Vol. 12 Issue 17
Indian Institute Of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore
January 25, 2013
Beaten And Bulldozed
One dead, dozens injured and homes flattened. Ejipura slum was cleared to make way for a new mall and homes. 500 families paid the price. Full story Page 4 & 5
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The Weekly Observer
January 25, 2013
Clouds of dust blind the government DESPITE efforts from the Public Works Department (PWD), the Mines and Geology department (DOMG) and the police department, the business of illegal sand mining and transportation continues without any regulation. In spite of the rule directing installation of GPS in the vehicles that transport sand, the PWD, DOMG or the police officials have not taken steps to implement it. The rule which also says that the sand transporters should obtain a permit and the front portion of the vehicle should be painted yellow has been flouted by sand transporters. Muniyappa, one of the many drivers transporting sand at the outskirts of Bangalore, said: “We do not have any GPS or permit for this business. I do not even know what they are. I have only been told to pour out some money if anyone stops the lorry after entering into the city.” Around 13,000 lorries, involved in this illegal business of sand transportation, enter Bangalore every day.
Credits: Krishnaprasad S
By Krishnaprasad S
Trucks carrying sand left by the mafia at the ring road to avoid detection by police and resist immediate arrest.
The filtered sand that is mined at Kanakapura, Tumkur, Kolar, Devanahalli and Anekal is transported in loads to the city. This sand is used in the construction of houses, buildings, government offices and other infrastructure works. The lorry drivers also al-
lege that in spite of paying huge amount of bribe to the officials, they are not allowed to transport sand to the city The Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association also alleged that the lorry drivers have been threatened and harassed by few of the offi-
cials during monitoring. Kodandarama, who supplies sand to Bangalore on daily basis, said: “Usually we pay them Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 8,000 to let us enter the city anytime we want. Some of the officials sometimes ask us many questions and threaten us of arrest.
They also threaten that our vehicles would be seized.” According to the Karnataka (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage of Minerals) Rules, 2011, any person who contravenes the provisions of the rules would be punished by imposition of fines upto Rs. 25,000 or by imprisonment up to a year or more. Some of the places in Bangalore where sand transportation lorries can be found are Kanteeravanagar, Sumanahalli, KR Puram and Banashankari junction at Ring Road. The cost per load of sand transported to the city is Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000. The total revenue loss to the government due to this illegal transportation is estimated to be Rs. 900 crores per year. An official from the Department of Mining and Technology said: “We have seized vehicles all over Bangalore which transport sand illegally under instructions from the government. But this business is so widespread that we are not able to control it. We are planning to take steps to stop this.”
By Deepu Aby Varghese
THE angry stall holders at Rusell Market have been waiting since last February for power to be reconnected and claim they are running at a loss in the meantime. The traders accused BBMP and the local MLA of involving in grave corruption. According to the shopkeepers, electricity supply will be restored only if they sign a bond drafted by government executives. BESCOM has replied to their repeated pleas stating that power supply can only be restored in market only after receiving the directions from BBMP. According to the shop-
keepers, the bond directed the mandatory exit of the traders if government asks them to vacate the market. “We will not sign any bond brought forward by the MLA, as it does not state any guarantees of our return to the market after construction of the proposed shopping complex in this site,” said a grocery trader Noushad Salim in Russel market. A fire had gutted down a major part of Russell Market into ashes last February. Electricity has not been restored in the market yet. The fire incurred a loss of approximately Rs. 1.5 crores. The fire had burnt down more than 125 shops in the m a r ket without any casualty.
There are more than 450 shops inside the 85-year-old market. As there is no power supply to operate water jet pumps, the market also suffers intense water scarcity. “We have not got electricity connection after the fire occurred. Our repeated appeals to the authorities including Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar went in vain,” continued Noushad. “Although the Chief Minister intervened in the issue, no subsequent actions were taken,” added Noushad. The traders, especially those who earn from cold storage business, are forced to continue their business even though there is loss. “I am spending nearly Rs.
No electricity connection in Russel market in spite of repeated appeals. 2000 for the generator, including its fuel rent,” said a cold storage owner. MLA refused to comment
Credits: Deepu Aby Varghese
Russell market’s outcry for power continues
when asked about the personal interests involved in the intended eviction of Russell market traders.
