EVENTS

Climate change is experienced in the form of erratic, unpredictable and extreme weather changes in the various seasons. This is impacting the periodic appearance of leaves, flowers, and fruits on the seasonal trees around us. Observing these changes regularly can give an insight into climate change's impact on biodiversity in India. Since trees are the basis of all life, including ours, understanding the impact of climate change on trees is imperative. For over a decade, SeasonWatch is leading a citizen science project following the patterns of emergence and maturation of leaves, flowers and fruits (“phenology”) on common tree species of…

The general perception has been that residents in large apartment complexes or gated communities are not a significant vote bank and have a lower rate of voter turnout in assembly or municipal elections. Ahead of the Karnataka 2023 Assembly Elections, the Bengaluru Apartments' Federation (BAF) hopes to change this perception by focusing on voter registration, awareness and participation through their Every Vote Matters (EVM) campaign. Towards this, BAF organised a discussion with representatives from political parties, to facilitate objective conversations and debates concerning Bengaluru's development agenda. With Citizen Matters as the media partner, the discussion was led by panellists Tanveer…

As a run-up to the upcoming Assembly Elections in Karnataka, the Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) has launched a campaign Every Vote Matters (EVM). The campaign will have multiple activities to support member residents in three themes: Voter registration, voter awareness, and voter participation. Historically, it is generally believed that apartments/gated communities are not considered a significant vote bank as very few people register and vote, especially in local or assembly elections. BAF, through its sustained campaign, hopes to change this mindset and establish itself as a vote bank to reckon with. The campaign is expected to reach half a million…

While roads and related infrastructure were given importance in this year’s state budget, housing, education and health were neglected. With the BBMP budget slated to be announced soon, Citizen Matters Bengaluru, organised a webinar, 'The mysterious process of Bengaluru’s budget allocations', on February 23rd, to raise questions about why some sectors are given preference over others, the source of funds, the format of the expenditure, and more. Citizen Matters hosted a webinar on the dissemination and allocation of state and municipal finance. Pic: Citizen Matters The discussion was anchored by Bhanu Sridharan, and the panellists were Kathyayini Chamaraj, executive trustee…

It was recently reported  that Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had received over Rs 28,000 crore in the past six years. The state government sanctioned over Rs 8,000 crore in 2022-2023 alone. Over 60% of this money has been spent on road works, including flyovers and underpasses. Of the Rs 8, 000 crore sanctioned last year, Rs 6,000 crore is being spent on road works. BBMP has issued work orders for this Rs 6,000 crore in one go, even though the money is meant to be spent over three years. In the Karnataka budget 2023-24, presented on February 17th, Chief Minister…

Chennai is seen as a land of opportunities and has much to offer for those who reside here. Despite attracting many people from other parts of the state and country with hopes of a better future, life in Chennai is not a bed of roses. Many civic issues in Chennai such as bad roads, flooding and pollution make daily life difficult. As the city grows, these issues become more significant and affect a large section of the population. But Chennaiites are not entirely powerless when it comes to finding solutions that can help make the city better. From the Namma…

In the past few months, Mumbai's worsening pollution levels have made headlines. It has even been compared to Delhi, which has one of the worst winter pollution levels, year after year. Increased construction activity, industrial pollution and vehicular emissions continue to worsen pollution in Mumbai. To understand this better, Citizen Matters spoke with Ronak Sutaria, Founder and CEO of the Climate Tech startup Respirer Living Sciences in an interview that is now available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtLkl7WkyFQ In the discussion, Ronak explained that Mumbai’s pollution levels were lower than Delhi but emphasised the need to increase monitoring in Mumbai. “Mumbai has…

OpenCity, on February 4th, organised the Bengaluru Traffic Datajam, at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru (IIM-B). Anchored by Vaidya R and Meera K, the datajam kicked off with nearly 30 participants, from across sectors and professions, congregating to devise solutions to complex mobility problems. The issues discussed included mismanagement of traffic, promoting Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) usage, the practicality of road widening, and building elevated corridors for vehicular traffic. The datajam, supported by Oorvani Foundation with World Resources Institute (WRI) India as the knowledge partner, saw the participants engage in a day-long event that sparked off conversations and…

This year started off with the Bengaluru Metro rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) being in the news for its promise to make nearly 40 kilometres of metro lines operational in 2023. This included the extension of the purple line from Byappanahlli to Whitefield and reopening the Yellow line from R.V Road station to Bommasandra. However, in early January this year, there were tragic reports about an under-construction metro pillar in HBR Layout, along the KP Puram- Airport stretch, collapsing on a mother-son duo, who succumbed to their injuries. An inspection report, submitted by Professor J M Chandra Kishen of the civil…

In a tragic incident in early January this year, a mother and her two-year-old son passed away when an under-construction metro pillar reinforcement structure in Outer Ring Road (ORR), near HBR Layout, collapsed on them. This led to righteous outrage among citizens. Questions were raised not only about safety at the metro construction site but also about the roads in front of the Metro stations. How safe is it to walk and cross the roads while construction is going on? How challenging is it to commute to metro stations? How much importance is given to fire safety? How are dust…