-05-27T14:35:00.001+05:30

If Sanjay Gandhi had given himself a taste of his own medicine, we might not have had to put up with this crap.

I love Zoozoos

2009-05-27T14:33:00.000+05:30

And here’s a thought:
Aren’t Zoozoos, with their substantial bellies and butts, just like Indian men?

Another thought:
Don’t you chicas out there find the Zoozoos terribly cute?

Maybe there’s hope for us yet.

Techie = Stud Machine

2009-05-27T14:32:00.001+05:30

The Sun reports:

An anonymous study of 2,000 British men and women concluded that out of all jobs, computer geeks make the best lovers.

They were found to be the most selfless in the sack, the most adventurous and more likely to use love gadgets.

Seventy-eight per cent of techies that were questioned also claimed that sex toys were part of their love life.

Eighty-nine per cent of them, though, believed that the phallus was a sex toy.

Okay, fine, I made that last line up. But really, the methodology of the study is suspect—from the article, it seems that it was based on questions asked to these men. Like they’ll tell the truth. Nice try. Duh.

And bloggers were not part of the survey. I’m sure they would have found that bloggers are even better in bed than IT workers. For starters, they’d be able to do it several times a day. How’s that?

And ya, I know, Twitterers, if that is the term, would do it even more frequently. But it would be over too quickly. Where’s the fun in that?

Cocaine found in Red Bull Cola?

2009-05-27T14:18:00.001+05:30

Six German states have banned Red Bull Cola after lab tests turned up trace amounts of coca leaf extracts in the beverage. According to authorities, the substance requires the beverage to be classified as a narcotic, requiring a license for sale. (Of course, even Coca-Cola didn't become entirely cocaine-free until 1929.) From BBC News:

(Red Bull) said coca leaf extracts were used worldwide as a natural flavouring, and that its own tests had found no traces of cocaine.

The illegal cocaine alkaloid - one of 10 found in coca and representing only 0.8% of the plant's chemical make-up - is chemically removed before use, as mandated by international anti-narcotics agencies.

"There is no scientific basis for this ban on Red Bull Cola because the levels of cocaine found are so small," Fritz Soergel, the head of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg, Bavaria, told Time magazine.

"And it's not even cocaine itself. According to the tests we carried out, it's a non-active degradation product with no effect on the body. If you start examining lots of other drinks and food so carefully, you'd find a lot of surprising things."

"Germany bans cola after drug test"

Skeletal photoshopping contest

2009-05-27T14:17:00.001+05:30

Today on the Worth1000 photoshopping contest: stuff made from bones.
Dem Bones, Dem Bones 2

Beautiful Clouds

2009-05-26T17:10:00.001+05:30

If it was for some reason hard to see clouds, can you imagine how much people would pay for the privilege? Like, if there was only one spot on Earth that had clouds, everyone would be going there and having these big spiritual experiences just from seeing the clouds.

We get so much beauty for free in life.

I always enjoy photos of weird and unusual clouds, and I found a cornucopia of them on the over-the-top image site, "Dark Roasted Blend".

Kiwi Looks Like Kiwi

2009-05-26T16:45:00.003+05:30

The Kiwi is the National Bird of New Zealand, even the people who live there are affectionately called "Kiwis".
One man's love of the bird extends even to fruit. Yes there is a Kiwi fruit that sort of looks like a

Kiwi:

Kiwi Fruit from the groves of New Zealand
Originally uploaded by purplespace.

But this fruit found in Shavon Green's backyard in Auckland really nailed the look. Christchurch businessman Mike Pero paid $1000 for it at auction, conditional on a $500 donation to The Child Cancer Foundation. Everyone was happy. He got his Kiwi, she got much more than the going rate for the fruit, and a worthy charity got a nice donation.

All for the love of a Kiwi!

Read the whole article here.
And another great one here.

747 sucks a baggage container into its engine at LAX

2009-05-12T19:31:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, a 747 at LAX sucked an entire baggage-~~cart~~container into one of its engines. No one was hurt:

The incident occurred yesterday afternoon as Japan Airlines Flight 61 to Narita was pushing back from the terminal gate. A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman, Ian Gregor, said a baggage cart was being towed by at the same time and the engine ingested one of the containers.
Airport officials told the Los Angeles Times the vacuum created by the air intake of the left outboard engine was so strong it pulled the empty container off the baggage cart. The object was lodged in the outer left-side engine of the four-engine jet.

Baggage container sucked into Boeing 747 engine at LA airport

The Photographer: gripping graphic memoir about doctors in Soviet Afghanistan, accompanied by brilliant photos

2009-05-12T19:29:00.000+05:30

FirstSecond, one of the great literary comics presses of the modern world, has topped itself with The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders, a collaboration between photographer Didier Lefevre, graphic novelist Emmanuel Guibert, and designer Frederic Lemercier.

The book is the memoir of Didier, a photographer who accompanied a caravan of Medecins Sans Frontiers doctors into war-torn Afghanistan to staff a clinic in the middle of the Soviet-Mujahideen war. Didier dictated the memoir to Guibert (the graphic novelist who also produced Alan's War, a stunning memoir of post-war France) before he died of a heart-attack, and Guibert and Lemercier worked to turn this into The Photographer.

