City: Bengaluru

In July, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) formally acknowledged that ‘foldable bicycles’ were welcome in the Metro. But its blanket rule on baggage fees has dampened the spirits of commuters who use cycles for last-mile connectivity. The baggage rule implies that a commuter would have to pay Rs 30 every time he boards the Metro with his cycle. This fee may even be higher that the commuter's own ticket cost. Despite BMRCL's avowed support for cycling, it's unwilling to exempt cycles from baggage fee. Rs 30 for excess baggage Since the Metro started operating in 2011, BMRCL had introduced…

With all the buzz around sustainability, climate change and plastic pollution, it is good to see businesses around the world including PepsiCo and Nestle starting to talk about eco-friendly choices. Everyday, news reports highlight the innovative strategies of businesses to combat plastic pollution. For decades, we have been polluting our environment with plastic disposables, obsessed with the use-and-throw culture. Now we read about many inventions to replace plastic disposables with other types of disposables that are environment-friendly, labelled as pro-earth, biodegradable, compostable, food-grade etc. But are we going in the right direction by replacing one kind of disposable with another…

Govt considers zonal committees in B'luru State government is considering promoting zonal meetings at BBMP, to further decentralise the powers of BBMP Commissioner. The zonal committee will involve special commissioners, engineer-in-chief, ward officials, officials from all civic agencies, MLAs, nominated representatives from citizen groups, and ward committee members of the respective zones. As per a draft brought out by the government, the committee should clear proposals and works in the zone, before these are sent to the BBMP Council for approval. The draft also recommends including the committees in finalising the zonal budget for 2020. As per a recent government…

For residents of India’s IT capital, Bengaluru, a neighbourhood park (NP) is not an uncommon sight. Their role in providing the urban population a recreational space has been appreciated by both the residents and the municipal corporation. However, their contribution to supporting the urban ecosystem and sheltering urban biodiversity has been underestimated. In a new study, a group of urban ecologists from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have challenged this view. They say parks, despite their small size, can serve as “stepping stones” that facilitate the movement of birds, butterflies, and insects between larger green areas. The study…

Media reports have stated that the state government and BBMP plan to introduce dedicated bus lanes on 12 high-density corridors in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) welcomes this initiative as it is essential for sustainable and equitable mobility in the city. This has been a long standing demand from BBPV and other civil society groups, and we are happy to work with the government to make this a success. Why dedicated bus lanes are important Road space is a limited public resource. Bus-based public transport makes the most efficient use of road space for moving people. As the…

Today, the BBMP Council elected M Gowtham Kumar as Bengaluru's new Mayor. Kumar, the BJP corporator from Jogupalya ward, replaces Gangambike Mallikarjun of the Congress. Here is a look at Gangambike's accomplishments, and the causes she had taken up in her tenure as Mayor. Pushing for ward committee meetings: In BBMP Council’s monthly session in November 2018, Gangambike announced that ward committee meetings should mandatorily be held in all 198 wards on the first Saturday of each month, starting immediately. Her announcement came after the city’s civic activists ran several campaigns for the cause over the years. Ward committee meetings…

A month after it launched the Adopt-a-Street initiative, BBMP has received 35 applications. “Of these, around 17 applications from various RWAs and corporate companies are serious. They are willing to sign an MoU with us and take the initiative forward,” says Randeep Dev, BBMP Additional Commissioner (Solid Waste Management). Adopt-a-Street is a voluntary service initiative under which citizens and corporate houses can adopt specific streets, and maintain them regularly to ensure visual cleanliness. Launched on August 25th, the programme is supported by The Ugly Indian (TUI), an anonymous group of volunteers working for cleaner streets. Dev says BBMP will shortlist…

BBMP action plan to restore 630 km of roads BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) Commissioner B H Anil Kumar tweeted that the civic body has drawn up an action plan to restore 630 km out of 3000 km roads in the city once the BWSSB finishes laying drinking water and underground drainage (UGD) pipelines. Citizens had expressed dismay over the condition of their roads, especially in the five outer zones -Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Mahadevapura, Rajarajeshwarinagar and Yelahanka. BWSSB has taken up works in the 110 villages that fall in these zones, and heavy rains worsened road conditions here. Action will be…

We have just come to the end of a week that has seen unprecedented mobilisation across our cities and towns over the issue of climate change and environmental justice. On September 23rd, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg came up with yet another passionate and angry outburst against global leaders at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. "You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can…