Articles by Pragathi Ravi

The general perception has been that residents in large apartment complexes or gated communities are not a significant vote bank and have a lower rate of voter turnout in assembly or municipal elections. Ahead of the Karnataka 2023 Assembly Elections, the Bengaluru Apartments' Federation (BAF) hopes to change this perception by focusing on voter registration, awareness and participation through their Every Vote Matters (EVM) campaign. Towards this, BAF organised a discussion with representatives from political parties, to facilitate objective conversations and debates concerning Bengaluru's development agenda. With Citizen Matters as the media partner, the discussion was led by panellists Tanveer…

In 2017, 3Wayste-- a French firm--submitted a proposal to the Government of Karnataka (GoK) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to implement an integrated municipal solid waste (MSW) management project at Chikkanagamangala.  Using the company's proprietary, patented waste-to-energy technology, the plant would generate electricity from processing MSW, i.e refuse derived fuel (RDF), converting the existing MSW-processing plant to an incineration-based WTE plant.   The plant was intended to process 500 tonnes of mixed waste (300 tonnes supplied by the BBMP, and 200 tonnes from other sources). 3Wayste proposed to process refuse-derived fuel (RDF) to generate 9.2 MW of power.   After 3Wayste…

In October 2021, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s government announced a Rs.6,000 crore grant under the Amrut Nagarothana Scheme for Bengaluru. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was entrusted with undertaking a slew of infrastructural development work across sectors like road infrastructure, lakes, stormwater drains, hospitals, etc.  Ahead of the assembly polls, the state and the BBMP budget allocations focused mainly on the development of physical infrastructure in the form of flyovers, reconstruction of roads, etc. The Amrut Nagarothana Scheme, also known as Mukyamantri Nagarothana or Nagarothana Yojane, was launched to improve infrastructure in the urban local bodies across Karnataka. However,…

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) was passed by the Karnataka Assembly, in December 2022, to unify all public transport under one umbrella. Part 1 looked at the roles and functions of the BMLTA. In Part 2, we will look at several concerns raised over BMLTA's lack of participatory planning and appropriate devolution of power to a lower level. Citizens and urban transport activists had voiced their concerns over passing the Bill. The primary issue was the lack of inclusive decision-making. 74th amendment act In a letter to B. A Basavaraj, Minister of Urban Development Department and B. Sriramulu,…

While roads and related infrastructure were given importance in this year’s state budget, housing, education and health were neglected. With the BBMP budget slated to be announced soon, Citizen Matters Bengaluru, organised a webinar, 'The mysterious process of Bengaluru’s budget allocations', on February 23rd, to raise questions about why some sectors are given preference over others, the source of funds, the format of the expenditure, and more. Citizen Matters hosted a webinar on the dissemination and allocation of state and municipal finance. Pic: Citizen Matters The discussion was anchored by Bhanu Sridharan, and the panellists were Kathyayini Chamaraj, executive trustee…

The Karnataka Budget for 2023-24, presented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, primarily focuses on the comprehensive development of Bengaluru, combatting traffic congestion, tackling floods, managing waste disposal, developing the sub-urban railway project, and providing affordable healthcare services. Bommai had earlier said that his government's top priorities are education, employment and empowerment and that he was committed to easing traffic in the city. These aspects were highlighted in the budget. Economic revival In his budget speech, the Chief Minister stressed that the state's economy has "recovered beyond pre-COVID level" as per the 2021-2022 numbers by the National Statistical Office. Quoting the…

Another legislation. Another new Authority called the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA). Ostensibly designed for the regulation of development, operation, maintenance, monitoring, and supervision of urban mobility, within what the bill calls the Urban Mobility Region, by unifying all the different public transport entities into one overarching body. The BMLTA is just two months old, but has been given its first assignment. The detailed project report of the contentious Sankey Road flyover project, which is strongly opposed by citizens and mobility experts, was handed over to the young BMLTA for evaluation of the feasibility of the project. Its first…

After delays in the opening of Namma Clinics, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, on February 7th, inaugurated 108 clinics within BBMP limits. Bommai launched the Namma Clinic in Mahalakshmipura ward, and the other 107 clinics were launched virtually. The state government announced the setting up of Namma Clinics or Urban Health and Wellness Centres (U-HWCs) , last year, to decentralise primary healthcare. The aim of Namma Clinics is to make basic medical services and infrastructure easily accessible and affordable for low-income households or communities. In the spirit of this, the Government of Karnataka flagged off the setting up of Namma Clinics.…

OpenCity, on February 4th, organised the Bengaluru Traffic Datajam, at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru (IIM-B). Anchored by Vaidya R and Meera K, the datajam kicked off with nearly 30 participants, from across sectors and professions, congregating to devise solutions to complex mobility problems. The issues discussed included mismanagement of traffic, promoting Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) usage, the practicality of road widening, and building elevated corridors for vehicular traffic. The datajam, supported by Oorvani Foundation with World Resources Institute (WRI) India as the knowledge partner, saw the participants engage in a day-long event that sparked off conversations and…

Adar Ali Sheikh, 38, came to Bengaluru two years after the devastating 2002 cyclonic storm hit his hometown in Nadia district, West Bengal. It wrecked his home and the fields he worked in as an agricultural labourer, entrapping him in debt. He travelled almost 2,000 kilometres to find a job as a car washer in Bengaluru so he could pay off his lenders.  “I had to leave because we couldn’t save the harvest, and the landowner (who he had leased the land from) demanded we pay the agreed amount. What would I have done?” he asks. Adar lives in a…