Articles by Bhanu Sridharan

Krishna Byre Gowda, from the Indian National Congress (INC), has been the MLA of Byatarayanapura since the constituency was formed in 2008. As part of his campaign to win the fourth term, he interacted with representatives of apartment associations in his constituency on April 9th. The MLA spoke about his achievements and answered key questions from the constituents. He also shared with Citizen Matters his plans for the next term if elected and his stance on certain important issues. The INC team and KBG, as he is popularly called, stressed multiple times on the MLA’s image as a clean and…

The state government has been on an inauguration spree. The ruling party has been traveling across the state launching everything, from mega infrastructure projects, like the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, to toy trains. It is no coincidence that this frantic activity comes in the lead up to elections. The ruling party pats itself on the back with full page ads for projects that are almost finished, incomplete, just beginning or still in the conceptual state. But how do these projects fare after the fanfare? Prime Minister inaugurates, rains disintegrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the city at least five times since…

Residents of Chokkanahalli and Sampigehalli have been fighting to save their neighbourhood lake, Venkateshpura Kere. The lake was listed as 10 acres 35 guntas by BDA and BBMP until a few years ago, but has slowly been reduced to 6 acres and 35 guntas on paper. Read more about this in part 1. The remaining four acres, which comprise the lake watershed area, has been notified as a Civic Amenity (CA) site by BDA; part of this has been leased to a private trust. BBMP, which is the custodian of the lake, has done little to address the concerns of…

Distraught residents of Chokkanahalli, a neighbourhood near Jakkur in North Bengaluru, watch everyday as a rocky outcrop, which is part of a monument, is demolished by a private trust. The remains are currently being dumped into their neighbourhood lake, Venkateshpura. Chokkanahalli Sampigehalli Abhivriddhi Forum (CSAF), a residents group in the area, alleges that the BDA notified a portion of the lake as a Civic Amenity (CA) site and allotted it to a private trust. They have been trying to stop the construction and demand a resurvey of the lake. But neither BDA, which has allotted the land, nor BBMP, which…

Susheela* begins her work at 6 am and finishes around 2 pm. During the eight hour work shift, the 45-year-old pourakarmika rarely takes a break. She tries her best to only drink water and take toilet breaks twice. She controls herself until her morning meal at 10 am and final call at 2 pm at a local government school in Thindlu, in the Vidyaranyapura ward in North Bengaluru. There is a public toilet next to the school, which Susheela and nearly 50 pourakarmikas in her group or mustering use. “I try to avoid drinking water until my breaks ,” she…

A study by ActionAid Association found several problems with the sewage treatment plants (STPs) managed by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). The quality of treated water is not being monitored at STPs despite it being mandatory, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The study raises doubts about the efficacy of BWSSB’s STPs; the findings can be read in Part 1. Worryingly, even the functional BWSSB STPs appear to have several issues. The ActionAid report highlighted that BWSSB had lower water quality standards compared to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), and was completely ignoring certain…

The quality of treated water is not being monitored completely or accurately at several major sewage treatment plants (STP), managed by Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), according to a study by ActionAid Association. At least 13 STPs were found to not be monitoring important water quality parameters. The study was conducted between November and December 2022 and the report was submitted to BWSSB on February 20, 2023, according to Raghavendra Pachhapur, senior project lead at Action Aid India. The media reported on the issue the very next day. I checked the BWSSB portal to see if some of…

In his budget speech on February 17th, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated that quality of life in Bengaluru would improve “by ensuring seamless mobility, developing roads, prevention of floods by developing storm water drains and designing scientific and efficient waste management systems.” While such physical infrastructure is undoubtedly important for the well-being of a city, social infrastructure such as housing and health are equally crucial for improving the standard of living. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the gaps in budget allocations to BMTC and education. In Part 2, we will look at how the budget focuses…

The Karnataka government budget for 2023-24 was predicted to be a pre-election gift to Bengaluru. However, it is a gift that not everyone approves of. The majority of the funding is being given to roads and related infrastructure. Meanwhile, education, health, housing sectors, and other bodies like the BWSSB and the BMTC are set to see another year of neglect. In his budget speech on February 17th, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced a whopping Rs 9,698 crore grant for the comprehensive development of Bengaluru. A majority of these funds are going into construction and repair of city infrastructure, primarily roads.…

City officials have been thinking of widening Sankey road for 40 years. However, their plans for easing traffic congestion around this busy junction has been largely criticised. Those opposing the move to widen Sankey road are concerned about the loss of 100-year-old trees, footpaths, the safety of the tank bund, as well as increased traffic and pollution. The plan appears to go dormant every decade, but refuses to die. Plans to widen Sankey Road have been in the making since 1984. Pic: Sacha Fernandez (CC BY-NC-ND-2.0) Four decades in the making In 1984, the city’s first Master Plan included a…