URBAN PLANNING

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities “I walked on the side where the shops were, because they were well lit and there were people around” “I stood near the gate while waiting for my ride, just a bit inside, even though I did not belong to that college” “I never walk next to that tall compound wall” “I am always in a big group when I visit that park.  Too many bushes that make me feel as though someone is hiding there!” These are familiar statements, familiar sentiments that will resonate with every…

The Alternative Law Forum is organising a half day workshop on December 14 between 2.30 PM and 6.30 PM in Bengaluru, on the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 and the Karnataka Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2019. Background of the workshop This workshop is being conducted in view of the Town Vending Committees being constituted across the State as per the provisions of the Street Vendors Act, 2014 and the Karnataka Rules 2019, in seven zones of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (with the exception of Bommanahalli Zone).…

Unplanned commercialisation is the reason behind the traffic congestion on GST Road, a national highway and a crucial road connecting the suburbs to the city. Accountability here rests with the Pallavaram Municipality, which issues licences to the builders but fails to prevent or penalise irregularities in construction or deviations from rule. Has the outlet allocated space for parking? Is the drainage system proper? What about rainwater harvesting? -- Vital parameters such as these remain unchecked by municipal officials. Incidentally, these have a lot to do with the traffic nightmare that this road has become. Shortcuts and violations In the entire…

A few days ago, Tejasvi Surya, MP for Bangalore South, created news when he worked with various stakeholders - BBMP, BWSSB, BMRCL etc - to help clear the mess that was Bannerghatta Road. He coordinated a joint meeting with these departments and relatively eased life for thousands of commuters who use this road. A lot of people were impressed that an MP got down into the grit of solving the basic infrastructure problems that plague our city. But that's just the point here. Dealing with a bad road isn't his job as an MP! Just so we are clear, this…

The #MahadevapuraDemands protest against elected representatives last Friday seems to have had some positive impact. But residents of the constituency are not yet ready to celebrate. The protestors, who highlighted the lack of basic infrastructure and facilities, had demanded the resignation of all their elected representatives - eight corporators, Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali and Bangalore Central MP P C Mohan. While none of the corporators responded to the protest, Limbavali and Mohan claimed that the new state government had already released funds for the constituency. Top BBMP and state government officials visited the constituency and made promises to residents, and…

Ever since BBMP publicised its proposal for ward delimitation in June, citizens and experts have raised many concerns. Now, the Whitefield Rising Trust has filed a formal objection with the state's Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, against the "unscientific" proposal. The Trust's letter, submitted on Tuesday, is also marked to Additional Chief Secretary of the Urban Development Department E V Ramana Reddy, and to BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar. BBMP's delimitation exercise will restructure ward boundaries so that Bengaluru's population is distributed equally across wards, at 42,645 per ward. This population data is based on the 2011 Census.…

Residents and citizen groups of Mahadevapura assembly constituency will stage a protest on Friday 9.30 am, at the Marathahalli Bridge bus stop. The #MahdevapuraDemands protest is called against elected representatives of the constituency for failing to deliver on the promises they had made on restoring civic amenities and making the area liveable. Resignation of elected representatives is one of the main demands of the protestors. The representatives here are Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali, Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan, BBMP corporators A C Hari Prasad (Hoodi), B N Nithish Purushotham (Garudachar Palya), S Muniswamy (Kadugodi), S Uday Kumar (Hagadur), Shwetha…

The city administration recently resolved to implement bus lanes on the 12 high-density corridors identified by the government in 2016. This brings in some pertinent observations by citizens at large, who are very excited about the project but are also concerned if it would be effective on ground. What is proposed is not Bus Rapid Transit which is a system with its own dedicated tracks, a separate rolling stock of buses, and separate bus stations (if the ticketing systems are different). The 12 high-density corridors are proposed to have bus priority lanes which use the existing road infrastructure and the…

Media reports have stated that the state government and BBMP plan to introduce dedicated bus lanes on 12 high-density corridors in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike (BBPV) welcomes this initiative as it is essential for sustainable and equitable mobility in the city. This has been a long standing demand from BBPV and other civil society groups, and we are happy to work with the government to make this a success. Why dedicated bus lanes are important Road space is a limited public resource. Bus-based public transport makes the most efficient use of road space for moving people. As the…

In 2012, Bengaluru got its first skywalk with elevators on KG Road. Today, the city has 21 skywalks equipped with lifts on both sides, and CCTV cameras. Another 15 of these will be set up by the end of this year. This would take the total number of skywalks with lifts in Bengaluru to 36. The lifts are helpful especially for the elderly and others who have difficulty climbing stairs. Septuagenarian Madhukar Swamy, a retired government servant, says he uses lifts in the skywalk near BBMP head office almost every day. "Sometimes, if I feel well, I take the stairs…