BBMP

In an earlier article, we highlighted how Bengaluru lags behind in utilisation of funds received under the National Clean Air Programme, and how that, coupled with the lack of an elected municipal body, threatens the prospect of climate action. In November 2023, BBMP launched the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP), with the objective of addressing climate issues in the city.  Following the launch of the BCAP, a climate action cell was established in February 2024 to coordinate the work of different departments towards climate action. Some of these plans are to be realised utilising NCAP funds, either exclusively…

On October 1st, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) launched the process of issuing e-khata on the e-AASTHI website and published the application procedure. The BBMP states that 21 lakh out of 22 lakh properties with khata in Bengaluru have their draft e-khatas listed on the site. Property owners can view their draft e-khata and apply for the final version by uploading additional information. However, many Bengalureans are confused about the process or are unable to access their property listings on the website. Here is a simplified guide on e-khata, how to apply, BBMP’s approval process and some common challenges.…

"As a car driver, sometimes one is compelled to use the riskier mode of a two-wheeler on potholed roads because of lack of on-street or stilt/ basement parking. It adds 15 to 20 minutes of travel time, risk of towing, and undue pressure on the driver to plan the trip according to possible/potential parking availability, " says Namrata N, a regular commuter. This is a problem that every commuter in Bengaluru, who has taken out their private vehicle, has been resonating with for quite a long time now. Parking ranks high on the list of the city's road problems. It…

"At midnight on August 30th, we woke up to thigh-high water flooding our homes," recalls Bheemesh, a resident of an informal settlement located in Tigalarpalya, adjacent to Brookefield's BEML Layout. "We rushed outside, barely having had the time to collect our things. When we came out, we found out that the entire settlement had been submerged". The last few weeks have been difficult for citizens across various regions in the city. Several bouts of heavy rainfall has inundated roads and flooded residential layouts. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said this was Bengaluru's second wettest August with 369.9mm of rainfall. The…

In the run-up to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections scheduled before the end of this calendar year, Bengaluru’s civil society organisations are getting more active to highlight civic issues that need urgent attention. As a first step, on June 24th, the Civil Society Forum (a coalition of civil society groups based in Bengaluru) submitted its “Manifesto for Development of Bengaluru in next five years” to senior representatives of political parties. The manifesto does not pull any punches. When it says, for instance; “Local self-government, with transparency, accountability and people’s participation, as envisaged in the 74th Constitutional Amendment (CAA)…

The Karnataka High Court recently told BBMP officials that poor roads are giving a very bad name to Bengaluru. The court was hearing a PIL related to potholes. The issue of poor road maintenance has dominated the local news space for years now. But what is the root cause of this frustrating situation? In earlier articles, we explored how some areas of Bengaluru manage to have good roads without potholes, and how it was about maintaining proper drains and ensuring regular maintenance. We then explored what BBMP’s own guidelines say about maintaining drains and how much the guidelines are followed…

After a long delay, the state government notified the draft of the BBMP ward delimitation report on Thursday, June 23rd. Delimitation would change ward boundaries and increase the number of wards in the city from 198 to 243. The Ward Delimitation Committee, headed by the BBMP Chief Commissioner, submitted the draft report to the government on June 9th. This committee was to redraw ward boundaries based on population data from the 2011 Census. Read more: BBMP elections: Major parties have ready promises, new ones talk citizen empowerment The Karnataka state government's notification on 23rd June mentions it has accepted the…

I often get asked why I’m obsessed with ward committees and keep on promoting them despite so many challenges and setbacks. I am indeed obsessed and here’s why. We are still evolving democracy. We can’t just vote for the best candidate and expect him/her to represent us and make things work. Getting elected doesn’t seem to have much to do with the ability to govern. Of all the issues we face in our cities, many of them relate to local governance and not so much about international affairs or policymaking that require deeper engagement and very few have the means…

In July 2021, Brookefields Layout, a community East of Marathahalli in Bengaluru, finally got its roads asphalted. Within a month, BESCOM - the electric utility, informed the community that they wanted to dig a beautiful, brand-new road to lay their 11KV lines. Prior to asphalting, we had asked several utilities (including BESCOM) if they had any pending work on the road. Many took the opportunity to lay their lines; the road asphalting itself was delayed to accommodate new gas lines, optical cables, telephone cables, water lines, and more. BESCOM said they had no plans; for them to now say they…

The cash strapped Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has been on a quest to improve its system, which will enable it to widen its property tax net. BBMP was one of the first municipal corporations in the country to embrace technology and implement an online Self Assessment Tax system. Whilst the effort has been in the right direction, it is however, constantly in the news, quite often for the wrong reasons. Now, even as it manages the brickbats and high praise, especially for its COVID management, BBMP has thrown a shocker to the public - a Property Tax Demand Notice…