Latest news with #BBMPCOMM
NDTV
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Watch: Bengaluru Becomes Real-Life 'Squid Game.' But With Potholes
An artist and a few journalists transformed into "Squid Game" characters to draw authorities' attention to Bengaluru's pothole-filled footpaths and road infrastructure. Shot near St John's Hospital, the video shows people enacting a scene from the popular Netflix series. Posted to X, the clip features artist Badal Nanjundaswamy and journalists attempting to walk across broken pavements, climb over mounds of mud with cables all around and dodge potholes to spotlight the Karnataka capital's crumbling pedestrian infrastructure. The group was seen in costumes like the ones in the Squid Game series and acting as if they were in a survival game. Photojournalist Anantha Subramanyam K accidentally hits the ground while trying to get through a difficult stretch at one point in the video. The caption read, "It's Skid game for Namma Bengaluru Journalists." Its Skid game for Namma Bengaluru Journalists! @BBMPCOMM #foootpath #stjohnshospital @anusharavi10 @Ananthaforu @path2shah @Prakash94805561 — baadal nanjundaswamy (@baadalvirus) July 24, 2025 The video went viral, leaving social media users in splits. One user wrote, "Who would have thought games like road-rash super mario were meant for training us for this future." Who would have thought games like road-rash super mario were meant for training us for this future .. — eth (@Dbosnit) July 24, 2025 Another commented, "India should be producing the highest number of commandos in the world, based on the pedestrian walkways they use for their entire lives." Who would have thought games like road-rash super mario were meant for training us for this future .. — eth (@Dbosnit) July 24, 2025 "The government is ensuring it's citizens get to practice gymnastics and cardio during the same morning walk. Why criticise," wrote the next. Who would have thought games like road-rash super mario were meant for training us for this future .. — eth (@Dbosnit) July 24, 2025 "I suggest pedestrians to wear helmets and knee pads," commented another. I suggest pedestrians to wear helmets and knee pads. — Karan Kapadia (@KaranRKapadia) July 24, 2025 Another wrote, "LOL! Hilarious but shameful @BBMPCOMM! You plan underground tunnels, sky tower and third airport when you can't even have proper surface roads and drains! Talk about priorities! " LOL! Hilarious but shameful @BBMPCOMM! You plan underground tunnels, sky tower and third airport when you can't even have proper surface roads and drains! Talk about priorities! Yaardo duddu, Yellammana jaatre! Alva swami?????????????????♂️????????♂️ — Ranganath Kini (@codematix) July 24, 2025 Earlier in 2023, a video showing Bengaluru's Jayanagar residents performing puja to a water-filled pothole on Varamahalakshmi Day to protest against the hazardous road conditions went viral. They decorated the pothole with flower petals, turmeric powder and kumkum. Roads in between potholes @Jayanagar Pothole pooje was performed on occasion of Ayudha pooja @NammaJayanagar Prayed god to save people of Jayanagar especially Kids, pregnant woman & elders from falling on the road and getting themselves hurt, as the elected representativesn… — ಅಶೋಕ ಮೃತ್ಯುಂಜಯ (Ashok Mruthyunjaya) (@Ashokmruthyu) October 24, 2023 In May 2025, a 43-year-old man sought a compensation of Rs 50 Lakh from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for the "physical agony and emotional trauma" caused by alleged broken and non-motorable roads in the city. Dhivya Kiran, a resident of Richmond Town, in his notice, said that despite being a tax-paying citizen, he faced physical hardships and mental agony due to the civic body's alleged failure to maintain basic infrastructure.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
'Terrible governance': Mohandas Pai on Bengaluru's rankings at Swachh Survekshan 2025
Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai has spoken out on Bengaluru's rankings at the Swachh Survekshan 2025 survey and awards, strongly criticizing the local government for the city's cleanliness after it was listed amongst the bottom five major Indian cities. Mohandas Pai has been verbose about Bengaluru's civic issues.(File Photo, X/@sabeer) READ | Bengaluru ranked fifth dirtiest among major Indian cities in Swachh Survekshan 2025 The latest survey saw Bengaluru join Ranchi, Chennai, Ludhiana, and Madurai in the category of the dirtiest cities. This outcome prompted a sharp rebuke from prominent voices, including Mohandas Pai, who in his remarks expressed regret over the state of cleanliness in Bengaluru, calling it a 'big shame' for both the city and Karnataka. 'A big shame for Bengaluru and Karnataka. We have a city corporation @BBMPCOMM @BBMPofficial and govt @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar which cannot even keep the city clean! Terrible governance,' he wrote on social media site X, triggering a fresh discussion on civic apathy. 'In 2015 we were 15th cleanest city in the country. We can feel where it stands now, so these results are no surprise,' a user replied, while another said, 'The entire city is a dump yard.' READ | 'Hardly a garbage-free stretch': Author slams Bengaluru's civic neglect, calls it collapse of urban governance While Bengaluru's reputation took a hit, several other cities stood out for their sanitation achievements, with Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Lucknow, Raipur, and Jabalpur emerging as some of the cleanest metropolitan areas, while Indore, Surat, and Navi Mumbai entered the distinguished 'Super Swachh League', reserved for cities showcasing exemplary public cleanliness. 'Skid game' in Bengaluru Amid rising frustration over the city's decaying infrastructure, a few residents organized a striking street performance, drawing inspiration from the hit Netflix show 'Squid Game.' The group donned colourful, recognizable costumes and navigated a footpath which was more of a challenging obstacle course, full of loose stones, exposed wires, and yawning gaps. The residents even had to leap across open drains, dramatizing the daily hurdles pedestrians face. READ | 'Its skid game for Namma Bengaluru…': Residents enact scene from this series to highlight civic apathy. Watch Their act, equal parts satire and social commentary, was captured in a now viral video, underscoring the everyday stress encountered by Bengaluru's commuters.
