PRESS RELEASE

In what turned out to be a most engrossing discussion on “Can Inter-linking our Rivers and Greening their Banks save our Cities?” organized by Environment Support Group at Ashirvad, Bangalore, on December 15, 2017, theatre activist and Playwright Shri Prasanna Heggodu delved into the importance of introspection whilst addressing the prevailing state of affairs of the World. In particular addressing the problematic proposition of interlinking rivers, Prasanna argued that it is not an issue in which we can target the government or the Supreme Court or Narendra Modi as Prime Minister as chasing what seems like a scheme that has…

Janaagraha’s survey on Open Spaces* (parks and playgrounds) (Access the reports here) in Bengaluru has found out that poor availability, poor access and poor maintenance continue to plague the city’s public spaces. As for availability of open spaces, Bengaluru has 19 sqkm of open space (parks and playgrounds), which accounts for 3% of the city area (709 sq km). But at 2.2 sq m of open space per capita, Bengaluru falls considerably short of the prescribed standard of 10 sq. m of open space per capita recommended by the Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (2015) guidelines of…

We hadn't expected to receive 68 entries for this topic, in a city where half the people don't know what a mayor can do. Our contest, 'If I were the Bengaluru Mayor' became an all-time hit, with submissions overflowing with ideas! There were 54 English entries, and 14 Kannada entries. We read them again and again, and shortlisted 10 English entries and 5 Kannada entries for the judges to decide. The judges included Manjula Sridhar, an entrepreneur, Harish Narsappa from Daksh, Yatish Kumar from Prajavani, Rasheed Kappan from Deccan Herald and Prakash Belawadi of Suchitra Film Society. The winners were:…

The draft master plan for Bengaluru is finally out. This important document will shape how the city will develop and function for next 15 years. A press note from Bengaluru Development Authority mentions that ecological sustainability, mobility, inclusive growth and streamlined governance are the four pillar stones of the Revised Master Plan (RMP) for Bengaluru 2031 (Draft). The note states that the BDA "has evolved the RMP-2031 passing through a journey of series of surveys and studies with the technical support from Haskoning DHV in association with Adapt Technologies." Edited excerpts from the BDA press note: The GoK approved the…

On a sunny-cool afternoon, joining more than a 100 “orange” rallyists to protest violence on women sounds a bit violent. However, it really can’t get more peaceful when you are standing in silence. At the Gandhi Square. With placards that shout out a word that may strike many men as some breaking news: NO! No to violence, No to tyranny and No to No. Does it spring a surprise to the guys who think it is witty and macho to attack women? Yes. Surprisingly. It does. Saying ‘No’ is a rule that men only recently discovered women can say. Even…

The aim of amendments to the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (KPME) Act was to ensure protection of patient rights/citizens’ interests and bring in much needed transparency and accountability in private medical establishments. We welcome the government’s move to table the KPME amendments in the assembly. The Bill includes certain key pro-patient provisions but certain others have also been watered down to placate the private hospital owners. These changes to the Bill are proof of how the private hospital lobby was able to hold the government to ransom. We take strong objection to a closed door meeting between the private hospital…

Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) in association with Rotary Bangalore, Palmville and Gleneagles Global Hospitals today launched the second edition of the My, Place of Pride. My Place of Pride (MYPOP) is a contest to rate, rank and award the communities that have exhibited best practices in Solid Waste Management, Water conservation, Power management, Fire Safety and Hygiene & Cleanliness. This is a platform for communities to showcase their initiatives, create awareness and further encourage others to emulate the best practices. My Place of Pride is an initiative to recognize eco-friendly communities in Bengaluru city and encourage sharing of best…

Namma Bengaluru Foundation today launched the 9th edition of its flagship initiative – ‘Namma Bengaluru Awards 2017’ at a press conference held at Century Club. NBA aims at recognizing, honouring and celebrating the real heroes, who are determined towards Reclaiming Bengaluru. These awards truly are the city’s way of saying ‘Thank You’ to its Real heroes. Present at the occasion were, famed Sandalwood actress Shraddha Srinath and previous NBA winners. Bengaluru has witnessed a steady rise in citizen participation over the last couple of years and we take pride in such active Bengalureans, who have taken keen interest in the…

Citizens for Bengaluru organised the Beku Beda Santhe on 15 October to commemorate the first year anniversary of the Human Chain that kick started the Steel Flyover Beda movement in 2016. The idea of the Santhe was to give the citizens a platform to voice their priorities for the city. The event had multiple platforms - a main stage which had eminent citizens share space with active citizens to voice their demands; mini stages; a children’s art corner. The main attraction was a 50-feet wall made of recyclable cardboard cartons for people to pin their beku and beda demands. The…

On October 25th 2017, hundreds of contract powrakarmikas, under the BBMP Contract Powrakarmikara Union ® affiliated with the All India Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU) held a protest against the gruesome attack and sexual harassment on Dalit women contract powrakarmikas in K.R. Puram (Ward No. 55) by the contractor, Nagesh and his henchmen and the inaction and apathy of the BBMP on the same. The protest was also to highlight the failure of the BBMP to remove the contract system and implement direct payment of wages to workers, despite the orders of the State Government to do so, which has…