City: Bengaluru

The recent flooding in Bengaluru made national headlines as the ‘high-tech’ IT capital of India was ground to a halt in the wake of heavy rainfall spells. The severity of the event shone the spotlight on the state of the city’s lakes, particularly the extent of encroachment, and poor waste management that have impaired the ability of Bengaluru’s water bodies and stormwater drains to act as flood buffers. With climate change, the frequency of such extreme weather is likely to increase, underlining the need to understand the city’s complex and integral waterscape better. Lesson one, in this regard, is that…

Rs 5.20 lakh cr MOUs signed at Global Investors Meet On the inaugural Wednesday (November 2nd) of the three-day Invest Karnataka 2022 – Global Investors Meet, the government signed MOUs (memorandums of understanding) worth Rs 5.20 lakh crore, while many industry leaders assured further investment. Seven companies invested Rs 2.9 lakh crore in the ‘Manufacturing – Green Hydrogen and Derivatives’ sector. MoUs worth Rs 25,024 crore were signed with six companies in the core manufacturing sectors such as mining, iron, steel and cement, while MoUs worth Rs 22,906 crore were signed with nine companies under the e-mobility, aerospace and defence…

Streeties or free-living dogs (FLDs) are frequently at the centre of much controversy regarding human-animal conflict and zoonotic diseases like rabies. These issues can cause trauma and claim lives. It is, hence, our collective responsibility to address it. Some experts are of the opinion that the only viable approach is the complete eradication of these dogs. But is this approach workable in India? Should other approaches also be considered? Are there certain beliefs that make some people insist on one approach over the other? What should our considerations be when we discuss what is the right approach for India? There…

Commuting in the city has only become harder for those who rely on public transport. Attesting to this, Deepa. P, a commuter, who travels regularly from Bommanahalli to Central Bengaluru District, says how this often compels commuters like her to use ride-hailing apps, like Uber and Ola, despite their prices. In a previous article, we traced the city-wide circumstances that led up to a temporary ban on autos of ride-hailing apps, like Uber and Ola, in Bengaluru. This exposed the legal violations by the aggregators and practices that inconvenienced commuters and drivers alike. The second part of the series will…

Language. One simple word that hosts so many worlds.  The spoken word (and its written version) form the basis of human social interaction from the start of civilization. Linguistic anthropology is a fascinating study of why we speak the way we do. Every language has a place of origin from where it travels the world, adding to the community treasury of speech wherever we choose to make our lives. So the Hindi word “loot” could make it to the English language and the Tamil word “kolaveri” was added to our national lexicon.  But while a multilingual society (like Bengaluru where…

Statue of Prosperity to be unveiled The 108-feet bronze statue of Kempegowda, the founder of Bengaluru, will be unveiled at the Bengaluru International Airport, Devanahalli, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11th. It will be called the 'Statue of Prosperity' to symbolise the progress of the city under the vision of its founder, Kempegowda. On October 21th, as part of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Campaign, vehicles were flagged off from Vidhan Soudha’s grand steps to collect sacred soil and water from the 31 districts of the state. The sacred soil and water will be integrated with the Kempegowda Theme Park…

Flooded buildings and inundated neighbourhoods have become more commonplace in the last few years. In addition, residents have to deal with seepage, weakening foundations, damp basements and soil damage, not to mention potholed roads and footpaths.  With climate change, rainfall is only going to get more intense. How do we fix rain-related problems and prevent further issues in our homes, apartment complexes and layouts? What issues are you facing? What do you need to know to get the problem solved? Citizen Matters, Bengaluru will host a panel of experts to address your questions and doubts on November 4th (Friday), 6…

Almost all of us have fond memories of visiting a zoo and seeing a zebra or giraffe for the first time. The pleasure and knowledge children derive from a visit to the zoo cannot be overstated. It is, therefore, essential to run zoos in a manner that balances the interests of the animals along with the comfort and convenience of the visitor. Some of the main challenges zoos face across the globe are lack of space, social stress, managing visitors, and maintaining the health of their animals. Besides food poisoning, zoo animals also suffer due to animal-human conflict and lack…

While adjusting to the changing rhythms of the workspace has been challenging, the difficulties of keeping the home running have been made somewhat easier by the mushrooming of online home services. Especially home delivery of food that suits all palates. In fact, the food industry as a whole has undergone major shifts. The growing number of Cloud Kitchens, for instance. Cloud Kitchens are restaurants that operate only as a kitchen and home deliver your food order. Revenue from online food delivery is projected to cross US $12 bn by the end of 2022, with an annual growth rate of almost…

"Irrespective of them (Ola-Uber) increasing or decreasing the prices, our commission margin doesn't change, we haven't made any profit from the surged charges on these platforms," says 28-year-old AS Mantelingu, an auto driver with Snehajeevi Chalakara Sanghatane. Mantelingu's commission is dependent on the trip essayed from point A to point B, out of which the ride-hailing apps would take 25% of his earnings per trip. He gets money only for picking up and dropping commuters, not the surcharges imposed by the apps during peak hours or rainy days. Mantelingu complains of 'dead mileage', which is the cost of driving to…