Governance

In July 2021, Brookefields Layout, a community East of Marathahalli in Bengaluru, finally got its roads asphalted. Within a month, BESCOM - the electric utility, informed the community that they wanted to dig a beautiful, brand-new road to lay their 11KV lines. Prior to asphalting, we had asked several utilities (including BESCOM) if they had any pending work on the road. Many took the opportunity to lay their lines; the road asphalting itself was delayed to accommodate new gas lines, optical cables, telephone cables, water lines, and more. BESCOM said they had no plans; for them to now say they…

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 is the fourth of a series by experts from Indian Accounts and Audit Service. A country’s socio-economic development is largely linked to the natural resources it possesses. With mineral resources being an important component. Karnataka has huge reserves of minerals like iron ore, limestone and gold among other natural resources, and its ranking based on mineral reserves and production capacity within India varies…

With the recently concluded elections, Chennai has  local body representatives for the first time in six years. While much has changed in the past few years, avenues for engagement of Chennaiites with the local government has remained limited. Could this scenario change with the election of the ward councillors? How can residents be involved in local governance and demand accountability from their local representatives? Citizen Matters hosted a webinar with a diverse panel on the ways in which Chennaiites can track the work of their ward councillors and the avenues available for their participation. The panel comprised M Radhakrishnan of…

All property owners in Bengaluru have to pay the property tax for the financial year 2022-23. The last date for doing so without penalty and interest is June 30th, while with penalty and interest, it can be paid at the convenience of the owner. BBMP offers a 5% rebate on property tax payment upto 30th April 2022. Given the challenges of growing circumstances, BBMP must extend the rebate period for one more month (upto May) as was done in earlier years. There are some issues in the system, BBMP must rectify all bugs and malfunctions in the tax payment portal…

BBMP has spent over 100 crores on fixing, remodelling, and maintaining drains in just one ward – HSR Layout. Their Stormwater Drain Department does not maintain records like work registers or the progress reports of works. BBMP has been indicted for ineffective and inefficient collection of waste, non-compliance with waste management rules, and lack of scientific processing facilities at landfill sites. These are just three instances of impropriety and poor performance in local government bodies. All these are issues that citizens should demand accountability from their elected reps and officials. One easy way to be aware of such issues is…

With the swearing-in of the councillors, Chennai has an elected local body for the first time since 2016. The councillors who have taken office are a mix of experienced old-timers and those who have been elected for the first time. Half of the council is represented by women.  While these are promising developments, Chennaiites must be able to engage with their elected representatives and officials from the civic body to ensure effective administration. The push for ward committees and area sabhas is one way there can be an element of participatory planning in local governance.  Read more: Chennai in 2022:…

Making public spaces safe for women, in particular, is not rocket science. Nor is it an expensive high tech exercise. Yet with little action being taken, collecting ground data can help raise awareness of the issue and convince authorities to act. With this in mind, Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC) in collaboration with CGI, conducted a safety audit of public places in Malleshwaram and Mahadevapura Assembly Constituencies as a pilot project. The areas were chosen based on preset criteria - Malleshwaram being one of the oldest constituencies and Mahadevapura - one of the newer ones. Some of the locations audited.…

Mayor R Priya presented the budget for the Greater Chennai Corporation on April 9th. The budget has placed heavy emphasis on upgrades to and creation of new infrastructure, with focus on stormwater drains. The budget also looks to improve the state of schools run by the civic body and improve the quality of education and activities on offer through various new schemes.  The civic body’s expected revenue is Rs 2824 crore while the expected expenditure is Rs 3613 crore. Bulk of the revenue is to come from Rs 800 crore to be collected as property tax.  What is in store…

Translated by Sandhya Raju முதல் முதலாக பாலின நிகர் மேம்பாடு மற்றும் அதற்கான கொள்கை ஆய்வு மையம் சென்னையில் ஏப்ரல் ஒன்றாம் தேதி திறக்கப்பட்டது. மாநகராட்சி, போக்குவரத்து மற்றும் அரசின் பிற அமைப்புகளுடன் இணைந்து பணியாற்றி, பாதுகாப்பான, ஒருங்கிணைந்த நகரமாக சென்னையை மாற்ற இந்த மையம் வழிவகுக்கும். சென்னை மாநகராட்சி மேயர் ஆர். பிரியா, மா நகராட்சி ஆணையர், ககந்தீப் சிங் பேடி, காவல் துறை ஆணையர் சங்கர் ஜிவால், உலக வங்கி பிரதிநிதிகள், மாநகராட்சி மற்றும் போக்குவரத்து கழகங்களின் பல்வேறு துறை அதிகாரிகள், உறுப்பினர்கள் பல்வேறு இலாப நோக்கற்ற மற்றும் சிவில் சமூக அமைப்புகள் கலந்து கொண்டனர். சென்னை நகர கூட்டுத் திட்டம் மற்றும் நிர்பயா திட்டத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியாக பாலின நிகர் மேம்பாடு மற்றும் கொள்கை ஆய்வகம் உருவாக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. ரிப்பன் கட்டிடத்தில் இந்த ஆய்வு மையம் செயல்படும். பாலின கொள்கை மையத்தின் நோக்கம் பாலின நிகர் மேம்பாடு…

I am Poongothai from Ward No. 194 Gottigere. I took part in the MyCityMyBudget Campaign organised by Janaagraha. BBMP in its Budget book mentioned the campaign and allocated funds for the same. Gottigere ward map. Pic credit: Janaagraha.org Footpaths might sound like a trivial issue. But it cannot be overlooked. Pedestrian infrastructure plays a vital role in sustainable urban traffic. Footpaths, a sub-aspect of pedestrian infrastructure, should be given priority to make it user friendly, improve walkability, safety and comfort of pedestrians. Footpaths are a basic need in road infrastructure. Hence, as demanded by citizens of our ward, we decided…