Visually, The Photographer resembles nothing so much as a Tin Tin adventure, except that it is liberally sprinkled with Didier's photos and contact sheets, dropped in among the drawn panels, incorporated seamlessly into the action. Didier was a powerful, naturalistic photographer, unflinching and unpretentious, and between the finished drawings and the annotated contact sheets, you get a sense of a real artist at work.

The story is in three parts: first, there is the journey to the clinic, which begins in Pakistan where Didier meets all manner of intelligence operatives, pathological liars, adventurers and NGO workers, and then follows the MSF crew as they meet up with escort of Mujahideen guerrillas and arms-smugglers, buy their horses and donkeys, and are smuggled over the border into Afghanistan. After this, the caravan proceeds through the towns and mountains of Afghanistan, dodging Soviet helicopters, losing pack animals over sheer cliffs, and watching in horror as the discipline in their escort is brutally enforced. The caravan is led by an unlikely and charismatic woman doctor who commands the Muj's respect through sheer competence and force of will.

The second part of the story tells of Didier's time at the clinic, as all manner of war-wounded, ill and orphaned victims are processed and treated by the doctors, tales of horrific woundings and incredible bravery and sacrifice and nobility. After a while, it becomes too much for Didier, who decides -- unwisely -- to return to Pakistan alone, with just an escort of Afghani farmers with whom he does not share a common language.

Finally, Didier tells the story of his voyage home, a gruelling trip that gets worse after he is abandoned by his escort. After coming close to death, he is rescued by grifters who rob him -- but get him to safety. After more misadventures, he arrives home, finally, in Paris.

The story is very well told, a gripping adventure that sheds light on subjects as diverse as faith, photography, art, love, nobility, Soviet-Afghani relations, pride, masculinity, racism, and bravery. As I said, the photos are magnificent -- worth the cover-price alone -- but the story makes them so much better. This isn't just a great photography book, it's a great novel, a great comic, a great memoir, and a great history text.

The Photographer: Into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders

The Photographer sampler (PDF)

Rich Men in Politics

2009-05-12T19:27:00.000+05:30

I just love this headline in The Times of India:

Parties should give more tickets to rich: Wealthiest candidate

The article is about a gentleman named Deepak Bhardwaj of the Bahujan Samaj Party, who has a net worth of Rs 600 crore. Bhardwaj says:

It is good that political parties nominate rich candidates in elections. If you find a rich person as your candidate, he or she can help the poor better and look after development work. How can a poor candidate serve the poor? It only stands to reason and therefore richer candidates should be given more chance to contest elections

The reason I am amused by Bhardwaj’s defensive attitude towards his wealth is that he has no reason to be on the back foot to begin with. As TN Ninan points out, “virtually every member [of the Lok Sabha] is a crorepati.”

Ninan suggests that politics is “India’s most lucrative profession,” and there is no doubt in my mind that he is right. In India, we take it for granted that our governments are there to rule us, not serve us, and do not question the amount of power they wield over us. Politicians, like all other humans, are driven by self-interest, so obviously they will use this power to enrich themselves, and the interest groups that help them come to power. The problem is with the system that allows them so much power with so few safeguards. The problem is with all of us, for allowing ourselves to be milked like this. (For more, read: “A beast called government.”)

To go back to Bhardwaj, he seems to have made his money from his family’s real estate investments, not from politics. But his political career might just be the best investment he has made. If he uses his money to buy himself power, he can then use that power to make much more money. Such it is.

Dear Gill

2009-05-12T19:23:00.000+05:30

Dear MS Gill,
Cricinfo states that you have objected to an SMS competition being run during the IPL on the grounds that it is “akin to betting and gambling.” I have two questions for you:

One, do you not gamble? If you have ever invested in the stock market, or in property, you have gambled. Indeed, every career choice you have made is effectively a gamble. We face choices at every stage in our lives, weigh up the risks involved, and make decisions. All of that is no less gambling than, say, betting that Matthew Hayden will score 10 runs in the next over.

Two, who are you (or the government) to tell people what to do with their money? You are there to serve us, not to rule us. Before you lecture us on how we spend our time and hard-earned money, consider that our taxes pay your salary and perks. What have you been up to as sports minister? Why is every sport administered by the government in India in such a complete and utter mess?

I’ll stop now. The Ministry for Self-Righteousness hasn’t given me a license to be sanctimonious, so I’ll leave that to you.

Information for Rustam Bagh Residents

2009-05-12T14:10:00.005+05:30

We have received information that Mr. V Padmanabhan, our Rustam Bagh Association Treasurer has dues in excess of Rs 15,000 towards monthly maintenance in his apartment (Sri Krishna Apartments). The reason cited was Service Apartments/Guest Houses in the building and subsequent security issues.

When we explored the facts ...
It was found that there are a couple of flats that have been let out to Manipal Hospital Authorized Guests/patients who have the permission and authorization from both the Hospital and local police for such accommodation. Rustam Bagh being in close proximity to the hospital, it is a cheaper, safer and a convenient alternative to outstation patients who cannot afford costly hospital room rents. Infact there are many apartments in Rustam Bagh that have been let out to agencies who work for Manipal Hospital.

What is justified here?
What our Treasurer is doing or Service to patients?