January 25, 2013
The Weekly Observer
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Exclusive
Prostitution racket busted A prostitution racket was busted by the Crime Investigation Department at an inn on Richmond Street A prostitution ring was broken up by the CID on January 20th. The Department acting on an anonymous tip-off raided the inn. The raid occurred at Brigade Inn, a smallscale lodge at 5:30 in the evening. The Ashoknagar police station charged four people involved in the ring. The men were Vijay, Vikran, Saddam Hussain and Yogesh. H S Murali, Inspector, Ashokanagara Police Station he said, “The men have not formally been arrested as yet. They have been charged with Prevention of Immoral Trafficking. The arrest of the men occurred on January 20th at 11:30 p.m. The girls were revealed to be prostitutes but were represented themselves as the victims
Credits: Hansa V
By Hansa V and Aheli Raychaudhuri
Brigade-Inn, the shut down hotel after the prositute-racket was busted in the ring. Jesintha Reena (23) and Afsana (22) were the
two prostitutes involved in the activity. Four customers, including
a 17-year-old juvenile were caught red-handed having sex with the two girls. Two of the customers were labor workers, one a juvenile, whose name was not revealed by the police and one, was a police informer. Police sources say that an amount of Rs.14, 000 was paid by the customers in cash and it was seized during the raid. Mr. Murali said: “Four rooms were allotted to the visitors. Unlike other couples, neither the customers nor the prostitutes gave any fake identification. “Jesintha confessed that she was the main player and that she is a prostitute for the sake of money and not sexual pleasure.” Police sources state that the raid occurred as soon as their informer, who was disguised as one of the customers, told them about the racket. The hotel BrigadeInn has currently shut down since the racket and the receptionist was not available for comment.
BMTC bus drivers to be taught good manners The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to bring in a slew of measures to make travelling in bus hassle-free. ANJUM Parvez, Managing Director, BMTC, said: “We are now stressing on behavioral training for drivers and conductors so that they learn how to handle senior citizens and people from other states. “We also train them how to treat the commuters right as they are our customers. Our business depends on how we treat our customers.” Talking about the ‘change’ menace where a conductor refuses to pay the exact change of money to passengers thus leading to confrontation, the MD said that talks were on with IT companies to introduce Electronic Ticketing Machine and smart cards to avoid such tussles. Commenting on the incident in which two Bhutanese
Credits: Kakoli Mukherjee
By Kakoli Mukherjee
The BMTC is planning to bring in a slew of measures to make travelling in bus hassle-free.
women were allegedly manhandled in a Volvo bus by the conductor, Parvez said: “We have a zero-tolerance policy towards such incidents. We have sacked both the driver and the conductor of that bus. “We are also launching a ‘gender-sensitization’ training module that will train our staff
in how to deal with women.” Srilingaya, a traffic controller at the Shanthinagar bus depot and a former bus conductor, said: “Raising the minimum educational qualification required for conductors to PUC level has helped recruit conductors with a good background and having
better social skills.” A seventh pass could apply earlier. But, a few people do continue to behave wrongly and give a bad name to the whole conductor community.” Suneela Y., a regular bus commuter, said: “I am glad that BMTC is coming up with such plans.”
Water crisis hits Bangalore as peak summer arrives By Satyajith G D
The heat of summer hits Bangalore hard as BBMP’s water project is yet to be completed. The fourth phase of water project by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) covered seven municipal councils and one town municipal corporation. As the project related works continue, water scarcity in these areas cause trouble to the residents. Narayanan, Chief- Engineer of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB), said, “Our priority is providing drinking water to the residents. Work is under progress and we hope to complete the plumping within a month.” According to BWSSB statistics, Bangalore needs 1,125 million liters (MLD) of water in a single day. But BWSSB is currently able to supply only 900 million liters. The huge scarcity of water in Bangalore during summer is not unprecedented. Ramesh a resident in Shivajinagar said, “BWSSB’s action plans are always only on the paper.” Residents of Rajaji Nagar have been struggling for water for the past eight years. They said that the Cauvery water supply scheme of BWSSB was supposed to include their area, which never got materialized. Fifth and third block of Rajaji Nagar are the worst hit, which includes a population of 7000 people. But Mr. Guruprasad, technical assistant engineer of BWSSB asked, “When there is no water in the reservoir, how can we provide water to the peripheral level?” Majority of Bangaloreans are dependent on Cauvery water and the deficiency of water in Cauvey severes crisis in Bangalore. The newly added 111villages to the BBMP area, which were mainly dependent on neighboring lakes for water, are struggling now with the sewage waste from the city polluting them.
Ejipura: A diary of disgrace Special reports from The Weekly Observer over the demolishments at Ejipura
They slept where their homes once stood
By Rohan Prem Kumar
The only structure left standing at the Ejipura EWS quarters is a 75 foottall water tank, which used to provide potable drinking water to the more than 3000 residents, most of whom have been forced to relocate to other parts of the city. Scores of people still huddle around the water tank, which provides shade during the day and provides some cover from the biting cold winds in the night. “Blankets have been handed out. But not all of us have one,” said Marammal, a 72 year-old resident who refuses to leave, despite the Police and the local MLA issuing threats as well as Rs. 10,000 solatium. There has been almost no support from the government. “We get by only with the help of the volunteers. If it weren’t for them, we would have all starved,” said Jacintha, a single mother who works as a maid.
