CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Every city, even giant metropolises like Bengaluru, still have a few patches of green, blue or brown that have managed to survive or at least allay the formidable onslaught of concrete and glass. Look carefully in these oases and you’ll be sure to find a sign of life (or five)! Snakes: Pic: Ashish Par Among the most revered and reviled animals in India, snakes are also very common in our cityscapes. Bengaluru has about 40 species of snakes of which six are venomous. Most snakes, even venomous ones, will flee upon detection. They only stand their ground when provoked or…

The steel flyover will pass through this road. Pic: Shree D N To all those who insist on going ahead with the steel bridge... in the hope that good sense prevails: The issue regarding this bridge is becoming more heated as the days go by. As I see it, the matter will get uglier as both sides have their view points and arguments in place. So the best way to resolve this is to throw up all the pros and cons and see which comes out on top! The bridge will cut the journey to the airport and from North…

To Sri Siddaramaiah Hon’ble Chief Minister Govt. of Karnataka Vidhana Soudha Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi Bengaluru - 560001 Dear Sir, Subject:  (1) Our objections to the steel fly-over from Chalukya circle to Hebbal junction and (2) Our suggestions on the alternative use of Rs. 1,800 crore for de-congesting traffic and for human development and social infrastructure for Bengaluru Greetings from CIVIC Bangalore! We have been working since 24 years on urban governance and the Rights to Food, Health, Education, Livelihood and Social Security of the urban poor. Whenever we propose that money be set aside for human development measures, which are…

Traffic on Ballari road on a normal week day. Pic: Balaji Ganesan Civil Society activists in Bengaluru are opposing the Government's decision, to build a Steel Flyover from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal Junction. As someone who supports the causes pursued by many of these activists, I'm surprised by the protests against the Steel Flyover project. Is the Civil Society working against itself, jeopardising several of the causes we have been pursuing? Do we risk wasting the opportunities provided by this steel flyover project, to improve civic amenities in this part of Bengaluru? People’s flyover, not VIP flyover To begin with,…

“And through this having and giving and sharing and receiving, we too can share and love and have... and receive.”– Joey Tribbiani, in “Friends”. Funny that this quote, part of Joey’s intended speech at the wedding of his friends Monica and Chandler, would be apt for a nationwide festival of giving! Daan Utsav is not just about the receiving, we know, it is about the giving. A festival that turns the lens on to itself, like a particularly gorgeous selfie. When I began volunteering for Daan Utsav, I had not seen it up close. I had read about it in…

Much has been written, in social media circles, against the expensive, potentially ugly steel bridge that is going to come at a cost of Rs 1800 Cr (estimated) to the public exchequer of the state of Karnataka. There are additional costs of course, trees, precious, full grown trees that have to be chopped off. Aesthetics. A steel structure... don’t get me wrong, I am an engineer, I love steel...is going to snake through town from Chalukya circle to Hebbal flyover. Beautiful heritage buildings and land. Compelling arguments have been made by many people along these lines, and they are right.…

Railway Under-Bridge near Bengaluru's Shivananda Circle is no longer an ugly, stinking, dangerous thoroughfare for pedestrians. It has been transformed in five steps: Step 1 (June 2016): Railways staff + citizen volunteers de-poster, remove garbage and transform 80% of the RUB over three days. The Ugly Indian poster-repellent design was used, with striking bright colours, to brighten up an otherwise dark and dreary under-bridge place. See the album of Spotfix no 1 here: https://www.facebook.com/theugl.yindian/photos/… Step 2 (July 2016): BBMP fixes the footpath and repairs the pathways, including installing lights Step 3 (July 2016): Railways fixes the leaking roof and trims…

Have you wondered about the advertisement boards that we see on our roads and medians? Most of the time we curse them silently for spoiling the skyline or worse, blocking our line of vision while crossing the road, and then move on. We assume that some official body gave them an ill-conceived permission. When the number of such boards in Bellandur ward became too much to bear, to the extent that they were causing fatal accidents, we met the Special Commissioner for Property tax and Hoardings - V Rashmi Mahesh on March 27, 2016. And guess what we learnt? Of…

Cattles die from eating plastic. While plastic may seem almost indispensable in our daily lives, we tend to remain oblivious to the harm that we cause to animals and the environment by using this material in almost every aspect of our lives. Plastic is not bio-degradable in that it cannot be decomposed into simpler chemical constituents. It remains in the environment for thousands of years, endangering various life forms. Therefore, this year, the state government of Karnataka took the momentous decision to ban the use, sale and distribution of various items of plastic across the state. As per the notification,…

October 2nd was Gandhi’s birth anniversary and a reminder of his vision of Clean India. Our Prime Minister Modi revived the dream two years back on this day by launching Swacch Bharat Mission. We at Bellandur ward were fortunate to have passionate citizens to form Kasa Muktha Bellandur who introduced the 2bin1bag concept in 2012. Later, with the support of hundreds of volunteers across the city and solid waste managment round table, it became a law in December 2015 by the Karnataka high court. I am a new kid on the block in Waste management and had the privilege of diving deep…