Articles by News Desk

Protest against garbage dumping at Bellahalli landfill On Wednesday morning, residents around Bellahalli landfill stopped BBMP's garbage trucks from dumping waste there. Since the last three years, Bengaluru has been dumping waste here. The landfill has become a serious threat to the health and well-being of residents nearby, especially during monsoons, the protestors said. As the protest continued, BBMP used police force to resume waste dumping on Thursday afternoon. D Randeep, BBMP Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management), said that the protestors had blocked over 300 garbage-laden trucks. Later, BBMP's entire fleet of 450 trucks was sent on a second trip to collect…

Globally, air pollution reduces life expectancy by one year and eight months, on average. This loss ranks just below smoking, but above unsafe drinking water and lung cancer (State of Global Air report, 2019). Emissions from increasing vehicular population, and residential and commercial activities, are polluting even the air far from the source, and affecting the health of millions of people. Lack of scientific methods to assess pollution, inadequate data and analysis have further hampered policy efforts to improve air quality in Indian cities. The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a leading research-based Indian think tank,…

A day-long workshop has been organised on how we can envision alternatives to the smart city and challenge the top-down and exclusionary nature of such policies. The workshop includes a number of speculative and participatory design activities through the day and encourages participants to contribute as part of this conversation, which will particularly focus on how those marginalised by gender, caste, disability and other vectors might propose alternatives that are realistic and constructive for these communities. ‘Gendering the Smart City project’ is led by Professor Ayona Datta, UCL, and Dr Padmini Ray Murray, Design Beku. Event details: Date & Time:…

Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, a bus commuters’ rights forum, is having a public discussion on the impact that cab aggregators like Ola, Uber have on mobility and livelihoods on 23rd August. Researchers on mobility, the gig economy, and representatives of the drivers will join them. The speakers are: Kaveri Medappa - Doctoral Researcher, University of Sussex Sudeept Maiti - Senior Manager, Integrated Transport, World Resources Institute Tanveer Pasha - President, Ola and Uber Owners and Drivers Association Event details: Date & Time: 23 August, 2019 at 6pm Venue: Vishranti Nilayam, Infantry road, Bengaluru (Opp. 'The Hindu' office) [ This article…

The residents of Adarsh Palm Retreat and surrounding areas in Bellandur are staging a peaceful protest and forming a human chain on August 20th to highlight traffic congestion and pollution in and around their community. This is not the first time that the residents are staging a protest to highlight the pressing issues that have been neglected for long. From time to time the residents have gathered to demand for a livable Bellandur.  Traffic woes have plagued the residents of Bellandur ever since office buildings have taken over and surrounded them, hindering their access to the Outer Ring Road (ORR). It…

563 new dengue cases in four days The number of dengue cases in the city shot up by 12 percent over just four days, this week. From the start of 2019, till Sunday, 4443 cases had been recorded in the city. But by Wednesday, the number rose to 5006, said officials. That is, 563 new cases were registered in just four days. BBMP East zone is worst affected, with 1937 cases since January. Bengaluru South zone comes next with 786 cases, followed by Mahadevapura with 760 cases. Dasarahalli Zone has recorded the lowest number, with 116 cases. Among wards, Hoysalanagar…

September may finally see water crisis resolution With the Mettur dam fast filling up and discharge likely to increase in a few days, the Veeranam tank is expected to receive inflows in 10 days. Heavy rains in the adjoining states of Andhra and Karnataka have also brought respite to the water-starved city, creating a steady increase in the water levels at the reservoirs. Krishna water supply from the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh will help boost the storage in the city reservoirs. Chennai currently is managing with drinking water supply of 525 million litres on alternate days. The city is…

Flood alert in Bengaluru  On Friday, state government's Urban Development Department (UDD) issued a ‘flood alert’ to the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike). The department gave flood warnings in 80 localities across the city, especially low-lying areas. This includes major commercial centres like Manyata Techpark, Mantri Mall, Silk Board Junction, Yeshwantpur TTMC, JC Road and Koramangala 4th Block Global Village. The letter from UDD said that the latest forecast indicated heavy rainfall across Bengaluru. And hence BBMP should coordinate with other departments immediately, and alert officials about the likelihood of accidents. BBMP has identified 182 vulnerable spots in the city's…

Comply with helmet rule or shell out Rs.1000 as fine The city traffic police will soon start levying fines on two wheelers that violate the helmet rule, as per the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill. To avoid confrontation with the public, the police have issued a warning to adhere to the rule or shell out Rs.1000 as fine (up 10x from the current fine of Rs 100).  The police have said that there needs to be an attitudinal shift in the mindset among the public, that safety is more important than convenience or fashion. According to the new rule, pillion riders must…

The third edition of India March for Science (IMFS) was held here in Bengaluru today. The march intended to celebrate science and promote scientific temper. It also championed robustly-funded, publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. Scientists, teachers, science communicators and science-loving public participated in the event. The march began at 10.15 am at Banappa Park. About 200 people participated, holding posters of quotes from various scientists, slogans on celebrating science, and handmade sketches of scientists. Prof V Shivram, Registrar at Bengaluru Central University, flagged off the march, calling for the spread of science to all parts…