CITIZEN JOURNALISM

File picture of a slum near HSR Layout. Pic: Akshatha M International Symposium on Health in Slums 2016 was held in Smrithi Auditorium, Bangalore Baptist Hospital, Hebbal on April 30, 2016. This was a first-of-its-kind event provided a platform for health researchers, BBMP Medical Officer and NGOs involved in various aspect of health in slums. The population for study involved migrant and non-migrant populations. This was an opportunity to connect the investigators, with questions pertaining to the health and wellbeing of the slum dwellers, with those willing to offer solutions in the form cost-effective options of fuel, energy, technology and…

The Takshashila Institution, on May 3rd, launched India’s first post-graduate programme in public policy for working professionals. The 48-week programme is delivered using Takshashila’s networked learning platform that allows people from any academic background to take the course from anywhere at their own pace. Students will learn and interact with some of the foremost policy thinkers, analysts and practitioners and be eligible for careers with top industry, NGO, politician and media partners. The course starts in September 2016 and admissions open in the first week of May. Nandan Nilekani with the students and staff of the Graduate Certificate in Public…

Antony Das, is an active participant of the B.PAC Civic Leadership Incubator Program (B.CLIP) and also an advocate of civic issues. Das went on to take up numerous initiatives in his locality, specifically reviving a public park which was turned into a dump yard for several years. The initiative has seen some substantial progress after it was pushed forward to the local BBMP members by him. Originally a project of the BDA, in 2001, the park was transferred to the City Municipal Council (CMC) and later to BBMP. However, the space allotted for the park was not maintained and it turned into a…

This is a story that has passion, action, drama, blood (well, not blood really, but it seems like people are baying for our blood), sweat and tears! Sounds like a Bollywood potboiler? Well, that’s the Durga alarm story for you. It is nothing short of a potboiler, with multitudes of characters, plots, sub-plots and plenty of action. The humble beginnings of the Durga alarm The story quite literally started in 2014, when the first thoughts took shape and it developed, slowly and painstakingly over unlimited cups of tea and brain-storming sessions. Almost 90% of the women who attended our workshops…

A number of articles have been written about step-by-step approach to fill the Online Form for payment of property tax this year. I am writing this article on the failure of the new system and what went wrong since lakhs of tax payers could not make payments till date. BBMP is in a big muddle for having introduced a software overnight without proving the efficacy of the new system. I am giving below the reasons for such a failure. The matter is in the hands of the concerned BBMP Commissioners who are probably not taking into consideration, the actual state…

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has introduced new norms for nitrogen level in the treated water that comes out from a sewage treatment plant. The step is meant to control nitrogen levels in the drinking water bodies. The new standards are made applicable to all STPs including those in Residential Apartment Complexes, Commercial Complexes and the large STPs of Urban Local Bodies ( ULB) such as City Municipal Corporation, Town Municipal Corporation etc. in Karnataka. The new notification limits Ammonia Nitrogen content and Total Nitrogen content to 5 mg/L and 10 mg/L respectively in treated domestic sewage. The…

Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes have been in the news for disturbing reasons lately - the rampant real estate developments in the valley zone that may lead to drying up of the downstream lakes and massive flooding in the next rainy season. There is an ongoing petition to raise awareness on this issue. However, it is business as usual at the government offices. Authorities seem to have been quietly sanctioning one project after another. While there is Shriram Chirping Woods project that has been sanctioned in the valley zone, there is also Bren Imperia that has partly been built on the valley…

A few months ago, there was this news item about a bride who prevented 137 kilos of wedding waste from ending up in a landfill. It was heartening to read it, for two reasons. One, even in these days of pomposity, show and fanfare, there are some who have genuine concern for the environment, and think about wastage, garbage and the like. The second reason for my happiness was a sense of pride, since our own family had pursued this initiative just a few weeks before.  Yes. In October 2015, we had arranged a luncheon get-together, to celebrate the wedding…

Constructions continue unabated in the wetland between Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes. Pic: Adity Roy Nair. Kaikondrahalli Lake located on Sarjapur Road is a 48-acre urban lung space and water reservoir in the water starved region of Bellandur, Bengaluru. It is also a thriving ecosystem with 50+ species of birds and reptiles. The lake stands as a shining example of the government and the local community working together to preserve an urban common. Kasavanahalli lake, spread over 80 acres, situated upstream was recently rejuvenated. However, this bio-diverse ecosystem is now under immediate threat due to constructions and buffer zone violations on its…

Sometime in early 2010, I was invited to visit International Institute of Social Entrepreneurs (an offshoot of Braille Without Borders and now called Kanthari) in Trivandrum. That visit was an ‘eye opener’ for me. The co-founder, Sabriye Tenberken, became my first blind friend! She, and the rest of the people who worked at IISE, made me feel welcome and introduced me to a whole new world – a world where those with sight and without, co-existed and complemented each other's strengths and weaknesses. It was a dream factory where everyone had a dream, and they were encouraged to make their…