Articles by Sandhya Bhat

Table of contentsDK Suresh: Personal informationOnline presence Criminal casesAssets and liabilities Positions heldPerformance in Parliament Summary of debates and questionsMPLADS funds spending for Bangalore RuralDK Suresh in the news Also read Doddaalahalli Kempegowda Suresh or DK Suresh is a three-time MP of Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency. The 57-year-old was born in Doddaalahalli, Ramanagara. He is from the Indian National Congress (INC). D K  Suresh was first elected through a by-election in 2013 from Bangalore Rural, after sitting MP H D Kumaraswamy resigned. He was elected a second time in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. DK Suresh: Personal information NameD K SureshAge57 yearsPolitical PartyIndian National Congress…

Table of contentsPC Mohan: Personal informationCriminal casesAssets and liabilitiesPositions heldPerformance in ParliamentSummary of debates and questionsMPLADS funding for Bangalore CentralP C Mohan in the newsInterviews and interactionAlso read: P. Chikkamuni Mohan or P C Mohan, from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is a three-time Lok Sabha MP representing Bangalore Central constituency. He was the MLA of Chickpet assembly constituency for two terms, from 1999 to 2008. He got elected as MP in the 15th (2009), 16th (2014) and 17th (2019) Lok Sabha elections from Bangalore Central. As per this report card: In 2019, Mohan got 6,02,853 votes (50.35%); while his…

As the Lok Sabha 2024 election is underway, political parties have released their election manifestos. What do the parties promise for us urban residents? How do they plan to make our cities sustainable and liveable? Why cities matter In 2022, approximately a third of the total population in India lived in cities. The trend shows an increase in urbanisation by more than 4% over the last decade, which means that people have moved away from rural areas to find work and make a living in the cities. The demographic dividend of India is significant, with 65% of its population being…

Two major announcements were made in February 2024: Karnataka Assembly passed the BBMP Amendment Bill 2024. Bengaluru development/Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on X (twitter) hailed it as a taxpayer-friendly Bill. The amendment was projected to benefit around 13-15 lakh people in Bengaluru, including 5.51 lakh taxpayers, by reducing the penalty on property tax arrears by 50%. This was followed, on February 20th, by BBMP’s draft notification proposing a new property tax calculation structure in Bengaluru. The new structure, based on Guidance Value (GV), is expected to begin during the next financial year, starting April 1st. Tax computation Municipalities in…

In 2019, a new underground drainage pipe (UGD) was installed to clear an earlier blocked sewer that erupted, leaked, and contaminated the land. The culprit – output from the unplanned growth of commercial kitchens in 5th block, Koramangala, which have been pumping these effluents into the UGD. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) moved the UGD from the carriage way to the side of the road, where all the utilities were planned, as part of the whitetopping procedure. They found that the discharge from the line that was attached to a restaurant was entirely filled with oil when…

At the recently held BBMP – Work Orders, Budgets and Processes Datajam, a group of citizen volunteers analysed the data available in the public domain, here are their observations and suggestions on BBMP’s cess collection. To:Sri. Nagaraj SherigarBBMP Additional Commissioner (Finance) Dear Sir, We are a group of citizen volunteers who would like to share our observations and suggestions on BBMP’s cess collection. Observations: We attempted to find out how much cess and surcharge was being collected each year by BBMP based on the agency’s cess receipts and where it was spent. The team found that although typically cess forms…

The Merriam Webster dictionary’s definition of the word ‘manifesto’ is “A written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer”. Do the manifestos released by the four main political parties contesting the May 10th Karnataka assembly elections fit that definition? The intentions are somewhat spelt out, the motives are unknown. And its views on issues like decentralisation, of urban governance in particular, finds no mention at all. The tradition of issuing “manifestos” began with the first election in 1952. But those were different and simpler times with one major party, which faced no worthwhile opposition. But today’s…

Find out how Malleshwaram Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA Dr C N Ashwath Narayan (BJP) and other candidates – Anoop Iyengar (INC), Suman Prashanth (AAP) and Dr Suneel Hebbi (National People's Party). Table of contentsAbout the constituencyKey issues in the constituencyKey parameters - How does this constituency fare? SchoolingMobilityCitizen engagementHealthConstituency mapCitizen demandsIncumbent MLA: Dr C N Ashwath NarayanWork in the termIn the newsQuestions raised in the AssemblyList of candidatesIncumbent MLA: Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, BJPCandidate: Anoop Iyengar, INCCandidate: Dr Suneela Hebbi, National People's Party (NPP)Candidate: Suman Prashanth,…

Find out how Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly Constituency is faring and what the major issues in this constituency are. Learn about the incumbent MLA K Gopalaiah (BJP) and other candidates – Keshavamurthy S (INC) and Shanthala Damle (AAP) Table of contentsAbout the constituencyKey issues in the constituencyKey parameters - How does this constituency fare? SchoolingMobilityCitizen engagementHealthIncumbent MLA: K GopalaiahIn the newsList of candidatesIncumbent MLA: K GopalaiahCandidate: Shanthala Damle, AAPCandidate: S Keshavamurthy - INCFull list of candidates   Past elections results About the constituency The Mahalakshmi Layout assembly constituency is situated in northwest Bengaluru. It is considered to be the third largest residential layout in…