BAF

Bengaluru’s pristine environment of the 60s and 70s has, in the past half a century, deteriorated significantly. People who have lived here for the past few decades would have a clear perception of this environmental degradation. Left to itself, the environment in the city’s gated communities too would be much the same as that exists on the outside. When it comes to air pollution, gated communities experience the same pollution as other city residents. Although every individual living in Bengaluru has the duty to work towards reducing pollution, let us look at initiatives gated communities can consciously take, to reduce…

With the rising number of COVID cases in Karnataka crossing over 6,000 per day, of which over 4,000 cases per day are in Bengaluru itself, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has been organising a series of meetings with various Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to seek support in contact tracing and improving the reach of administering COVID vaccines. On April 1, the central government extended vaccination for people above 45 years, irrespective of whether they have co-morbidities.  On April 2, during an interaction with the BBMP Chief Commissioner and Commissioner for Health, an overwhelming request by the RWAs was to conduct vaccination…

Decentralisation is a word that we often hear and appreciate. We, however, see it as a distant concept that operates far from our lives. Images that come to mind when we think of decentralisation are panchayat raj or self-help groups, etc. We do not, for instance, think of this term — which means dissipation of power from one to many — when it comes to urban issues. More often than not, we think of the urban settings as organised spaces. To us, everything falls under the realm of urban planning; that gives us a semblance of structure to the chaotic…

The Bangalore Apartments' Federation is holding it's annual event 'Bengaluru Apartments – Making Bengaluru  Operationally Outstanding and Sustainable' (BAMBOOS), on December 12th and 13th. Covid-19 restrictions has forced the event to go online. Stakeholders will discuss, engage, share and collaborate on the theme Responsible, Resilient &  Responsive Apartment Communities for the Bengaluru of next decade. To participate, one would have to register at: https://baf.org.in/bamboos Representatives from government, bureaucracy, civic agencies, expert groups, non profit organisations, media, management committees of apartments and residents will come together to reimagine a better Bengaluru.  Panel discussions would be held on the following topics:  Essential…

Yesterday, a team of representatives from Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) - a federation of apartment RWAs in the city - participated in a video-conference with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) officials. BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar, Special Commissioner (Health and Projects) Dr Ravi Surpur and Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Randeep Dev were present, along with representatives of various Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs).  Here are some key updates which were shared in the meeting: RWAs to stay alert and updated  As per the order of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on May 1, and subsequent orders…

Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF), a federation representing over one lakh flats and three lakh apartment residents across Bengaluru, will launch MADHURA – 'Medical Aid for Domestic Help Under Residential Apartments'. As part of MADHURA, BAF will launch a group insurance scheme for all domestic workers. The scheme will cover maids, cooks, drivers, plumbers, electricians etc who work in apartment complexes but are not formally employed. Underscoring the importance of MADHURA, H A Nagaraja Rao, President of BAF, said, “Most domestic workers do not get coverage under government schemes like Ayushman Bharat or Arogya Karnataka as they may be above the…

Did you know that apartments are at higher risk of fire hazard than factories producing combustible materials like firecrackers? Twenty nine percent higher risk, to be precise. And most of us live in apartment complexes. The fire tragedy at Carlton Towers nine years ago, brought to the forefront the perils of fire in high rise buildings dotting the Bengaluru skyline. To mark the ninth anniversary, Beyond Carlton, a group of citizens working towards fire safety in Bangalore, has partnered with the Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF) to do a fire risk assessment of registered apartments in the city absolutely free. Cheryl…