Articles by News Desk

Subways are typically built so that pedestrians can cross over from one side of the road to the other, without having to risk their lives by meandering their way through traffic. Subways in Namma Bengaluru are another matter altogether. Some of them are used as public toilets and reek of urine. They get waterlogged after a heavy downpour. And being dimly-lit, many people avoid then for their lack of safety. Well, the Bangalore Underground Project looked to changed that. Last year, Bangalore Rising and BBMP came together to clean six subways near Cubbon Park and KR Circle. And the effort did…

  Bengaluru this week July 2nd 2015     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!     It is game time in Bengaluru with the State Election Commission declaring BBMP elections. If all goes according to plan, the city may just have a new BBMP council by this time, next month. For the next couple of weeks, Citizen Matters will be presenting an in depth coverage of the elections - the latest news and updates, who is contesting from where, and much more. Keep a track of our special BBMP Elections coverage. Here are the top…

  Bengaluru this week June 25th 2015     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!     Here are the top stories from Bengaluru for this week: All-India Sub-group of Chief Ministers on Swacch Bharath headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met in Vidhana Soudha earlier today. Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT) showcased citizens’ efforts to make the city garbage-free to the sub-group. Law Minister TB Jayachandra confirmed that the approvals for tenders for the proposed signal-free corridors between Mysuru Road junction to Central Silk Board junction on Outer Ring Road (Rs 153.42 crore), and between…

Schedule for the much-awaited Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) election has been declared. The Karnataka State Election Commission has scheduled the election on July 28th 2015. With the announcement of poll schedule, model code of conduct has come into force with immediate effect and will be in force till August 1st. Addressing media persons on Thursday, State Election Commissioner P N Srinivasachari declared that the BBMP Commissioner will issue poll notification on July 8th. Last date for filing nominations is July 15th. Last date for scrutiny of nominations is July 16th. Candidates can withdraw their nominations before July 20th. Polling…

  Bengaluru this week June 18th 2015     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!     Last week, we had featured the Under-23 Ultimate team and how for the first ever time, India was set to send a team to London for the Under-23 Ultimate Frisbee World Championships, provided they raised sufficient funds… And here’s the good news. The team has raised enough funds and will be making it to London! We wish them the very best. You can follow the team and their journey here: Team India U23’s long and hard road to London.…

The Bruhat Bangalore Beedhi Vyaapaari Sanghatanegala Okkoota is (Federation of Street Vendor Unions of Bangalore) is calling for a protest rally and a bundh on street vending on Monday, June 15th. The protest march is scheduled for 10 am from City railway station to Freedom Park. Thousands of vendors are expected to participate from all eight zones of BBMP. This come in the light of the spate of evictions of street vendors by Bangalore’s police (Law and Order and Traffic) and BBMP officials. While the UPA-2  has brought in the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihoods and Regulation of Street Vending)…

  Bengaluru this week June 11th 2015     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!     Here are the top stories from Bengaluru for this week: Namma Bengaluru Foundation (NBF) which questioned the SEZ coming up on Bellandur lakebed through a PIL has withdrawn the case from High Court, with liberty to refile the case after the National Green Tribunal verdict. The High Court earlier dismissed the PIL filed by Environment Support Group (ESG) on road widening. Following a Supreme Court directive, the Transport Commissioner has a sent a proposal to the State government calling…

  The Coalition for Clean India, a network of organisations working on solid waste management presented a five-point Charter to the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on World Environment Day on May 6th 2015, at the Parisara Habba held at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. Here is the letter that was shared: "We, citizens groups, organisations and individuals working on Solid Waste Management have come together, as Coalition for Clean India, to highlight a clear and common agenda, for sustainable practices in Municipal Solid Waste Management both in the State of Karnataka and at the national level. The Agenda of the Coalition for…

​The Urban Development Department (UDD) has published the draft of the Kamataka Municipal Corporations - Ward committee Rules, 2013 on May 26th 2015. Kathyayini Chamaraj, Trustee CIVIC, says they had not announced or published it on the UDD website. When Citizen Matters checked the website on June 8th 2015, the ticker on the homepage still carried the rules that were gazetted on November 10th 2014.   Kathyayini says that when she enquired about the rules on multiple visits to the UDD office, the standard response was that it would take ten days and the like. When she visited the office on June 4th…

  Bengaluru this week June 4th 2015     CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city!     Oorvani Foundation has received contributions from several folks through online transfer. However, some of you haven't shared all the details, as a result of which we have not been able to send you the acknowledgement. In case you are yet to receive the 80G receipt for your contribution, drop us a mail on foundation@oorvani.in with your name, transaction amount and date and we will get back to you. Here are the top stories from Bangalore for this week: Solid…