PRESS RELEASE

The jurisdiction of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, which extends over 198 wards and 28 Assembly constituencies, has population of more than 1.1 cr. Because of this, providing services and facilities to citizens is becoming a daily struggle. Due to reorganisation, in many cases one assembly constituency is distributed over more than one zone, and this has created difficulties in citizen and administration related tasks. Presently, many major infrastructure works are being implemented in the BBMP jurisdiction, and many more are in the pipeline. In the present system, the concerned Joint Commissioners submit all files pertaining to zones for the approval…

The Garments and Textile Workers Union (GATWU) staged a protest on 12th September, to oppose the apathetic attitude of the government and the factory owners. The protest, held in front of the Labour Department office at Dairy Circle, highlighted the inordinate delay in the fixing of minimum wages in the garment industry. It also pointed to the discrimination towards garment workers by the minimum wages committee, which had recommended extremely low wages. The Karnataka garments industry employs 3.5-4 lakh workers, and 85 percent of the workforce is female. These workers manufacture textiles for international brands and export them, earning substantial…

There are indications that air pollution is contributing to premature deaths from cardiovascular disease in people under 40, said Dr Rahul Patil, interventional cardiologist at the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research. Dr Patil was speaking at the India Clean Air Summit 2019 (ICAS19). “Inhalation of particulate matter is leading to thickening of blood, with patients often showing clinical behaviours of a smoker although they are non-smokers,” he said. ICAS19 was hosted by the Centre for Air Pollution Studies, CSTEP, in partnership with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the state government's Department of Forest, Ecology and…

Globally, air pollution reduces life expectancy by one year and eight months, on average. This loss ranks just below smoking, but above unsafe drinking water and lung cancer (State of Global Air report, 2019). Emissions from increasing vehicular population, and residential and commercial activities, are polluting even the air far from the source, and affecting the health of millions of people. Lack of scientific methods to assess pollution, inadequate data and analysis have further hampered policy efforts to improve air quality in Indian cities. The Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a leading research-based Indian think tank,…

The third edition of India March for Science (IMFS) was held here in Bengaluru today. The march intended to celebrate science and promote scientific temper. It also championed robustly-funded, publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. Scientists, teachers, science communicators and science-loving public participated in the event. The march began at 10.15 am at Banappa Park. About 200 people participated, holding posters of quotes from various scientists, slogans on celebrating science, and handmade sketches of scientists. Prof V Shivram, Registrar at Bengaluru Central University, flagged off the march, calling for the spread of science to all parts…

Land is already under growing human pressure and climate change is adding to these pressures. At the same time, keeping global warming to well below 2ºC can be achieved only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors including land and food, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in its latest report released on August 8th. The IPCC, the world body for assessing the state of scientific knowledge related to climate change, its impacts and potential future risks, and possible response options, saw the release of the Summary for Policymakers of the Special Report on Climate Change and…

Newspapers are reporting that the Karnataka government is considering handing over BMTC's 1000 AC buses to other Road Transport Corporations (RTCs) due to profitability concerns, and also adding 3000 regular buses to all RTC fleets. Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV), a collective that campaigns for better BMTC services, welcomes the move to rethink the presence of Volvo AC buses and replace these with ordinary buses. The decision will greatly help urban poor commuters and the corporation itself. We, however, would like to emphasise that no buses should be taken off the roads until new ones are added to the fleet.…

Thirteen new CNG stations by GAIL Gas are expected to become operational in Bengaluru in a few months, said the company's Chief General Manager (CGD) Vivek Wathodkar. This would take the total number of such refill stations by GAIL in the city to 22. Speaking at the Elite Fleet Operators Meet on June 18 at Taj Vivanta on MG Road, Wathodkar said the company was planning to set up 100 CNG stations in Bengaluru in the next 2-3 years, and highlighted the necessity of CNG. The meet was organised by Maruti Suzuki India Limited in association with GAIL Gas Limited,…

‘Azim Premji University (APU) and Penguin Random House India released the book ‘Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities’ on June 20th, at Alliance Francaise. The book is available in bookstores across India, and on websites such as Amazon and Flipkart. The book is authored by Harini Nagendra and Seema Mundoli, faculty at APU. Grounded in extensive research, the book offers a fascinating journey on trees in Indian cities, exploring science, history, culture and imaginations around trees. Native and imported, sacred and ordinary, culinary and floral, favourites of kings and commoners over the centuries - trees are the most visible…

Parched water bodies and empty pots along the lanes of Chennai illustrate the city’s unprecedented water crisis. While mismanagement by government departments and the poor Northeast monsoon have been touted as the primary reasons, let’s not forget our responsibility as citizens. In an attempt to provide solutions to Chennai’s water crisis, ADDA in collaboration with Citizen Matters, Chennai (a digital news media site that reports on urban issues) conducted a knowledge-sharing workshop on Saturday (June 22). More than 70 participants from the apartments of South Chennai, which rely largely on private water tankers, attended the sessions to understand various approaches…