Greenies

On December 30, 2018, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issued a public notice declaring all 198 BBMP wards ‘open defecation free’. It was approved by the BBMP council on December 27, 2018, three days prior to the distribution of the notice. This is a required criterion under Swacch Bharath Mission to be considered for higher ranking in Swacch Sarvekshan Survey 2019 which will begin soon. What is Open Defecation-free area? According to the definition given by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2015, "ODF is the termination of faecal-oral transmission, defined by a) no visible faeces found…

The morning of October 29, 2018 saw chaos on the ITPL main road at Whitefield in Bengaluru, when the Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL)  natural gas pipeline sprung a leak in front of Decathlon during BMRCL operations. The Bengaluru Traffic Police tweeted that the traffic had been diverted to accommodate the repair teams. By 10 am, it was announced by the GAIL DGM Operations, Senthil Kumar that the leak was plugged. While there was a lot of talk about the traffic situation it caused, the accident raises several questions about safety and more importantly about what lies below Bangalore’s…

The 208th Lal Bagh Flower Show has started in the city to commemorate the 72nd Independence Day. The show is being jointly organised by the Department of Horticulture and Mysore Horticulture Society. With the theme ‘Sevege Gaurvarpane’, the biannual event pays homage to the Armed Forces this time. The chief attraction is the model of Amar Jawan Jyothi, the memorial to the fallen soldiers of the country at India Gate, with the flags of the three branches- Army, Navy and Airforce. Behind it, as an impressive background is a replica of the Siachen Glacier with the models of Indian soldiers…

It has been two years since the Metro was launched between Mysore Road and Byappanahalli. Since the day it opened, it has been my main transport to get to work. So much so that I can’t think of any other way of commuting to work! The issue since then has always been the last mile, the last 6kms from the station to the office. I decided to go with BMTC and the results have been mixed. On mornings, it would take anywhere between 20 mins and 45 mins for that distance, not considering traffic. Evenings, it took anywhere from 25…

When my son and daughter-in-law invited us to Singapore, we of course were happy to go stay with them. However I had my own reservation about the place, because I thought it was a concrete city. After seeing the beautiful Rockies of Canada with my son and daughter-in-law, I did not know what to expect in Singapore! As we travelled by the ultra-clean train from the airport early in the morning, I did see the city dotted with varieties of high-rise buildings. But I was surprised to see a lot of green pockets in between. My stay in Singapore was…

In a city where real estate has been soaring and there is a strong timber lobby, Dipika Bajpai has a tough job. The Deputy Conservator of Forests of Bengaluru has the responsibility to protect the forest blocks of the city and to work on the afforestation project to keep the city green. In a telephonic interview with Citizen Matters, the officer spoke about the lack of a green policy, its repercussions and the challenges of protecting land in a city where space it at a premium. Can you summarise the status of urban forests in Bangalore, their preservation and the…

Your first impression of Sethuram Gopal Rao Neginhal is that of a benevolent grandfather - soft spoken and quiet. But don’t let the charming smile fool you from discovering the steely resolve that saw this man pioneer the concept of Urban Forestry in the country. Considered something of a legend in the department, Neginhal is known to have chastised officers for erroneous decisions even after his retirement - and was welcomed for it. Even as the world finds new names for greening the planet, a quick conversation with the elderly man lets you know that it has all been done…

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship In the last few years, have you found yourself perspiring more than usual, while walking in core areas of Bengaluru city like Kalasipalaya?  Well, it's not just you. These are effects of the ‘urban heat island’ becoming more commonplace in the ‘Garden City’. This graphic by Raj Bhagath Palanichamy, a researcher at the World Resources Institute (WRI), as part of the City Water Assessment Tool, shows temperature ranges in core Bengaluru. Neighbourhoods like Jayanagar (the green section in the top left of the image) and Basavangudi are facing less exposure…

The ceremony to announce the selection of Bengaluru’s first ever Bicycle Mayor was held at The Park in Bengaluru, on Monday, May 21, 2018. Mr. Jaap Werner, Consul General of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands declared Sathya Sankaran as Bengaluru’s newly chosen Bicycle Mayor. Sathya came to the stage along with his bicycle, to receive the recognition. Everyone working in the field of sustainable mobility is familiar with Sathya Sankaran. He draws inspiration from every citizen who is dedicated to the cause of cycling and pedestrianisation, and those who depend on cycling to earn their daily living. “They…

After many promises of suburban rail system for Bengaluru, the central government has finally introduced two new routes for suburban rails within Bengaluru and has introduced eight new trains to travel in these routes. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal made the formal announcement on March 9, 2018. Close on the heels of this, the new trains were introduced on March 12th. Out of the eight trains, four are running between Hosur and Banaswadi, and two each on Byappanahalli-Whitefield and Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna (Majestic)-Byappanahalli routes. This has been considered as a relief to workers in the technology sector, and will be on…