Bangalore

 

Bangalore (or ???????? Bengaluru, ['be?g??u??u] ( listen)) is the capital city o f the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-east ern part of Karnataka. Bangalore is India's third most populous city and fifth-m ost populous urban agglomeration. Bangalore is known as the Silicon Valley of In dia because of its position as nation's leading Information technology (IT) expo rter.[7][8][9] Located at a height of over 3,000 feet (914.4 m) above sea level,  Bangalore is known for its pleasant climate throughout the year.[10] The city i s amongst the top ten preferred entrepreneurial locations in the world.[11] A succession of South Indian dynasties, the Western Gangas, the Cholas, and the Hoysalas ruled the present region of Bangalore until in 1537 CE, Kempé Gowda  a feu datory ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire  established a mud fort considered to be the foundation of modern Bangalore. Following transitory occupation by the Ma rathas and Mughals, the city remained under the Mysore Kingdom. It later passed into after the hands of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, and was the Bri tish victory in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799), whocaptured returnedby administr ative control of the city to the Maharaja of Mysore. The old city developed in t he dominions of the Maharaja of Mysore, and was made capital of the Princely Sta te of Mysore, which existed as a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj. In 1809, the British shifted their cantonment to Bangalore, outside the old city , and a town grew up around it, which was governed as part of British India. Fol lowing India's independence in 1947, Bangalore became the capital of Mysore Stat e, and remained capital when the new Indian state of Karnataka was formed in 195 6. The two urban settlements of Bangalore  City and Cantonment  which had develope d as independent entities merged into a single urban centre in 1949. The city wa s renamed Bengaluru in 2006. Bangalore is home to many well-recognised educational and research institutions in India, such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Ma nagement (Bangalore) (IIMB),National Institute of Fashion Technology( NIFT ) and  National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). Numerous publi c sector heavy industries, technology companies, aerospace, telecommunications, and defence organisations, such as Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hindustan A eronautics Limited (HAL), National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bharat Heavy El ectricals Limited (BHEL), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Infosys, an d Wipro are headquartered in the city. A demographically diverse city, Bangalore  is a major economic and cultural hub and the second-fastest growing major metro polis in India.[12] The city also houses the Kannada film industry. As a growing  metropolitan city in a developing country, Bangalore confronts substantial poll ution and other logistical and socio-economic problems.[13][14] With a Gross dom estic product (GDP) of US$83 billion, Bangalore is listed fourth among the top 1 5 cities contributing to India's overall GDP.[15] Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 Early and medieval history 2.2 City foundation and early modern history 2.3 Later modern and contemporary history 3 Geography 3.1 Climate 4 Civic administration 4.1 Pollution control 4.2 Slums 5 Waste management 6 Economy 7 Transport 7.1 Air 7.2 Rail 7.3 Road 8 Demographics 9 Culture 9.1 Art and literature

 

9.2 Theatre, music, and dance 10 Education 11 Media 12 Sports 12.1 City based Clubs 13 Twin towns  Sister cities 14 See also 15 References 16 Further reading 17 External links Etymology[edit] The name "Bangalore" represents an anglicised version of the Kannada language na me, "Benga?uru" ['be?g??u?ru] ( listen). The Ganga earliest reference the name "Ben galuru" was found in a ninth-century Western Dynasty stoneto inscription on a "vira gallu" (????????) (literally, "hero stone", a rock edict extolling the v irtues of a warrior). In this inscription found in Begur, "Bengaluru" is referre d to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890 CE. It states that the place  was part of the Ganga Kingdom until 1004 and was known as "Bengaval-uru", the " City of Guards" in Halegannada (Old Kannada).[16][17] An apocryphal, though popular, anecdote recounts that the 12th century Hoysala k ing Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest.  Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "benda-kaal-uru" (literally, "town of boiled b eans"), which eventually evolved into "Bengaluru".[16][18][19] Suryanath Kamath has put forward an explanation of a possible floral origin of the name, being de rived from benga, the Kannada term for Pterocarpus marsupium (also known as the Indian Kino Tree), a species of dry and moist deciduous trees, that grew abundan tly in the region.[20] On 11 December 2005, the Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted a proposal by Jnanpith Award winner U. R. Ananthamurthy to rename Bangalore to B engaluru.[21] On 27 September 2006, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP ) passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change.[22] The government of Karnataka accepted the proposal, and it was decided to officially implement t he name change from 1 November 2006.[23][24] However, this process has stalled d ue to delays in getting clearances from the Union Home Ministry.[25] History[edit] Main article: History of Bangalore Early and medieval history[edit] The Begur Nageshwara Temple was built in Bangalore around c. 860, during the rei gn of the Western Ganga Dynasty. Someshwara Temple (c. 1890), dates from the Chola era A recent discovery of Stone Age artifacts during the 2001 census of India at Jal ahalli, Sidhapura and Jadigenahalli, all of which are located on Bangalore's out skirts today, suggest probable human settlement around 4,000 BCE.[26] Around 1,0 00 BCE (Iron Age), burial grounds were established at Koramangala and Chikkajala  on the outskirts of Bangalore. Coins of the Roman emperors Augustus, Tiberius, and Claudius found at Yeswanthpur and HAL indicate that Bangalore was involved i n trans-oceanic trade with ancient civilisations in 27 BCE.[27] The region of modern day Bangalore was part of several successive South Indian k ingdoms. Between the fourth and the tenth centuries, the Bangalore region was ru led by the Western Ganga Dynasty of Karnataka, the first dynasty to set up effec tive control over the region.[28] The Western Gangas ruled the region initially as a sovereign power (350  550), and later as feudatories of the Chalukyas of Bad ami, followed by the Rashtrakutas till the tenth century.[20] The Begur Nageshwa ra Temple was commissioned around 860, during the reign of the Western Ganga Kin g Ereganga Nitimarga I and extended by his successor Nitimarga II.[29][30] At th