Change how you walk to change your life

2009-05-12T14:03:00.001+05:30

We all know that people judge each other in the first five seconds they see each other. We talk about clothes, and weight, and tone of voice. But you can also judge someone by their walk.

Don’t tell me this is shallow. You can’t help but judge people by their gait. But the good news is that we are very good at judging people on first impressions. It’s probably a survival skill we developed very early on as humans – before you could Google someone to know their credibility. And when it comes to gait, it is possible that we each have a unique gait, like a unique thumbprint. (Yes, people are developing security technology based on gait: Cool, right?)

I am convinced that you can change how you function in the world by changing your gait. We already know that people with the most control over their image work hard on understanding the body language they project. For example, if you feel defensive, resist the temptation to fold your arms in front of your chest and the person you’re talking to will think you are listening better. And, in fact, you will be listening better because based on your physical urge to fold your arms you gained intellectual awareness that you are feeling defensive.

Scientists have taken body language analysis one step forward and found systematic ways to describe how gait relates to mood. The first career coach I ever had used this science. She taught me how to change my walk in order to exude more authority. I was a young upstart bouncing around the office and needed to look grounded. She showed me how to shift my center of gravity to lower in my body. And, in the process of changing my gait, she actually did change the way I approached people – I exuded more authority.

So here are personality traits that we reveal in how we walk. In each case, researchers have found that if you change the way you walk, you can change how you are living.

1. How well you think abstractly and plan in flexible ways.
Researchers found that you can look at the fluidity of a person’s gait to gauge the person’s executive function. This is someone’s ability to look at range of issues and figure out what to do first, how to orchestrate a to-do list or a set of competing priorities. You can see this is people with Asperger Syndrome, or, the stereotypical eccentric genius. Their brain is working fine in terms of IQ, but their executive function is poor (Einstein couldn’t manage to comb his hair), and so, too is their gait. You can go to physical therapy to smooth out your gait, and, in children, this process has been shown to improve executive function.

2. How well you play with others.
When it comes to understanding what people are feeling by watching what their hands are doing, the best book is The Definitive Book of Body Language. And while you might be able to control your hands when you are sitting still (few people will bite their nails at a conference table, for example), hands are harder to control when people are walking. Someone who is walking with hands behind the back, is probably angry or frustrated. Hands in pockets conveys dejection. Clenched fists usually mean resisting others’ opinions.

3. How outgoing you are.
Some people write about how people who are pigeon-toed are introverts. The research, I have to say, is not that convincing. But we intuitively believe this, if you think about it, because of all the visual stereotyping we do about pigeon-toed children and submissive women. And, frankly, I always think there is some truth to stereotyping, even though I know it’s not politically correct.

4. (If you're a woman) how easily you have an orgasm.
Proving that stereotyping about gait is on target, it turns out that women who have a stride similar to models on a runway orgasm more easily. Really. There is convincing research to show that how long a woman’s stride is and how much a woman’s hips open while she walks indicates her ability to have a vaginal orgasm. People who were trained to judge a woman’s ability to reach orgasm by how she walked were able to judge it at an 80% success rate.

What should you do with this research? Women, if you were doubting that changing your walk can change your life, the research also shows that if change how you walk you can make yourself orgasm more easily. And for the men: The London Times reports that the men who are best at giving women orgasms are also the richest men, so if you are thinking you want to make a lot of money in your career, maybe you should pay attention to the research about gait.

Meeting Minutes of meeting held on Sunday 3rd May 2009 at Sri Krishna Apartments

2009-05-11T12:04:00.001+05:30

RUSTAMBAGH RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT

Minutes of the 24th monthly meeting held on Sunday 3rd May 2009 at the premises of Sri Krishna Apartments

Members Present: S G Zanzane, Ramesh Rao, V Ganesan, M N Vishwanathan, B Chandrashekar, Madan Mohan, Varalaxmi Prabhu, Anthony Martin, V Padmanabhan, S Mukherje, Savita baliga, Madhura Ray, Amol kamat, Nilesh, M Ramamurthy, Madhavi Abhyankar, S S Kalyanpur

Matters Discussed:

1. The financial statement giving the financials of the Association was read out by the Treasurer, Mr. Padmanabhan. All members present were urged to get their building/associations to clear their respective monthly dues. It was suggested by a member that a list of dues be circulated so that each apartment building/association is aware of what is due from the.

2. A member complained that garbage was not being collected on a regular basis from the apartment buildings by the corporations contractors. It was suggested that the individuals should call Manju (the person who deals with the garbage contractors) every time there is a delay. A question was asked if we are required to pay them any money – it was explained that although we are not required to pay them anything, as a goodwill gesture most buildings are paying a nominal amount depending on the number of apartments.

3. It is observed that garbage bins belonging to the Food Centre are lying in the open overnight at the 3rd Cross junction. Stray dogs spill the contents on the street and every morning there is a huge mess at that corner. Members were urged to tell Food Center owners to keep the bins inside the gate to avoid it being strewn all over by dogs. Likewise it was noticed that garbage of Canopy Garden View was getting strewn on the street. Nilesh a resident of this building who was present was requested to have additional bins in their basement to prevent this happening.

