Articles by Bhanu Sridharan

Bengaluru has a dengue problem. According to BBMP data, the city has recorded over 4,000 cases since June this year, making it one of the hotspots in the country. Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans by females of the mosquito species Aedes aegypti. It is a predominantly tropical disease that affects over 5 million people in the world. Symptoms According to the World Health Organization, 80% of people infected with the dengue virus are asymptomatic or show mild symptoms. For the rest, symptoms usually begin 4–10 days after infection and last for 2–7 days. Symptoms may include high…

So far, the rainy season of 2023 is breaking all sorts of records. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in Bengaluru, April had a 54.3% rainfall deficit while May had 102% surplus rainfall. May 2023 was the wettest May in 66 years. Meanwhile, June was in deficit, July had 6% excess rainfall and August was the driest it has ever been in 123 years. September is making up slightly for the previous month. If all of this is making you want to go lie down, I sympathise. In little over a century, Bengaluru has become a much rainier city.…

Through my childhood in the nineties, all I recall about Bengaluru’s weather was that it was good, mild or fine. By mid-2000s, the talk was mostly about how the city was getting hotter. In 2020, well into adulthood, I suddenly noticed the rains. Over the course of the first lockdown, lime- washed white compound walls around our neighbourhood were turning green with moss. Sunlight started to become a rare commodity even in a reasonably well-ventilated house like mine. There seemed to be more snakes, even a frog or two. My suburban North Bengaluru neighbourhood began to look like Coorg or…

In February this year, a video of a skit performed by students of Jain University went viral. Seven students performed what they called a “satirical drama skit which revolves around the reservation system prevailing in society.” Anti-caste activists pointed out the casteism in the skit that appeared to mock Dr BR Ambedkar, Dalits, and reservation. The outrage led to FIRs against the students and faculty of Jain University under the SC/ST (Prevention) Atrocities Act. COLLECTIVE Bangalore members during a signature campaign for instituting functional SC/ST cells in Bengaluru colleges. Pic courtesy: COLLECTIVE Bangalore Campaign for SC/ST cells While the criminal…

When the Centre refused to allow the state government to procure rice from the Food Corporation of India, the Anna Bhagya scheme appeared to be in danger. As a solution, the Congress-led state government reduced the amount of food grains supplied through ration shops and initiated cash transfers in lieu of the remaining rice. As per the revamped Anna Bhagya scheme, recipients would now get 3 kgs of rice, 2 kgs of ragi and Rs 170 per person on the ration card. Each household can now get a maximum of 21 kgs of rice and 9 kgs of ragi. In…

In a little over a year, the BBMP has conducted yet another ward delimitation exercise. In June 2022, the civic body announced that Bengaluru would have 243 wards. On August 18th this year, close to midnight, the civic body announced a fresh delimitation exercise that has yielded 225 wards for the city. What are the major changes in the city’s ward boundaries and how can you, the citizen, engage with these changes? Timeline of events Delimitation is an exercise conducted to redraw ward boundaries and account for the change in ward population over time. This is done to ensure proportional…

When the Congress party came to power in May 2023, Priya* was excited. The domestic worker from North Bengaluru says she understands little about politics, but she knew about the five guarantees. Nearly four months after its victory, the state government is celebrating the fulfilment of at least four of the five guarantees. Priya, however, has mixed feelings about the schemes. She agrees that at least two guarantees-free electricity and bus travel-have been fulfilled and she is now registered for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme. But the Anna Bhagya or free rice scheme has left her confused. “I thought we would…

The auditorium was packed with women dressed in their best, clutching umbrellas. The week-long rainy weather and the challenge of getting to the venue, St Joseph’s College of Commerce, during the evening rush hour did not deter members of the Domestic Workers’ Rights Union from gathering there on July 26th to hold a public hearing to air grievances and demand their rights. One by one, domestic workers walked onto the stage to give testimony and speak about their challenges while officer bearers of the union provided the context. The women raised several issues, including wage theft, false criminalisation and police…

As Bengaluru expands, civic agencies like BBMP and other parastatal bodies like BWSSB struggle to meet citizens' demands for better infrastructure. We spoke to urban governance researcher Neha Sami, from the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, about Bengaluru's governance model in a two-part interview. In part one, Neha stressed the need for stronger local government and better public consultation for an equitable city. In part two, she outlines how the increasing private sector influence in governance, planning and finance can further weaken local governments. She also spoke about why private sector involvement might become important in some cases and how…

The recently elected state government, along with BBMP and BDA officials, has been busy trying to 'fix' Bengaluru's issues. The measures include reinstating BBMP's re-structuring committee and initiating the Brand Bengaluru committee. Activists have criticised such committees as elitist and have called for more democratic urban planning. But how can we devise an inclusive, equitable plan for Bengaluru? Neha Sami, Associate Dean, School of Environment and Sustainability, at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), attempts to answer this question. Neha is a researcher with a background in urban planning and environmental governance. Her research broadly focuses on governance in…