Governance

A Ward Committee meeting is a unique opportunity for all citizens, regardless of their social or economic status, to sit across the table from officials and participate in ward-level governance. No other major city in India has Ward Committees as Bengaluru does. This is made possible by the ‘BBMP Act 2020’, which replaced the earlier Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act and provides for ward committees. Read more: Everything you must know, as Bengaluru marks a milestone in local governance What is a Ward Committee Meeting? BBMP, the city Corporation of Bengaluru, is divided into eight zones and 243 wards. Each of…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be spending over Rs 10 crore on the beautification of the M-east ward in the first phase. The ward authorities also plan to construct a clock tower at Indian Oil Nagar in the second phase of beautification. However, residents in the area believe the money could be used more efficiently. 33-year-old Kailash Aran, who works as a driver and resides in the slums of Annabhau Sathe Nagar, contends BMC needs to focus on keeping the area clean and ensuring the ward remains mosquito-free instead of such beautification projects that don't do much for the…

The infamous floods of 2015 were a catalyst for the formation of many a residents' welfare association (RWA) in Velachery and other parts of the city. The need for collective action was felt acutely during this time as residents were marooned in more ways than one. The AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association (ACRWA) in Velachery West was started as a response to the crisis that ensured during the floods and the difficult aftermath that many residents had to deal with.   Some home truths from the floods The 2015 floods were a difficult time for all Chennaiites, especially those in…

Ever wondered what happens at public consultations for major government projects across Chennai? “Usually at these hearings, they want to show that they have taken the consent from a wide array of people; from well-off residents to a few fishermen. But when we are given a chance to speak, it is only in terms of ‘yes or no'," says Velayudam, a fisherman who had attended a public consultation on the construction of stormwater drains in East Coast Road. Velayudam wanted to speak about how such a project negatively affects the lives of fishing communities living in Sholinganallur. He was of…

If someone from the city were playing Pictionary, and they had to guess from a drawing of floods or inundation, they would probably guess "Chennai" and be right. Flooding and Chennai have become synonymous with each other. No wonder the civic body is hurrying up with storm water drain (SWD) work in Chennai. Will SWDs be the panacea for urban floods? "No city in the world can rule out inundation [due to rains]. However, it will be much lesser than before in Chennai," says Gagandeep Singh Bedi, the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation, when questioned if the current monsoon…

The Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga has extended a public invitation to the second Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga Samaavesha to be held on October 16th (Sunday) at Government Arts College, next to Civil Court complex, from 10 am. The main objective of the Balaga is to strengthen the ward committees of Bengaluru by working together and collaborating with the BBMP and other civic agencies. BBMP elections are still pending (likely to happen before December 31st per Court orders), but we are glad to report more ward committee meetings are happening now than before our May 28th meeting. However, in many meetings,…

In a previous article, Citizen Matters had traced the anti-encroachment drive by the BBMP in the Mahadevapura zone to clear constructions blocking stormwater drains. Following this, the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) submitted a proposal that the 17-kilometre stretch of the Outer Ring Road, housing tech parks and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) be declared a separate municipal zone. But is such a zone feasible under the current law? In a bid to transform this stretch into a “world technology corridor”, the proposal seeks a committee to be set up to…

Chennai’s swirling mass of two-wheelers and cars could technically make the Greater Chennai Corporation a wealthy civic body through parking fees, but the current realisation of revenues is only of the order of Rs.1.2 lakh a day, going up from a low Rs.80,000 after parking lots were “improved.” The GCC plans to double the number of street parking sites to 88 locations and provide 12,000 spaces.As of April 2021, there were 9.99 lakh cars and 49 lakh two-wheelers registered in the State capital as per official data. For Tamil Nadu as a whole, the vehicle population grew sharply since 2001,…

Most of us would not know who the Mayor of Bengaluru is. However, the name of the chief commissioner of the municipal corporation would probably be familiar to a few. This complete failure to recognise and identify the mayors of our cities is symptomatic of a deep malaise: the relative unimportance of the political executive in the running of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). One way to be aware of issues of impropriety and poor performance in local government bodies and departments is to track the audit reports from agencies like the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). This article…

Are you a Chennaite who has been to Marina beach since your childhood? Does the sight of the sea hold many happy memories for you? But how many of us know that Marina beach also has a fraught past, which counts as part of its history a police gun firing against fisherfolk who protested against beach beautification? For many youngsters of this generation, the Jallikattu protests were the first time they saw a very different image of the beach - one as a site of protest. But that's not the only point of contention that has seen protests. Over the…