4. Members complained about irregular Cauvery Water Supply. Mr Ramamurthy urged all members to send repeated emails and reminders to the MLA and the BWSSB Engineer regarding non-supply of Cauvery water regularly. It was also decided that a letter from the Association to the MLA needs to be written and handed over to him collectively by us..

5. The children’s yoga camp was discussed – it was reported that a small number have registered so far. Committee Members were asked to report back within the week for a realistic number of registrations after which it would be decided whether to go ahead with the camp or not.

6. Mr Padmanabhan was of the view that before the current monsoon sets, the Association should take up a fresh tree planting drive. Amol Kamat reported that a donor had expressed his willingness to financially help with this project. Amol was asked to come back with more details by the next meeting. Another member suggested that to avoid last times experience of the saplings getting knocked down by cars we should have tree guards. It was decided that a suitable time each apartment building could be approached to finance one or two tree guards to protect the saplings.

7. Mr Zanzane and Ms Savitha pointed that two or three coconut trees were almost on the verge of collapsing and that the Association should get the Corporation to have them felled to avoid the trees falling on electric poles, like they did the last time. Mr Padmanabhan was requested to find out which department should be contacted in this regard at the Corporation Office.

8. A member felt that the speed breakers installed without any warning boards was a hazard to motorists returning home late in the evenings. Either warning boards or painting or the humps or illuminated hump indicators, it was felt were very necessary. Mr Ramesh of Sri Vishnu Apts took the responsibility to get quotes for Reflectors. He is also going to compare the costs for reflectors v/s painting the humps.

9. Fumigation against mosquitoes was discussed. Many members complained that the Corporation team had visited Rustam Bagh and only fumigated select crosses only. It was felt this needs to be followed up.

10. Voting turnout, it was reported in our polling booth was about 56%: It was felt that before the next Corporation elections the Association should take the initiative to educate residents and aware of the profile of the contestants. It was also felt that more residents should be encouraged to cast their respective votes.

11. The next monthly meeting – is scheduled for 7th June at 10:30 am. The venue for the meeting will be Oxford Manor.

Madhura Ray,
Hon, Secretary
8th May, 2009

Bangalore Parking

2009-05-06T12:34:00.000+05:30

Parking outside your own home could soon attract a fine. That's if the new Parking Draft Policy is approved in a couple of months. In fact, the policy also proposes that visitors to buildings be allowed to park vehicles inside the compounds.

"Buildings are supposed to provide ample parking space. But most of the time, visitors are not allowed to park inside and are forced to park on the road," said M N Srihari, traffic expert and advisor to bangalore traffic cops. "Some office buildings too do not provide parking space for employees and vehicles are parked on roads," he said. According to him, the policy will allow the police to fine the building owners as well as the security guards. Even owners of individual houses without parking spaces will be fined.

"A 40x60 site should have parking space for at least one car. A 60 x 80 site should have space for two," he said. Srihari added that owners will not be allowed to park their vehicles outside their houses on the road.

Some people however are pleased with the proposal.

Deepak B N, who works on Airport Road, said, "Our building has many offices in it, but not enough parking space. If we park inside, we pay a fee on an hourly basis. So we try to park outside, but residents have 'No parking' boards outside their homes. Sometimes we end up parking there and our vehicles get towed away," he said.

WHO Raises Swine Flu Threat Level

2009-04-30T14:22:00.000+05:30

"Late in the afternoon on Wednesday, the WHO raised the pandemic threat level for H1N1 "swine flu" to 5. Global media outlets(such as CNN, Fox News, and the BBC) preempted normal broadcast coverage and immediately published stories on their websites. To clarify, the WHO's elevation is mainly a sign to governments that the virus is spreading quickly and that steps should be taken on a governmental level to stage supplies and medicines to combat a possible pandemic. Unfortunately, broadcast coverage focused on phrases like "pandemic imminent" (CNN marquee). In other news, patient zero, the medical term for the initial human vector of a disease, has been tentatively identified in Mexico."

The Erection Commision of India

2009-04-30T10:07:00.003+05:30

The Election Commission of India has brought out a Handbook for Candidates (pdf link) this year that contains the following remarkable lines:

DEFACEMENT OF PUBLIC OR PRIVATE PROPERTY
Many of the State/Union territories have laws to prevent the defacement of property, which term includes any building, structure, hut, wall, tree, fence, post, pole or any other erection.

I hope you understand the significance of this. All these years you have believed that an erection is a natural event, containing no threat to democracy. But you were wrong. True, erections themselves are not illegal, but their defacement might be—and every erection carries within it the seeds of its own defacement. Furthermore, it could be argued that the thought of this defacement is what causes the erection in the first place, and thus there is no further need for the cops to prove intent.

I wonder if the government has Erection Commissioners to monitor such laws. If so, wouldn’t pretty buxom women in revealing clothes be the best candidates for the job? They could cause the crime they are out to punish, thus meeting their targets with ease. I can just about imagine one such erection commissioner striding over to me, her hips swaying, her chest thrust forward, her lips erotically apart, saying: “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you breaking the law?”

Ah, I love life in the world’s biggest democracy.

