GENRE: Explainers

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024 (GBG) was tabled at the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on July 23rd. It outlines a three-tier structure to govern Bengaluru: A new body called the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for coordinating and supervising the development of the Greater Bengaluru Area; ward committees as basic units of urban governance and to facilitate community participation; and ten City Corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Area for effective, participatory and responsive governance.  However, the Bill has been criticised by several groups and urban practitioners for being in contravention of the 74th Constitutional Amendment, which decentralises power to lower levels…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Horticulture Department started Hasiru Mitra (friend of parks/green spaces) in 2023 with two objectives: To maintain the city’s parks and to engage citizens as active stakeholders. “Hasiru Mitras work in collaboration with the BBMP officials and the contractors. They have to oversee the work of the contractors and check whether the officials are visiting the parks. If there are any issues, they bring it to our notice,” says Chandrasekhar MR, Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture.  Meanwhile, out of the approximately 1,237 parks maintained by the BBMP across eight zones in the city,…

(Citizen Matters, Bengaluru, organised a citizen clinic, 'Decoding property documentation—your guide to sale deeds, khata, EC and more’, where advocate Mithun Gerahalli, who specialises in property law, answered questions regarding property documentation. Part 1 of the three-part event report series covered the legal issues related to property documentation and the due diligence that new buyers should follow. Part 2 dealt with the khata quagmire, Digital Property Ownership Cards (UPOR) and discrepancy between the owner’s claim and the information in the RTC [Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops]. Part 3 is about Apartment Associations Registration and Laws) Bengaluru's expansion both horizontally and…

Part 1 of the three-part event report series on property documentation covered the legal issues related to property documentation and the due diligence that new property buyers should follow. The queries were addressed by Mithun Garehalli, an advocate specialising in property law. Part 2 highlights Mithun's insights into the complexities of land ownership, the importance of understanding property history, and the need for expert advice in property transactions. Khata quagmire What is A Khata vs B Khata issue?  A Khata is a document used for tax assessment in Bengaluru. It includes essential details such as the property owner’s name, site…

(This article is part 1 of a three-part event report series)  All property transactions in Bengaluru have to mandatorily be registered with the government. This is important as it provides buyers with essential safeguards; enhances transparency due to the requirement of comprehensive project disclosures; establishes standard practices; and provides mechanisms for dispute resolution. The government has brought in multiple legislations over the years. While it has brought in some level of streamlining of the process, a lot is left to be desired. There are several types of property, which means you will need to deal with different agencies. In a…

Umbrella? Check. Raincoat for the kids? Check. All-season footwear? Check. Plastic cover for mobile phone? Check. As June approaches, Mumbaikars ready themselves for monsoon or what is popularly called "Bambai ki baarish." They buy protective gear and extra food supplies. Some like me even pack away ‘the summer wardrobe’ and bring out ‘the monsoon wardrobe’. While we are careful about preparing for the monsoon, are our neighbourhoods equally ready? What should be on our safety checklist as we go about our lives for the next four months? In this two-part series Citizen Matters explores the factors that cause flooding, various…

“It used to flood a couple of years ago. Water would get into the bank on the ground floor of my building. But now there is a pump to clear out the water. So it doesn’t flood, unless there is a lot of rainfall,” says Shubhalaxmi Burde, a resident of Sleater Road in Grant Road. But she remembers a time, when she moved as a new bride in 1978, she discovered that people in the area had to use small boats to get around because of the flooding. Nana Chowk  at Grant Road and the area around it, has been a…

Mumbai may have witnessed heavy rains but one must not forget that the city is still reeling under a 10% water cut since June 5, 2024. On the one hand water levels in the reservoirs are depleting, and on the other hand rainwater continues to flow out. In such a scenario, rainwater harvesting can be the game changer for Mumbai. If done right, it ensures water supply for individuals, fights larger water crisis and might help reduce floods too.    Urban local bodies (ULB) like the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been encouraging housing societies to set up rainwater harvesting…

A national newborn screening programme, as part of the health policy, is not yet a reality in India, even though such an initiative can help in the early detection of metabolic and genetic disorders. A universal screening programme initiated by the government can go a long way in the prevention of life-threatening illnesses in children, especially in this country, where the incidence of prematurity and low birth weight is quite high. However, newborn screening is available in many private hospitals and it is important for parents to be aware and ask for these tests for their newborn. To mark International…

Bengaluru has experienced extreme weather fluctuations this year. After a severe heatwave, the city enjoyed a brief respite with heavy showers, resulting in a record 111.1 mm of rainfall earlier this month. While Bengaluru received excess rainfall, the rest of the state is grappling with a 38% monsoon deficit, affecting water storage levels in reservoirs. The city is still facing water shortage despite heavy rains. In this multi-part series, analysts at the OpenCity water datajam, examined the level of water security (or lack thereof) in the areas/wards and provided insight into the redressal mechanisms: Part 1: Is your neighbourhood ‘water-secure’?…