PRESS RELEASE

At the public hearing conducted by Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on February 6th, several civic groups objected to BESCOM's proposed hike for electricity tariff for the financial year 2016. BESCOM had earlier filed an application proposing a tariff hike of 80 paisa per unit across all consumer categories. B.PAC represented by TV Mohandas Pai, Vice President, Dr Hari Parameshwar, Head of Regulatory affairs and Revathy Ashok, CEO and Managing Trustee, and Aam Aadmi Party - Karnataka (AAP), represented by Ravi Krishna Reddy and Shanthala Damle, submitted their objections to KERC. Eliminate cross-subsidy variation; government should bear cost for farmers:…

Go! Make a Difference (GO!MAD) is a four day fun and fundraising cycle trip from Bengaluru to Gudalur in the Nilgiris, kick starting on February 19th 2015. All one needs is a cycle, the ability to pedal 80 km every day and a big heart! The idea is not to win any race, but to enjoy the experience, soak up the local culture and raise much needed funds. All facilities from accommodation, food, support vehicles and medical help will be taken care of by the Gudalur family. While the tour promises to be physically challenging, it will also offer participants a…

A Jacaranda tree in bloom. Pic: Deepa Mohan The second edition of Neralu, a citizen-led Urban Tree Festival is being organised on February 7th, 8th and 14th February 2015 at multiple venues across Bengaluru. In the month of February, the city’s trees burst into spectacular blooms, and the play of colors continues through the year. Neralu, which translates to ‘shade’ in Kannada, has been planned to coincide with the blooming season in the city. It will bring citizens together to celebrate the garden city’s glorious natural heritage. Bound by a common love for trees Naturalists, ecologists, artists, technologists, storytellers, homemakers,…

  Neralu invites all schools to engage in an exciting project to explore the world of trees and connect with nature. These trees, stand tall as our silent neighbours, and bear within them endless stories to share. From measuring trees to painting a wall with trees, this could be a fun and informal way of learning about our city’s rich natural heritage.   We encourage each and every school in the city to register, pick a suitable activity from the list provided, execute it with the help of students, teachers and parents; document it, and share it back with us.…

Hundreds of people representing various civil society groups participated in the State-level Public Consultation on Social Security issues related to pension held on January 29th at Jain University, Palace Road, Bengaluru. V Srinivas Prasad, Minister for Revenue, Government of Karnataka, said that the state government has been disbursing pension to about 47 lakh people in the state. The pension schemes cover widows, differently-abled persons, the elderly and unmarried single women from the marginalised communities in the state. The State government is contemplating to increase the minimum pension from Rs 200 to Rs 500. Apart from this, the State government is…

Come February, Bengaluru’s trees burst into spectacular blooms, and the play of colours continues through the year. The second edition of Neralu, a citizen-led Urban Tree Festival will be organised on February 7, 8 and 14 February at multiple venues. Neralu, which translates to ‘shade’ in Kannada, has been planned to coincide with the blooming season in the city. It will bring citizens together to celebrate the garden city’s glorious natural heritage. Bound by a common love for trees, naturalists, ecologists, artists, technologists, storytellers, homemakers, photographers, students and citizens from all walks of life have come together to put together…

  Neralu Tree Festival is a crowd-funded event that brings the community together to celebrate Bangalore’s rich heritage – its trees. During the festival, the citizens engage in a variety of interactive sessions to learn about trees, ecology, urban planning and a lot more. Through tree walks, workshops, talks, dance, drama, art displays and photography exhibits curated by experts in the field, Neralu brings trees and people closer. For Neralu 2014, renowned photographer Vivek Muthuramalingam curated an elaborate photography exhibition. Vivid images that highlight the beautiful flowering avenue trees of Bangalore were displayed, as were artistic renditions of forest trees.…

Anirudh Rajashekar, a student from MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, alongwith IIM Bangalore’s New Real Estate initiative, is conducting a study to map out water tanker prices in Bangalore to understand the dynamics of the water tanker industry. Their hope is to provide policy recommendations that might improve water access in Bangalore. If you live in an apartment, you can fill this short 15 minute survey to your resident association officer or a member of your management committee. The results of this survey can have a major positive impact in the way water is distributed and managed in Bengaluru.…

Sudheendra and Channa Keshava, two civic activists undergoing the civic leadership training (B.CLIP) from B.PAC, organised a waste management awareness program in their wards on Saturday. Nagapura and Shivnagara wards in Bengaluru saw the coming together of the local community, elected representatives, pourakarmikas and the local government school children on the morning of January 10th, for a noble cause. So far several wards across Bengaluru such as Shivnagara, Nagapura, Kadugodi, Marappanpalya, Bapuji Nagara, Malleshwaram and Vidyaranyapura have been significantly benefitted from the initiatives of the leadership training program, and the multiplier effect will slowly but surely change the landscape of…

Inside Johnson market. Pic: Mansoor Ali The BBMP proposes to demolish 18 old, traditional markets and replace them with malls. Most of the markets they plan to destroy are more than 60 years old, and some, like Johnson Market, are much, much older.   We believe the government must consider the heritage value of these markets before deciding to replace them with malls. Instead of thoughtlessly destroying them, the BBMP could easily involve urban, conservation and heritage experts such as INTACH to help revitalise these markets.   INTACH, together with like-minded people, has launched a campaign to save these structures and also promote…