 

e end of the tenth century, the Cholas from Tamil Nadu began to penetrate in are as east of Bangalore; it later began to extend its control over parts of present -day Bangalore, such as Domlur on the eastern side of the city.[28] Around 1004,  during the reign of Rajendra Chola I, the Cholas defeated the Western Gangas, a nd captured Bangalore.[29] During this period, the Bangalore region witnessed th e migration of many groups - warriors, administrators, traders, artisans, pastor als, cultivators, and religious personnel from Tamil Nadu and other Kannada spea king regions.[28] The Chokkanathaswamy temple at Domlur, the Aigandapura complex  near Hesaraghatta, Mukthi Natheshwara Temple at Binnamangala, Choleshwara Templ e at Begur, Someshwara Temple at Madiwala, date from the Chola era.[29] In 1117, the Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana defeated the Cholas in the Battle of Ta lakad in south Karnataka, and extended its rule over the region.[29] With the co llapse of the Cholas, especially after 1250, migrations from Andhra Pradesh bega n intoaKarnataka Tamil Nadu.[28] By the end of the 13th century, b ecame source ofand contention between two warring cousins, the HoysalaBangalore ruler Veer a Ballala III of Halebidu and Ramanatha, who administered from the Hoysala held territory in Tamil Nadu.[29] Veera Ballala III had appointed a civic head at Hud i (now within Bangalore Municipal Corporation limits), thus promoting the villag e to the status of a town. After Veera Ballala III's death in 1343, the next emp ire to rule the region was the Vijayanagara Empire, which itself saw the rise of  four dynasties, the Sangamas (1336  1485), the Saluvas (1485  1491), the Tuluvas (1491  1565), and the Aravidu (1565  1646).[31] During the reign of the Vijayanaga ra Empire, Achyuta Deva Raya of the Tuluva Dynasty raised the Shivasamudra Dam a cross the Arkavati river at Hesaraghatta, whose reservoir is the present city's supply of regular piped water.[32] City foundation and early modern history[edit] Bangalore Fort in 1860 showing fortifications and barracks. The fort was origina lly built by Kempe Gowda I as a mud fort in 1537. Bangalore Palace, built in 1887 in Tudor architectural style was modelled on the  Windsor Castle in England.[33] Modern Bangalore had its beginning in 1537 by a vassal of the Vijayanagara Empir e, Kempé Gowda I, who aligned with the Vijayanagara empire to campaign against Gan garaja who he defeated and expelled to Kanchi, and who built a mud-brick fort fo r the people at the site that would become the central part of modern Bangalore.  Kempe Gowda was restricted by rules placed by Achuta Deva Raya who feared the p otential power of KempeGowda and did not allow for a formidalbe stone fort. Kempé Gowda referred to the new town as his "gandubhumi" or "Land of Heroes".[19] With in the fort, the town was divided into smaller divisionseach called a "pete" (IPA : [pe?te?]). The town had two main streets Chikkapeté Street, which ran east-west, a nd Doddapeté Street, which ran north-south. Their intersection formed the Doddapeté Squarethe heart of Bangalore. Kempé Gowda I's successor, Kempé Gowda II, built four t owers that marked Bangalore's boundary. During the Vijayanagara rule, many saint s and poets referred to Bangalore as "Devarayanagara" and "Kalyanapura" or "Kaly anapuri" ("Auspicious City").[34] After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire in 1565 in the Battle of Talikota, Ban galore's rule changed hands several times. Kempé Gowda declared independence, then  in 1638, a large Adil Shahi Bijapur army led by Ranadulla Khan and accompanied by his second in command Shahji Bhonslé defeated Kempé Gowda III,[34] and Bangalore was given to Shahji as a jagir (feudal estate). In 1687, the Mughal general Kasi m Khan, under orders from Aurangzeb, defeated Ekoji I, son of Shahji, and sold B angalore to Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (16731704), the then ruler of the Kingdom of M ysore for three lakh rupees.[35] After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 17 59, Hyder Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. Hyder Ali is credited with building the De lhi and Mysore gates at the northern and southern ends of the city in 1760.[36] The kingdom later passed to Hyder Ali's son Tipu Sultan. Hyder and Tipu contribu ted towards the beautification of the city by building Lal Bagh Botanical Garden s in 1760. Under them, Bangalore developed into a commercial and military centre

 

 of strategic importance.[34] Bangalore fort was captured by the British armies under Lord Cornwallis on 21 Ma rch 1791 during the Third Anglo-Mysore War and formed a centre for British resis tance against Tipu Sultan.[37] Following Tipu's death in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore  War (1799), the British returned administrative control of the Bangalore "pete"  to the Maharaja of Mysore and was incorporated into the Princely State of Mysor e, which existed as a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj. The old cit y ("pete") developed in the dominions of the Maharaja of Mysore. The Residency o f Mysore State was first established in Mysore City in 1799 and later shifted to  Bangalore in 1804. It was abolished in 1843 only to be revived in 1881 at Banga lore and to be closed down permanently in 1947, with Indian independence.[38] Th e British found Bangalore to be a pleasant and appropriate place to station thei r garrison and therefore moved their cantonment to Bangalore from Seringapatam i n 1809 near Halsur,by about four miles north-east town grew up arou nd the cantonment, absorbing several villagesof inthe theCity. area.AThe new centre had  its own municipal and administrative apparatus, though technically it was a Bri tish enclave within the territory of the Wodeyar Kings of the Princely State of Mysore.[39] Two important developments which contributed to the rapid growth of the city, include the introduction of telegraph connections to all major Indian cities in 1853, and a rail connection to Madras in 1864.[40] Later modern and contemporary history[edit] A view of Bangalore Pete during the 1890s A view of Bangalore Cantonment (c. 1895) The Bangalore torpedo was invented in Bangalore in 1912. In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a twin city, with the "pete", whose residents were predominantly Kannadigas, and the "cantonment" created by t he British, whose residents were predominantly Tamils.[41] Throughout the 19th c entury, the Cantonment gradually expanded and acquired a distinct cultural and p olitical salience as it was governed directly by the British and was known as th e Civil and Military Station of Bangalore. While it remained in the princely ter ritory of Mysore, Cantonment had a large military presence and a cosmopolitan ci vilian population that came from outside the princely state of Mysore, including  Britons, Anglo-Indians, and migrant Tamil labourers and contractors. City, on t he other hand, had a largely Kannada-speaking population.[42] Bangalore was hit by a plague epidemic in 1898 that claimed nearly 3,500 lives. The crisis caused by the outbreak catalysed the city's sanitation process. Telep hone lines were laid to help coordinate anti-plague operations. Regulations for building new houses with proper sanitation facilities came into effect. A health  officer was appointed and the city divided into four wards for better coordinat ion. Victoria Hospital was inaugurated in 1900 by Lord Curzon, the then Governor -General of British India.[43] New extensions in Malleswaram and Basavanagudi we re developed in the north and south of the pete.[44] In 1903, motor vehicles cam e to be introduced in Bangalore.[45] In 1906, Bangalore became one of the first cities in India to have electricity from hydro power, powered by the hydroelectr ic plant situated in Shivanasamudra.[46] The Indian Institute of Science was est ablished in 1909, which subsequently played a major role in developing the city as a science research hub.[47] In 1912, the Bangalore torpedo, a defensive explo sive weapon widely used in World War I and World War II, was devised in Bangalor e by British army officer Captain McClintock of the Madras Sappers and Miners.[4 8] Bangalore's reputation as the "Garden City of India" began in 1927 with the Silv er Jubilee celebrations of the rule of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Several projects such as the construction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were institute d to improve the city.[49] Bangalore played an important role during the Indian independence movement. Mahatma Gandhi visited the city in 1927 and 1934 and addr essed public meetings here.[27] In 1926, the labour unrest in Binny Mills due to  demand by textile workers for payment of bonus resulted in lathi charging and p