Hindustan Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru's Ejipura flyover finally back on track, BBMP eyes year-end completion
After years of sluggish progress and bureaucratic delays, the long-awaited Ejipura flyover project in Bengaluru has finally picked up pace. The 2.5-km-long Ejipura flyover, whose construction began in 2017, has faced years of setbacks and delays. (X/@BBMPCOMM) According to a report by Times of India report, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has announced that over 60% of the construction is now complete and expressed confidence that the 2.5-kilometre flyover will be ready by the end of 2025. This comes after BBMP Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao visited the site in May. He inspected the stretch from Christ University to the Ejipura flyover in the city's south zone. 'I issued necessary directions to the officials regarding the development of footpaths, improvement of junctions, and progress of the Ejipura Flyover work,' he said in his post. The elevated corridor, connecting Ejipura Main Road (Inner Ring Road Junction) to Kendriya Sadan Junction, is expected to ease the crushing traffic burden on Koramangala's 100-Feet Road, one of the city's most congested stretches. Missed deadlines, multiple setbacks Originally awarded to Simplex Infrastructure in 2017, the project faced repeated setbacks, including missed deadlines, financial penalties, and eventually, contract termination. Following three unsuccessful rounds of fresh tenders, Hyderabad-based BSCPCL Pvt Ltd stepped in as the new contractor in November 2023. The firm was given a 15-month deadline to complete the remaining work, the report further added. Though the new contract also saw initial hiccups, including two warning notices issued by BBMP, officials say the intervention of the chief minister, who warned against further delays, spurred renewed urgency. So far, 70 of the 84 pillars have been erected, and 325 of the 762 required segments have been installed. Down and up ramps are being constructed near Madiwala-Ejipura, and a loop towards Sarjapur is also in progress. In a bid to minimise the ecological impact, BBMP has initiated the transplantation of 30–40 trees along the project alignment. (Also Read: 'Time to leave Bangalore': Fed-up commuter's rant goes viral, Hyderabad seen as the way out)
Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Following public demand, BBMP extends deadline for 5% property tax rebate to May 31
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has extended the 5 per cent property tax rebate period for the financial year 2025-26 until May 31. Initially, taxpayers who paid their property tax in full by April 30 were eligible for the concession. Following a proposal discussed during a meeting, the government approved the extension allowing all BBMP taxpayers to avail of the 5 per cent discount if they pay their 2025-26 property tax in full by the revised deadline of May 31. This was formally notified on Tuesday. Property owners across Bengaluru urged the BBMP to extend the tax rebate deadline beyond April 30 citing technical glitches on the BBMP property tax portal, which was reportedly inactive until April 5. This left taxpayers with limited time to process payments. Additionally, confusion over the newly introduced solid waste management user fee contributed to widespread frustration, prompting calls for a one-month extension of the rebate period. Property owners took to social media to voice their grievances. One of them, Srivathsa Kalale Nadaddur, wrote on X, '@BBMPCOMM Can you please resolve this complaint where we are unable to pay property tax due to a technical bug in the property tax payment system ?' K Sanjay Iyer, another X user, said, 'I am not able to pay the property tax online like I used to do every year as suddenly this year I am getting a message saying 'property details not available, contact ARO'. I have even sent emails to dcrev@ but have not received any response. Please advice' Dinesh Rao, yet another X user, complained, 'Your website does not work. After entering mobile number, OTP and captcha, it does not go to another page at all. Same thing with property tax as well. Unable to pay property tax even after multiple tries. Is someone looking into this matter?' The BBMP announced the 5 per cent property tax rebate for the 2025-26 fiscal year for taxpayers who paid their taxes in full by April 30, aiming to encourage early compliance and boost revenue collection. The civic body set an ambitious target of collecting Rs 6,000 crore in property tax, following a successful 2024-25 fiscal year, where it collected Rs 4,930 crore, a 25 per cent increase from the previous year's Rs 3,918 crore. The rebate was part of the BBMP's strategy to front-load revenues and improve compliance. Solid waste management user fee However, the introduction of the solid waste management user fee from April 1, merged with property tax for 2025-26, led to significant public discontent. The fee, aimed at funding waste management services, increased the tax burden by 20–35 per cent for many property owners. For instance, a property previously charged a solid waste management cess of Rs 720 in 2024-25 faced a revised charge of Rs 3,344–a nearly fivefold increase. Residents criticised the lack of transparency and public consultation, with some questioning the need for additional charges when the BBMP already collects substantial property taxes. The solid waste management fee ranges from Rs 120 per year for properties up to 600 sq ft to Rs 4,800 per year for properties over 4,000 sq ft. Additionally, apartment complexes managing their waste through composting or private vendors reported being unfairly charged individual solid waste management fees. Although exemptions were promised for bulk waste generators, these are subject to physical inspections by BBMP officials, raising concerns about potential harassment or corruption. As part of its property tax system updates, the BBMP introduced a declaration option for bulk waste generators (residential complexes with 100+ units, properties over 5,000 sq ft, or those generating 100 kg+ waste daily) to promote in-situ waste management. Non-compliant bulk generators must pay a processing fee of Rs 12 per kg for waste handed over to BBMP. This initiative aligns with the Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, which mandate 90 per cent efficiency in user fee collection to maintain national cleanliness rankings and secure central funding. Meanwhile, the BBMP also revised property tax rates for parking spaces under the unit area value system, effective from April 1. Residential property owners now pay Rs 600 annually for a 150 sq ft parking slot, while commercial properties are charged Rs 1,125 per year. The revision standardised rates previously based on zonal classifications, aiming to reduce tax liability and encourage compliance. The BBMP clarified that this was not a new tax but a rationalisation of an existing levy.
