City: Bengaluru

Last November, the cybercrime police station (CCPS) in Bengaluru, the only one in the city at the time, had to suspend operations because of an unusual problem. The number of FIRs (First Information Reports) registered in 2019 were on the verge of crossing 10,000. The software used by the police allowed for registration of FIRs with only four-digit serial numbers, and hence the software could not register any more cases.  Due to this, the station had to be shut on November 23, and was reopened only on December 10 after the software was upgraded to allow entry of five-digit FIR…

For the past year, as part of my Peak Urban research, I have been researching the emergence of digital money and Uber-like online transport booking services in the auto-rickshaw industry in Bengaluru. I have witnessed huge gaps in provision to services, particularly for these low-income self-employed drivers who are marginalised from regulated banking institutions and are forced to seek alternative financial arrangements at exorbitant costs. They provide important transportation services for the public, that are designed to supplement the bus and Metro systems. Yet these drivers are not financially supported in terms of infrastructure investment, salaries, health insurance or retirement pensions.…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities Every time a gruesome rape incident shakes the foundations of our belief in humanity, a few standard arguments make an appearance. Maybe I am being cynical, but my take is that the comments that follow a headline-grabbing rape seem like the script of a 70’s Hindi movie - standard, repetitive, predictable and, at the risk of sounding extremely insensitive, almost entertaining. “Make every rape punishable by capital punishment.” “We cannot ask the state to commit murder. It is barbaric and a violation of human rights.” “Justice…

Bengaluru’s draft Comprehensive Mobility Plan 2019, published by the BMRCL and DULT, has come under attack for several reasons, primary among which is its reliance on faulty and outdated data. The document is problematic from several perspectives - legal, technical, financial, and also in terms of sustainability. 1) Any successful travel demand model (TDM) must understand the people’s daily travel pattern (origin-destination), and their preferred mode of travel. Past TDM projects have identified the TAZs (Transportation Analysis Zones) without considering the economic strata of the public. In other words, they mix up different sections of the society which have distinct…

Translated by Purushothama Nag ಎರಡು ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪಗಳು - ಉದ್ದವಾದ ಪಾದಚಾರಿ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ವಾರದ ಕೆಲವು ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾದಚಾರಿ ಮೀಸಲು ರಸ್ತೆಗಳು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮಹಾನಗರ ಪ್ರದೇಶಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಸಮಗ್ರ ಚಲನಶೀಲತೆ ಯೋಜನೆಯ (ಸಿಎಂಪಿ) ಇತ್ತೀಚಿನ ಕರಡು ಅದರ ನಾಲ್ಕು ವರ್ಷದ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಆವೃತ್ತಿಗಿಂತ ಗಮನಾರ್ಹವಾಗಿ ಭಿನ್ನವಾಗಿದೆ. ನಗರದ ಸಂಚಾರ ಅವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಸರಿಪಡಿಸಲು ಅಲ್ಪ ಮತ್ತು ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲೀನ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳನ್ನು ರೂಪಿಸಲು ಸಿಎಂಪಿ ಸಿದ್ಧಪಡಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಸಮಗ್ರ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ಯೋಜನೆ 2019 ರ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಸಾರಾಂಶಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ ಆದರೆ ಮೋಟಾರುರಹಿತ ಸಾರಿಗೆ, ಅವುಗಳೆಂದರೆ ಪಾದಚಾರಿಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸೈಕಲ್ ಸವಾರರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಅಥವಾ ಗಮನ ಹರಿಸದ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪಗಳಿಗಿಂತ ಭಿನ್ನವಾಗಿ, ಹೊಸ ಕರಡು ಸಿಎಂಪಿ ಪಾದಚಾರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸೈಕ್ಲಿಂಗ್ ಮೂಲಸೌಕರ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಗದಿಸಿದೆ. ಇದು ಸಮಗ್ರ ಯೋಜನೆಗೆ ಪೂರಕವಾಗಿದೆಯೇ ಮತ್ತು ಈ ಸೌಲಭ್ಯಗಳು ಸಾಕೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಇನ್ನೂ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಬೇಕಾಗಿದೆ.  ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪಗಳು ಹೀಗಿವೆ: ಎತ್ತರದ ಪಾದಚಾರಿ ಸೇತುವೆಗಳು  ಸಿಎಂಪಿ ತನ್ನ ಮಲ್ಟಿ-ಮೋಡಲ್ ಮೊಬಿಲಿಟಿ ಯೋಜನೆಯಡಿ, 300…

