In Focus | Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

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?

Volunteering is cool: How Bengaluru’s youth are helping out orphanages, cleaning black spots, and more

August 13, 2019 Ekta Sawant

Are Bengaluru’s youth disconnected from social realities? Here is a look at the city’s young volunteers that prove they aren’t. From serving others to saving the planet, there’s much these volunteers are trying to do

Thirsty city tantrums: How Bengaluru’s thirst for water is felt 400 km away

August 9, 2019 Kedar Koushik

To satiate Bengaluru’s unending thirst, water has been diverted from many rivers, including those from the Western Ghats. But these projects are starving local populations of water, and destroying ecosystems

Pasta or Pav bhaji? Roti or Ragi mudde? How Bengaluru’s schools and students deal with food

July 31, 2019 Tanika Deuskar

As children increasingly consume junk food, some Bengaluru schools have adopted strict policies to ensure that their students eat healthy. These schools’ policies range from providing food cooked at school itself, to replacing any junk food children bring from home

Bengaluru’s real estate market up last year; but can apartment construction ban help the water situation?

July 18, 2019 Kedar Koushik

Residential projects are increasing in Bengaluru again, after a slump. Would an apartment construction ban really help the city’s water situation now? How would it affect the economy?

Beer vs water: Bengaluru’s microbreweries in a time of water shortage

July 17, 2019 Grace Madigan

It takes seven litres of water to brew just a litre of beer! But as the city struggles with a water crisis, Bengaluru’s craft microbreweries are finding ways to cut down their water use

Emissions, tree loss, heat island effect: What the govt did not address before clearing the Elevated Corridors project

July 10, 2019 Varadarajan Raman

This is a project 15 times bigger than the Steel Flyover, yet got cleared. What did the Karnataka government not address in the Environmental Impact Assessment of the elevated corridors project?

Making carpooling legal in Bengaluru – it’s the centre’s job, not state’s

July 3, 2019 Shashank Atreya

The state government has been roundly criticised for banning carpooling and ridesharing in Bengaluru. But it is the central government, not the state, that has powers to amend the Motor Vehicles Act and permit carpooling

Elevated corridors: Environment Clearance was issued in just two weeks

June 22, 2019 Varadarajan Raman

The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) report of elevated corridors spans 345 pages, but it took authorities just two weeks to approve it and issue Environment Clearance to the project. This is despite the EIA avoiding a detailed study of many environmental impacts

Can a security guard in Bengaluru aspire for more?

June 17, 2019 Deepa Vaishnavi V M

Security guards are ubiquitous in the city. But how well do they earn, and what options for career growth do they have? Here is the story of Merajul Hoque who migrated from Assam five years ago, to be a guard in Bengaluru

Bengaluru non-profit builds play spaces from scrap

May 30, 2019 Sakshi Rao

As children’s play spaces are shrinking, the non-profit Anthill Creations has been transforming government school playgrounds and open spaces in the city. Anthill uses scrap materials to build durable, innovative play structures

The economics of being a cab driver in Bengaluru

May 7, 2019 Deepa Vaishnavi V M

Sridhar, a native of Kunigal taluk, had come to Bengaluru as a teenager nearly 25 years back. After working as driver for a family, for Ola Cabs and for a government department, he is still unable to make ends meet. His story reflects that of many cab drivers in the city