In Focus | Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

Poor attendance, no accountability: Why Bengaluru’s ward committees aren’t yielding results

December 10, 2019 Harsha Raj Gatty

A year ago, ward committee meetings started in Bengaluru. Then why is it that citizens still don’t have a say in the governance of their wards?

Bengaluru’s pothole victims’ pain continues, no formal way yet to claim compensation

December 5, 2019 Harsha Raj Gatty

Potholes have led to several accidents and deaths in Bengaluru. But compensation for victims have always been at the Mayor’s discretion. Despite a HC order, BBMP has not yet set up a formal process for compensation

Why pedestrians prefer risking lives over using skywalks in Bengaluru

October 28, 2019 Ananya Iyer

With long flights of stairs, dysfunctional lifts, and even criminals lurking around, skywalks in Bengaluru have few users. These multi-crore projects are justified only if safety and convenience of users is taken seriously

Averting Day Zero: How Bengaluru should manage its water

October 23, 2019 Sneha Visakha

A slew of regulations are needed to arrest Bengaluru’s worsening water scarcity. These include change in water pricing, integrated management of various water resources, and so on

Not just Lalbagh, your small neighbourhood park too can protect Bengaluru’s biodiversity

October 3, 2019 Manupriya

A recent study finds that Bengaluru’s neighbourhood parks establish a long continuum of greenery, facilitating the movement of birds, butterflies and insects. Hence the focus should be on setting up many small parks rather than a few large ones, says the study

Climate Strike comes to India — three things to keep in mind

September 29, 2019 Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya

Over the last one week, thousands of Indian students and youth across India, inspired by the Global Climate Strike organised by ‘Fridays for Future’, marched together to demand immediate action to mitigate local and global climate risks. What should be the way forward?

No pay, few matches, little support but Karnataka’s professional women footballers still dream big

September 14, 2019 Grace Madigan

Often playing pro bono, with hardly anyone rooting for them, Karnataka’s women footballers are struggling. But their love of the game is the one thing that sustains them

How women’s football changed the lives of Sana, Raksha, Athmika and others

September 13, 2019 Grace Madigan

Through football, underprivileged girls in Bengaluru are getting scholarships to attend college, trips abroad, and even a place in the state team. Also, a collective of women have taken initiative to learn the game in their 30s

How Karnataka’s first women’s football league is picking new talent

September 12, 2019 Grace Madigan

Even as women’s football lay neglected for decades, hundreds of women have been playing the game informally in Karnataka. Now the state football association is forming leagues to give them the opportunities they deserve

A pedestrian waiting to cross the road. Pic: The Footpath Initiative

One pedestrian is killed every two days on Bengaluru’s high-speed arterial roads

September 7, 2019 Anusha Chitturi

In 2017, 282 pedestrians were killed in vehicle crashes in Bengaluru. Majority of these crashes occurred when the pedestrian was trying to cross a major arterial road, like the ORR, that’s designed for maximum vehicle speed

Sacred sites in Bengaluru: Where heritage helps conserve biodiversity

August 29, 2019 Sahana Ghosh

Despite Bengaluru’s rapid urbanisation, its kattes and temples still harbour over 120 different tree species. Majority of these are native species including neem and peepal. These trees should be mapped and given protected status, conservationists say

Are cases of wrong-side driving increasing on Bengaluru’s roads?

August 15, 2019 Kedar Koushik

Melissa Arulappan recently counted 13 bikers driving on the wrong side on a one-way street, all within two seconds. This is not a one-off incident. Citizens across Bengaluru have been noticing an increasing number of such violations in the recent past. What’s going on?