 

olice firing, resulting in the death of four workers, and several injuries.[50] In July 1928, there were notable communal disturbances in Bangalore, when a Gane sh idol was removed from a school compound in the Sultanpet area of Bangalore.[5 1] In 1940, the first flight between Bangalore and Bombay took off, which placed  the city on India's urban map.[47] After India's independence in August 1947, Bangalore remained in the newly carve d Mysore State of which the Maharaja of Mysore was the Rajapramukh (appointed go vernor).[52] The "City Improvement Trust" was formed in 1945, and in 1949, the " City" and the "Cantonment" merged to form the Bangalore City Corporation. The Go vernment of Karnataka later constituted the Bangalore Development Authority in 1 976 to co-ordinate the activities of these two bodies.[53] Public sector employm ent and education provided opportunities for Kannadigas from the rest of the sta te to migrate to the city. Bangalore experienced rapid growth in the decades 194 151 and Bangalore 197181, which saw the arrival of many city immigrants fromwith northern Karnataka. By 1961, had become the sixth largest in India, a population  of 1,207,000.[34] In the decades that followed, Bangalore's manufacturing base continued to expand with the establishment of private companies such as MICO (Mo tor Industries Company), which set up its manufacturing plant in the city. By the 1980s, it was clear that urbanization had spilled over the current bounda ries, and in 1986, the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority, was established to co-ordinate the development of the entire region as a single unit .[53] On 8 February 1981, a major fire broke out at Venus Circus in Bangalore, w here more than 92 lives were lost, the majority of them being children.[54] Bang alore experienced a growth in its real estate market in the 1980s and 1990s, spu rred by capital investors from other parts of the country who converted Bangalor e's large plots and colonial bungalows into multi-storied apartments.[55] In 198 5, Texas Instruments became the first multinational corporation to set up base i n Bangalore. Other information technology companies followed suit and by the end  of the 20th century, Bangalore had established itself as the Silicon Valley of India.[34] During the 21st century, Bangalore has suffered terrorist attacks in 2008, 2010, and 2013. Geography[edit] Main article: Bangalore geography and environment The Hesaraghatta Lake in Bangalore Bangalore lies in the southeast of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is in  the heart of the Mysore Plateau (a region of the larger Precambrian Deccan Plat eau) at an average elevation of 900 m (2,953 ft).[56]:8 It is located at 12.97°N 7 7.56°E and covers an area of 741 km2 (286 sq mi).[57] The majority of the city of Bangalore lies in the Bangalore Urban district of Karnataka and the surrounding rural areas are a part of the Bangalore Rural district. The Government of Karnat aka has carved out the new district of Ramanagara from the old Bangalore Rural d istrict.[citation needed] The topology of Bangalore is flat except for a central ridge running NNE-SSW. Th e highest point is Vidyaranyapura Doddabettahalli, which is 962 metres (3,156 fe et) and lies on this ridge.[58] No major rivers run through the city, though the  Arkavathi and South Pennar cross paths at the Nandi Hills, 60 kilometres (37 mi les) to the north. River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of the Arkavathi, ari ses within the city at Basavanagudi and flows through the city. The rivers Arkav athi and Vrishabhavathi together carry much of Bangalore's sewage. A sewerage sy stem, constructed in 1922, covers 215 km2 (83 sq mi) of the city and connects wi th five sewage treatment centres located in the periphery of Bangalore.[59] In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's wat er requirements. The Kempambudhi Kere, since overrun by modern development, was prominent among those lakes. In the earlier half of 20th century, the Nandi Hill s waterworks was commissioned by Sir Mirza Ismail (Diwan of Mysore, 1926 41 CE) to  provide a water supply to the city. Currently, the river Kaveri provides around  80% of the total water supply to the city with the remaining 20% being obtained