Translated by Mukund Gowda ನಗರ ಭೂ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನಾಲಯವು ಇತ್ತೀಚಿಗೆ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮಹಾನಗರದ  'ಸಮಗ್ರ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ಯೋಜನೆಯ  ಕರಡನ್ನು ತಯಾರಿಸಿದ್ದು ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ತೀವ್ರ ಚರ್ಚೆಗೆ ಗ್ರಾಸವಾಗಿದ್ದ ಎಲಿವೇಟೆಡ್ ಕಾರಿಡಾರ್ ಯೋಜನೆಯೂ ಒಳಗೊಂಡಿದ್ದು ೯೨ ಕಿಲೋಮೀಟರ್ ನ ಈ ಎತ್ತರದ ಕಾರಿಡಾರ್ ನಿರ್ಮಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹದಿನೆಂಟು ಸಾವಿರ ಕೋಟಿಗೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ವ್ಯಯಿಸಲಾಗುವುದು  ಎಂದು  ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸಿದೆ.  ಕೇಂದ್ರದ ಮೆಟ್ರೋ ಪೋಲಿಸಿಗೆ ಅನುಗುಣವಾಗಿ ಮೆಟ್ರೋಪಾಲಿಟನ್ ನಗರಕ್ಕೆ 'ಸಮಗ್ರ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ಯೋಜನೆ'ಯನ್ನು ತಯಾರಿಸಬೇಕಿದೆ.  ಈ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಕರಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೆಲ್ಲಾ ಇದೆ ಎಂದು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಕ್ಷಿಪ್ತವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತೇವೆ :  ಮೆಟ್ರೋ, ಉಪನಗರ ರೈಲು, ಬಸ್ ಆದ್ಯತಾ ಪಥ ಮತ್ತು ಬಸ್ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಳವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡಂತೆ  ಮೂರು ಹಂತದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಗ್ರ ಸಾರಿಗೆ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆ ಕಲ್ಪಿಸುವ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳು ಈ ಹಿಂದೆ 2011 ಮತ್ತು 2015ರ ಕರಡು ಯೋಜನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪಿತವಾಗಿತ್ತು.  ಈ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಹಳೆ ಮತ್ತು ಹೊಸ ಆವೃತ್ತಿಗಳ ಎರಡನೇ ಮತ್ತು ಮೂರನೇ ಹಂತದಲ್ಲಿ ನಗರ ಸಾರಿಗೆಯ ವಿವಿಧ ಆಯಾಮಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾಪಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ.…

Double property tax for building law violation Double the property tax will now be applicable to buildings constructed in violation of bylaws. State cabinet has approved an amendment to the Karnataka Municipalities Act to affect the change. Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said the tax doubling would apply only to the portion of the built-up area that violates bylaws. BBMP will be able to levy the additional tax as soon as a notification is issued in tune with the cabinet's decision. However, the double property tax does not absolve violators, Madhuswamy clarified; they would have to pay…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities It has taken seven years and numerous rounds of review in different courts to get justice and closure in a case that shook the country with its brutality and almost became a metaphor for the spiralling sexual violence that women in India have faced in recent years. Why has the system failed us despite both POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) and POSH laws in place? Is it only the tardy justice system or a total systemic failure? As per National Crime Records Bureau, as…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities In any criminal act in which a woman is the target, the police is almost always in the best position to offer help, safety and reassurance to the aggrieved, besides investigating the crime and bringing the assailant to book. Clearly, this calls for a certain level of competence and professionalism, and a degree of empathy, patience and sensitivity towards women. Such qualities on the part of law-enforcers would be the criminal justice system’s most significant contribution towards empowering women and upholding their equal status.  Sadly however,…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities The gruesome rape and murder of a veterinarian in Hyderabad recently shocked our country. But after the dust settles, the question that would be asked of a dead woman is “What was she doing out so late in the night?” As working professionals and contributing members of society, women shouldn’t have to answer this question at all. But we don't live in a perfect world. Hence the law needed to step in to protect women who work at night. In 2002, state government amended the Karnataka…