City: Bengaluru

This is the first of a three-part analysis of  various mobility policies/plans for Bengaluru that aim to regulate use of private vehicles to reduce road traffic congestion, improve different modes of public transport and encourage its use, and create the right infrastructure to enable and encourage safe use of non-motorised transport, particularly cycling and walking. COVID-induced Work From Home (WFH) has given a slight relief to Bengalureans from its perennial road traffic congestion. The last two years have seen manageable traffic around IT parks. But the situation in the CBD (Central Business District) and certain other parts of the city…

Hijab row On Wednesday, the police resolved arguments related to hijab in a government college and a private PUC in Malleswaram. In some sensitive parts of the city, police told students to follow the interim court order banning all religious attire including hijab in educational institutions. Advocates for the petitioners questioning the hijab ban, told the court on Tuesday that the interim order has been “grossly misused” and amounts to the suspension of fundamental rights. On Thursday, Karnataka government ordered that students in schools managed by the minority welfare department, including the Maulana Azad Model English Medium schools should also…

This is the first in the series -- Cycle 2 Work, with interviews of people working in diverse sectors. The series will bring to you stories of these green commuters who are cycling to work. The hope is that these stories will inspire and encourage more Bengalureans to cycle, and not drive, to work. Shilpi Sahu is an IT employee who works for Qualcomm in Bengaluru and has been cycling to work for over 10 years. “I started cycling to work in 2010 and was on and off but since 2018 I am cycling to work regularly,” says Shilpi. “I…

‘Citizens Waterway Project,’ a part of Bengaluru Mission 2022, was launched in December 2020 by Karnataka’s Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to upgrade the city’s infrastructure given its growing population and vehicles. ‘Citizens Waterway Project’, also known as Beautification of K-100 Rajakaluve, aims to develop the city’s storm water drains from KR market to Bellandur Lake. But the project raises multiple questions as it does not follow the Karnataka High Court and NGT orders on the protection of Rajakaluves (major stormwater drains) and lakes of Bangalore. Can beautification of K-100 improve the condition of the storm water drains? The proposed…

Bengaluru has had to cope with water scarcity for a few years now. While many outer areas and slums are not getting enough water, local water resources like lakes remain poorly managed. The Water Solutions Lab, which is part of the Divecha Centre for Climate Change at IISc (Indian Institute of Science), is presently working on projects to improve water governance in Bengaluru and is studying the possibility of using local water sources. In this interview with Citizen Matters, Dr Chandan Banerjee, hydrologist and Associate Director at the Lab, explains the current projects and their possibilities. "The core idea behind…

In recent years, Bengaluru’s usually year-round pleasant weather has seen unusual scorching summers and intense rainfall and flooding during monsoons. What’s causing this, and is there anything we can do about it? Responding to these questions in an interview with Citizen Matters is Dr J Srinivasan, Distinguished Scientist at the Divecha Centre for Climate Change, IISc. He has been associated with IISc since 1982 and had helped establish the Divecha Centre at the IISc in 2009. He was chairman of the Centre from 2009 to 2016.  A Ph D from Stanford University, Prof Srinivasan has been a lead author of…

Cabinet nod for Peripheral Ring Road project The state cabinet gave administrative approval for the Bengaluru Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, which has been hanging for over a decade. PRR would be 100-metre wide, stretching a length of 73.5 km. The project, estimated to cost Rs 21,000 crore, will be done in the PPP-DBFOT (public-private partnership - design, build, finance, operate and transfer) model. The private firm will be able to collect toll from users for 50 years. Meanwhile, the High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday permitted the BMRCL (Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd) to fell 680 trees along the…

The existing state of urban biodiversity, environment and natural heritage in Bengaluru is a matter of urgent concern. The impacts of ecological degradation is already felt in the city - for example, monsoons are often accompanied by the grim news of many areas getting flooded. Many of these vulnerable sites are found in large layouts and real estate projects that are built in valley zones and adjacent to lakes/rajakaluves (primary stormwater drains). A favoured market for the real estate sector, Bengaluru has witnessed an increase in built-up area that has replaced its green cover and wildlife habitats. Built-up area has…

Sprawling, manicured lawns in neighbourhood parks, golf clubs, hospitals, and the airport may seem like oases of greenery. But the fact that they are green deserts -- negatively impacting soil fertility and displacing food crops such as finger millet, pulses, paddy -- is often overlooked.  These are some of the findings in a 2018 study by Dr Seema Purushothaman, Sheetal Patil, Raghvendra Vanjari, A R Shwetha and Dhanya Bhaskar, from Azim Premji University, titled  ‘The Other side of Development – Green Carpet or Green Desert?’. The study was conducted in the rural peripheries of North Bengaluru. About why the study focused…

Night curfew lifted, other restrictions remain City police commissioner Kamal Pant issued orders withdrawing the night curfew, on Monday. But the prohibition on rallies, dharnas and congregations will remain. Three hundred guests in open places and 200 in closed places will be permitted at marriage functions. Fifty per cent occupancy will be allowed in cinema halls, auditoriums, swimming pools, gyms, sports complexes and stadia. The order will remain in force till 5 am on February 15. Those violating the order will be booked under the Disaster Management Act, IPC Section 188, and under Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Act. Source: Deccan Herald…