 

 from the Thippagondanahalli and Hesaraghatta reservoirs of the Arkavathi river. [60] Bangalore receives 800 million litres (211 million US gallons) of water a d ay, more than any other Indian city.[61] However, Bangalore sometimes does face water shortages, especially during the summer season- more so in the years of lo w rainfall. A random sampling study of the Air Quality Index (AQI) of twenty sta tions within the city indicated scores that ranged from 76 to 314, suggesting he avy to severe air pollution around areas of traffic concentration.[62] Bangalore has a handful of freshwater lakes and water tanks, the largest of whic h are Madivala tank, Hebbal lake, Ulsoor lake and Sankey Tank. Groundwater occur s in silty to sandy layers of the alluvial sediments. The Peninsular Gneissic Co mplex (PGC) is the most dominant rock unit in the area and includes granites, gn eisses and migmatites, while the soils of Bangalore consist of red laterite and red, fine loamy to clayey soils.[62] Vegetation in the cityThough is primarily in the of large deciduous canopy and mi nority coconut trees. Bangalore has form been classified as a part of the seis mic zone II (a stable zone), it has experienced quakes of magnitude as high as 4 .5.[63] Climate[edit] Bangalore experiences a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw ) with distinct wet and dry seasons. Due to its high elevation, Bangalore usuall y enjoys a more moderate climate throughout the year, although occasional heat w aves can make things very uncomfortable in the summer.[64] The coolest month is December with an average low temperature of 15.4 °C (59.7 °F) and the hottest month is April with an average high temperature of 32.8 °C (91 °F).[65] The highest temper ature ever recorded in Bangalore is 38.9 °C (102 °F) (recorded in March 1931) and th e lowest ever is 7.8 °C (46 °F) (recorded in January 1884).[66][67] Winter temperatu res rarely drop below 12 °C (54 °F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 36 °C (97 °F) . Bangalore receives rainfall from both the northeast and the southwest monsoons  and the wettest months are September, October and August, in that order.[65] Th e summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent thunderstorms, which occasionally cause power outages and local flooding. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-h our period is 179 millimetres (7 in) recorded on 1 October 1997.[68] [hide]Climate data for Bangalore Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 32.1 (89.8) 34.5 (94.1) 37 (99) 38.9 (102) 37.8 (100) 36.4 (97.5) 33.1 (91.6) 32.4 (90.3) 34.2 (93.6) 33 (91) 32 (90) 31.2 (88.2) 38.9 (102) Average hi high °C (° (°F) 27.6 (81.7) 30.2 (86.4) 32.9 (91.2) 34.1 (93.4) 33.3 (91.9) 29.4 (84.9) 28.1 (82.6) 27.5 (81.5) 28.3 (82.9) 28 (82) 27

 

(81) 26.2 (79.2) 29.38 (84.89) Daily mean °C (°F) (70.3) 23.6 (74.5) 26.1 (79) 28 (82) 27.4 (81.3) 24.6 (76.3) 23.9 (75) 23.5 (74.3) 23.9 (75) 23.7 ( (7 74 2. )7) (70) (75.37) Average (59.5) (63) (67.3) (71.2) (70.7) (68) (67.6) (67.3) (67.5) (66.9)

21.3

2 22 1. .2 1 24.11 low °C (°F) 17.2 19.6 21.8 21.5 20 19.8 19.6 19.7 19.4 17.7

(63.9) 16 (61) 18.97 (66.16) Record low °C (°F) (46) 11.4 (52.5) 13.9 (57) 16.8 (62.2) 17.2 (63) 17.4 (63.3) 17 (63) 17.5 (63.5) 16.8 (62.2) 13 (55) 11.3 (52.3) 9.6 (49.3) 8 (46) Rainfall mm mm ( (i inches) (0. 0.07 071) 1) 7.9 (0.311) 7 (0.28) 40 (1.57) 110.2 (4 (4.3 .339 39) ) 89 89.1 .1 (3 (3.5 .508 08) ) 10 108. 8.9 9 (4 (4.2 .287 87) ) 14 142. 2.5 5 (5.61) 241 (9.49) 154.5 (6 (6.0 .083 83) ) 54 54.1 .1 (2.13) 17.5 (0 (0.6 .689 89) ) 97 974. 4.5 5 (38.368) Avg. rainy days 0.2

15.3

8

1.8

0.5

0.8

3

6.9

6

7.4

10

 

10.3 7.9 3.9 1.6 58.5  % humidity 60 52 45 51 76 73 70 68 65.2 Mean monthly sunshine hours 263.5 248.6 111.6 114.7 144 173.6 189 211.8 Source #1: India Meteorological Department,[69] Source #2: HKO (sun only, 19711990)[71] Civic administration[edit]

60

72

76

272.8 258 241.8 2,367.4 NOAA (1971 1990)[70]

79 138

See also: Infrastructure in Bangalore Bangalore City Important officials Municipal Munic ipal Commissione Commissioner: r: Lakshminar Lakshminarayana ayana IAS[72] IAS[72] Chief Commissioner o of f Income T Ta ax: K Satya N Na arayana IR IRS[73] May Mayor: or: Bmmis Sissi Satyana Saty anaray rayana (K (Katt atte edra Saty Satyana anaray rayana ana)[7 4] Poli Police ce Co Comm sion oner er: : ana Ra Ragh ghav aven endr a H. H.Ar Arua uadk dkar ar)[74] IP IPS, S,[7 [73] 3] The Karnataka High Court is the supreme judicial body in Karnataka and is locate d in Bangalore. The Vikasa Soudha, situated adjacent to the Vidhana Soudha, houses many state mi nistries. A typical traffic speed interceptor used by the Bangalore City Traffic Police The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP, Greater Bangalore Municipal Corpor ation) is in charge of the civic administration of the city. It was formed in 20 07 by merging 100 wards of the erstwhile Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, with seven  neighbouring City Municipal Councils, one Town Municipal Council and 110 villag es around Bangalore. The number of wards increased to 198 in 2009.[75][76] The B BMP is run by a city council composed of 250 members, including 198 corporators representing each of the wards of the city and 52 other elected representatives,  consisting of members of Parliament and the state legislature. Elections to the  council are held once every five years, with results being decided by popular v ote. Members contesting elections to the council usually represent one or more o f the state's political parties. A mayor and deputy mayor are also elected from among the elected members of the council.[77] Elections to the BBMP were held on  28 March 2010, after a gap of three and a half years since the expiry of the pr evious elected body's term, and the Bharatiya Janata Party was voted into power   the first time it had ever won a civic poll in the city.[78] Bangalore's rapid growth has created several problems relating to traffic conges tion and infrastructural obsolescence that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has f ound challenging to address. The unplanned nature of growth in the city resulted  in massive traffic gridlocks that the municipality attempted to ease by constru cting a flyover system and by imposing one-way traffic systems. Some of the flyo vers and one-ways mitigated the traffic situation moderately but were unable to adequately address the disproportionate growth of city traffic.[79] A 2003 Batte lle Environmental Evaluation System (BEES) evaluation of Bangalore's physical, b iological and socioeconomic parameters indicated that Bangalore's water quality and terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems were close to ideal, while the city's soc ioeconomic parameters (traffic, quality of life) scored poorly.[80] The BBMP wor ks in conjunction with the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development Task Force (ABIDe) to design and im plement civic and infrastructural projects.[81] The Bangalore City Police (BCP) has six geographic zones, includes the Traffic P olice, the City Armed Reserve, the Central Crime Branch and the City Crime Recor d Bureau and runs 86 police stations, including two all-women police stations.[8 2] As capital of the state of Karnataka, Bangalore houses important state govern ment facilities such as the Karnataka High Court, the Vidhana Soudha (the home o f the Karnataka state legislature) and Raj Bhavan (the residence of the Governor  of Karnataka). Bangalore contributes four members to the lower house of the Ind ian Parliament, the Lok Sabha, from its four constituencies: Bangalore Rural, Ba

