City: Bengaluru

It's a term Bangaloreans have become quite familiar with in the past one year—white topping. I have seen this work happening in certain areas and the disruption it causes to citizens living and working along that stretch of road. But last week, white topping arrived at my doorstep and since then my wife and I have virtually been under lockdown. The roads in front of my house have been closed to traffic. Which means I cannot take my car out. The cement surface laid is so high that getting onto it is difficult without some stepping stone. We always have…

In March this year, we reported on how the small, but loved neighbourhood lake, Venkateshpura in Chokkanahalli, in the upcoming Arkavathy Layout, was allegedly notified as a Civic Amenity (CA) site. It was divided between a private trust and BWSSB. Three months on, the lake has now reduced physically as well. Here is an update on the lake and a look at how quickly landscapes can change in Bengaluru. A lake loses its edge In three months, the classic peri-urban idyll of the Chokkanahalli village has disappeared. The path leading to the lake, which was dotted with grazing land, now…

2,900 acres of urban forest land encroached In the total 16,988 acres of forest land in Bengaluru Urban district, there are 1,051 cases of encroachment, violating 2,871.37 acres, said Environment and Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre. In the Bannerghatta National Park division alone, 587.15 acres of the forest have 347 cases of encroachment. In Bengaluru South, 1,277.33 acres of forest land show 283 encroachments. Bengaluru East's 570 acres have 250 encroachments, Yelahanka has 20 cases and Bengaluru North's 45.01 acres have 65 encroachment cases. Encroachers have been charged under the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963 and clearances are being sought under Section…

The Karnataka state budget, with a total outlay of Rs 3.27 lakh crore, presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on July 7th, was expected to deliver on the five guarantees.  But Bengalureans were also looking forward to what the city's share would be in the budget and if it would be any different from allocations made by previous governments. The new government has often emphasised its commitment to improving the city’s infrastructure. The recent launch of ‘Brand Bengaluru’, a portal to seek suggestions from residents for the city’s development, can be considered a step in that direction. As was expected, the state…

Citizens and lake enthusiasts have reported more incidents of fishkill this year than in 2022. There have been reports of 11 fishkill within six months of 2023. While 16 fishkill incidents were published in the media from January to December in 2022, a whopping 11 incidents were reported on July 7th. This has led to concerns over the quality of water of Bengaluru's lakes. Fishkill in Bengaluru gets reported due to the efforts of aware citizens, who bring up the issue on social media. Many citizens also take it up with the concerned officers of BBMP's Lake Department. Sl. No. DateLake108-02-2023Kothanur…

Mission Antyodaya database aims to create granular data for gram panchayats across districts throughout the country. The intention, as stated in Union Budget 2017-18, is to create a convergence and accountability framework by tracking the various development indicators across Gram Panchayats (GP). In Karnataka, the database provides information about infrastructure and schemes at the household level. I analysed the indicator of ‘Piped Water Connections’ across gram panchayats in Bengaluru. Under the ambit of Jal Jeevan Mission, the State government intends to achieve Goal 6 of Sustainable Development Goal, i.e., safe and affordable water for all, through provision of safe water…

The Gruha Jyothi or free electricity scheme appears to be extremely popular across the state. Over 1 crore people have registered for it , nearly 42 lakh from Bengaluru. But the process of registering is turning out to be challenging for many people. Under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, households that consume less than 200 units of electricity will not have to pay the monthly bills. But to access these benefits, consumers must register on the Seva Sindhu Portal with their RR numbers and Aadhaar. The Ministry of Energy recently announced that there is no time limit for consumers to register…

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented the first State Budget of his government. He claimed that the aim is to provide relief for inflation-affected citizens through five guarantee schemes by transferring Rs 52,000 crore to more than one crore families. The budget follows the Universal Basic Income being implemented for the first time. The outlay is over Rs 3.27 lakh crore. The government has increased the Additional Excise Duty on Indian Made Liquor by 20%, and on beer by 5.71%, and proposes to revise guidance value of properties and set a higher revenue target from stamp duty and registration. It also proposes that…

Ganganna (name changed) has been working as a manual scavenger, cleaning toilets and drains for the past 25 years in Tumkur. He says that most villagers have almost stopped hiring manual scavengers, but in urban areas like Bengaluru, there is demand for people like him. Cleaning of STPs cause of death Bengaluru has a large number of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), mostly in apartments, and many lack mechanised maintenance. When STPs require manual intervention in repairing blocks and cleaning, it is workers like Ganganna who are called to get into the sewage pits. This has led to the institutionalisation of…

On June 17th, DK Shivakumar, as the Deputy Chief Minister and the Bengaluru Development Minister held a meeting of 42 eminent personalities and experts to look into issues that need to be fixed in the city. The idea is to reform Brand Bengaluru by constituting a committee of industry leaders and officials. The state government also launched a website where the public can offer comments. City based NGO, Environment Support Group (ESG), has criticised the move for being elitist. The organisation is appealing to the government to undertake Bengaluru’s development through elected representatives in the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC). Although…