City: Bengaluru

Citizens for Bengaluru organised the Beku Beda Santhe on 15 October to commemorate the first year anniversary of the Human Chain that kick started the Steel Flyover Beda movement in 2016. The idea of the Santhe was to give the citizens a platform to voice their priorities for the city. The event had multiple platforms - a main stage which had eminent citizens share space with active citizens to voice their demands; mini stages; a children’s art corner. The main attraction was a 50-feet wall made of recyclable cardboard cartons for people to pin their beku and beda demands. The…

Dear Railway Minister, Bengaluru doesn't need elevated railway tracks. There is a 2012 RITES report on Suburban Rail System gathering dust in your offices that talks about what is needed for Namma Bengaluru. Please take some moments and see what this reports says. I am sure after reading this document you will hang your head in shame. The current state of railways is not of your making but a result of decades of not doing the hard work of upgrading and bringing in required efficiencies. It is reported in news that you have suggested to have elevated tracks to decongest…

On October 25th 2017, hundreds of contract powrakarmikas, under the BBMP Contract Powrakarmikara Union ® affiliated with the All India Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) held a protest against the gruesome attack and sexual harassment on Dalit women contract powrakarmikas in K.R. Puram (Ward No. 55) by the contractor, Nagesh and his henchmen and the inaction and apathy of the BBMP on the same. The protest was also to highlight the failure of the BBMP to remove the contract system and implement direct payment of wages to workers, despite the orders of the State Government to do so, which has…

Art projects, Kannada and English letters, bookshelves and colour-coded graphs cover the walls of a ground floor classroom. A rainbow of paper lanterns hangs from the ceiling. And there are so many children who sit in groups on the floor reading, writing, drawing or just quietly conversing, even as two women hover around supervising, periodically hunching down to work with them. This is a scene from a classroom of Makkala Jagriti, a non-government organisation, from a primary government model school in Mathikere, North Bengaluru. Makkala Jagriti is committed to making learning attractive and education possible for children from Bengaluru’s most…

This petition will be handed over to the Railways officially by the Hosur Payanigal Meambattu Sangham, on October 26, 2017, at 7.30 am, in Hosur Railway Station. To, Honorable Shri Piyush Goyal, The Honorable Minister of Indian Railways, Government of India. From, The Daily Rail Commuters between Hosur and Bengaluru Hosur Tamilnadu. Respected Sir, Sub: Requesting to approve the doubling of track between Hosur and Bengaluru; and stoppage of Express trains in a few stations. We are the proud passengers who commute up and down from Hosur to Bengaluru on daily basis to earn our livelihood. Most of us are…

Vijay Kundaji didn't really figure in my list of friends, though we met at regular intervals during Citizens for Bengaluru meetings. He seemed reticent and a man of few words who liked a comfortable corner—very unlike me. But when we began work on the Beku Beda Santhe, I realised his shy nature was a sham. He turned into a one-man army, whose stoic confidence was what kept most of us calm during the run up to the event. Murphy's Law would not meet a more determined adversary. Our shared moments over absolute disasters and accomplishment also saw us become friends.…

KEY HIGHLIGHTS 66% of budgeted property tax of INR 2,600 crores collected in H1. Highest in the last five years. INR 1200 crores of Pending Bills cleared. Spends on current year’s works at INR 177 crores. 2422 Tenders for INR 925 crores raised against a residual budgeted spend of INR 5758 crores SECTION I | Analysis of Expenditure BBMP has spent INR 2,030 crores (26% of the total planned capex & maintenance on infrastructure), out of which INR 177 crores is towards works budgeted for the current financial year BBMP has allocated INR 7,788 crores towards various works, out of…

As a result of sustained struggle of contract powrakarmikas, in June 2017, the Karnataka Government took a cabinet decision mandating abolition of contractors and direct payment of wages to workers. Despite this decision, the BBMP has been dragging its feet to implement it and the contract pourakarmikas are suffering at the hands of the contractors on a daily basis!  The BBMP was a mute spectator to the illegal protest and strike held by the contractors on two occasions in August and September 2017, during which period, the workers worked despite serious threats. The Union protested against the illegal action of…

Seven corporators from Bengaluru have welcomed Greenpeace India’s campaign on composting and growing food. They have agreed to take forward the message of segregating, composting and using this compost to grow food. Joining them are more than 14,000 individuals who have pledged to do the same. The initiatives are part of Greenpeace India’s campaign ‘Waste To Food’. The campaign's objective is to ensure that solid waste that the city produces is segregated, composted and sent to farmers to use as fertiliser. This can reduce dependence on agro-chemicals for farmers, improve soil health and also comes back as safer food for…

It’s that time of the year, when crackers compete with lights. It is also the time when eye hospitals are on alert to attend to emergency cases. This is when Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) starts measuring air pollution in Bengaluru diligently and collects data to compile reports on air quality. This is also when activists, media and government agencies start coming up with fire safety guidelines. And this also is when activists who advocate eco-friendly celebrations are countered with whataboutery on crackers:“What about animal slaughter done by other religion?” “What about industrial pollution?” “Don’t you pollute air by…