GENRE: In Focus

This coming BBMP council election is seeing over 700 independent candidates in the fray. While many are contesting as independents after being denied a party ticket, there are others from low income groups and resident welfare associations, fed up with mainstream political parties, and therefore deciding to take it upon themselves to bring about some much-needed change. B Vedi is one such person. This 36-year-old has decided to contest in these elections upon the insistence of his supporters and ardent followers in the Dr B R Ambedkar Vegetable Loaders Association, based in KR Market and the residents of Sudhamanagar (Ward…

What was meant to be a healthy debate that would help the people of Vasanthnagar (Ward no: 93) decide on who was best suited to be their corporator went that way for over an hour. And then, in a matter of minutes, it spiralled into an emotionally-loaded exchange of words between rival political factions. The debate held at the Punjab Seva Samithi in the Vasanthnagar Area, saw the participation of five candidates - R. Mallikarjuna (Janata Dal (Secular)), Lokapriya (Nationalist Congress Party), N.S Ramakanth (Lok Satta Party), B.R Naidu (Congress) and Katta Jagadish Naidu (Bharatiya Janata Party). Arguments exchanged between…

"I am running to represent the people in all government offices and departments where they want their work done, but I am not going to make false promises about specific projects or schemes", says R Venkatesh, film director and JD(S) candidate for councillor at JP Nagar (Ward 177). Forty-two year old Venkatesh is a first-time corporator candidate and says he is inspired by H D Kumaraswamy's leadership.Venkatesh's attitude sums up a reformist and perhaps even non-ideological line, amongst the tickets mainline parties have given to some candidates. But with a whopping 198 seats up for the council, candidates of all…

In what is their first step towards mainstream politics in Bangalore, a group of city-based activists have come together for the BBMP council elections by floating two independent candidates. These activists have formed a group called the Praja Rajakiya Vedike, which will support the candidates in these elections. Says Elavarthi Manohar, one of the members of this group, "We have all fought with regard to human rights, women's rights, sexuality minority rights. We wanted to bring about a change. So we all got together". Manohar is also the founder of Sangama, a sexuality minorities human rights organisation for individuals oppressed…

With the BBMP elections just round the corner, parties considered to be at the fringe of Bangalore's politics have gotten off the blocks first to present their agendas and unveil their candidates. Leaders of the ten political parties, that have come together to form the Civic Front, address the media. Pic: Navya D'Souza. The Civic Front, comprising of ten political parties released their manifesto for the coming elections yesterday at a meeting near N R Square. The Civic Front is spearheaded by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and includes All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Indian National League (INL),…

Initiatives around Bengaluru spark some hope that progress can be made to cut down the city's carbon footprint. Bengaluru estimated to emit around 6.36 million metric tonnes of Carbon dioxide. In 2008, the South Asia chapter of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) came out with Carbon emission profiles for 54 cities in the region. Bangalore was one of the cities studied. ICLEI estimated that Bengaluru was emitting around 6.36 million teCO2 (metric tonnes of Carbon dioxide and equivalents) during the study period of 2007-2008. (This was the only published study Citizen Matters has found on carbon emissions…

The Karnataka Lokayukta has ordered a departmental enquiry against the BBMP Commissioner Bharat Lal Meena, BWSSB Chairman P B Ramamurthy and few other officials for a case of zoning violation in Jayanagar. Though the Lokayukta's orders are recommendatory and not binding, the order comes as another slap on the face of a city that recently witnessed the Carlton Towers fire accident. The Lokayukta issued this order on December 23rd 2009.Also, Meena and Ramamurthy, both IAS officers, have been slapped with a showcause notice by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms on February 17th 2010.BBMP had sanctioned a plan for…

The state government's proposal to construct a war memorial at the Indira Gandhi musical fountain park in Vasanthnagar, has met the ire of environment groups in the city, who allege that this project is being carried out by violating several legislations. At least 29 trees (or less) are facing the axe for the project. The groups, however, say that they are not against the construction of a war memorial itself, but are opposing the felling of trees. Proposed to be built over 6 acres and 22 guntas of this 17-odd acre park, the project has been initiated by the state's…

For months now, reservations for Bengaluru's city council seats have been in the eye of a storm. Citizens across the city have questioned the state government on the method used to reserve wards. In the process, cases have been filed both in the High Court (HC) and Supreme Court, both of who have quashed the original list released by the state.The list released by the government on 23 February is here. Ward reservation list.  To reserve the 23 wards for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community in the BBMP council elections, two methods have been under discussion lately. One method involves…

BBMP is on a beautification drive, painting the walls in the city in a hue of colours. Since August 15th 2009, about seven lakh square feet of wall along main roads and bridges, mostly in the west zone of the city have been turned into canvases for the BBMP’s Karnataka Vaibhava wall painting project. Scenes from mythology, paintings of the temples at Hampi, Belur and Halebid, the Mysore Palace, historical figures of Karnataka, jungle creatures, and even a few socially conscious paintings of polio vaccinations and the dangers of alcohol related abuse now adorn the public walls of the city,…