In Focus | Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

Workplace hazards: How traffic cops are affected by pollution, stress and fatigue

February 19, 2020 Siddhant Kalra

A 2016 study found that one in three traffic policemen in Bengaluru have reduced lung function. In addition to physical ailments, they are also vulnerable to traffic accidents and mental health issues.

Bengaluru’s Library System: Long way to go

February 8, 2020 Siddhant Kalra

Karnataka in general and Bangalore in particular, is way above the national average when it comes to library infrastructure. This good news, however, masks what is inherently wrong in the city’s library system: a highly centralised administrative structure and non-availability of funds (not the lack of them)

Alliances, dialogue, tenacity: What keeps Bengaluru’s anti-CAA movement going

February 6, 2020 Prachi Pinglay-Plumber

Despite lack of response from the government, anti-CAA protests are only intensifying in Bengaluru. What has brought people from diverse backgrounds together for these protests, and how have they kept going?

Did Namma Metro reverse-engineer CMP for Centre’s funding?

January 29, 2020 Siddhant Kalra

Centre’s MoU with Karnataka for the Metro project specified a Comprehensive Mobility Plan as a primary condition. BMRCL creating the plan is compared to “Airtel drafting the telecom policy for the entire country.”

ದೆಹಲಿಯ ಓಖ್ಲಾ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತಲಿನ ನಿವಾಸಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಕಳವಳ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕಸದಿಂದ-ವಿದ್ಯುತ್ ಘಟಕ ಹೊಗೆ ಉಗುಳುತ್ತಿರುವ ದೃಶ್ಯ. ಚಿತ್ರ: ರಂಜಿತ್ ದೇವರಾಜ್

ಮಲಿನಕಾರಿ ಹಾಗೂ ಅಸಮಂಜಸ – ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಬರಲಿರುವ ಕಸದಿಂದ ವಿದ್ಯುತ್ ತಯಾರಿಸುವ (“ವೇಸ್ಟ್-ಟು-ಎನರ್ಜಿ”) ಘಟಕಗಳು ಏಕೆ ವಿಫಲವಾಗಬಹುದು ಎಂಬುದಕ್ಕೆ ಐದು ಕಾರಣಗಳು

January 29, 2020 Deepu Chandran

ವೇಸ್ಟ್-ಟು-ಎನರ್ಜಿ ಘಟಕಗಳಲ್ಲೊಂದು ಸ್ಥಾಪಿತವಾಗಲಿರುವ ಇಲೆಕ್ಟ್ರಾನಿಕ್ ಸಿಟಿಯ ನಿವಾಸಿಯೊಬ್ಬರು, ಬಿಬಿಎಂಪಿ ಈ ಘಟಕಗಳಿಗೆ ಒತ್ತು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಏಕೆ ಸಮಂಜಸವಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ

Cybercrimes rocketing in Bengaluru, police straining to catch up

January 24, 2020 Tushar Kaushik

Last year, 10,131 cybercrimes were registered in Bengaluru but zero chargesheets were filed. The city police is now trying to catch up, with new dedicated police stations and personnel

Time has perhaps come for a separate law for crimes against women: S T Ramesh, ex-DGP

January 16, 2020 Bhanutej N

There has been much talk about gender-sensitisation of the police as well as procedural reforms vis-à-vis justice for rape survivors and other women victims of crime. S T Ramesh, former DGP and IGP of Karnataka Police, was a reformer within the force. Here are his thoughts on the subject.

Bengaluru’s women factory workers can now do night shifts, but will it help them?

January 16, 2020 Harsha Raj Gatty

As per a recent state government notification, women factory workers can now do night shifts. While the progressive move has been lauded, there are concerns that it could lead to more exploitation of workers

Bengaluru’s traffic cop shortage: Can technology, mannequins bridge the gap?

January 6, 2020 Tushar Kaushik

Bengaluru has only around 4,600 traffic cops for a vehicle population of over 80 lakh. Administrators are trying to bridge the gap with technology, but experts say technology without expertise and infrastructure doesn’t help

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