Articles by News Desk

On January 8th 2017, over 4500 people from across Bengaluru visited Kaikondrahalli Lake to connect with their friends, community and nature. Lake festival, or Kere Habba, is a completely volunteer-organised event aimed at raising awareness, increasing community participation and fostering an appreciation of lakes in Bengaluru. Kaikondrahalli celebrated its third lake festival on January 8th, 2017. A bird living in the Kakondrahalli lake premises. Pic: Shree D N Over a hundred students from Renuka school situated on the banks of the lake, involved themselves in many activities; they organised a Halli Games session, to teach visitors how to play traditional…

Bellandur is one of the largest wards in Bengaluru. Of late, it has been in news for inefficient garbage collection and burning of garbage in public places. A few months ago, a new garbage contract was awarded to Bellandur. The residents allege that the new system is unscientific and designed to fail. The monthly waste management expenditure for Bellandur ward till August 2016 was Rs 35 lakh. A new contract was awarded in September 2016 and the contract amount was revised to Rs 45 lakh per month. But the difference was not just in cost calculation. The entire system of…

Dear reader, Wish you a very happy new year from all of us at Citizen Matters - Oorvani Foundation! It was a sad start to the new year, with the reports of molestation in several parts of Bengaluru. What do you think about the debate around molestation incidents? We would like to hear from you! This week’s highlight NICE road land acquisition saga Framers in Gonipura, Thippur and Sigehalli villages grow ragi, maize, dal, peanuts and veggies in their fertile agriculture land. Pic: Akshatha M Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) was supposed to connect two cities seamlessly. NICE Road, the part…

We couldn’t help sharing this curated list of stories we published in 2016 - so here we are, with special year-end edition of the newsletter! These are the stories that make us what we are; these are the stories you would love to indulge in, to get a 360 degree view of an issue. Let us know which one you liked the best! The messed-up storm water drain encroachment clearance drive 2016 saw unprecedented action by the revenue department, where many buildings encroaching storm water drains were razed down. Many of these buildings had authorised plan sanction from BBMP. How…

It’s that time of the year again when Bengaluru revels in literature. Fifth edition of Bengaluru Literature Festival is here again, with a line up of exciting events that are sure to tickle the brains, with many who’s-who in the world of literature attending it as panelists and guests. According to a press note from the organisers, Bangalore Literature Festival is all set for a fifth edition on December 17 and 18 at the Hotel Royal Orchid lawns on Old Airport Road, Bengaluru. Building on the success of over the past four years, this year Bangalore Literature Festival will feature…

Dear Reader, Before you move on to the news section, ponder this: 2018 is going to see elections in Karnataka - precisely 18 months away from now. Do you have any idea what the 28 MLAs you have elected did in the Karnataka assembly the last 3.5 years? You might remember the coverage we did during the past elections - 2013 state election, 2014 Loksabha election, and 2015 BBMP election. We will of course do data-based reporting in 2018 too. But it will be possible only with your contributions - because no corporate or political party funds us. We are…

TenderSURE roads in Bengaluru have been the topic of debate for a few years now. While the designs shown in presentations are only schematic and not open to public scruitiny, the execution of the project on many roads has drawn criticism from public. Jahnavi Pai, an environment enthusiast, has done a study on the environment-friendly quotient of a TenderSURE design. According to her, The space for roots is not enough to help the tree grow, according to the drawings of TenderSURE design available in public domain. This could be a major drawback as far as trees are concerned. The rainwater…

Story of the season: Beating cash-crunch in cities As cash-crunch hits ATMs post-demonetisation, many people are finding alternative ways to pay the monthly bills and commitments. People living in cities have comparatively less worries in tackling this situation, as technology comes to help. >> Read our guide on Many options for cashless transactions, to help ease cash-crunch. >> Much is being said about ewallets. How does ewallet help? Here’s an article: A guide to e-wallets. Also read: What demonetisation means for common man on Chennai streets Elevated roads and public transport in cities R K Misra, who is one of…

This week’s highlight Bengaluru is burning, but BBMP unable to help Garbage burning in progress in Varthur. Pic: Keerthi Gardenia resident In last two weeks, there have been multiple cases of garbage burning in Bengaluru being reported on social media. But the entire system seems to have turned a blind eye to this problem. The problem recurs every winter and continues in summer. But who is caring? Read: BBMP unable to control Bengaluru's garbage fire menace Fedup of constantly breathing toxic fumes from burning of garbage, student Aditya Potapragada writes to BBMP:‘Killing me softly with your smoke.’ When a builder…

  CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city! Dear Reader, Season’s greetings! It’s going to be Deepavali this weekend. While the festival of lights brings in joy and celebration, it’s also the time when pollution peaks, and crackers only add to it. Is anything being done to create awareness among children on harmful effects of crackers? Ponder over this: Deepavali in the city: can it be safer and ecofriendly? The Steel Flyover Debate Weekends in Bengaluru these days are a witness to a citizen movement that the city never saw in recent days: a human chain…