The middle finger

2009-04-30T10:03:00.003+05:30

Isn’t the picture to the right, of Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan and his wife, marvellously illustrative of our politicians’ attitudes towards us? The Chavans infact aren’t expressing their inner feelings here—they’re showing us that they have voted. The election commission has mandated that in these elections, indelible ink is to be applied to the middle finger of every voter. So if your sleazy neighborhood politician accosts you in the street and asks you if you voted for him, show him the finger.

Who stole the Train?

2009-04-30T10:00:00.001+05:30

Is it so easy to steal a train?

Statue needs to be erected!

2009-04-30T09:56:00.003+05:30

Actually we need to erect a 100ft statue of the Rustam Bagh Association Treasurer for his exemplary work.

Come out and talk!

2009-04-26T11:16:00.002+05:30

People are quick to give definitions about India and its systems in a closed shell but don't have the guts to come out in public and talk. This will not help. Change should start at home. Making noise that is not heard by anyone is useless. Let your voice known on this forum. Please write to us.

Voter turnout at Rustam Bagh

2009-04-24T13:53:00.001+05:30

As per the information from our president, of the approximately 1245 people whose names appear under our area/polling booth about 560 voted yesterday at the Sheila Kotavala School - that is a 45% turnout. Although this is an improvement on the last time, we wish more people had made an effort to go and cast their votes.

Citizens' Charter for Governance

2009-04-24T07:42:00.002+05:30

IBNlive India No.1 News consortium is running a campaign to promote the Citizen's Charter for Governance. Please help build it by adding to the list with your ideas and opinions.
Follow the link here..

Classifieds: 2BHK/1BHK Flat Wanted for Rent in Rustam Bagh, Bangalore

2009-04-22T22:06:00.004+05:30

Wanted a 2BHK/1BHK Flat for Rent in Rustam Bagh, Bangalore or anywhere on Old Airport Rd. If you have a flat to offer please contact Mr. Davinder @ 92434 85200 urgently. The Budget is Rs 8,000 or Less.

Know How to Spot an ATM Skimmer

2009-04-22T19:39:00.000+05:30

If you've seen warnings lately about ATM "skimmers"—data-reading devices added onto machines by thieves—you might be wondering how you could tell if one's been rigged up to where you're about to insert your card. The Consumerist blog hosts a PDF copy of a PowerPoint explainer from an Australian security firm (that still applies to U.S. machines). It might not cover what your specific bank's teller machines should look like, but it does point to warning signs to look out for—like the flashing lights on a card feeder being obscured.

Street lights are out, yet again!!!

2009-04-22T15:06:00.004+05:30

This is to bring to the kind notice of the Rustam Bagh Association that the street light at the corner Oxford Manor is out. The light had been dim for quite some time and it is now totally out. Since there is a speed bump right opposite, it is extremely dangerous for vehicular traffic and pedestrians. The stretch starting from Oxford Chambers to Sivaji Residency is still dark as usual and nothing has been done to correct it.

Not just this, the stretch starting from Classic homes till the turn near Enchanting Glen is also deprived of street lights.

We all know this is the duty of the city corporation to ensure safe streets. But with the recent efforts of our Residents Association we have been able to light up many streets but not all. Somehow there is a clear indication of selfish motives behing the efforts of the Association and does not seem to address the problem in general.

This time around, will the Association say it is the responsibility of Oxford Manor Apts? or Apartments near Enchanting Glen? Lets wait and see.

Search for LG Lead XI (T20 World Cup - England)

2009-04-22T13:08:00.001+05:30

[Via Ajay Sharma]
LG Electronics is looking for 11 talented children to lead the Indian Cricket Team during the T20 World Cup in England (June 2009).

Only Pre-teens will be selected & one parent will also fly along with the kid to England for this activity. (Note: To be eligible for selection valid passports for one parent plus the kid are compulsory) The kids will be selected on video uploads to the following site :

http://www.in.lge.com/cricket/home.aspx
Its for the first time the Indian Cricket Team will walk out , with one kid in front holding the cricketers hand , and will then stand together on the ground for the Indian National Anthem.

Pls note that this is not a hard-core singing & dancing talent show but is more about if your kids loves sports or how well your kid can speak / express himself and if he or she can say 2 lines abt his/her vision for the future of India etc etc ..... I think this is good as it showcases real talent in kids (apart from the normal disco dancing that every talent show is all about) & the reward is a chance to represent your nation on an international platform (and not just money!!!

Today is Earth Day, April 22

2009-04-22T07:37:00.002+05:30

Earth Day, celebrated April 22, is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970 and is celebrated in many countries every year. This date is Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

The United Nations celebrates an Earth Day each year on the March equinox, which is often March 20, a tradition which was founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1969.

Rustam Bagh Residents Association for a Cleaner Environment: Office Bearers

2009-04-21T16:45:00.003+05:30

The following are the current office bearers!
President: Mr. S.S. Kalyanpur (sskalyanpur@yahoo.com)
Secretary: Ms. Madhura Ray (madhuraray@yahoo.com)
Treasurer: Mr. V. Padmanabhan (vasudevpadmanabhan@yahoo.com)
You may contact them directly in case of Issues or want of information.