Amidst the rubble and the ubiquitous smell of burning wood, are abandoned dogs, cats, birds and even fish. Toys, books and family photographs – all left behind during the mad scramble to escape the police bludgeons, attest to the brutality of the eviction. “It is as if we have no right to live. The government does whatever it wants. If they want our land, they and the builders take it. We have no voice,” said Karthik Rajan, a former shop-keeper. “They knocked down my shop and now I have nothing. They are telling me I lived here illegally for 10 years,” he added. Bulldozers flattened the entire colony in just over a week. “I’ve never seen them work with such efficiency before,” said Gee Suleiman, sardonically. Evicted residents who have had to move all their belongings into the surrounding by-lanes and streets have been beaten and asked to move out of Ejipura. “Where can we go? This is our home. We tried moving across the road and staying at the bus stop. But the policemen came and abused us,” said Shanthi. The eviction has resulted in the forced exodus of over 2,000 people, but more than 500 still remain at the demolition site, hoping that some compensation would be granted to them by the government. They move constantly, from a section of concrete piping one day, to lying on the cold streets, amid demolished houses and broken dreams the next. “The city has just absorbed them. So many people, homeless. It’s like they never existed,” said Eli, an American volunteer who is helping the residents at Ejipura.
Police and goons showed us no mercy By Satyajith GD & Deepu Aby Varghese
The evicted residents of demolished EWS quarters were harassed by the police when they tried to stop the demolition drive carried out by the BBMP in Ejipura. More than 900 displaced families continue to live outside demolished shacks in harsh climate. The people who continue to live in the makeshift spaces in the demolished site are a confused crowd. They neither have money nor a place to live. The prevailing situation is pathetic and heart-rending. Infants and elderly people are subjected to the chilling cold at night. The original allottees of the EWS had rented their quarters through middlemen. But after many years, these houses were sold off to other people who were ignorant regarding the authenticity of property documents. These people who are not the original allottees are on the streets now. Annamalai, 45, a daily wage painter has been staying in the Ejipura for the past 20 years, said: “I don’t know where to go with my three children. Despite having all government identities we were forced out of this place with neither a temporary place to stay nor compensation which was promised to us by BBMP.” According to the residents, rowdies instigated by the local MLA constantly created panic among the evicted residents to leave the place. The press reporters who went to Ejipura to cover the issue were also threatened by these hooligans.
When asked about the prevailing situation in Ejipura, the MLA , N A Haris, commented: “Now Ejipura issue is on the descent and there are no conflicts here. So, I don’t want anybody to instigate a rebellion here.” Meanwhile, agents of MLA had allegedly offered the existing residents a cash reward of Rs. 10,000 to move out of the Ejipura site peacefully. Saraswathy Nagaraj, 40, had no clue where she would go when her daughter’s 10th board exam was midway. “It is not possible for me to go to a distant place like Sarjapura with my daughter. We do not have water, food and other basic amenities like toilets.” Women have to walk kilometers to find a cover and answer nature’s calls. Being identified as an original allottee, Nagaraj’s family has not received the promised compensation of Rs. 30,000 from BBMP. Audugodi and Basavangudi police, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. R Kumaraswamy, arrested 21 women along with three other social activists namely Sulaiman, Gayatri Das and Kaveri for protesting against the police trying to enter Ejipura colony. Some young women who protested in front of the police convoy were dragged into the police vans. “They did not show any mercy to us and we were treated like prostitutes,” said Moly, one of the protesters. More than 1000 people are Economic Weaker Section original allottees who are staying on the cleared grounds in uncertainty in the demolished Ejipura quarters site. A bunch of identity cards given to them by the government are their only possessions.
The recollection of the dry, stifling atmosphere of the sun and the dreary, hopeless faces of its people is almost alluring during the night in Ejipura. By Rohan Prem Kumar Not only are the nights bitterly cold, but a haze of smoke from the many fires built from bits of cardboard and dried out wood descend upon the 12 acre fortress. Plain-clothed policemen make the rounds and “negotiate” with residents to clear out by morning. The howls of abandoned dogs create a phantasmal aura. People sleep everywhere, and stare expectantly at anyone who approaches, hoping for food and water. A blanket is a luxury here. A family of four shares one blanket. I had only my hoodie to protect me from the elements. People sleep everywhere – amid the rubble, on mounds of excavated earth, or as in many cases, in places where their houses once stood. The shock of having no home still hasn’t sunk in. “Come and sit by the fire with us. It’s warmer,” they tell me. And so I sit alongside the family, along with the hundreds of families whose lives have be usurped. They tell me the same story – one of endless battles and turmoil. But even in times so grave, the people here are welcoming, even hospitable. They offer me what little water they have, which I greedily gulp down, unaware till they mention in passing that that was the only potable drinking water they had remaining. I look around apologetically as I realize that the next water dropoff won’t be till late next morning. They offer me their blankets, which I politely turn down. “You are the first reporter who actually came and slept alongside us, brother,” says Naresh, a 23 year-old laborer. “We hate reporters,” he says, almost as an afterthought.
