City: Bengaluru

Starting today, freedom fighter H S Doreswamy, aged 101 years, is to lead a satyagraha at the Town Hall from 11 am to 5 pm, for five days. The protest is against the central government's position on the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), along with other issues such as economic slowdown and price rise. Kavitha Reddy, one of the organisers, says Doreswamy had submitted the application to the police seeking permission for the protest, weeks ago. "We got a call from the local police station yesterday, and they collected all details of the protest." She says that the police didn't mention…

It has been almost five months since ward marshals were appointed in the city to prevent public littering, but the piling up of garbage in places other than the designated ones raises questions about how effective the move has been. On its part, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) holds that violations have come down after marshals started patrolling the wards. The BBMP managed to convince the state government to appoint 232 marshals, to prevent random littering of streets, lakes, Indira canteens, landfills and other public spaces, at a cost of Rs 8.51 crore. Ward marshals were deployed from September,…

Translated by Ankitha Kamath and Katyayini ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿನ ವಾಹನ ದಟ್ಟನೆ ಸಡಲಿಸಲು ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಉಪಾಯಗಳು ಕೇಳಿ ಬಂದಿವೆ. #ಸೈಕಲ್-ಟು-ವರ್ಕ್ ಫ್ರೈಡೇ ಆಂದೋಲನ ಈ ಸಾಲಿಗೆ ಹೊಸ ಸೇರ್ಪಡೆ. ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಬಸ್ಸ್ ಪ್ರಯೋರಿಟಿ ಲೇನ್ Bus Priority Lane (BPL) ಯೋಜನೆಯು ವಿನೂತನ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನವಾಗಿದೆ.  ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಸಾರಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಜನಪ್ರಿಯಗೊಳಿಸಿ, ಈ ಮೂಲಕ ಖಾಸಗಿ ವಾಹನಗಳ ಬಳಕೆ  ತಗ್ಗಿಸಲು ಉತ್ತೇಜನ ನೀಡಿ ಸಕಾರಾತ್ಮಕ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ ತರುವುದು ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಚಿಂತನೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಬಹುಮುಖ್ಯ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಶಿಸ್ತಾದ ಸಂಚಾರ, ಮತ್ತು ಸಮಯ ಪಾಲನೆ.  ಬಸ್ಸುಗಳು ತಮ್ಮ ನಿಗದಿತ ಮಾರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಡೆ-ತಡೆಗಳಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಂಚರಿಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರಿಗೆ ಸಮಯವು ಉಳಿತಾಯ, ವಾಹನ ಚಾಲನೆಯ ತಲೆ ಬಿಸಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ.  ಆದರೆ  ಈ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ಪ್ರಯಾಣದ ಬೆಲೆ ಜನಸಾಮಾನ್ಯನ ಕಿಸೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಿತವಾಗಿರಲೂಬೇಕು.  BMTC ಬಸ್ ಶುಲ್ಕವು ದೇಶದಲ್ಲೇ ಅತಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು ದೇಶದ ಇತರೆ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ನಗರಗಳ…

For Ramu B P, who has been driving a BMTC bus between Central Silk Board and KR Puram for many years, the Bus Priority Lane – in effect from November 1, 2019 – came as a relief.  “Earlier, it used to take about 75 minutes. In the last three months, it has come down to 45-50 minutes,” he says. He also believes things can be improved further. “If the BPL is fully implemented, then it would help us in reducing more time.”  For Sanjappa, another driver on the same route, the BPL has provided mental relief. “We used to get…

Given that women are still unsafe in our public spaces, what options do they have if they are in danger? One option is Bengaluru City Police's Suraksha app. This app has been downloaded 1.5 lakh times since its launch in 2017. All you have to do is press the panic button on the app, which is directly linked to the police response team. Police say it'd take them only 7-9 minutes to reach your location. The police helpline Vanitha Sahaya Vani offers immediate intervention and rescue in cases of domestic violence and other forms of abuse. It also offers services…

