City: Bengaluru

For years, domestic workers in Bengaluru and other cities in Karnataka have protested the lack of social security or legal mandates to protect them against exploitation. The State government has finally addressed some of their long-standing demands and released the Draft Karnataka Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025, on October 15 for public consultation. This move follows the Supreme Court's directive calling for a well-defined legal framework to safeguard and regulate the rights of domestic workers. According to G Manjunath, Additional Labour Commissioner and author of the bill, the goal of the draft bill is to “provide rights-based,…

Thirty-year-old Yallamma Shankar migrated to Bengaluru from Koppal district in northern Karnataka 14 years ago. She settled in Sumannahalli, in the western part of the city, and took up free-roaming waste work to make ends meet. Initially, she was glad to work outdoors in a city known for its good weather. Every day, she left her home at 5 am and worked till 2 pm, walking up to 10 kilometres a day to collect waste. “But in the last decade, summers have become unbearable. I feel giddy, dehydrated, and often lose three days of work each month because I fall…

The Karnataka government has introduced fresh amendments to the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) Act, which could reduce buffer zones around lakes and drains to as little as 0–30 metres. On paper, this may appear to be an administrative change. In reality, it risks accelerating floods, pollution, and water insecurity across Bengaluru. Here’s what citizens need to know. How we got here Bengaluru’s lakes have long been central to the city’s ecology and culture. Recognising their importance, courts and planners have repeatedly mandated protective buffer zones: 2012: Karnataka High Court directed a 30-metre buffer around lakes and a…

On September 1st, the Urban Development Department of the Karnataka government issued draft regulations reducing court-mandated drain buffers for Bengaluru, inviting public comments. We responded with an open letter placing on record our analytical review and evidence-based objections.  Reducing buffers around drains (and lakes) will intensify floods, accelerate water loss, and foster encroachments already flagged by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India's (CAG) audits. It also violates the Karnataka High Court and National Green Tribunal orders, undermines Bengaluru’s Climate Action Plan, and breaches public trust. We urge the government to halt these reductions and act on the CAG's recommendations.…

Living near the waste processing unit in Lingadheeranahalli has turned daily life into a struggle for residents. Many have been grappling with health issues. “Asthma cases are rising among the elderly and young children. My mother, who has heart issues and stents, finds it hard to breathe when the stench intensifies. Even basic routines like eating have become unbearable,” shares Ravi N K, a resident whose home is less than a kilometre from the facility. Located in Banashankari, in the southern part of Bengaluru, the waste processing facility is one of seven such units across the city. Over the years,…

In September 2025, the Karnataka government issued a notification modifying the buffer zones around Bengaluru’s stormwater drains and lakes. The new guidelines prescribe just 15 metres for primary drains, 10 metres for secondary, and only 5 metres for tertiary drains—much lower than the earlier mandates of 30/15/10 metres. The notification follows the proposal to amend the Karnataka Tank Conservation and Development Authority (KTCDA) Act, reducing buffer zones around lakes. Lake buffers, which were at 30 metres, have been proposed to be reduced to a range between 0 and 30 metres, based on the lake's size. This move has been criticised…

As of September 2nd, 2025, Bengaluru transitioned into a new urban governance system based on the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024. This Act implements a three-tier structure: The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA): It is chaired by the Chief Minister and comprises all Karnataka ministers and Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly and Council from Bengaluru, as well as the mayors of the five newly formed City Corporations. Its primary role is to harmonise planning, development, and service delivery by all the departments and agencies across the five City Corporations. Five City Corporations: The city is divided into five smaller…

At Bengaluru’s first Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) in Domlur, heaps of waste in segregated piles dominate the landscape. Drivers of collection vehicles and waste pickers work through the piles, segregating waste in challenging conditions. These centres were established to promote decentralised waste management and improve the livelihood of waste workers. Yet, a decade later, waste pickers continue to struggle without formal employment status, volatile resale prices for recyclable waste, a shortage of quality waste and fragile job security. Workers at the Domlur DWCC come from various backgrounds. For some, waste picking is a generational occupation — A Krishna, the…

The Shakti Yojane has recently crossed 500 crore tickets in the two years since it was launched by the Karnataka government in June 2023. The scheme offers free rides to women (including transwomen) in ordinary public buses, as long as they have a valid ID. Despite the milestone, the Shakti scheme has been at the forefront of political debate in the state. Opposition parties have labelled it a ‘scam’ that “betrays the people.”  A common argument is that male passengers are disproportionately burdened by Shakti, as they have to pay for tickets while women’s travel is fully subsidised.  This criticism…

"Visually impaired individuals playing cricket?" It’s a thought that often surprises people, reflecting a common misconception of what persons with visual impairment can truly achieve. Even within the blind community, the idea of confidently stepping onto a cricket pitch seemed like a distant dream. But in Bengaluru, that dream became a reality, thanks to the determination and hard work of a few passionate individuals. Making the impossible possible I had long envisioned a world where blind cricket thrived, but doubt crept in — could such an event be pulled off, and would anyone attend it? My apprehensions disappeared when I shared…