October | 2018 | | Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

Multiple interventions fail to curb vehicular emissions in Bengaluru

October 31, 2018 Arjun Rajan

Several studies have pointed to the increasingly toxic air in the city, some pegging the levels of polluting particulate matter at three times the WHO-prescribed standards. What contributes to this and why is it so difficult to check?

ITPL gas leak: Metro trenching tests failed to spot GAIL pipelines

October 30, 2018 Manasi Paresh Kumar

Agencies working in Bengaluru do not share the list of their utilities while working in the same area. Unaware of what was beneath the ground, Metro workers dug deep and accidentally damaged GAIL pipeline.

Fruits and vegetables: Organic choices for consumers in Bengaluru

October 29, 2018 Vinita

Food we eat shapes our health. But how to get safe food? Everything from growing it on your own to getting it from the sellers, your guide to buying vegetables, organic and otherwise.

Bengaluru Buzz: HC mulls over dedicating Saturdays to BBMP | 100 BMTC buses to have alarms | Peripheral ring road project resurrected

October 27, 2018 News Desk

From proposal to elevate peripheral ting road to high court’s directions on BBMP, all important news you need to know about Bengaluru this week.

Why are Bellandur citizens spending this Saturday morning in a human chain?

October 26, 2018 News Desk

On Saturday, October 27th, the city will be witness to yet another human chain, organised this time by the disgruntled citizens of Bellandur, one of the largest wards of Bengaluru. Find out what their demands are.

Why has the KSPCB failed to arrest air pollution in Bengaluru?

October 25, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

“Ours is a monitoring station, which can only assess and suggest,” say KSPCB officials. What are these suggestions and is the city even close to implementing those?

Belching smoke, noxious fumes: Are Vehicular Emission Tests working?

October 23, 2018 Arjun Rajan

Is the Emission Test mechanism in Bengaluru good enough to ensure that vehicles are pollution-free and vehicle owners follow due process?

CAF flashback: What saved your neighbourhood from becoming a messy, commercial hub

October 23, 2018 Manasi Paresh Kumar

As the Citizen’s Action Forum turns 10. we look back at their decade of activism that has changed Bengaluru in so many ways. In the first of the series, the tale of the PIL against BDA’s Master Plan 2015, which saw the curb on commercial activities on roads less than 40 feet wide.

How do those biscuits reach your neighborhood kirana store?

October 22, 2018 Thanmaya Bekkalale

Exploring the intricate distribution system in cities that ensures food, household and consumer products, from biscuits to colas reach the thousands of super markets and stores across the city.

Bengaluru Buzz: Draft voter roll published | First Bitcoin ATM in B’luru | ORR Metro to delay further

October 20, 2018 News Desk

News updates from Bengaluru last week. Traffic control, Metro line, H1N1 in the city and more – the news-in-brief that filters out what matters from the junk.

10 years of committed citizenry: Tracing the journey of the Citizens’ Action Forum

October 12, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

The Citizens’ Action Forum completed a decade this year. It has an impressive record of committed activism, working on issues that affect a large section of the people in the city. Take a look at all that the Forum has been doing for Bengaluru and where they stand now.

7th Bangalore Literature Festival to feature discussion on #MeToo, more programmes for children

October 12, 2018 Sridevi Rao

Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF), Bengaluru city’s flagship literary event, is all set for a spectacular 2018 seventh edition on October 27th and 28th at the breezy green lawns of Hotel LaLiT Ashok in Kumara Krupa

Bengaluru Buzz: BBMP creates plastic record | Cycle sharing for last mile connectivity | Dead snails in Madiwala lake

October 12, 2018 News Desk

Key developments from last week: BBMP creates record, cycle sharing system to enable last mile connectivity, dead snails in Madiwala lake.

The food on your plate: Is it safe? Is it organic?

October 11, 2018 Vinita

While organic fruits, vegetables and staples are much sought-after especially in metro cities like Bengaluru, consumers are often not able to verify the quality of the produce. What makes it ‘organic’ and how can we check?

Naribai: a monologue that explores what respectability is

October 11, 2018 Deepa Mohan

The play did not have a brochure – it was a one-woman production, and the brochure didn’t really mean anything.

How industry-academia partnership can help increase employability in IT

October 9, 2018 Shree D N

The emergence of private organisations that offer skilling solutions is a perfect marker for the rising problem of unemployability among fresh IT graduates. What other solutions exist to the skill gaps clouding the job-worthiness of the new workforce in IT?

No system in Bengaluru to ensure people have their say in elevated corridors

October 5, 2018 Arjun Rajan

Projects like elevated corridors will continue to be implemented without discussion with civil society, unless people are empowered to question, suggest alternatives and become a part of the process. Why exactly are people not able to raise their voice to a level that’s heard?

Skill gaps among fresh IT graduates in Bengaluru impact hiring numbers

October 5, 2018 Shree D N

2.11 lakh students were enrolled in engineering courses in 2017-18, only 34,506 students were placed in Karnataka, according to AICTE. This points to a dim overall hiring scene, though IT graduates are only a fraction of this number. Why aren’t fresh IT grads getting hired?

How do those veggies reach your plate?

October 5, 2018 Vinita

Ever wondered what’s the story of the vegetables and fruits we consume everyday… where do they come from? What is its journey?

Bengaluru Buzz: Prez nod for Good Samaritan Bill | 72 lakh vehicles on B’luru roads | 52nd Mayor elected

October 3, 2018 News Desk

Catch up on all that you may have missed last week: Bengaluru has a new Mayor, Good Samaritans now have law on their side, and a sudden spurt of H1N1 in the air.