Articles by Harshitha Padmavinod

For the past few months, there has been contention over the redesign of Gandhi Bazaar. The conflict at hand revolves around the clashes between the preservation of heritage and the construction of a modern shopping hub. The primary issue is in the inability of traders/vendors and authorities to find a compromise or middle ground that satisfies both parties. There is a lack of communication and a lack of clarity regarding the existing plans for development. While traders/vendors have objected to their recommendations not being considered, the authorities say they have documented evidence of repeated meetings and workshops held with the…

Ganganna (name changed) has been working as a manual scavenger, cleaning toilets and drains for the past 25 years in Tumkur. He says that most villagers have almost stopped hiring manual scavengers, but in urban areas like Bengaluru, there is demand for people like him. Cleaning of STPs cause of death Bengaluru has a large number of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), mostly in apartments, and many lack mechanised maintenance. When STPs require manual intervention in repairing blocks and cleaning, it is workers like Ganganna who are called to get into the sewage pits. This has led to the institutionalisation of…

“Patience is required to work in the education field,” says Preeti Gehlot, who was appointed as Special Commissioner for Education on January 25th. “It’s not like building a road, but more like bringing behavioural change in students,” she says. Though Preeti is also in-charge of estate, horticulture, lakes and forest, she prefers to devote more attention to education. In an interview with Citizen Matters, Preeti talks about the education department’s plans and proposals as well as priorities and implementation of policies.  Excerpts from the interview: How are BBMP schools different from schools under the jurisdiction of the Karnataka Government?  BBMP…

Akkai Padmashali is a pioneer in trans rights activism, from being the first transgender person to register her marriage in Karnataka to being a member of the drafting committee in the 2017 state policy for transgender people. Akkai started the human rights organisation, Ondede, which means ‘convergence’ in Kannada. She aspires to bring about ground-level changes in policies to be more inclusive.  In an exclusive interview with Citizen Matters, Akkai spoke about her views on the implementation of the reservation of jobs in public employment for the transgender community (Karnataka is the first state to provide 1% horizontal reservations in…

During the pandemic, coaching centres were compelled to conduct classes online. However, post pandemic, the trend seems to have reversed. Many students, preparing for competitive and board exams, are opting for offline classes. However, online study material, apps, recorded zoom classes, and YouTube videos, are being used by students either because they cannot attend classes in person or due to easy accessibility. Students' preferences Lutsuhlu Swuro, who joined Rau’s IAS Study Circle to prepare for the UPSC exam, says there is no alternative to classroom teaching. "The environment at home does not give me enough privacy to focus and study.…

Vinod Jacob, member of We Love Cubbon Park Association, expresses his concerns over the redesigning of the park. “They are now trying to lay tiles and concrete slabs. All that we’re asking for is to preserve the park in its natural form, otherwise we won’t be able to differentiate Cubbon Park from UB city.” Vinod is not alone in his concerns over the mismanagement and concretising of Bengaluru's parks. The Lalbagh Walkers' Association has flagged issues over allowing vendors in the park, feeding of stray dogs and pigeons, plastic waste, sewage in Lalbagh pond, among other concerns. Ever since the…

The new rules for visitors in Cubbon Park, laid down by the Karnataka Horticulture Department, has been a topic of debate and discussion among citizens. Visitors are not allowed to bring in food, not allowed to play games inside, and, the classic old issue made more stringent-no public display of affection, to the extent where couples are not allowed to sit too close to each other. While the security guards already have full power to keep couples in check for showing affection, they now in charge of ensuring the new rules are followed by all visitors.  Reasons for the new…