City: Bengaluru

As a 'yellow alert' has been issued, yet again, in Bengaluru, citizens search for answers on the reasons for the severe floods this year. One such explainer is by Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks. In a series of videos, titled 'Floodsplaining' posted on the Bangalore Walks YouTube channel, Arun Pai deep dives into questions on the causes of the floods. He does not pass any value judgements and focuses on the scientific reasons for the severe floods. His videos are based on his extensive research, including talking to experts, reading on the topic, and gaining insights by going around…

The Right to Information Act of 2005 allows individuals to seek information from elected governing bodies. However, another facet under Section 4(1)(b) of the Act signifies the disclosure of particulars of organisations, including their functions and duties. This includes details concerning the duties and functions, roles and responsibilities of its officers and employees and the decision-making process of the organisation. Section 2 of the RTI Act defines public authorities as “any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted by or under the Constitution, any other law made by Parliament, any other law made by the State Legislature and…

In a previous article, Citizen Matters summarised and republished the first in the YouTube series of Arun Pai's video explainers on why Bengaluru floods to provide insights on the reasons for the city experiencing its worst floods in September this year. In episode one of the series, Arun Pai explains how elevation determines why certain parts of Bengaluru flood. The second and third episodes in the "Floodsplaining" "series respectively explain how our ancestors captured and utilised rain water and how some locations in the city are more vulnerable to floods. Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks, uses interactive maps, history…

There is an emerging policy consensus around promoting cities as engines of economic growth (XV Finance Commission, 2020, pg. 169). NITI Aayog, in its May 2022 report, proposed developing comprehensive economic plans for Indian cities. The 74th amendment also allows Urban Local Bodies to integrate and implement economic development schemes through the master plan. Cities across the world use economic data to understand and identify target areas for investment in transportation or economic infrastructure (for example, Sao Paulo) or setting up targeted investment funds (such as London’s Regeneration Fund and Growing Places Fund) or improving poor neighbourhoods’ access to better…

It has been a little over two years since the urban local body in Bengaluru had an elected body of representatives. While cases pending in Supreme Court have been cited as a reason for the delaying the BBMP elections, the absence of elected corporators at the local level has meant that MLAs have been calling the shots even for local level initiatives. Reports have tracked how the role of ward committees is being chipped away leading to lack of accountability and eventually translating to citizens losing whatever little say they had in matters pertaining to urban service delivery and civic…

The Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga has extended a public invitation to the second Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga Samaavesha to be held on October 16th (Sunday) at Government Arts College, next to Civil Court complex, from 10 am. The main objective of the Balaga is to strengthen the ward committees of Bengaluru by working together and collaborating with the BBMP and other civic agencies. BBMP elections are still pending (likely to happen before December 31st per Court orders), but we are glad to report more ward committee meetings are happening now than before our May 28th meeting. However, in many meetings,…

First anti-conversion case registered The first case under the 'anti-conversion' law or the Karnataka Right to Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, was registered by the Yeshwanthpur police. A girl, who is a major, was allegedly converted to Islam and married a youth she is in love with. The girl’s mother complained to the police, who arrested the youth, even before recording the girl’s statement on the issue. Opponents to the arrest said that the couple had married in Penukonda (Andhra Pradesh), where the law is not in place. Moreover, the girl is a major and was not…

Bengaluru witnessed one of its worst floods in September this year. The city received more than 800mm rain, since June. Heavy rains led to flooding of many parts of the city in the east, southeast, and northeast, inundating neighbourhoods and houses and damaging vehicles. Tractors and boats were used to evacuate people from homes in flooded neighbourhoods. Bengaluru's IT corridor was among the worst affected. Large swathes of the city were flooded, normal life was disrupted, and the apathy of the authorities raised many questions.  In search of answers Several reasons have been cited for the flooding: from rapid and…

In a previous article, Citizen Matters had traced the anti-encroachment drive by the BBMP in the Mahadevapura zone to clear constructions blocking stormwater drains. Following this, the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) submitted a proposal that the 17-kilometre stretch of the Outer Ring Road, housing tech parks and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) be declared a separate municipal zone. But is such a zone feasible under the current law? In a bid to transform this stretch into a “world technology corridor”, the proposal seeks a committee to be set up to…

Most of us would not know who the Mayor of Bengaluru is. However, the name of the chief commissioner of the municipal corporation would probably be familiar to a few. This complete failure to recognise and identify the mayors of our cities is symptomatic of a deep malaise: the relative unimportance of the political executive in the running of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). One way to be aware of issues of impropriety and poor performance in local government bodies and departments is to track the audit reports from agencies like the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). This article…