City: Bengaluru

The decision of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to relocate the Cantonment Metro station has drawn flak from citizens. Why has this become such a big issue? The answer is something every urban transport planner will appreciate, every concerned citizen will appreciate, and every visionary will appreciate. Those who don’t, will appreciate it the moment they become aware of its implications in their daily lives. The answer is, integration. What went wrong? Metro is here for the next several decades from now–our next few generations will use the Metro to move around this sprawling, ever-expanding city. If Metro is…

Citizen Matters and ApartmentADDA invite citizens of Bengaluru to submit articles on the topic “If I were the Bengaluru Mayor”. Entries can be in Kannada or English and between 800 to 1200 words. The best entry in each language has a chance to win a cash prize of Rs 10,000, sponsored by ApartmentADDA. The contest, which is open to all citizens above 15 years, is an opportunity for participants to articulate their vision for Bengaluru, and a plan that they’d execute if they were the mayor. The contest encourages Bengalureans to think on and engage with issues of importance to…

It seems an unlikely possibility at this time for Bengaluru to have a powerful and accountable Mayor who actually has a say in the way our city is run. This democratic innovation in local governance which has paid rich dividends around the world however hasn't caught the imagination of the public at large in our city. Blame it on political calculation or public aversion to voting in one more election (should we go down the path of having a directly elected Mayor), a change in this direction would herald a major change in the way power is decentralized in the…

Do you remember the famous wedding video invite with a LED display which had the family lip-syncing to a choreographed welcome song and dance? Ever wondered what happened to the card after the wedding? This was the storyline for the Street play performed by Kaledio to raise awareness on e-waste.  How long does anyone hang on to an invite that has run out of battery? It goes in the garbage. And the performers went on to explain the hazards of e-waste. E-waste is extremely harmful to both human and environmental health. The toxic elements that e-waste contains include chromium, lead,…

It has been six months since separate dry waste collection started in Bellandur ward. But the service provider who has collected dry waste for last six months has not been paid. In February, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) handed over the Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) in both Doddakannelli and Kodathi dry waste collection centers in Bellandur ward (ward number 150), to Mr Manjunath, who is into dry waste business. In April 2017, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) gave the Memorandum of Understanding, Memorandum of Agreement and the work order to him, that allowed him to collect dry…

With gradual decline in the number of job seekers approaching Bengaluru’s Employment Exchange offices in last two decades, these units which function under the State government’s Directorate of Employment Exchange and Training have started losing the significance that they once enjoyed. Sanath Kumar, Employment Officer at school dropout section in the Bengaluru’s Employment Exchange office recalls the days when the number of job seekers per day in the capital city used to be anywhere between 1,000 and 1,500. That was the kind of registration spree taking place in late 90’s. School drop out section’s live register then used to have…

Mayor is the ‘first citizen’ of a city. But in Bengaluru, as in most municipal corporations in India, the Mayor is more often a figurehead. A ‘one-year wonder intended only for ceremonial purposes’ is how the 2008 Kasturirangan Committee Report ‘Governance in Bengaluru Metropolitan Region and BBMP’ describes the Bengaluru Mayor. This is because Mayor’s powers are restricted by the law itself. According to the KMC (Karnataka Municipal Corporation) Act, 1976, Mayor only has a one-year term, and has no executive powers. As per KMC Act, a Mayor can Preside over BBMP Council meetings, and convene additional meetings. She can…

In ‘Pratidwandi’, a Bengali movie directed by Satyajit Ray in 1972, there comes a scene almost at the end of the film, where the protagonist Siddhartha Choudhari waits outside the interview room hoping to get a job. The corridor is crowded. There are 75 applicants for four available positions and the applicants end up waiting for more than three hours, most of them standing on the corridors in the absence of chairs. The scene reflected the unemployment problem that plagued India in 70s and how well qualified people had to slog to get a job. Like ‘Pratidwandi,’ several other movies…

Three years ago when Sampath Ramanujam, Founder of Anvaya Foundation travelled to Kaiwara, along with his family, he met two girls who were playing happily with a fully damaged cycle with no bell, no brake and not even a seat. It was then that he realised that around 30 to 40 cycles were lying unused in each block of his apartment. That incident inspired Anvaya Foundation team to come up with the concept of “Freedom Pedals”.  He along with others started an initiative to make use of these cycles. For the past three years, they have been collecting unused cycles…

  LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2014 Citizen Matters Special Bengaluru MP seats: News and Analysis Sponsor our Journalism! An independent coverage of the elections is essential to ensure that citizens get an unbiased outlook on those standing for the elections. We gave you just that – a non-partisan, independent account of all the Elections News. If you liked our coverage of the Elections and would like to help us out, do make a donation to the Oorvani Foundation. Donations are eligible for 50% deduction under Section 80G. We acknowledge DAKSH and B.PAC for underwriting part of the costs for Citizen Matters' data…