City: Bengaluru

Bengaluru was once divided into two distinct centres: An urban settlement and a military cantonment. However, in 1948, the two centres merged together to form Bengaluru city corporation for a new, unified Bengaluru city.  Over the following decades, the city experienced large-scale development of public industries in sectors such as telecom, machinery, electronic goods, etc. It also saw the emergence of a large number of residential layouts, which made it a pensioner’s paradise. One such locality is  Jayanagar neighbourhood, which was laid out in 1949. Characterised by numerous art deco bungalows, abundant parks, playgrounds, an accessible schooling system and a neighbourhood commercial…

Students, women, farmers and Dalit groups gathered together on October 2nd, Gandhi Jayanti, to demand the withdrawal of a government order restricting protests to the confines of Freedom Park. The protestors intended to march from Gandhi Park at Maurya Circle to Vidhan Soudha but were detained by the police.   In 2022, the BJP-led Karnataka government passed an order barring protests anywhere in Bengaluru, except Freedom Park. Since its enforcement, the order has been used to arrest a wide range of protesting groups, including Citizens for Sankey, a group that opposed the proposed widening of Sankey Road, farmers from Devanahalli…

Mathew Idiculla, an independent legal and policy consultant based in Bengaluru and a visiting faculty at the School of Policy and Governance Azim Premji University, discussed the significance of public participation in urban planning and the views of urban planning experts in part 1 of this interview. In part two, he discusses the absence of an urban planning process and cites a few case studies to illustrate his point. CM: In 2015, you were a part of the BBMP restructuring committee. How was your experience being in the system? Mathew Idiculla: I accidentally became a part of the system. The…

September 29th bandh Normal life came to a halt during the one-day statewide bandh over the Cauvery water-sharing dispute on September 29th. Hundreds of pro-Kannada protesters and farmers were detained and more than 40 flights were cancelled. Many raised their voice against the government’s decision to release water to Tamil Nadu. The bandh was called by the Kannada Okkoota. Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code was imposed, prohibiting the assembly of four or more. Shops, eateries and theatres were shut down, even as schools and colleges declared a holiday as a precautionary measure. Kannada activists barged into a press conference…

Mathew Idiculla is an independent legal and policy consultant based in Bengaluru. He is a visiting faculty at the School of Policy and Governance, Azim Premji University. His main area of interest is the intersection of public law, politics, and public policy and his research and practice are focused on issues concerning cities, local governance, and federalism. At Azim Premji University, he teaches courses on Urban Governance in India and Urban Development: Law and Policy. In part one of Mathew's interview with Citizen Matters, he addresses the core concerns of urban planning in the city, in terms of lack of…

Bengaluru grapples with a dengue crisis yet again and it is worth asking why. What about the city makes it ripe for a dengue epidemic? Dengue is a tropical disease caused by the dengue virus, which is transmitted to humans by mosquito bites. Most dengue transmissions are caused by one mosquito species, Aedes aegypti. This species also transmits Chikungunya, Zika, and Yellow fever. Aedes breeding behaviour Dengue mosquitoes are large, slow fliers and have distinctive white markings on their legs, making them easy to spot. As with most mosquito species, only the females bite and drink blood, usually just before…

“We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see our true selves,” goes a Taoist proverb. The still waters of Doddanekundi lake allowed me to see who I was. This article is as much the story of one of the largest lakes in Bengaluru as it is my story. An experience to remember It all started for me in 2016 when my middle school science teacher took the nature club- Bird watching. All I remember is seeing hundreds of birds. From the near-threatened painted stork to the magnificent spot-billed pelican, we…

60 accident black spots The Bengaluru Traffic Police have identified 60 accident-prone locations or “accident black spots” in the city and have outlined some measures to enhance safety. The list will be submitted to the civic agencies. The black spots have been identified on the State Highway, National Highway, Ring Road, and other roads. Remedial measures include installation of accident zone signboards, construction of skywalks, placement of cat eyes and blinkers, CCTV cameras, rumbler strips, road markings, road humps, street lights, raised centre medians and speed limit signage boards. The report showed that over the past three years, the number…

The article aims to study a one square kilometer area of Jayanagar in different aspects. It is intended to be a comprehensive essay of the area for planners, designers, sociologists, and residents. It is an analysis of the current scenario of Jayanagar through four different aspects that include setting up historical and spatial context with the city, evolution, street network and land and built use. It provides analyses and inferences to comprehend the growing demand and redevelopment of Jayanagar and how it would further evolve in the coming years. The article draws information from primary surveys, documentation and secondary data…

Bengaluru has a dengue problem. According to BBMP data, the city has recorded over 4,000 cases since June this year, making it one of the hotspots in the country. Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans by females of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti. It is a predominantly tropical disease that affects over 5 million people in the world. Symptoms According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people infected with the dengue virus are asymptomatic or show mild symptoms. For the rest, symptoms usually begin 4–10 days after infection and last for 2–7 days. Symptoms may include high…