Rustam Bagh Residents Association for a Cleaner Environment: Minutes of monthly meeting held on 5th April 2009

2009-04-21T16:34:00.003+05:30

RUSTAM BAGH RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT
Minutes of monthly meeting held on 5th April 2009
Venue: Shraddha Orchids

Members present: V Padmanabhan, S G Zanzane, Murugavel Ganesan, V Ganesan, Madan Mohan, B Chandrasekar, Savita Baliga, Nilesh, Prakash Paul, Resident of Flat No. 102 Inter Modal, m N Vishwanathan, M K Shankar, Madhura Ray, O Vishwanathan, Soma Sundar, Vamsidhar Reddy, Arun Prasad, Anshuman Nigam, Ashok Guruswamy, Ganesh Prabhu, Shankar Prakash, S K Gupta, Amol Kamat, Madhavi Abhyankar, M Sundar Shetty and S S Kalyanpur

Following points were discussed:
Parking on Rustam Bagh Main Road:
A resident/member complained that wheelers parked on the main Rustambagh road were being towed away by the police. This led to a discussion on whether we should allow one-side parking on the main road. The majority of the members present were not in favour of permitting any parking on the main road. It was therefore agreed by all that ‘No Parking’ on both sides on the main road should continue as it has made the road free for smooth driving.

Adult Yoga Camp:
The current yoga camp sessions will end by the first week of April. Some of those attending are keen on continuing the camp. It was therefore decided to enroll more/new members to get a viable number for the camp.

Street Lights:
Some of the residents of Sri Krishna/Shivaji Residency/Oxford Spires expressed their feelings that the street lighting outside their apartments had not been fixed for long and that the Association had not paid adequate attention to getting it fixed. Somasekar explained the reasons for the same. It was resolved that Association will bear the expense of Rs.2000/- to install the necessary wiring and get the street lights fixed. While on this point it was expressed that some apartments and independent houses are not regular in paying their share of the monthly subscription.

Posters:
The issue of outsiders coming into the complex and putting posters all over the walls/gates/etc was discussed. The chairperson urged the residents to be more vigilant and to stop whenever they witness posters being pasted.

Hawkers:
It was decided to once again send a petition to the Ward health Officer to have the hawkers removed. The chairperson urged all the residents to repeatedly call the Health Officer to do the needful..

Fumigation:
It was suggested that we should insis6t on the BBMP undertaking fumigation on a regular basis to contain the mosquito problem.

Street Dogs menace was discussed once again:
L M Printers have printed and donated 4 Receipt Book for the Rustambagh Residents Association. All present appreciated the kind gesture on the part of L M Printers. Mrs. Madan Mohan was instrumental in organizing this. It was decided to write a letter from the Association thanking them for the donation.

The next meeting is to be held on Sunday the 3rd of May, 2009 at Sri Krishna Apartments.

Candidates in our constituency!

2009-04-20T19:29:00.001+05:30

http://smartvote.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=734&Itemid=357

Do you know who are the office bearers of Rustam Bagh?

2009-04-16T16:33:00.002+05:30

How many of you know who the office bearers or rustam bagh are?

Yoga camp for Children

2009-04-13T12:00:00.002+05:30

The yoga camp is being conducted by Atma Yogashram and their instructors. This is open to outsiders also but preference will be given to Rustam Bagh residents!

The dates will be as follows:

Age – 5 to 11 years (1st group), 12 to 18 years (2nd group)
Duration – Two weeks (Monday to Friday)
Dates - 11th May to 22nd May, 2009
Time - 9am to 10am (1st group) and 10:30am to 11:30am (2nd group)
Location - Sheila Kothawala Deaf School playground.
Dakshina – Rs 600/- per child

We will be taking a limited number of children for each session due to the paucity of space, so registration and participation will be on a first cum first serve basis. Please register early to avoid disappointment.

Call : 9845186920, 9008666133, 9845846837, 9845774081 or 9243429587

Is India poor, says who?

2009-04-06T13:45:00.000+05:30

With personal account deposits of $1500 billion in foreign reserve which have been misappropriated, an amount 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt, one needs to rethink if India is a poor country?.DISHONEST INDUSTRIALISTS, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ 1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country’s foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each. This huge amount has been appropriated from the people of India by exploiting and betraying them.

Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India, the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.

Some 80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently. “Obviously, these people won’t be tourists. They must be travelling there for some other reason,” believes an official involved in tracking illegal money. And, clearly, he isn’t referring to the commerce ministry bureaucrats who’ve been flitting in and out of Geneva ever since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations went into a tailspin!

Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal sex trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, sucked this country’s wealth and prosperity. This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks?

Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries:

Top five

India---- $1456 billion
Russia---$ 470 billion
UK-------$390 billion
Ukraine- $100 billion
China-----$ 96 billion

Now do the maths - India with $1456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined. Public loot since 1947: Can we bring back our money? It is one of the biggest loots witnessed by mankind -- the loot of the Aam Aadmi (common man) since 1947, by his brethren occupying public office. It has been orchestrated by politicians, bureaucrats and some businessmen. The list is almost all-encompassing. No wonder, everyone in India loots with impunity and without any fear.
(Remember when Sanjay died Indiramma was searching for his watch at accident site which had Swiss bank secret code)

What is even more depressing in that this ill-gotten wealth of ours has been stashed away abroad into secret bank accounts located in some of the world’s best known tax havens. And to that extent the Indian economy has been stripped of its wealth. Ordinary Indians may not be exactly aware of how such secret accounts operate and what are the rules and regulations that go on to govern such tax havens. However, one may well be aware of ’Swiss bank accounts,’ the shorthand for murky dealings, secrecy and of course pilferage from developing countries into rich developed ones.

