Articles by Seema Prasad

Gopinath P (35) grew up in extreme water scarcity, in Vijayanagar village in Bengaluru. This is an area located in Mahadevapura, a zone earmarked under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP's) 110 villages project. “My mother travelled 4.5 kms by foot often to Immadihalli village, where certain rich zamindars had built borewells owing to favourable water tables,” Gopinath says. Carrying plastic-pots attached to her waist and head, she along with many other villagers of Vijayanagar traveled to faraway villages seeking water. Tankers go every fortnight to one cross. But if the water is over, a resident who is supposed to…

The fervour gripping the nation during the IPL cricket season is about to die down as it draws to a close on May 27. While the ups and downs for cricket teams get publicised, what generally goes unnoticed is how the trash generated is managed. Bengaluru has led the way in showing other cities and cricket match organisers how waste can be handled in a scientific, sustainable manner. The seven matches played and hosted by them this summer at Chinnaswamy Stadium drew an audience of minimum 40,000 people on all days with each match generating garbage of 6.5 tonnes, according…

Bengaluru & Infra & Urban Planning INCPitching Bengaluru as the Second capital city of India. A special package of 100,000 crore for infra Compile a new survey map of the city to subsume all the underlying historical village maps BJPPass a new law named the “Nava Bengaluru Act” to cater to the unique needs of Bengaluru. Institute Bengaluru Transit Challenge Fund with a Rs 200 Crore initial corpus to incentivise citizen driven transit. Develop Devanahalli town as an IT city by taking advantage of its proximity to the Bengaluru Airport. Transform all metro pillars and flyover into standing gardens. 5000km…

Incumbent MLA and INC candidate for Pulakeshinagar constituency, Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, won by a margin of nearly 50% last time. Despite shifting loyalties and getting inducted into the party only in March, Murthy is confident of repeating the same performance. He was in the eye of the storm for cross-voting with seven other former JD(S) leaders in favor of INC leader KC Ramamurthy. Amidst the hustle and bustle of campaigning, he sat down with Citizen Matters for a chat at his home. DJ Halli area was in news for deaths of children due to malnutrition. What steps have been taken…

Women’s groups in Bengaluru, representatives from various political parties, Bangalore Ladies Circle and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Ladies Organisation (FICCI FLO), came together to discuss representation in politics for women and women's issues. (WO)Manifesto, brainchild of Shruti Modi Kaura saw attendance by women from all walks of life at the TERI Institute on April 24. Shruti, once the Chairperson of Bangalore Ladies Circle 31, was only acting on her inclination to lead change when she went door-to-door asking for a seat in major parties. Soon, she realized there was no question of entering politics due to the…

Politics did not happen to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Karnataka Convener Prithvi Reddy intentionally. He was a part of Corruption Saku campaign in 2010 (which later merged with India Against Corruption) with no aspirations other than to reduce corruption. He co-founded Smart Vote, a movement to encourage voter registration and participation in issue-based politics. He runs his father’s school of 450 students in Addagal village, Kolar District. Reddy then co-founded Swabal, an initiative to provide practical skills to high school dropouts with guaranteed employment.   He became AAP’s national executive member in 2013. Now he is contesting from Sarvagna Nagar,…

Renuka Vishwanathan belongs to a rare breed of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers from Karnataka. It goes without saying that she has many broken barriers to her credit. She was a member of the Planning Commission of India, and the first woman Deputy Commissioner in Karnataka posted in Uttara Kannada District, and subsequently posted in Dharward District for a second term. She was also the first woman to become the Managing Director of the Karnataka State Finance Corporation, and the first woman Transport Commissioner of Karnataka. Before retiring she held the coveted post of Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat of…

Calling all avid cyclists who believe cycling makes cities safer, better, cleaner and happier. Do you have what it takes to join the league of Bicycle Mayors across the globe and transform transportation in Bengaluru? The initiative, coordinated by ESAF, an NGO, a part of the Bengaluru Coalition for Open Streets (BCOS) will nominate a Bicycle Mayor in Bengaluru to evangelise cycling and put cycling on the city’s agenda. It is a voluntary position for a period of two years. The Bicycle Mayor is the public face of cycling in the city, and brings different stakeholders - both citizens, civil…

He has contested polls three times earlier, and has lost it to more powerful candidates from recognised parties. Yet, former AAP Spokesperson for Karnataka, Ravi Krishna Reddy, is an undeterred independent candidate, who has chosen Jayanagar assembly constituency for the elections going to be held in May 2018. Losing has not killed his spirit, but has only served to invigorate it. Jayanagar is where his journey started a decade ago, when he contested as an independent candidate. After joining political parties for some time, he is back to give the polls another shot, as he believes lawmakers have true power.…

Karnataka, one of the only five remaining states in the country where Congress rule still prevails, is gearing up to host a major electoral battle that will not just decide the next Assembly but is also expected to create a reflective impact on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 election campaign. Two months prior to the state elections, the anxiety of the people is palpable in the ‘Karnataka Voters' Survey 2018’  released by the Chief Election Commissioner, Om Prakash Rawat, at IIM Bangalore on March 9. The state’s capital with a population of 12.34 million is home to 28 of the…