City: Bengaluru

SEC seeks to speed up BBMP polls The SEC (State Election Commission) filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the government to issue a fresh notification to fix the reservation for the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) wards immediately. The SEC alleged to the courts that the state government is seeking three more months to issue a notification, so that it can delay the BBMP elections beyond May 2023. The Assembly polls are due before May, so if the election schedule is declared, then the BBMP elections would get postponed indefinitely. The hearing on the state application…

As we look forward to observing World Disability Day on December 3rd, it is pertinent to question whether Bengaluru is satisfactorily accessible, in terms of public spaces, buildings, mobility, public transport, for persons with disabilities or if there is a lot left to be desired. “The most difficult thing is accessibility to resources and information for people living with disabilities,” says Parinitha P, a resident of Bengaluru and a Person with Disability (PwD). Disabled-friendly infrastructure - only on paper The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPWDA) notified the Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier Free Built Environment for…

If you could time travel to the 1800s, how would Bengaluru's lakes and water channels look? This passage from the ‘Deccan Traverses’ by Dilip da Cunha and Anuradha Mathur gives us an idea. ‘The sugarcane and rice crops looked most flourishing in the low wet land under the great tanks, which have all the appearance of natural lakes. Many of these have been most skilfully constructed, giving proof that the natives knew something of engineering, long before English rule and public works were thought of.’ The passage, referring to Bellandur Bund, is from a letter written in 1868 by Mrs…

While Bengaluru's tree-lined streets are getting fewer and fewer, it is becoming evident that the concrete infrastructure has come at a price. Several reports have attested to the decreasing green cover in urban areas. According to the State of Forest Report 2021, only 3.91% of Karnataka's geographical area has tree cover. The data also revealed that between 2011 and 2021, Bengaluru lost almost 12.9 square kilometres of moderately dense forest. "Tree cutting is presented as inevitable or as a fait accompli for any road or metro project. More often than not, how the road should progress is decided first and…

In the first part of The Secret Life of Bengaluru’s Lakes, the history of the city’s lakes and how they are connected were explored. In the second part, the author looks at the future of lakes and how protecting lakes could improve our transit experience. Uses and Users of Lakes There is a lot more going on in our lakes today than we are aware of. Here is a short video that highlights some of the activities in some of our lakes. Read more: In pictures: Backyard birding at Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes The future of lakes Our relationship with…

Coldest November day in a decade The minimum temperature of 13.9 degrees celsius, on November 21st, was the lowest reported in November in a decade, said the IMD (India Meteorological Department). At HAL airport station the temperature was reported to be 12.5 degrees celsius, while at Bengaluru International Airport station, it was recorded to be 14.7 degrees celsius. The maximum temperature on November 21st was 25.2 degrees celsius. It was on November 21, 2012, that the temperature plummeted to 13.3 degrees celsius, but the all-time low record was 9.6 degrees celsius on November 15, 1967. Source: The Indian Express Read…

We have over 200 lakes in Bengaluru today. Some are amazing ecosystems, some are toxic wastelands filled with trash, and most are somewhere in the middle. Depending on who you are and where you stay, you may or may not have a relationship with your local lake. There is a lot going on though in each of our lakes, and there is a lot more that can happen with them in the future. Get to know about the history of Bengaluru's lakes and how they are connected: History of Bengaluru's lakes Early history It is said that Kempegowda’s mother told…

Countless promises and mere lipservice display the lack of political will to tackle the mammoth problem of pothole-ridden roads in Bengaluru, even as several reports highlight the spike in fatality caused by them. Citizen Matters on November 18th hosted a Twitter Spaces, titled 'What will it take to make Bengaluru free of potholes?', where several civic leaders voiced their discontent when it came to road management in Bengaluru and offered solutions and avenues for civic action. Vaidya R, who traced the road management by the Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA) which yielded peak road and pothole-free roads, highlighted the…

Bengaluru, in many ways, is still recovering from the recent deluge, which caused an estimated loss of approximately Rs 225 crores and claimed 96 precious lives. Three months down the line, we are in no way even remotely better prepared for another impending tragedy. The impact of such climate change-induced disasters are only made worse by unregulated urbanisation and the unpreparedness of government agencies. The Department of Science and Technology has identified Bengaluru to be moderately vulnerable to climate change-associated risks. Yet, it is one of the only Indian metro cities that still does not have a Climate Action Plan…

"As a car driver, sometimes one is compelled to use the riskier mode of a two-wheeler on potholed roads because of lack of on-street or stilt/ basement parking. It adds 15 to 20 minutes of travel time, risk of towing, and undue pressure on the driver to plan the trip according to possible/potential parking availability, " says Namrata N, a regular commuter. This is a problem that every commuter in Bengaluru, who has taken out their private vehicle, has been resonating with for quite a long time now. Parking ranks high on the list of the city's road problems. It…