National Common Mobility Card in Metro from March The BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited) is installing AFC (Automatic Fare Collection) systems on trial basis at Baiyappanahalli, Mysuru Road and Majestic stations, to facilitate the central government’s ambitious ‘One Nation One Card’ policy. The National Common Mobility Card will enable people to use multiple modes of transport like Metro and BMTC buses, pay parking fees and toll, and purchase at retail stores. BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth said the facility will be available for commuters from Mysuru Road to Baiyappanahalli on Purple Line, by March end. The AFC systems are…

In the first part of this series, we looked at the patterns in pedestrian fatalities in Bengaluru. In this part, we look at solutions to the problem. Between 2010 and 2018, over 3000 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in Bengaluru. Since 2010, the number of deaths have gone down by around 31 percent, which is an average reduction of 3.8 percent per year. While the city has performed better than other metros like Delhi and Chennai, it is yet to make significant strides in improving pedestrian safety. That a large number of pedestrians continue to die is unacceptable, and warrants…

Pedestrians, as we know, are the most vulnerable road users. Over the past three years, Bengaluru has consistently seen the third highest number of pedestrian deaths among major Indian cities. Between 2010 and 2018, more than 3000 pedestrians have been killed in traffic crashes in the city, and four times as many have been injured. Many of these deaths could have been prevented had corrective measures been taken in a conscious and timely manner. But, beyond just the size of the problem, what do we know about pedestrian crashes happening in our city? Why and when do these crashes occur,…

Can you believe this: A mammoth project such as Namma Metro in Bengaluru has, so far, been built without a broad mobility blueprint for the city in mind? In other words, Phase 1 -- which is already up and running -- and Phase 2 -- which is under construction -- do not integrate either with the existing transportation infrastructure (public bus service, pedestrian infrastructure, cycling infrastructure, cab aggregators and bike taxis) or with developmental plans of other civic agencies (BBMP, BDA, BWSSB etc).  If so, will seamless travel in Bengaluru remain a distant dream? It also begs the question whether…

Translated by Madhusudhan Rao ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿನ ಕಸದ ರಾಶಿಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ಅಸಹ್ಯಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವವರೇ. ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ವಿಲೇವಾರಿ ಮಾಡಿದ ನಂತರ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ನಿಟ್ಟುಸಿರು ಬಿಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಕಸ ಎಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ? ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಕಸದ ದುಃಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಸರಿಪಡಿಸಲು ಒಂದು ಧಿಡೀರ್ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದೆ - ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ಒಟ್ಟು 2100 ಟನ್ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುವ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ ಹೊಂದಿರುವ ಐದು ಕಸದಿಂದ ವಿದ್ಯುತ್ ತಯಾರಿಸುವ (“ವೇಸ್ಟ್-ಟು-ಎನರ್ಜಿ” ಅಥವಾ ಡಬ್ಲ್ಯೂಟಿಈ / WtE) ಘಟಕಗಳು. ಅನೇಕರು ಅಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬಹುದು - ವಾಹ್, ಕಸದಿಂದ ವಿದ್ಯುತ್! ಎಂಥ ಅದ್ಭುತ ಪರಿಕಲ್ಪನೆ! ಒಂದೇ ಏಟಿಗೆ ಎರಡು ಹಕ್ಕಿ ಹೊಡೆದ ಹಾಗೆ! ಆದರೆ ಇದು ಖಂಡಿತ ತಪ್ಪು. ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಐದು ಕಾರಣಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ: ಭಾರತದಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ಪತ್ತಿಯಾಗುವ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಡಬ್ಲ್ಯುಟಿಈ ಘಟಕಗಳು ಸೂಕ್ತವಲ್ಲ “ಆದ್ರೆ ಸ್ವೀಡನ್, ಸಿಂಗಪುರ್ ಮತ್ತು ಜಪಾನ್ ಗಳಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಡಬ್ಲ್ಯುಟಿಈ ಘಟಕಗಳನ್ನು ವಾಟ್ಸಾಪ್ಪ್ ವಿಡಿಯೋನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ನೋಡಿದೀನಿ - ಈ ದೇಶಗಳಂತೆಯೇ ಆಧುನಿಕ ತಂತ್ರಜ್ಞಾನವನ್ನು ನಾವೂ ಏಕೆ…