City: Bengaluru

Opposition slams BJP government for voter data theft The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) filed a complaint with the Halasaru Gate Police Station to look into allegations of voter data theft by Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Trust, a private agency. The State Election Commission directed the district election officer (DEO) to conduct a probe and submit a detailed report. Senior Congress leaders, on November 17th, slammed the '40% Commission Sarkara', the BJP-run government, for permitting Chilume to conduct a house-to-house survey and steal personal voter data. The agency had claimed to be creating awareness on filing online applications through…

Every year there is news about the loss of limb and life due to potholes on Bengaluru roads. Politicians across the spectrum announce funds to repair them, but little happens on the ground. In 2015, a group of citizens led by Vijayan Menon filed a PIL in the High Court of Karnataka demanding accountability from BBMP who they held responsible as the “owner and custodian” of all roads in Bengaluru per Article 12 of the Constitution. Read more: Roads not completed, users overcharged — the many potholes in implementing highway projects After multiple deadlines given to fix the potholes, Bengaluru…

As world leaders gather at Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh for the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP27), climate finance, backed by India, is high up on the agenda. This refers to a transnational financial reserve that will aid the mitigation and adaptation strategies of the “less endowed and more vulnerable” countries.  While addressing a high-level Ministerial Dialogue on Climate Finance at COP27, India's Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav outlined how there is no understanding of what really comprises climate finance. However, it was set up to address “loss and damage”, a term used to describe the…

Public libraries, often referred to as the 'people’s university', form an integral part of the social framework. They are not just institutions for borrowing books, but also providers of information, knowledge and education, making them the social nerve of any locality. In Karnataka, public libraries are governed by the Karnataka Public Libraries Act, 1965. The lack of a legislative review over the years has led to problems with the availability and accessibility of public libraries for all sections of society. The global pandemic has given rise to a new set of challenges that libraries are now facing, exhibiting their inability…

Bengaluru's traffic police have tried their hardest to curtail the city's infamous traffic brawls and instances like speeding, drinking rashly, drunk driving or while on the phone by levying heavy traffic fines on the violators. Bengaluru has always ranked higher in the state for having the most number of traffic violations, which have translated to increased penalties. There were also reports of a single traffic cop collecting as much as Rs 2 lakh in two hours from traffic violators. How much amount has the government collected and what does it propose to do with all the fines they have raked…

Almost 3 lakh deletions in draft electoral rolls The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has published the draft electoral rolls, but with almost three lakh deletions from last year’s list. On January 1 2022, the city had a voter population of 94,92,539, but that got reduced to 91,15,805 on November 9th. The public can put up suggestions for objections, additions and modifications to the electoral draft rolls by December 9th. As Assembly elections are due next year, the rolls assume significance, said Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath. He said that they have deleted almost six lakh entries as they were…

Visualise this: Many stalls are put up in an area. A number of people visit each of these stalls. Many more people move from one stall to another, peeping in, observing the displays, interacting with those manning the stalls, and may be even transacting. People meeting strangers, striking up conversations, exchanging information and thoughts, and exploring the things that are available there. A familiar face here, a known person there – the hand waves, the ‘Hi’s!, and the catching up. If a market place came to mind, you are not wrong. For indeed, the above was my experience at the…

A Ward Committee meeting is a unique opportunity for all citizens, regardless of their social or economic status, to sit across the table from officials and participate in ward-level governance. No other major city in India has Ward Committees as Bengaluru does. This is made possible by the ‘BBMP Act 2020’, which replaced the earlier Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act and provides for ward committees. Read more: Everything you must know, as Bengaluru marks a milestone in local governance What is a Ward Committee Meeting? BBMP, the city Corporation of Bengaluru, is divided into eight zones and 243 wards. Each of…

Bengaluru's first Namma Clinic, a freshly painted building being established in Mahalaxmipuram, that will provide free basic health care to the urban poor, is waiting to be inaugurated. The opening could happen anytime this month, no particular date has been set as yet. The plan is to set up 438 Namma Clinics across all the city's 243 wards by the end of December 2022, according to state health minister Dr Sudhakar K. As per the 2022-23 state budget, "In these clinics, the services of detection of non-communicable diseases and of referral for treatment to specialists will be provided". The clinics…

Citizen Matters has published in-depth articles and analyses on understanding the multiple causes of Bengaluru's flooding this year. So it was only pertinent to engage with citizens to understand the issues they faced in their homes and apartment complexes during the floods, and give them a platform to raise their queries. Challenges of rain-related problems, such as seepage, weakening foundations, damp basements, soil damage, not to mention potholed roads and footpaths, will predictably become more frequent as rainfall intensifies due to climate change. The first edition of Bengaluru Citizen Clinic, a format in which experts address specific questions from citizens…