In fact, some finance experts and economists believe tax havens to be a conspiracy of the western world against the poor countries. By allowing the proliferation of tax havens in the twentieth century, the western world explicitly encourages the movement of scarce capital from the developing countries to the rich.

In March 2005, the Tax Justice Network (TJN) published a research finding demonstrating that $11.5 trillion of personal wealth was held offshore by rich individuals across the globe. The findings estimated that a large proportion of this wealth was managed from some 70 tax havens.
Further, augmenting these studies of TJN, Raymond Baker -- in his widely celebrated book titled ’Capitalism’s Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free Market System’ -- estimates that at least $5 trillion have been shifted out of poorer countries to the West since the mid-1970. It is further estimated by experts that one per cent of the world’s population holds more than 57 per cent of total global wealth, routing it invariably through these tax havens. How much of this is from India is anybody’s guess.

What is to be noted here is that most of the wealth of Indians parked in these tax havens is illegitimate money acquired through corrupt means. Naturally, the secrecy associated with the bank accounts in such places is central to the issue, not their low tax rates as the term ’tax havens’ suggests. Remember Bofors and how India could not trace the ultimate beneficiary of those transactions because of the secrecy associated with these bank accounts? IS THERE ANY ONE WHO WOULD SAVE INDIA ?God... No No No, even he can’t..........!!

Yoga Camp for adults to continue

2009-04-02T11:18:00.003+05:30

You are probably aware that our association has been running a Yoga Camp for adults from February 10, 2009. The camp will be ending on Saturday April 4, 2009. Some of the participants have expressed a desire to continue the yoga camp since they have found it very useful/beneficial. The Ashram and the yoga teacher have confirmed their availability and are therefore trying to inquire whether any new participants would like to enroll.

The details are as follows:
Thrice a week: On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Timing: 7am to 8 am
Fee: Approximately Rs.800 to Rs.1000 per month (depending on the total number of members registering! could be even lower if there are more registrants.)
Start date: 7th April 2009

All those who would like to enroll may please contact one of the following numbers:
98 457 74081 or 98 459 47232

Classifieds: Available for Rent in Rustam Bagh

2009-04-01T14:48:00.003+05:30

2BHK Flat @ Rustam Bagh, Airport Rd. Very calm and pollution free locality with friendly neighbors! This flat in on the third floor and accessible by a elevator. The apartment has only 19 Units, with Generator Backup, Cauvery water & Borewell. Absolutely no water problems. The Apartment comes with a split AC in one of the bedrooms. 2 Mins walk to Manipal Hospital, and easily accessible/walkable to Nilgiris Supermarket and Total Mall on Airport Rd. The rent Rs 16,000 (updated) is excluding maintenance, which is Rs 1000 as of now. The rent is negotiable. Please contact 99454-70608 if you are interested.

Next Association Meeting!

2009-03-30T14:34:00.002+05:30

The next monthly meeting of the association is scheduled to be held as under:
Date: Sunday 5th April, 2009
Time: 10 30 am sharp (Please be on time)
Venue: Shraddha Orchids Apartment, 1st A Cross (Opp St Peters Church)

The issue of No-parking on the Rustam Bagh Main road will be discussed. Please attend if you would like to express your views on the subject.

Important Telephone Numbers

2009-03-25T20:44:00.001+05:30

Member of Parliament for Constituency,
Mr Sangliana
(Office) 22356058, 22352888
(Residence) 25703838

Member of legislative Assembly,
Mr Raghu
25280858
(Mobile) 9880080088

Ex-Counsellor,
Mr Chandrappa Reddy
9845273901

Airport Road Police Station.
Traffic In-Charge, Inspector,
Srinivasamurthy
22942678
(Mobile) 9844227271

Sub Inspector,
Ramakrishnaya
9886854843

Sub Inspector,
Anand Kumar
9448106699

Law & Order In-Charge,
Inspector
N.M. Itter
(Office) 22942544

Ward Medical-in-Charge,
Mr Basavendra
9448002631

Ward Health Officer,
Mr Ethiraj
(Office) 22975857
(Mobile) 9845097305

Health Officer,
Mr Satyanarayana
(for garbage collection and sweeping of roads)
9739042542

Manju,
person who deals with contractor for the garbage collection
9886916659

Garbage Collection Contractor for BBMP,
Mr Balasubramani
9844028201

Chief Engineer – Roads,
Mr Srinivas
(Utility Building)
9902068390

Senior Engineer – Roads,
Mr H.C. Ananthswamy
(Office) 22975808

Junior Engineer,
Mr Vijay Kumar (Roads)
9448868418

Debris – Construction material clearance, AE
Mr Sheriff
9845186142

Cauvery water – Also BSWB matters,
Mr Raghavendra
9845444049

Electrical break downs (KEB)
9448809844/ 25228119
Assistant Engineer
(Office) 25220805
After 9.00 pm 9844310243/25510071
Street Lights – Complaints – Basvaraj 9980119080

Street Lights fixed

2009-03-25T10:44:00.002+05:30

It was observed that the efforts put by 3-4 apartments on the Main rd with the help from the Association has yielded results with the street lights being brightly lit up. Good Job!