 

ngalore Central, Bangalore North, and Bangalore South,[83] and 28 members to the  Karnataka Legislative Assembly.[84] Electricity in Bangalore is regulated through the Bangalore Electricity Supply C ompany (BESCOM),[85] while water supply and sanitation facilities are provided b y the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB).[86] The city has offices of Consulate General of Germany,[87] France,[88] Japan[89] Israel,[90] British Deputy High Commission,[91] along with honorary consulates o f Ireland,[92] Finland,[93] Switzerland,[94] Maldives,[95] Mongolia, Sri Lanka a nd Peru.[96] It also has a trade office of Canada[97] and a virtual Consulate of  the United States.[98] Pollution control[edit] Bangalore generates about 3,000 tonnes of solid waste per day, of which about 1, 139 tonnes are collected and sent to composting units such as the Karnataka Comp osting Corporation. remaining solid wastethe collected by the munic ipalityDevelopment is dumped in open spaces The or on roadsides outside city.[99] In 2008, Bangalore produced around 2,500 metric tonnes of solid waste, and increased to 5 000 metric tonnes in 2012, which is transported from collection units located ne ar Hesaraghatta Lake, to the garbage dumping sites.[100] The city suffers signif icantly with dust pollution, hazardous waste disposal, and disorganized, unscien tific waste retrievals.[101] The IT hub, Whitefield region is the most polluted area in Bangalore.[102] Slums[edit] According to a 2012 report submitted to the World Bank by Karnataka Slum Clearan ce Board, Bangalore has 862 slums from total of around 2000 slums in Karnataka. The families living in the slum are not ready to move into the temporary shelter s.[103][104] 42% of the households migrated from different parts of India and 43 % of the households had remained in the slums for over 10 years. The Karnataka M unicipality, works to shift 300 families annually to newly constructed buildings . One third of these slum clearance projects lack basic service connexions, 60% of slum dwellers lack complete water supply lines and share BWSSB water supply. [103][105] Waste management[edit] The waste management scenario in the state of Karnataka is regulated by the Karn ataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) under the aegis of the Central Pollu tion Control Board (CPCB) which is a Central Government entity. As part of their  Waste Management Guidelines the Government of Karnataka through the Karnataka S tate Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has authorized few well established compani es to manage the bio-medical waste and hazardous waste in the state of Karnataka . Economy[edit] Main article: Economy of Bangalore See also: Housing in Bangalore Bangalore city skyline showing UB City to the left and Richmond area to the righ t Aerospace: HAL: IJT prototype in its hangar.

IT: The headquarters of Infosys, India's third largest IT company, is located in  Bengaluru Bengaluru's INR52346 crore (US$8.4 billion) economy (2006 07 Net District Income) makes it one of the major economic centres in India,[106] with the value of city 's exports totalling INR43221 crore (US$6.9 billion) in 200405.[107] With an econ omic growth of 10.3%, Bangalore is the second fastest growing major metropolis i n India,[108] and is also the country's fourth largest fast moving consumer good

 

s (FMCG) market.[109] The Forbes magazine considers the city as one of "The Next  Decade's Fastest-Growing Cities".[110] With a per capita income of INR74709 (US $1,200) in 200607,[106] the city is the third largest hub for high-net-worth indi viduals and is home to over 10,000 dollar millionaires and about 60,000 super-ri ch people who have an investable surplus of INR4.5 crore (US$720,000) and INR50 lakh (US$80,000) respectively.[111] The headquarters of several public sector undertakings such as Bharat Electronic s Limited (BEL), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), National Aerospace Laborat ories (NAL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Earth Movers Limite d (BEML),Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI) and HMT (formerly Hin dustan Machine Tools) are located in Bangalore. In June 1972 the Indian Space Re search Organisation (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and hea dquartered in the city. Bangalore also houses several research and development c enters of many firms such as ABB, Airbus, GE, GM, Google, Microso ft, Mercedes-Benz, Nokia, Oracle, Philips,Bosch, Shell, Boeing, Toyota etc. Bangalore is called as the Silicon Valley of India because of the large number o f information technology companies located in the city which contributed 33% of India's INR144214 crore (US$23 billion) IT exports in 200607.[112] Bangalore's IT  industry is divided into three main clusters  Software Technology Parks of India  (STPI); International Tech Park, Bangalore (ITPB); and Electronics City. UB Cit y, the headquarters of the United Breweries Group, is a high-end commercial zone .[113] Infosys and Wipro, India's third and fourth largest software companies ar e headquartered in Bangalore, as are many of the global SEI-CMM Level 5 Companie s. The growth of IT has presented the city with unique challenges. Ideological clas hes sometimes occur between the city's IT moguls, who demand an improvement in t he city's infrastructure, and the state government, whose electoral base is prim arily the people in rural Karnataka.[114] The encouragement of high-tech industr y in Bangalore, for example, has not favoured local employment development, but has, instead, increased land values and forced out small enterprise.[115] The st ate has also resisted the massive investments required to reverse the rapid decl ine in intra-city transport which has already begun to drive new and expanding b usinesses to other centres across India. Bengaluru is a hub for biotechnology re lated industry in India and in the year 2005, around 47% of the 265 biotechnolog y companies in India were located here; including Biocon, India's largest biotec hnology company.[116][117] Transport[edit]

The new KempeGowda International Airport is located in Devanahalli.

