Recognition for PNLIT Volunteer Teacher

It is with great pride that we share this news -  the Millennium Elders' Forum has bestowed  PNLIT volunteer, Mr. C.S. N. Iyer with the MEF Unsung Heroes Award 2017. He was felicitated at a glittering function held last month. 

We remember how he was one of the first persons to respond when we sent an appeal in Aug. 2012 seeking volunteers to teach underprivileged children from the neighbourhood. His only hesitation was that he did not know Kannada. Also, having lived in US for most of his life, his English may be difficult for the children to understand. We coaxed him by saying that the children might as well learn to speak American English than none at all. He was a natural teacher and the students took to him. 

We had to discontinue our teaching programme at the lake but there was no stopping Mr. Iyer. He continues to teach and guide new batches of students. 

Kudos to you, "Tuition Uncle!" The MEF Unsung Heroes Award may be at the neighbourhood level but you are certainly making a difference to many young lives.  

Best regards,

PNLIT team

Rain and Puttenahalli Lake

Several of the visitors to the lake, have marveled at how the level has gone up in just two or three days of pre-monsoon showers. The reason of course is that the rain has been heavy this year and more because, for the first time, some of the surface run off from the Brigade Millennium road is getting diverted into the lake through the new conduit. The story doesn't end here.

Visitors would have seen the enormous iron frame that was getting assembled on the ground between the security cabin and the gazebo. Thick iron rods have been placed over the frame to make a cow-catcher-like grill. This grill will replace the concrete slabs below the Brigade Millennium arch. Each of the slabs has two or three holes which do not permit much of the rain water to enter the trench below. Hence, rain water all these days was washing down the road like a stream. Now the grill will accept most, if not all, the surface water, and channel it into the lake. Consequently, the level at the lake will increase several times while preventing wastage of precious rain water.

Heavy duty grill

The grill is heavy duty in order to withstand the flow of traffic on this road. It is likely to be kept in place below the BM arch over the next few days. The process of digging out the slabs and replacing them with the grill will take a while and cause traffic snarls. Please bear with the inconvenience. 

Anticipating a substantial increase in the water level, we had wanted to plant a level marker but didn't get round to it, mostly because the lake bed does not have a uniform depth. The deepest place is between the island and the viewing deck. In fact, after the recent cleaning, there are pockets elsewhere which are at least 10 feet deep already. These pockets were those dug by the JCB during deweeding. The highest portion of the lake is the stretch along the coconut grove side towards the wetland.  In the two photographs below, one can see that the water is slowly inching forward, encircling the island. Use this as an indicator to see how much water has entered the lake since you last visited the lake.

Water around the island is an indicator of water rise

Evening drizzle

The drizzle this evening will increase the level by another few notches. More importantly, it will help the 300-odd shrubs planted by our volunteers over this weekend! :-)

Usha

Jacaranda Festival, 3rd Feb, 2013: Why BMites and friends SHOULD attend

PNLIT was pleasantly surprised by this message! Our heartfelt thanks to Brigade Millennium Jacaranda Block

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shyam Bala
Date: Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 11:13 PM
Subject: Jacaranda Festival on Feb 3rd, 2013: Announcements

Jacaranda Festival is a community event organized by Jacarandians for our neighboring communities to participate and share the joy.

This festival mela is filled with fun-events, carnivals, food and candies for people of all ages.

The proceeds from this event are shared with charity organizations and PNLIT is one of the chosen organization by us. 

The Jacaranda community is proud to be associated with PNLIT in keeping our lake and environment neat and clean.

Here is how you can help the PNLIT:

For the first 500 visitors to the Jacaranda Fest on Feb 3, Jacaranda will contribute Rs 10,000 to the PNLIT.

From there on, Jacaranda will contribute Rs 1,000 more for every additional 100 visitors over 500.

Please ensure that you drop your name in the box kept for this purpose and help us to support our lake. 

Please encourage PNLIT community to come, participate, promote and enjoy Jacaranda Festival and raise money for the PNLIT cause.

Thank You.

Sam Bala

Citizens get new traffic signal approved

The Puttenahalli Main Road at the Brigade Millennium arch is chaotic during the peak morning and evening hours. Now a traffic signal at Brigade Millennium arch on Puttenahalli Main Road has been approved!

The chaotic junction at night. Pic: O P Ramaswamy.

PNLIT representatives had discussed the feasibility of getting a signal, with our Puttenahalli Corporator L Ramesh, but we were not sure if the junction would satisfy the requirements of the Traffic Police, that justify the investment. What better way to find out than by putting the Traffic Police on the job!

Our message to the Traffic Police Commissioner, Praveen Sood, in mid-June read:

"The Puttenahalli Main Road in JP Nagar 7th Phase, at the junction of Brigade Millennium arch is in urgent need of some traffic control. The intersection of the two roads leads to Kanakapura Road on one end and Bannerghatta Road on the other and vehicular traffic is virtually uncontrollable. Sometimes, the junction is manned by a policeman. For pedestrians, the road is practically not crossable during the peak hours. Request the Traffic Police to please have a traffic signal put at this junction so that traffic gets under control.”

Within two weeks of sending the request, Inspector Nagaraj (of Jayanagar) and Inspector Dharnesh (who was in-charge of the junction at the time – he has now moved to a different police station), visited the junction to assess the need for a signal and invited me to join them. They observed the traffic for a while and spoke to nearby shopkeepers and pedestrians to get their views. They concluded that, presently, the need for a signal is during the peak morning and evening hours.

However, given that Arekere Mico Layout is now directly connected to Puttenahalli Main Road, through L&T South City Road and Nataraja Layout Road, and as Elita Promenade will get fully occupied in the near future, traffic is likely to get heavier.

A signal is worth the investment, they concluded, but informed me that further inspections would be made by the final deciding authorities. They also observed the need for other steps, such as relocation of the bus stops, to ease congestion.

Subsequently, in early July, Inspector M D Hari who took over from Inspector Dharnesh, took the matter forward by carrying out his own inspection. He observed that a four road converging junction, three with medians and one without, with the kind of volume it handles during peak hours, definitely needed a signal. He promptly took up the issue with his higher officers. Barely a month from making the request, Inspector Hari informed us that the signal has been approved and that work will commence soon.

Kudos to the Traffic Police for their swift action.