City: Bengaluru

The Fugees' rendition of “Killing me softly with his song… “ is beautiful and an all-time favourite. Though it was recorded in 1996 I have begun to identify with it especially of late, but with the lyrics changed. I could spontaneously hum “Killing me softly with your smoke…”  every time my lungs are filled with acrid smoke from the many ‘Bangalore trash’ fires and I find it difficult to breathe. Garbage is being burnt with impunity, apparently under your and the BBMP’s watchful eyes! It has increased manifold across the city over the past nine months and is symptomatic of…

Vinay Sreenivasa of BBMP Contract Pourakarmika Union, talks to Radio Active 90.4Mhz on the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike not revising the payment of contract labourers, despite the hike in minimum wages that took place three months ago. You would all remember our numerous protests over the past two years demanding increase in wages. Presently we receive little above Rs 7,000/- with which we are to pay our rent, food, education, health, etc. These abysmally low wages have forced us into a cycle of poverty and debt, which is never ending. It is to address this that our Union took up…

  CITIZEN MATTERS Bangalore's own interactive newsmagazine Speak up, it's your city! Dear Reader, Season’s greetings! It’s going to be Deepavali this weekend. While the festival of lights brings in joy and celebration, it’s also the time when pollution peaks, and crackers only add to it. Is anything being done to create awareness among children on harmful effects of crackers? Ponder over this: Deepavali in the city: can it be safer and ecofriendly? The Steel Flyover Debate Weekends in Bengaluru these days are a witness to a citizen movement that the city never saw in recent days: a human chain…

The people of Basapura, a growing neighbourhood in Electronic City, face a serious health hazard as tons of mixed waste including plastic are burnt every day, right in the heart of a residential area. The garbage dump that is set to fire everyday. Photo courtesy: Basapura residents At the root of this is an open area surrounded by many apartment complexes & major offices which has been converted into a dumping yard. The piles of garbage deposited here are set to fire everyday, creating thick smoke. The fire is usually seen in the wee hours of dawn and again in…

The no-vote collection drive secured 41848 votes against the flyover from Chalukya Circle to Hebbal. Pic: Shree D N In a first, Bengaluru saw a movement for sustainable transport, that resulted in a no-vote campaign. The no-vote collection drive conducted by the team Citizens for Bengaluru secured 41848 votes against the flyover planned on Bellary Road in Bengaluru, from Chalukya Circle to Esteem Mall. The event conducted on Sunday, October 23, 2016, also showcased how the issues related to sustainable development or the lack of it were deep-rooted in political will. Clarifying why there were no 'yes' votes in the…

Festival of lights turns a health hazard for children, pets and adults every year. Pic: Shree D N Deepawali/Diwali is around the corner and there is excitement in the air. Advertisements are everywhere filling billboards, newspapers, televisions and radios. People are busy shopping for clothes, lamps, fire crackers and puja material. A majority of us look forward to the festival of lights. For children it that time of the year when they get to burst fire crackers. Some love to be adventurous and burst bombs and not the milder crackers, flower pots or sparklers. Some want to feel heroic so…

Government of Karnataka has issued a clarification detailing the reasons behind their decision to install a steel flyover from Chalukya circle to Hebbal flyover. Unfortunately it is a purely one sided rationale without any comparative study of alternatives. Citizens’ Action Forum has worked out an alternative which is far more comprehensive, less disruptive and genuinely sustainable. This solution will not only help the airport passengers to have a hassle free journey but also help in resolving the traffic problems faced by commuters in the city.One of the main objections to the construction of steel flyover from Chalukya circle to Hebbal…

Since the noon on Friday, Oct 21st, smoke continues to billow from the encroached land next to Bellandur lake, where an unofficial waste-sorting facility has mushroomed, where construction debris is dumped day in day out and where mixed waste from various apartments is dumped in broad daylight. It is clear that this has been created by burning rubber from construction debris, the plastic present in mixed waste and low-value dry waste from the waste sorting facility, in Bellandur ward 150, Kariyama Agara area. What are BBMP officials, the police and fire departments, our elected officials and others doing? Are we…

To: His Excellency, Sri Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, Governor of Karnataka Your Excellency, As a forum named Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB), now representing thousands of concerned citizens, with numbers growing by the hour, we approach you to intervene in a serious matter. As you are aware, Sir, the Government of Karnataka proposes to build a steel flyover from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal flyover, with connecting ramps on Race Course Road, Palace Road, Vidhana Soudha Road and Raj Bhavan Road. The project envisages a 6.7 km stretch of a six-lane steel flyover to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 2,200…

We have heard the CM of Karnataka and are disappointed with his response. However that doesn't change what was seen, heard and felt by thousands  on the road on Sunday - #SteelFlyoverBeda. There are thousands who are against this flyover – old and young who lined the streets in the Human Chain on Sunday, Oct 16. We believed that 8000 people on the streets would most certainly lead to a dialogue and re-examination of the project and cancellation of the project as well. The 219 people or 73% of 299 responses does NOT represent the public sentiment evident on the…