BMTC's Volvo buses are a popular mode of commuting within Bangalore.[118] Air[edit] Bangalore is served by the KempeGowda International Airport (IATA: BLR, ICAO: VO BL) which started operations from 24 May 2008. The city was earlier served by th e HAL Airport which was India's fourth busiest airport.[119][120][121] It is now  the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic and the numbe r of air traffic movements (ATMs) with about 280 per day.[122] The airport is ar ound 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the city centre. The most hassle-free way to commute is by taxi. Meru cabs and Easy cabs have taxis present in the rank at th e airport. There are also certain private cab companies.[citation needed] Rail[edit] A rapid transit system called the Namma Metro is being built. A 7 kilometres (4 miles) stretch from Bayappanahalli to MG Road was opened to public on 20 October  2011.[123] Once completed, this will encompass a 42.3 km (26.3 mi) elevated and  underground rail network comprising 41 stations. It is expected to connect cent ral locations in Bangalore to Devanahalli and the Chikballapur regions.[124] [12 5] This much-delayed project is the city's primary response to the worsening int

 

ra-city transport infrastructure which has become a major deterrent to continued  business growth. Bangalore comes under Bangalore railway division of the South Western Railway zo ne of the Indian Railways. Bangalore City Railway station and Yeshvantpur Juncti on connect it to the rest of the country through the Indian Railways. The Bangal ore Rajdhani Express connects the city to New Delhi, the capital of India. Banga lore is also connected by rail to most cities in Karnataka, as well as Mumbai, K ochi, Chennai, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Indore, Belgaum, Hubli, Mysore, B hagalpur, Tatanagar, Bhopal, Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum), Madurai, Kollam(Qui lon), Mangalore, Kozhikode(Calicut) and other major cities in India.[126] The sp rawling Rail Wheel Factory is Asia's second largest manufacturer of Wheel & Axle  for Railways and headquartered in Yelahanka, Bangalore.[citation needed] Road[edit] A schematic map of Bangalore. Buses operated by Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are an imp ortant and reliable means of public transport available in the city.[127] While commuters can buy tickets on boarding these buses, BMTC also provides an option of a bus pass to frequent users.[127] BMTC runs air-conditioned luxury buses on major routes, and also operates shuttle services from various parts of the city to the Bengaluru International Airport.[128] The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation operates 6,918 buses on 6,352 schedules, connecting Bangalore with o ther parts of Karnataka as well as other states. The main bus depots that KSRTC maintains are the Kempegowda Bus Station, locally known as "Majestic bus stand",  where most of the out station buses ply from. Some of the KSRTC buses to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh ply from Shantinagar Bus Station, Satellite Bus Station at Mysore road and Baiyappanahalli satellite bus station.[129] BMTC is the first  metropolitan transport corporation to introduce air conditioned buses in India. Three-wheeled, green and black auto-rickshaws, referred to as autos, are a popul ar form of transport. They are metered and can accommodate up to three passenger s. Taxis, commonly called City Taxis, are usually available only on call. Taxis are metered and are generally more expensive than auto-rickshaws.[130] There are currently 1,000[citation needed] vehicles being registered daily in Ba ngalore RTOs. The total number of vehicles as on date are 38.8 lakh vehicles[cit ation needed], with a road length of 11,000 kilometres (6,835 miles). Demographics[edit]

St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdioc ese of Bangalore [hide]Population Growth Census Pop. %± 1941 406,760 

1951 778,977 91.5% 1961 1,207,000 54.9% 1971 1,654,000 37.0% 1981 2,922,000 76.7% 1991 4,130,000 41.3% 2001 5,101,000 23.5% 2011 8,425,970 65.2% Source: Census of India[131] [132] Religion in Bangalore Percent Hinduism  ? 79.4% Islam

 

 ? 13.4% Christianity  ? 5.8% Jains  ? 1.1% Others  ? 1% Distribution of religions Includes Sikism (<0.1%), Buddhists (<0.1%). With an estimated population of 8.5 million in 2011,[6] Bangalore is the third m ost populous city in India and the 18th most populous city in the world.[133] Ba ngalore was the fastest-growing Indian metropolis after New Delhi between 1991 a nd 2001, with a growth rate of 38% during the decade. Residents of Bangalore are  referred to as Bangaloreans in English and Bengaloorinavaru in Kannada.[134] As  per the 1991 census, the linguistic demographics of Bangalore were: Kannada (38 .38%), Tamil (21.38%), Telugu (16.66%), Urdu (12.65%), Malayalam (2.99%), Hindi (2.64%), and others.[135] The cosmopolitan nature of the city has resulted in th e migration of people from other states to Bangalore,[136] which has in recent y ears given rise to tensions between immigrants and locals.[137] According to the 2001 census of India, 79.4% of Bangalore's population is Hindu,  roughly the same as the national average.[138] Muslims comprise 13.4% of the po pulation, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while Christi ans and Jains account for 5.8% and 1.1% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. The city has a literacy rate of 89%.[139] Rough ly 10% of Bangalore's population lives in slums[140]a relatively low proportion w hen compared to other cities in the developing world such as Mumbai (50%) and Na irobi (60%).[141] The 2008 National Crime Records Bureau statistics indicate tha t Bangalore accounts for 8.5% of the total crimes reported from 35 major cities in India which is a cascadial increase in the crime rate when compared to the nu mber of crimes fifteen years ago.[142] Bangalore suffers from the same major urbanisation problems seen in many fast gr owing cities in developing countries: rapidly escalating social inequality, mass  displacement and dispossession, proliferation of slum settlements, and epidemic  public health crises due to severe water shortage and sewage problems in poor a nd working-class neighbourhoods.[143] The languages that are also spoken in Bang alore other than Kannada are Marathi, Urdu, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.[1 44] A vernacular dialect of Kannada, known as Bangalore Kannada (or the southern  dialect of Kannada) is spoken in Bangalore and the adjoining Mysore regions.[14 5] English is extensively spoken and is the principal language of the profession al and business class.[146] The major communities of Bangalore who share a long history in the city are the Kannadigas, Tamilians, and the Telugus.[147] Already in the 16th century, Bangal ore had speakers of Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi, besides those who spoke Kannada. [148] Tamil-speaking settlers migrated to Bangalore in three major waves, the fi rst after the 10th century, when the Cholas of Tamil Nadu captured the city; the  second during the Vijayanagara period, and the third, in the 18th century, afte r the need for militia increased for the Mysore rulers, Nawabs of Arcot, and the  British East India Company.[149][150] Telugu-speaking people initially came to Bangalore on invitation by the Mysore royalty (a few of them have lineage dating  back to Krishnadevaraya), while the arrival of the Marathi speakers in Bangalor e was a historical process when Bangalore was under Maratha rule.[151] Other communities include the Tuluvas and Konkanis of coastal Karnataka, Malayal ees, Rajasthanis, Gujaratis, Sindhis, and Bengalis.[147] Bangalore once had a la rge Anglo-Indian population, the second largest after Calcutta. Today, there are  around 10,000 Anglo-Indians in Bangalore.[152] Christians form a sizeable secti on of Bangalorean society, with Mangalorean and Goan Catholics forming a signifi

