Articles by Kathyayini Chamaraj

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಕೇವಲ ಅರ್ಧದಷ್ಟು ವಾರ್ಡ್‌ಗಳು ವಾರ್ಡ್ ಸಮಿತಿ ಸಭೆಗಳನ್ನು ನೆಡೆಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಮತ್ತು ಸಮಿತಿಯ ಸದಸ್ಯರಿಗೆ ಮಾತಿಗೆ ಯಾವುದೇ ಅವಕಾಶ‌ ನೀಡದೇ, ಕೌನ್ಸಿಲರ್‌ಗಳು ಏಕಪಕ್ಷೀಯ ನಿರ್ಧಾರಗಳನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದರಿಂದ, ಯಾವುದೇ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳದಿರುವುದರಿಂದ, ಸಭೆಗಳನ್ನು ಯದ್ವಾತದ್ವ ನಿಶ್ಚಯಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ ಈ ಸಭೆಗಳು ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಪರಿಣಾಮಕಾರಿಯಾಗಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ

Only about half of Bengaluru wards hold ward committee meetings. And even these meetings are often ineffective as councillors make unilateral decisions, don’t share information, and schedule meetings erratically

The public said there was no mention of elevated corridors in the master plan. The Bengaluru Development Authority figured out a way to set it right, and how! Seeking public comments isn’t the real aim of displaying master plan.

Now that the Mayor has made an announcement in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike Council meeting that Ward Committee (WC) meetings will be held on the 1st Saturday of every month, beginning in December. Now

Functional ward committees and metropolitan planning committee, people’s participation in budget and more were the key demands placed by the NGO, CIVIC.

With no set procedure for nominating members, the kith and kin of the corporators and politicians have infiltrated ward committees. How to tackle this to make more common people get into the committee? CIVIC has recommended a procedure.

While around 500 citizens submitted their applications to be part of their BBMP ward committee, they were not selected by BBMP, letting corporators nominate their supporters and cronies.

Efforts to mobilise citizens to apply for ward committee membership have gained splendid traction in the last few weeks. Citizens’ groups such as Lanchamukta Karnataka Nirmana Vedike (LMKNV), Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) and B.PAC have

Only 250 people applied for the 1980 ward committe member posts in 198 wards. Here is how you can change it!

Today people in Bengaluru can nominate themselves to volunteer as a ward committee member. But it didn’t happen overnight – the struggle for ward committees lasted for almost 25 years! Read the story of how ward committee came about.

In an open letter to the Chief Minister, Executive Trustee of CIVIC Kathyayini Chamaraj points out why the planning process being followed for the city goes grossly against the 74th Constitutional Amendment and what needs to be corrected for the exercise to have an impact.

Kathyayini Chamraj, who questions the rationale behind steel flyover, also suggests alternative meaningful ways to invest public money. Will the government listen?