RWA

Bengalureans will get a chance to showcase their love for the city this Valentines Day. The Bengaluru Civic Fest organised by IChangeMyCity (an initiative of Janaagraha) along with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be held on the 14th of February at Freedom Park from 10 am to 8 pm. The festival will be a platform where various civil society organisations and groups discuss their work, government agencies communicate their work with citizens and school children will discuss their participation with local governments. The festival will see the presence of BBMP mayor and Corporators. Sapna Kareem, coordinator, Civic Participation, Janaagraha,…

Silicon Plateau Volume 2 is a collection of essays where contributors responded to the question: what does it mean to be an app user today—as a worker, a client, or simply an observer? Stories about contemporary life in Bengaluru, of conversations spoken and typed, of deliberations and connections, through a simple a tap on our mobile devices find a place in this book.  This is edited by curator Marialaura Ghidini and artist Tara Kelton, and published by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru. Below is an edited excerpt from the book, from the chapter written by Nicole Rigillo, a…

Now that the Mayor has made an announcement in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Council meeting that Ward Committee (WC) meetings will be held on the 1st Saturday of every month, beginning in December. Now it is up to the citizens and ward committee members to ensure that the councillors and ward committee secretaries follow the WC Rules, conduct the meetings regularly and become accountable to the community, bringing in true decentralisation. Below is a summary of the rules regarding the functioning of ward committees which citizens should insist upon. Unless we do this, it is no use blaming BBMP…

Shifting from the slick, tree-lined Vasanthnagar to the mud and gravel of HRBR in East Bengaluru did it. Building a dream house in a nightmare colony with no roads or facilities dealt quite a shock to D.S. Rajshekhar ten years ago. It was then that he felt that unless he stepped forward and joined like-minded citizens to show some fighting spirit, he would continue to live in a perpetually 'under-construction' colony. His Residents' Welfare Association referred him to Citizens' Action Forum (CAF), which was a simple association of rather indignant residents. It was an idea that was seeded in 2007. It had…

Apartment ADDA is hosting an award ceremony The Rise High Awards for Management Committees across six categories for their outstanding initiatives - waste management, water management, initiatives outside the gate, domestic staff welfare, renewable energy and builder-association collaborations. The Rise High Awards are Apartment ADDA’s effort to celebrate management committees and residents, who volunteer their time and collaborate with vendors, local government etc. to implement outstanding initiatives. Such initiatives are result of deliberate planning, patient collaboration and diligent execution. Rise High Initiatives not only improve the community where the initiative is implemented, but also set an inspiring example for many…

Pictures of the smoke-ridden Indian capital city with its choking pollution levels and roads chock-a-block with vehicles are the stuff of front page news every other day, but now Delhi's new parking policy approved by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal is expected to jointly address both the congestion and the pollution to some extent. The Parking Management Area Plan (PMAP), which came into effect in the last week of February, proposes a number of variable charges for residential and commercial areas; these charges are envisioned to impact the demand for parking space in Delhi, and in turn influence the usage of personal vehicles. However,…

It works! It works! All ye skeptics, listen to this story. I am sure there are many more similar initiatives around the city, but this one I have personal experience of, having watched at close quarters, the week long-effort to bring a little smile to the face of namma ooru. On Saturday, February 3, the Ugly Indian, a group of volunteers trying to clean up Bengaluru’s streets, gathered at what used to be a long stretch of five vacant sites across the road from ISRO head office’s east side wall in Sanjay Nagar, and set to work. This used to…

In some neighburhoods, citizens are vexed by an increasing number of bars and pubs, and the dramatic change in the surroundings as a result. There have been various instances of conflict between residents and these establishments, and also a demand that BBMP should address this properly. This is doable, but only if we correctly identify the problems. (a) The first challenge is that people who want to set up the establishments are themselves property owners in the area, which causes discord between the neighbours in terms of what they themselves want. (b) The second is that often those letting their…

Garbage is a major crisis that Bangalore, as a city faces everyday. The city produces around 4,000 tonnes of waste every day. Adarsh Rhythm apartments located off Bannerghatta Road is one of the few communities in Bangalore that started following best practices in Waste Management way back in 2011. With 300+ families living in the community, it started off as an effort by a group of dedicated resident volunteers to manage the waste generated by the community responsibly.  The community has achieved more than 90% segregation at source by the residents. Waste is segregated into the following categories at household…

The trend of Indian cities hosting car free days, when streets or stretches are closed to motorised vehicles and opened up for the people and various events, has become quite pronounced. But can these really go beyond day-long enjoyment and festivities, and pave the way for more sustainable mobility? According to organisers, open street events have helped change mindsets and do bring about tangible outcomes. A survey by WRI (World Resources Institute) of 185 participants of Gurgaon Raahgiri Day showed that 28% had bought cycles after attending the event, and 87% had started walking or cycling for short trips. Similarly,…