 

cant portion of the city's Christian community.[153] Muslims form a very diverse  population, consisting of Dakhini and Urdu-speaking Muslims, Kutchi Memons, Lab bay, and Mappilas.[154] Culture[edit] Main article: Culture of Bangalore Bangalore Karaga, one of the oldest and most important festivals in Bangalore Yakshagana  a theatre art of coastal Karnataka is often played in town hall Bangalore is known as the "Garden City of India" because of its gentle climate, broad streets, greenery and the presence of many public parks, such as Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park.[155] Bangalore is sometimes called as the "Pub Capital of India " and the "Rock/Metal capital of India" because of its underground music scene a nd it is one of the premier places to hold international rock concerts.[156] In May 2012, Lonely Planet ranked Bangalore 3rd among the world's top 10 cities to visit.[157] Biannual flower shows are held at the Lal Bagh Gardens during the week of Republ ic Day (26 January) and Independence Day (15 August). Bangalore Karaga or "Karag a Shaktyotsava" is one of the most important and oldest festivals of Bangalore d edicated to the Hindu Goddess Draupadi. It is celebrated annually by the Thigala  community, over a period of nine days in the month of March or April who in 187 1 formed 3.7% of the population of Bangalore. The Someshwara Car festival is an annual procession of the idol of the Halasuru Someshwara Temple (Ulsoor) led by the Vokkaligas, a farming community in southern Karnataka, occurring in April. K arnataka Rajyotsava is widely celebrated on November 1 and is a public holiday i n the city, to mark the formation of Karnataka state on 1 November 1956. Other p opular festivals in Bangalore are Ugadi, Ram Navami, Eid ul-Fitr, Ganesh Chaturt hi, St. Mary's feast, Dusshera, Diwali and Christmas.[158][159] The diversity of cuisine is reflective of the social and economic diversity of B angalore.[160] Bangalore has a wide and varied mix of restaurant types and cuisi nes and Bangaloreans deem eating out as an intrinsic part of their culture. Road side vendors, tea stalls, and South Indian, North Indian, Chinese and Western fa st food are all very popular in the city.[161] Udupi restaurants are very popula r and serve predominantly vegetarian, regional cuisine.[162] Art and literature[edit] Bangalore did not have an effective contemporary art representation, as compared  to Delhi and Mumbai, until recently during the 1990s, several art galleries spr ang up, notable being the government established National Gallery of Modern Art. [163] Bangalore's international art festival, Art Bengaluru, was established in 2010, and is South India's only art festival.[164] Kannada literature appears to have flourished in Bangalore even before Kempe Gow da laid the foundations of the city. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Kannada  literature was enriched by the Vachanas (a form of rhythmic writing) composed b y the heads of the Veerashaiva Mathas (monastery) in Bangalore. As a cosmopolita n city, Bangalore has also encouraged the growth of Telugu, Urdu, and English li teratures. The headquarters of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, a non-profit organi sation that promotes the Kannada language, is located in Bangalore.[165] The cit y has its own literary festival, known as the "Bangalore Literature Festival", w hich was inaugurated in 2012.[166] Theatre, music, and dance[edit] Bangalore is home to the Kannada film industry, which churns out about 80 Kannad a movies each year.[167] Bangalore also has a very active and vibrant theatre cu lture with popular theatres being Ravindra Kalakshetra[168] and the more recentl y opened Ranga Shankara.[169] The city has a vibrant English and foreign languag e theatre scene with places like Ranga Shankara and Chowdiah Memorial Hall leadi ng the way in hosting performances leading to the establishment of the Amateur f ilm industry.[169] Kannada theatre is very popular in Bangalore, and consists mo stly of political satire and light comedy. Plays are organized mostly by communi ty organizations, but there are some amateur groups which stage plays in Kannada

 

