Articles by News Desk

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike has appealed to the government to constitute a joint legislative committee or a tripartite  committee of workers, transport corporations and state government to look into the issues facing road transport corporations in the State. The committee, in a press release issued Sunday, said that the government should take workers' demands and their welfare, with a  view of strengthening RTCs, into view. It should improve the accessibility and availability of the public service  for the benefit of common people.  The BBPV's appeal came in the wake of the state's road transport corporation employees -- including drivers,…

Frontline workers first in line for COVID vaccine Around 6,000 frontline healthcare workers have been identified for the administration of COVID vaccine on top priority. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner G Prakash also noted that the count could go up to a lakh with enumeration across the state. Once healthcare workers have been vaccinated, staff of the Chennai Corporation and police personnel, who have been at the forefront of battling the pandemic, will be next in line. Persons above 70 years of age will be the next category to receive the vaccine.  As the corporation undertakes door-to-door screening programme…

Farmer protests continues, might intensify in coming days  As talks between the farmers and government remained inconclusive, farmers have continued to stick to their demand of revoking all the three controversial farm laws. The farmers have also added a new demand and that is to provide a minimum support price (MSP) mechanism on all the 26 crop items they have mentioned. They are now planning to increase the numbers of protestors at different border locations. The farmers have also called for boycotting the establishment and services of two corporate giants, Ambani and Adani.  The Ministry of Agriculture in its fresh…

Farmers protest new land law A coalition of farmers, labour and Dalit organisations staged rallies in the city to protest the Karnataka Land Reforms (Second Amendment) Bill that seeks to remove restrictions on the purchase of agricultural land. The State Legislature passed the Bill on Tuesday. Thousands of protesters — wearing green shawls and holding whips — arrived in the city to show their ire against the ruling BJP government for passing the law, and the Janata Dal (Secular), for supporting its passage. They were also opposing the Union government's farm laws that have led to nation-wide protests. While their…

The Bangalore Apartments' Federation is holding it's annual event 'Bengaluru Apartments – Making Bengaluru  Operationally Outstanding and Sustainable' (BAMBOOS), on December 12th and 13th. Covid-19 restrictions has forced the event to go online. Stakeholders will discuss, engage, share and collaborate on the theme Responsible, Resilient &  Responsive Apartment Communities for the Bengaluru of next decade. To participate, one would have to register at: https://baf.org.in/bamboos Representatives from government, bureaucracy, civic agencies, expert groups, non profit organisations, media, management committees of apartments and residents will come together to reimagine a better Bengaluru.  Panel discussions would be held on the following topics:  Essential…

We, at Citizen Matters, are doing a survey of Managing Committees (MCs) in apartments/residential societies in Bengaluru. MCs have a critical role in smooth functioning of apartments. They have significant responsibilities, managing all common resources and facilities like electricity, water, common areas, etc. They are also responsible for judicious spending of maintenance charges paid by the residents, for both operational and capital expenses. If you currently are or have been an MC member at your apartment/society in Bengaluru, please participate in our survey. It will take only 5-10 minutes. Responses will be aggregated, so your confidentiality is assured. We will…

Five years since the international community agreed to the list of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, achievement of the sixth (SDG 6) -- ensuring inclusive access to clean water and sanitation facilities -- remains a far cry in Indian cities.  What obstructs inclusive and resilient access to water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and healthy spaces for all urban dwellers?  What are the challenges specific to Indian cities, especially the metros? Are there successful experiments led by communities or organisations, using either technology or nature-based solutions, that can be showcased and scaled to bridge the gaps that exist? To probe…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and Janaagraha’s #MyCityMyBudget annual campaign, meant to involve citizens in the making of the city’s budget, was kicked off on Tuesday.  The thrust of this year’s campaign is to improve public toilets, end public urination and ensure pedestrian-friendly footpaths.  The campaign that will  be live for a month, seeks inputs from citizens for the next BBMP Budget. Citizens can submit their proposals at: https://www.ichangemycity.com/mcmb2020. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said that inputs are welcome through email, apps, forms and even through the budget van. He recalled that in the year 2017-18, the campaign received 22,000 suggestions…

Hyderabad civic polls: TRS slips as BJP makes major gains The results of the much-hyped and keenly contested elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were declared on Friday. The ruling party of the state, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), suffered a dent in performance with its secured wards going down from 99 to 55. The BJP made significant gains, raising its tally from 4 to 48. Despite being the single largest party, the TRS will need the support of other parties to retain the mayoral post as it falls well short of the 65-member mark. The voter turnout for the…

SWD project in south Chennai to start in two weeks In two weeks, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will begin construction of the stormwater drain (SWD) network in south Chennai. The project is funded by the World Bank. The SWD network in north Chennai is likely to commence next year. A minimum sum of Rs 2,600 crore is likely to be used for developing the drains, eco-restoration of waterbodies and interlinking of tanks in Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Sholinganallur, Perungudi and Alandur zones. Residents have been up in arms against the proposed project. Several sections of ECR did not witness…