“
As the temperature plummeted well below 20 degrees Celsius, I regretted turning down the blanket, and welcomed the first rays of the Sun, which brought with her the first wave of bulldozers and earthmovers. I move aside as the heavy equipment makes its way laboriously to the spot where I had been sleeping, wiping away with one swift movement, all remnants of ever having existed at that spot, anything else but dirt, dust and destruction. The recollection of the dry, stifling atmosphere of the sun and the dreary, hopeless faces of its people is almost alluring during the night in Ejipura. Not only are the nights bitterly cold, but a haze of smoke from the many fires built from bits of cardboard and dried out wood descend upon the 12 acre fortress. Plain-clothed policemen make the rounds and “negotiate” with residents to clear out by morning. The howls of abandoned dogs create a phantasmal aura. People sleep everywhere, and stare expectantly at anyone who approaches, hoping for food and 00of four shares one blanket. I had only my hoodie to protect me from the elements. People sleep everywhere – amid the rubble, on mounds of excavated earth, or as in many cases, in places where their houses once stood. The shock of having no home still hasn’t sunk in. “Come and sit by the fire with us. It’s warmer,” they tell me. And so I sit alongside the family, along with the hundreds of families whose lives have been usurped. They tell me the same story – one of endless battles and turmoil. But even in times so grave, the people here are welcoming, even hospitable. They offer me what little water they have, which I greedily gulp down, unaware till they mention in passing that that was the only potable drinking water they had remaining. I look around apologetically as I realize that the next water dropoff won’t be till late next morning.
I don’t know where to go with my three children, although having all government identities we were forced out of this place with neither a temporary place to stay nor compensation which was promised to us by BBMP.
“
Forced Exodus
Annamalai, 45, painter has been staying in the Ejipura slumnfor the past 20 years.
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The Weekly Observer
January 25, 2013
City tops in Cervical cancer cases By Shreya Mukherjee
“According to a
survey conducted by the oncologists of HCG Hospitals, Bangalore alone records 21.1% out of 100,000 fresh cases of cervical cancer every year.” Dr. Venkatachala K.; Surgical Oncologist,HCG Hospital
Credit: Nightangales Medical Trust
OAPs struggle to find jobs
Very few sectors offer jobs to senior citizens By Sneha Banerjee
ONLY one fifth of senior citizens who are eligible to work in Karnataka find jobs.
The state has witnessed a steep hike in the number of senior citizens looking for jobs in recent years. Nightingale Empowerment Foundation, an orga-
nization that helps senior citizens in Bangalore find work, has recently seen a very high rate of enrollment. Unfortunately since October 2011, out of 1100 registrations, the organization has employed only 260 of them. Mr.Swathi Bhandary, Project Manager at Nightingale said: “Employers should realize that most of the eligible citizens are very much capable of getting recruited.” Accountancy, call-centers and other clerical jobs are the sectors most senior citizens are recruited into. The Directorate of Welfare of Disabled and Senior Citizens claims that there has been a rise in the number of enrollments for ID cards which help senior citizens enroll themselves for jobs. Ms. Matilda Joseph, who is a warden at Cheshire Homes India, strongly feels that the growing financial crisis on the youth and family disputes have led to this drastic increase in the geriatric population seeking for jobs. Mr.S. Amarnath, Infor-
mation coordinator, said: “Frankly there are very few recruitment schemes available for the senior citizens. Private organizations work in co-ordination with the government to provide jobs for all the potential seekers.” The Karnataka government gives Rs.500 per month as pension to citizens above 60 years of age under the Sandhya Surakhsa Scheme. 12, 16,620 senior citizens, both rural and urban, enrolled themselves for this scheme last year. The Karnataka government predicts that 14% of the state population will fall under the “senior citizen” category by 2051. Registrations in old age homes across the state have also increased. Ms. Joseph told the Observer: “Around four to five senior citizens enroll themselves with our organization every week. Our organization plans to construct another branch as there isn’t enough space to accommodate the growing number of enrollments.”
Observer Team An IIJNM Publication For private circulation only Editor: Aheli Raychaudhuri Sub Editor: Kakoli Mukherjee Special Correspondents: Hansa V Rohan Premkumar Photo Editor: Sneha Banerjee Page editors: Krishnaprasad S, Nikita Malusare, Urmi Sengupta, Shreya Mukherjee, Priyanka Roy, Satyajith G.D. Proof readers: Deepu Abby Verghese Email:
editor@iijnm.org