. Drama companies touring India under the auspicies of the British Council and M ax Müller Bhavan also stage performances in the city frequently.[170] Bangalore is also a major centre of Indian classical music and dance.[171] The c ultural scene is very diverse due to Bangalore's mixed ethnic groups, which is r eflected in its music concerts, dance performances and plays. Performances of Ca rnatic (South Indian) and Hindustani (North Indian) classical music, and dance f orms like Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Kathak, and Odissi are very popul ar.[172] Yakshagana, a theatre art indigenous to coastal Karnataka is often play ed in town halls.[173] The two main music seasons in Bangalore are in AprilMay du ring the Ram Navami festival, and in SeptemberOctober during the Dusshera festiva l, when music activities by cultural organizations are at their peak.[172] Thoug h both classical and contemporary music are played in Bangalore, the dominant mu sic genre in urban Bangalore is rock music. Bangalore has its own sub-genre of m usic, "Bangalore Rock", which is an amalgamation of classic rock, hard rock and heavy metal, with a bit of jazz and blues in it.[174] Notable bands from Bangalo re include Raghu Dixit Project, Kryptos, Inner Sanctum, Agam, All The Fat Childr en, and Swaratma. Education[edit] Indian Institute of Science  one of the premier institutes of science in India Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, one of the premier management institut es in India See also: Education in India and List of educational institutions in Bangalore Until the early 19th century, education in Bangalore was mainly run by religious  leaders and restricted to students of that religion.[175] The western system of  education was introduced during the rule of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar. Subseq uently, the British Wesleyan Mission established the first English school in 184 2, and the Bangalore High School was started by the Mysore Government in 1858. I n 1945 when World War II came to an end, King George Royal Indian Military Colle ges was started at Bangalore by King George VI, the school is popularly known as  Bangalore Military School[176][177] In post-Independent India, schools for young children (16 Month- 5 years) are ca lled Nursery, kindergarten or Play school which are broadly based on Montessori or Multiple Intelligence[178] methodology of education.[179] Primary and seconda ry education in Bangalore is offered by various schools which are affiliated to one of the boards of education, such as the Secondary School Leaving Certificate  (SSLC), Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), Central Board for Sec ondary Education (CBSE), International Baccalaureate (IB),International general certificate of secondary education (IGCSE) and National Institute of Open School ing (NIOS).[180] Schools in Bangalore are either government run or are private ( both aided and un-aided by the government).[181][182] Bangalore has a significan t number of International Schools due to expats and IT crowd.[183] After complet ing their secondary education, students either attend Pre University (PUC) or co ntinue High School in one of three streams  Arts, Commerce or Science.[184] Alter natively, students may also enroll in Diploma courses. Upon completing the requi red coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees in universiti es through lateral entry.[185][186] The Bangalore University, established in 1886, provides affiliation to over 500 colleges, with a total student enrolment exceeding 300,000. The university has t wo campuses within Bangalore  Jnanabharathi and Central College.[187] University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering was established in the year 1917, by Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya, At present, the UVCE is the only engineering college affiliated to Bangalore University.UVCE is one of the prestigious institution in  India. Bangalore also has a large number of private Engineering Colleges affili ated to Visvesvaraya Technological University. Notable among them particularly f or undergraduate degrees are BMS College of Engineering, R.V. College of Enginee ring, P.E.S. Institute of Technology, M. S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, B.N .M Institute of Technology, Bangalore Institute of Technology and Sir M. Visvesv

 

araya Institute of Technology. Indian Institute of Science, which was established in 1909 in Bangalore, is the premier institute for scientific research and study in India. Nationally renowne d professional institutes such as the National Centre for Biological Sciences (N CBS), University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore (UASB), Institute of Bio-in formatics and Applied Biotechnology [IBAB], National Institute of Design(NID), N ational Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), National Law School of India Uni versity (NLSIU), the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), the Indi an Statistical Institute and International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B) are located in Bangalore. The city is also home to the premie r mental health institution in India National Institute of Mental Health and Neu ro Sciences (NIMHANS). Bangalore also has some of the best medical colleges in t he country, like St. John's Medical College (SJMC) and Bangalore Medical College  and Research Institute (BMCRI).[188][189] The M. P. Birla Institute of Fundamen tal Research research institute has a branch located in Bangalore.[190] Poornaprajna Vidyapeetha, a traditional gurukula and centre for excellence in Sa nskrit, Indian philosophy and Indology - Poornaprajna Samshodhana Mandiram, is a  50-year-old residential Sanskrit college located near Vidyapeetha circle. Aroun d 500 students are presently pursuing their studies in Indian lore from primary to doctorate level and more than 600 traditional scholars have emerged from the college, who held positions like Vice Chancellors in Sanskrit Universities. This  college is now affiliated to Karnataka Sanskrit University, Bengaluru. Many con ferences, seminars, workshops and projects funded by state and central governmen t and other traditional cultural activities take place here. Media[edit] The first printing press in Bangalore was established in 1840 in Kannada by the Wesleyan Christian Mission. In 1859, Bangalore Herald became the first English b i-weekly newspaper to be published in Bangalore and in 1860, Mysore Vrittanta Bo dhini became the first Kannada newspaper to be circulated in Bangalore.[191][192 ] Currently, Vijaya Karnataka and The Times of India are the most widely circula ted Kannada and English newspapers in Bangalore respectively, closely followed b y the Prajavani and Deccan Herald both owned by the Printers (Mysore) Limited  th e largest print media house in Karnataka.[193][194] Other newspapers like Mid-Da y, Bangalore Mirror, and Udayavani provide localised news updates. On the web, E xplocity provides listings information in Bangalore.[195] Bangalore got its first radio station when All India Radio, the official broadca ster for the Indian Government, started broadcasting from its Bangalore station on 2 November 1955.[196] The radio transmission was AM, until in 2001, Radio Cit y became the first private channel in India to start transmitting FM radio from Bangalore.[197] In recent years, a number of FM channels have started broadcasti ng from Bangalore.[198] The city probably has India's oldest Amateur (Ham) Radio  Club  Bangalore Amateur Radio Club (VU2ARC), which was established in 1959.[199] [200] Bangalore got its first look at television when Doordarshan established a relay centre here and started relaying programs from 1 November 1981. A production cen tre was established in the Doordarshan's Bangalore office in 1983, thereby allow ing the introduction of a news program in Kannada on 19 November 1983.[201] Door darshan also launched a Kannada satellite channel on 15 August 1991 which is now  named DD Chandana.[201] The advent of private satellite channels in Bangalore s tarted in September 1991 when Star TV started to broadcast its channels.[202] Th ough the number of satellite TV channels available for viewing in Bangalore has grown over the years,[203] the cable operators play a major role in the availabi lity of these channels, which has led to occasional conflicts.[204] Direct To Ho me (DTH) services are also available in Bangalore now.[205] The first Internet service provider in Bangalore was STPI, Bangalore which start ed offering internet services in early 1990s.[206] This Internet service was, ho wever, restricted to corporates until VSNL started offering dial-up internet ser vices to the general public at the end of 1995.[207] Currently, Bangalore has th e largest number of broadband Internet connexions in India.[208] In April 2013,

 

Bangalore became the first Indian city to get free Wi-Fi hotspots, when free WiFi was launched in M.G. Road and Brigade Road.[209]