URBAN PLANNING

Like most other cities in India, Bhubaneswar has two faces. One is as tinselly and bright as you would expect a fast-growing city to be. The other frowns with the strain and concentration of having to look good. Bhubaneswar was the first choice of the Ministry of Urban Development's (MoUD) flagship Smart City project. A year later, it featured in the top 20 global cities of the world in the Global Smart City Performance Index 2017,  according to a survey by UK-based Juniper Research. The city was a member of a list that included Singapore (that topped the list), San Francisco, London, New…

LED lights to illuminate Bengaluru airport's second runway in 2019 The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA)'s brand new second runway slated to operate from October 2019 will be powered by energy and cost-saving LED lights. This choice was made to ensure lower maintenance, reduce power cost, ensure higher levels of safety and efficient operations. This will be the only airport in India to have LEDs. In a press release issued by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), CFO Tom Shimmin said that US based company, ADB Safegate, will be installing the necessary equipment to maintain the airfield’s LED lights such as cables…

In April last year, Citizen Matters had published an article on Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Urban Development Department apologising to the National Green Tribunal (NGT); This was after the BBMP had claimed the NGT’s order increasing the buffer zone to 75 metres was not applicable retrospectively. The NGT was upset, and lashed out at the state bodies, objecting to the term ‘quasi-judicial body,’ which the agencies had used to describe the Tribunal. As a result, the Karnataka government’s Urban Development Department and the BBMP retracted the notifications that clarified the NGT ruling, and apologised to the Tribunal.…

Three-month deadline for Bengaluru weddings to stop using plastic BBMP issued a notice on September 7th to marriage halls or kalyan mantapas, instructing them to stop using plastic material for functions, listing out all the alternative steps that may be taken to curb the plastic menace. The notice said that plate banks of steel, ceramic and melamine cutlery should be accumulated along with massive dishwashers to minimize wastage of water and maximise hygiene. Other recommendations include RO purifiers to supply drinking water, colour coded dustbins for segregation, avoidance of banana leaves that make segregation of wet-waste difficult, and setting up…

Even as Bengaluru's waste generation has grown by 1,750% in 15 years, collection and management of the same have not kept pace. Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is planning a repeat of last year's trip to Singapore for many of its pourakarmikas in a few months, says Hari Shilpa, Assistant Commissioner of Administration, BBMP. They have issued notices to zonal level officers to send lists of potential candidates for the trip. Like last year, the four-day programme would probably include comprehensive sessions on safety gadgets and equipment, environment, beautification, the 50-year history of Singapore, water conservation, reuse and processing, collection…

A tiny kiosk on the congested DF Road in Mogappair bustles with customers on any week day. R Dakshinamurthy, the owner of the kiosk stall wears a smiling face, as he infuses tea leaves in the aluminum container and lets it brew for a few minutes. His happy face turns anxious whenever a police official walks towards the stall or passes by. Dakshinamurthy is an unauthorized vendor, who has been running the kiosk since three years ago, braving the constant threat of extortion from police and opposition from civil society. He is among the 27,050 vendors waiting for biometric cards…

Citizens demand immediate development of suburban railway network Civic collective Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) first initiated the #ChukkuBukkuBeku campaign, demanding better suburban train connectivity, in 2016. A demonstrative rail yatra was held on August 31st as part of the revived campaign, now called #ModaluTrainBeku.  The yatra was aimed at highlighting the time saved in commute during peak hours for regular commuters from IT firms around the traffic-choked Outer Ring Road. Sloganeering techies, RWAs, first-time riders and activists embarked on a journey from Yeshwanthpur railway station to Heelalige station on the local train numbered 76523 between 2:55 pm and 4:04 pm. The train…

Did you know that the state has a wide range of welfare schemes for all students, including those studying in private schools? The state department has allocated Rs 2,717.34 for the Transport Department, of which  Rs.799.25 crore is spent on subsidy for free bus passes to students and senior citizens. Bus passes can be availed to travel from a student's residence to school and back on all days of the month. Students with passes are permitted to travel in all ordinary, express and deluxe services. Here is an overview of such schemes available. Special Concession for Students To encourage school going…

Two years ago when the Centre for Smart Cities, the same think-tank that came up with the idea of elevated corridors, formulated a proposal to concretise 29 Bengaluru roads, it was with the vision to build sustainable road infrastructure. Like many ambitious government plans, the execution of the project by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) continues to be stalled by obstacles not taken into consideration during planning. The work has been held up in the absence of clearances from traffic police and due to the onset of monsoon as reported by the media extensively. However,  tender documents related to the project clearly show…

When you consider that India spends only 1.4% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health, the least among BRICS nations, the magnitude of its health problems are distressing, but not really surprising. Moreover, for five years till 2016, the National Health Mission (NHM) funds that were unspent by states even increased by 29%, according to a recently released audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. Almost 61% of deaths in India are due to non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular, cancer and diabetes, according to the World Health Organisation. As these are the “most common diseases” in India’s cities, noone is really…