PRESS RELEASE

Bengaluru has a culture of active citizenry. Groups working on various issues, such as waste, water, and other civic matters, have mostly been working in silos. Whilst a lot is being said and done on infrastructure, governance etc. the focus on climate change at a grassroots level is still missing. Now, prominent social impact networks and individuals have joined forces. Citizens, civil society practitioners, and academia have come together to launch ‘Ellara Bengaluru’, a community-driven coalition to create initiatives to make Bengaluru climate-resilient and inclusive. The coalition will work on enabling people across all wards to be fully equipped to…

The last phase of the Byappanahalli-KR Puram metro line is slated to be completed by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) mid-July or August. The Kengeri-Byappanahalli corridor will be connected to the Whitefield-KR Puram stretch. According to media reports, the ridership on the Whitefield-KR Puram stretch is about 28,000 passengers a day, and once the Purple Line is completed, the numbers are expected to rise significantly and travel time will be reduced too. All stakeholders, BMRCL, BMTC, Auto Unions, BTP, company associations like ORRCA, NASSCOM, and civil society groups, are being asked to get working together to get commuters…

For two years, Usha Thopna’s day started at 5 am. After waking up, she would cook and clean for her new employers in Bengaluru - Mr. and Mrs. Vatsa. Barely an adult herself, she had to look after their child too, and do various chores demanded of her at their whim. During her 18-hour long work day, she would additionally have to face her employers' verbal and physical violence: she was beaten with cricket bats, injured by scissors to her neck, not given proper food, and burnt by the iron box.  Usha hails from a remote village in Tejpur, Assam.…

Residents of OMR have written to the Chief Minister calling for the removal of the toll gate at Navalur. Citing a promise made by the DMK prior to the elections, residents demand that the toll gate, which is close to the limits of the Greater Chennai Corporation be shut down with immediate effect. The residents, through the umbrella body FOMRRA (Federation of OMR Resident Associations), have made an appeal to this effect. The residents state that while four out of five toll gates have been shut down, the one at Navalur remains functional. FOMRRA has also requested the support of other…

The Urban Revamp Design Challenge – conceived by Young Leaders for Active Citizenship (YLAC) and Sensing Local, under the Sustainable Mobility Network, in partnership with the Institute of Urban Designers India (IUDI), Curiosity Alliance Foundation, and Kasturi Nagar Residents Welfare Association – is back in 2023. They are inviting proposals for reimagining two newly-identified public spaces in Bengaluru: CV Raman Nagar (Ward 117) and Padarayanapura (Ward 168). This initiative aims to blend technical expertise with citizen participation to transform certain parts of the city. About the second and first editions A common scenario experienced by rapidly urbanising Indian cities today…

Bangalore Apartments’ Federation (BAF) is a federation representing the interests of residents of apartments and villa communities across Bengaluru. More than 1,180 apartment and villa resident welfare associations (RWAs) are members of BAF, representing nearly 250,000 households with close to one and a half million citizens either residing or working within these communities. Bengaluru city is growing at a rapid pace – nearly 1.35 crore of people from various parts of the country and the world have made this city their home. The rapid increase in population has been supported by a massive growth of vertical-living as the housing format.…

‘Civil Society Forum’ is a coalition of several civil society organisations and movements as well as individuals. It wishes to strengthen the electoral and democratic process in our city and state to make it more participatory and reflective of the real wishes of the people. The member organisations and individuals work in different sectors of urban and rural constituencies, engaging with diverse and marginalised communities in Karnataka and other states too. The Forum was actively involved in interacting with political parties, submitting manifestos during the Karnataka Assembly Elections in 2013 and 2018, the Lok Sabha Elections in 2014 and 2019…

In the wake of fierce citizen opposition to the Sankey Flyover and road widening project, the Citizens of Malleshwaram Constituency came together to create a ‘Climate Action Manifesto 2023-2024’ for their constituency. Citizens for Sankey presented this manifesto to Siddaramaiah of Congress and Dr. Ashwath Narayan, BJP, on March 28th. Read more: 10 guarantees in Aam Aadmi Party’s Karnataka manifesto Summary of the five-point climate action manifesto. Graphic courtesy: Citizens for Sankey "To safeguard the future of our city, our elected representatives and civic bodies must coordinate closely with us citizens when making decisions, which impact us all. A repeat…

 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha Member Sanjay Singh released the list of Aam Aadmi Party guarantees for the Karnataka assembly elections in Bengaluru on March 29th. Read more: How we registered our Apartment Owners Association under KAOA, 1972 Addressing a press conference at the party's state office, Sanjay Singh said, “Aam Aadmi Party is not a party that gives false promises. We offer a guarantee card with 100% fulfillment. We have fulfilled all the guarantees in the manifesto in Delhi. One by one is being implemented in Punjab as well." "Major guarantees related to total ten…

The Karnataka and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Budgets, 2023-24, recently announced that 75 junctions of Bengaluru would be improved, at a cost of Rs 150 crore. In keeping with this vision, the BBMP and Bengaluru Traffic Police, in collaboration with World Resources Institute India (WRI India), under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS), launched the Suraksha 75 Mission 2023 initiative on March 25th. The Suraksha 75 Mission aims to create people-centric and holistic intersection designs to make them safe, efficient, inclusive, and universally accessible. This initiative aims to make Bengaluru's busy intersections safer for pedestrians, along…