PRESS RELEASE

B.PAC organised the release of CLPR report on the functioning of Special Fast Track Courts in Bengaluru with respect to sexual abuse of women and children on June 13th. This was followed by a panel discussion on issues and recommendation for effective functioning of these special courts.  B.PAC under its B.SAFE initiative - The Billion Eyes Campaign, in association with Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR) organised a panel discussion on the issue of Special Courts for women and children.   Out of the 93 Fast Track Courts set up in Karnataka in the year 2000, only 39 courts were…

A background Schools play an important role in keeping our environment clean. One important step in this process is educating students and the wider community about reducing the amount of resources consumed, so that we do not needlessly throw used material into garbage bins.  For this waste ultimately lands up in street corners, lakes, forests, outskirts of the city and in village grazing pastures and farmlands causing massive pollution and creating major public health hazards. While each of us can do a lot in making schools less wasteful, better results are achieved when the whole school makes a commitment to minimizing…

  The Coalition for Clean India, a network of organisations working on solid waste management presented a five-point Charter to the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on World Environment Day on May 6th 2015, at the Parisara Habba held at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium. Here is the letter that was shared: "We, citizens groups, organisations and individuals working on Solid Waste Management have come together, as Coalition for Clean India, to highlight a clear and common agenda, for sustainable practices in Municipal Solid Waste Management both in the State of Karnataka and at the national level. The Agenda of the Coalition for…

Survey of lakes based on cadastral maps, dredging of lake beds, fencing of lakes and removal of encroachment are among the steps experts recommend for revival of the fast depleting lakes in the city. These are among the suggestions made in a report compiled by Prof. TV Ramachandran of Indian Institute of Science, and his team, on the status of wetlands and lakes in Bengaluru. The report was released on World Environment Day by the Whitefield Rising Lakes' team in association withKK School, Varthur. It includes the latest test report from the study of water samples of Varthur Lake. Whitefield…

  May 7th 2015 saw the launch of a unique initiative in Bangalore -  the Neighbourhood Improvement Partnership (NIP) Challenge. Rolled out by United Technologies Corporation (UTC), the challenge is the first of its kind in the country, and calls for a collaboration between citizens and public officials, to identify key civic challenges in their neighbourhoods, and voluntarily contribute time, energy and resources to tackle them. The challenge will be be rolled out by the Centre for Public Problem Solving (CPPS), a division of Imagine Bangalore with support from EMBARQ India. Organisations like BBMP and BPAC are also slated to…

A key challenge to inclusion of disabled people into the mainstream is the basic lack of access. Accessibility is not limited to physical spaces alone, but also includes transport infrastructure, information and technology, aids and appliances etc. Access is therefore an issue that cuts across disabilities, sectors, abilities and age groups and forms the very basis of empowerment of disabled people. 'Universal Design', i.e. a design that is usable by all therefore becomes intrinsic to any kind of access. It was to recognise innovative work that improved accessibility and promoted the principles of Universal Design that NCPEDP with the support…

Namma Bengaluru Foundation met the BBMP Administrator, Vijay Bhaskar and handed over a memorandum requesting them to take cognisance of the following issues and initiate action on the same. Delay in the completion of Tender Sure project across 7 major roads in Bengaluru The delay in completion of the above-mentioned project is a major cause of traffic congestion on these roads and has caused grave inconvenience to the pedestrians. We urge you to expedite the completion of this project and ensure that the contractors are held accountable for the delay in the project. Urgent need to de-silt storm water drains…

Srinivasa Mahal, Winner - Private (Residential) category Commemorating World Heritage Day, INTACH Bengaluru announced the winners of the city’s first Heritage Awards. The winners were selected from amongst 50 nominations that were received from the public in two categories, government-owned and private buildings. The selection was made by an eminent jury comprising former UNESCO Ambassador Chiranjivi Singh, senior archaeologist Dr SVP Halakatti and the young and accomplished architect Anup Naik. Based on the diversity of entries, it was decided to give awards to buildings in three categories: Public, Residential (Private) and Institutional (Private). Some of the parameters the jury considered…

The pitfalls of an overly centralised governance structure, without adequate devolution of power and funds at the local level, was increasingly becoming grave. The 74th Constitutional Amendment was enacted to devolve powers to the Urban Local Bodies and to strengthen citizen participation at the local level. Local governments reflect the will of the people either by direct individual participation or through interest group action. (Reference)  However, various state governments have delayed holding elections to Urban Local Bodies and misused provisions to dissolve the councils due to political reasons. Jammu Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh , Gujrat, are just few of the…

Demanding speedy BBMP elections, better administration and active citizen participation in the selection of urban local bodies, Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Bengaluru Residents Associations Confederation Ensemble-BRACE (a confederation of the more than 1200 resident welfare associations) today urged the State Government to uphold their constitutional right to periodically elect local representative and not delay the BBMP elections any further. Placing forth a citizens charter of demands, they reiterated that the Government’s move to deny Bengaluru an elected council is against the spirit of the 74th Amendment of the Constitution. Also read: BBMP Elections: A Backgrounder.  Charter of demands to the State Government…