City: Bengaluru

In the wake of the landmark judgment decriminalising homosexual acts among consenting adults, Citizen Matters Bengaluru spoke to Sanjay Bavikatte and Arvind Narrain, organisers of Bangalore's (and India's) first Gay Rights Symposium in an academic institution in 1998, about the long road to 2018. Tell us a bit about your individual involvement in the movement. How did it all start? Arvind: We were at National Law School – Sanjay and I – friends from Class 5 onwards. We would hang out together and attend discussions on human rights among other topics. It was a great place to be. I remember…

In Bangalore, we see epic traffic jams on a daily basis. According the estimate in Revised Master Plan - 2031, Bengaluru's economy suffered a loss of Rs 3700 crore in 2016 due to traffic jams alone! The traffic jams can be reduced drastically if Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) can attract people to ride buses, instead of using private vehicles. So how can BMTC make the bus services irresistible to the public? A passenger would gladly take the BMTC bus for his daily commute, if it meets the following conditions: It must cover the entire trip, door-to-door, with minimal walking…

In April last year, Citizen Matters had published an article on Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Urban Development Department apologising to the National Green Tribunal (NGT); This was after the BBMP had claimed the NGT’s order increasing the buffer zone to 75 metres was not applicable retrospectively. The NGT was upset, and lashed out at the state bodies, objecting to the term ‘quasi-judicial body,’ which the agencies had used to describe the Tribunal. As a result, the Karnataka government’s Urban Development Department and the BBMP retracted the notifications that clarified the NGT ruling, and apologised to the Tribunal.…

Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated with great aplomb throughout the country. Meanwhile, efforts to avoid the immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris in lakes which causes irreversible damage to the aquatic life and the lakes is underway in Bengaluru, the city of 1000 lakes, which has managed to retain some lakes. Like every year, the BBMP has sent out circulars on the environmentally friendly measures to take, while the Central Pollution Control Board has issued orders to the state government. This has resulted in eco-friendly celebrations gaining popularity in Bengaluru. Seed Ganeshas are gaining popularity. A typical seed Ganesha…

Three-month deadline for Bengaluru weddings to stop using plastic BBMP issued a notice on September 7th to marriage halls or kalyan mantapas, instructing them to stop using plastic material for functions, listing out all the alternative steps that may be taken to curb the plastic menace. The notice said that plate banks of steel, ceramic and melamine cutlery should be accumulated along with massive dishwashers to minimize wastage of water and maximise hygiene. Other recommendations include RO purifiers to supply drinking water, colour coded dustbins for segregation, avoidance of banana leaves that make segregation of wet-waste difficult, and setting up…

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Manjunath Prasad has said that properties in 110 villages added to BBMP in 2007, which are on B-Khatha list, will be regularised. These properties will be de-linked from the Akrama-Sakrama scheme, on which a public interest litigation is going on in the Supreme Court. It is not clear how many properties will benefit from this, and whether it will be vacant sites alone, or if it will include the built up properties as well. The statement comes in the backdrop of the Karnataka government's move to amend the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964. This will regularise…

A press note from Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) states that as many as 1200 buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Sringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubballi, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi and other places, as it is the Gowri-Ganesha festival season. The details: Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri. All premier special buses will be operated from Shanthinagar(In front of KSRTC, Bengaluru Central Depot-4 & Depot-2) to Madurai, Kumbakonam,…

It was a day filled with obvious contrasts  - the kind that would ideally help make right decisions about the nightmare that we know as urban transport in Bangalore. The question of mass transit versus private vehicles was never answered more effectively for me. On Friday, the last day of August, I was slated to cover the Rail Yatra that was being organised by Citizens For Bengaluru, to reiterate their demand for a suburban rail service for the city. The 3 pm train was to start from Yeshvanthpur and reach Heelalige, a picturesque little station (reminiscent of R K Narayan’s Malgudi…

Apartment ADDA is hosting an award ceremony The Rise High Awards for Management Committees across six categories for their outstanding initiatives - waste management, water management, initiatives outside the gate, domestic staff welfare, renewable energy and builder-association collaborations. The Rise High Awards are Apartment ADDA’s effort to celebrate management committees and residents, who volunteer their time and collaborate with vendors, local government etc. to implement outstanding initiatives. Such initiatives are result of deliberate planning, patient collaboration and diligent execution. Rise High Initiatives not only improve the community where the initiative is implemented, but also set an inspiring example for many…

Even as Bengaluru's waste generation has grown by 1,750% in 15 years, collection and management of the same have not kept pace. Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is planning a repeat of last year's trip to Singapore for many of its pourakarmikas in a few months, says Hari Shilpa, Assistant Commissioner of Administration, BBMP. They have issued notices to zonal level officers to send lists of potential candidates for the trip. Like last year, the four-day programme would probably include comprehensive sessions on safety gadgets and equipment, environment, beautification, the 50-year history of Singapore, water conservation, reuse and processing, collection…