CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Iblur Junction lies at the T-junction of two major roads, Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Sarjapura Road in the IT corridor of south-east Bengaluru. It is a major road intersection, which serves as the gateway to the IT corridor, and lies in close proximity to many important locations in all directions. However, traffic woes at Iblur Junction are a daily experience. The junction witnesses major traffic congestion, leading bumper-to-bumper traffic.  Caught in the midst of this chaos is the hapless pedestrian, risking life and limb to cross the road and commute daily. Immediate attention from the authorities is required for…

(New Krishna Bhavan on Sampige Road served its last order on December 6, 2023. The author of this article reminisces about the iconic ‘Udipi’ style darshini) Someone said long back that Malleswaram is not a place, it’s an emotion. In the last days of its existence, it felt like New Krishna Bhavan (NKB) was not a place either, it was an emotion. And what an emotion! Malleswaram was in mourning. Its residents were in shock. Numbing grief seemed to have descended over the neighbourhood, spread to all of Bengaluru and beyond, to places across the world. Anyone who had ever…

On December 4 2023, Chennai plunged into chaos after Cyclone Michaung caused heavy rains and flooding in different parts of the city. The visuals of the Vadakkupattu Lake (Medavakkam Periya Eri) overflowing and breaking a compound wall, with cars in the nearby apartment blocks getting washed away because of heavy inundation, is a sight etched in the memories of residents. A citizen audit done by a group of residents and experts to investigate the causes of the large-scale inundation has laid bare the negligence of the State Water Resources Department (WRD). According to the detailed audit, the lack of proper…

On the morning of December 13th last year, Seema Tania, a bird watcher spotted a few dead mangrove trees near Navi Mumbai’s Chanakya lake. These fully grown mangrove trees are usually seen in abundance on bunds created within the lake forming a forest along a small strip of land that divides TS Chanakya’s grassy wetland. The strip is popular among birders, who often hide between the trees– hoping to spot the usual migratory birds that settle on the water all through the year.  Initially, Seema thought that only a few trees were being cut down. The next morning however, she…

As a teenager residing in Chennai, I observed a noticeable difference in the level of concern for safety between boys my age and myself, when in parks or outdoor spaces. While boys could play freely without feeling threatened, my own experiences were quite different. I would often be approached by unfamiliar men asking invasive questions, making me conscious of my vulnerability. This seems to be a shared experience among girls, not only confined to parks but extending to various public spaces. It brings to light a gender disparity in outdoor experiences, emphasising the need to establish a more inclusive and…

Mariappa, a resident of Silicon City, who lives a few minutes away from the city’s glittering high street, leads a challenging life. He is a pit worker in Bengaluru, eking out a living from the repulsive job of manually cleaning the gutters of the high tech city. His entire family does pit work. Mariappa rues, “My body stinks.” He adds that many pit workers, several of whom live in the heart of the city, have got diseases and have even died due to their work.  Even though manual scavenging has been legally banned, it is still practised in Bengaluru. In…

Part 1 of this series traced the journey of raising awareness about waste management and facilitating behavioural change in phase 1 of #TeamLBTC’s (Let's Be The Change) efforts in Mestri Palya. In part 2, we look at the process behind empowering the community members to create products out of waste as well as what more can be done to replicate the same model of waste management in other slums in the city. Waste to wealth initiative Soon after the successful implementation of Phase 1 of the project, we gradually moved into Phase 2. Before the initiation of Phase 2, an…

International Mountain Day is celebrated on December 11th as a response to call by UNCED (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development). The aim is to raise awareness about the importance of the fragile ecosystems and to come up with different ways to sustain and prevent them from destruction of any kind. Forest, hills, plants and animals are my life. I was fortunate to grow amidst nature, wild animals and birds. Being a pahadan (the one who lives in the mountains), hills and mountains are in my blood. When I came to Kharghar in 2016, the hill, simply called the…

Bengaluru is experiencing  a surge in migration, due to rapid urbanisation and population growth, leading to the rise of  urban poor settlements or slums. These slums face daily challenges, including improper housing, inadequate access to water, sanitation, waste management, and other basic facilities. The prevalent unhygienic conditions in these settlements contribute to health issues, notably a surge in  diseases like dengue while nearby government hospitals often lack the necessary facilities.   A critical issue is improper waste management in these areas. There are disparities in opportunities for dumping, collecting, and disposing of waste. This further compounds the challenges faced by the urban poor.…

Part 1 looked at the details of the Bengaluru Climate Action and Resilience Plan (BCAP), its objectives, focus areas, resource planning, etc. The Government of Karnataka has tasked Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) with the primary leadership and responsibility for this initiative. While plans on paper seem comprehensive, the ground reality, however, leaves much to be desired. The challenges are many. The government needs to put in place a governance structure to execute them, considering that BBMP, entrusted with the primary leadership responsibility, hasn’t had an election for over seven years! What does sustainable and healthy living-an objective of BCAP-mean for…