26/11 survivor- 4 month old Vaishnavi Needs a Home

2009-03-24T16:10:00.002+05:30

Follow the facebook link here!

No-Parking problem in Rustam Bagh!

2009-03-22T19:43:00.005+05:30

Email cut and paste from a resident: The traffic cops have been enforcing no parking rules on both sides of Rustam bagh main road leaving no space to park for the residents. This continues till the end of 5th cross as a no parking zone i clearly demarkated and cops have been towing away vehicles including 2 wheelers (even on weekends) that are parked on the side opp Rustambagh Boundary even beyond Sri Krishna Apartments. Many living in this stretch of the road are unaware that it is a no parking zone on both sides of the road beyond oxford chambers. They have been ticketing/lifting vehicles belonging to residents/ vendors including 2 wheelers that have been parked outside their apartments for couple of minutes which is very unreasonable. They claim that this has been done on the request of the residents, which is not correct. I know that the residents of Rustambagh wanted 'no- parking' on either side of the road from Manipal Hospital until Oxford Chambers and on one side of the wall along the entire Rustambagh main road. This is only acceptable as that stretch is a bottleneck but enforcing it for the entire stretch is draconian.

I was informed that bikes were picked up from the 3rd cross opp the oxford suites on the 18th around 1.30 pm which was denied by the CI, Airport road as they only enforce no-parking on the main road.

I had discussed this with the Circle inspector of Airport road this morning and he has said that they will act on removing the no-parking on left side(opp the rustambagh wall) based on a petition from the residents request. As this enforcement of no-parking on both sides of the road is becoming a menace to the residents we should petition to the cops to withdraw the no-parking on the the left side(opp the rustambagh wall).

Yet again today afternoon the cops came and ticketed a resident's car that was parked outside the building. As there is no awareness on the 'no-parking' zones we need to get those boards marked with the correct instructions to avoid further ticketing/inconvenience to residents. As residents of buildings on the main road we are affected by this and would like to take this up on priority.

Power cuts in Rustam Bagh, Bangalore

2009-03-19T07:43:00.003+05:30

In the past couple of weeks we have been having frequent power cuts, at odd hours, without prior notice causing lots of problems and inconvenience to families, housewives and children preparing for exams.

The best way to deal with this situation is to keep calling or sending emails to the concerned paople about our plight. It is a request to every one of you to either call or send an email to the below listed people as soon as the power goes off. The telephone numbers and emails of the officers are given below. Let us hope it is a wake-up call to this irresponsible state run power company.

Sri.Tushar Girinath Managing Director - Corporate Office, 22354929, 98447-00200, mdbescom@bescom.org
H.Nagesh, Director(Technical) - Corporate Office, 22354926, 94490-30425, dtbescom@bescom.org

Street Lights

2009-03-13T08:24:00.012+05:30

Update, Mar 14,2009 @ 3:55PM: As you are aware that after the last monsoons which brought down one of the coconut trees on the main Rustam Bagh road, and with it a few street lights and lamp posts, there have been no lights on the stretch. The Association and a few individuals had made several efforts to contact the concerned Dept to have the posts put up and fresh wires restored. We are told there is a temporary Engineer for this area and he doesn't seem very keen to take any initiative. People also spoke to Mr Chandrappa Reddy, the ex-counsellor who tried through his contacts without any results.

The present set of new lights that have been installed has been through a special grant. Three lights have been kept for the stretch that is mentioned, but the wires need to be drawn to the new lamp posts that have been installed. The hitch lies here. If we approach the Electricity Dept/Engineer they will take ages to do it and in the meanwhile the lights allotted to our Layout will/may go to some other area.

In order to overcome this the proposal is that the three/four buildings that will be benefited should contribute the sum of Rs.2000 for the wire work and this amount can then be adjusted against their future monthly contribution to the Association.

Somehow, the Rustam Bagh Main Rd is deprived of Street Lights for a long time and things havent changed as of today. Even after the sanctioning and installation of street lights, Rustam Bagh Main Rd is still living in the dark. If you have observed, there are only two New Street lights near the Oxford buildings but the whole stretch till close to the Food Center is ignored. What do you have to say about this????

Raise your concerns!

2009-02-25T09:25:00.003+05:30

Dear citizens of Rustam Bagh,
If you have any concerns or criticisms please comment here or e-mail us with the details so that we could take it up with the appropriate authorities. Some of the issues right now are
1. Dis functional street lights on Rustam Bagh main Rd.
2. Street vendor menace opposite to Oxford Plaza. Lots of illegally parked cars, crowding and nuisance to pedestrians.
3. People urinating on Rustam Bagh main rd and walls.

Monthly Contribution

2009-02-09T14:52:00.006+05:30

There has been a great initiative from the office bearers of the Rustam Bagh Residents Association for a cleaner Environment to collect a small monthly fee of Rs 100 towards the Monthly and Bi-Monthly Programs. This amount could also be used for upkeeping of the law in our community and to keep it clean.

Hello World!

2008-09-24T08:15:00.002+05:30

God bless everyone in Rustam Bagh!
The Heaven in Bangalore...