Governance

The city with a population of over 12 million has nearly 8 million vehicles on road as of 2020. The draft revised Master Plan for Bengaluru – 2031 states that the modal share of public transport in total overall trips is only 48% as against 82 % for Mumbai.A city such as Bengaluru which has only 42 Kms of Metro serviced  that too for limited locations and a negligible suburban rail service, an efficient bus transport system is the only most significant public transport system available in the short and medium term. Since the arrival of metro services in the…

The Alternative Law Forum is organising a half day workshop on December 14 between 2.30 PM and 6.30 PM in Bengaluru, on the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 and the Karnataka Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2019. Background of the workshop This workshop is being conducted in view of the Town Vending Committees being constituted across the State as per the provisions of the Street Vendors Act, 2014 and the Karnataka Rules 2019, in seven zones of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (with the exception of Bommanahalli Zone).…

Bengaluru is at a historic juncture today. The State Government has recently made some big-ticket announcements as far as the bus is concerned, announcements which if followed up with their implementation as announced, will change the face of Bangalore. This Saturday, December 7, will see a discussion on what all is needed to transform Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation's (BMTC) public service into one which serves all and serves well.    Bengaluru's transformation from the laid back garden city with a pleasant climate into a massively built up concrete megapolis of people and vehicles infamous for its traffic happened to a…

#ABetterHebbal Challenge was launched in consultation with BMRCL and DULT as a part of CiFoS’ umbrella for high impact, long-term city wide campaign called #ABetterBangalorean. Hebbal, a fast developing suburb was identified for the pilot. With an exponential rate of development in residential, work and transit density, Hebbal is seeing one of the worst traffic congestions. A new Metro line is being provisioned and being an axis for the North-South & East-West it attracts huge bus traffic as well. #ABetterHebbal Challenge invited citizens to bring about ideas for public transport adoption around the Hebbal rooted in strong belief that involving…

Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike, a bus commuters’ rights forum, is having a public discussion on the impact that cab aggregators like Ola, Uber have on mobility and livelihoods on 23rd August. Researchers on mobility, the gig economy, and representatives of the drivers will join them. The speakers are: Kaveri Medappa - Doctoral Researcher, University of Sussex Sudeept Maiti - Senior Manager, Integrated Transport, World Resources Institute Tanveer Pasha - President, Ola and Uber Owners and Drivers Association Event details: Date & Time: 23 August, 2019 at 6pm Venue: Vishranti Nilayam, Infantry road, Bengaluru (Opp. 'The Hindu' office) [ This article…

The Kundanahalli junction is "the" gateway for lakhs of commuters going in and out of Whitefield. People from across the city come in for work in the area as this is a tech hub while school children traverse in their buses to head to the multitude of schools in the Whitefield/Varthur area. Across Bangalore and in fact outside too, people know how bad the traffic is this side of town. We have therefore engaged in the Traffic warden program for years to contribute our time and effort to help manage the traffic. An underpass was to come at the junction 5…

We have a lot of issues in our neighborhood that can be solved by good governance. We have learnt that the only way to make improvements is by steadily increasing accountability of those in power. Active, engaged, informed, and vigilant citizens who vote determine who gets in power and what the outcome is. We remain non partisan and will not tell you who to vote for. Having helped thousands in Mahadevpura get on the voter rolls this year, we now share a summary of the  very successful "Meet Your MP Candidates" event held on April 14, 2019.  Who are they and what did they say? Click here to read…

Each year, when the state Budget is presented, the citizens of Namma Bengaluru hope to see things included in it which will alleviate the many challenges we face. And over time, dashed hopes have led to lower expectations. But this year, I'm happy to see something new - for the first time we have promised ourselves a comprehensive approach to problems rather than piece-meal solutions through projects. The decongestion of traffic in the city will require a broad emphasis on all modes, with meaningful investments in sustainable mobility and public transport. The bus fleet needs to be doubled, we'll need…

Two years ago on this day 8000 Bengalureans formed a human chain saying #SteelFlyoverBeda. The unprecedented public opposition forced the government to scrap the controversial 6.7 km ₹2000 crore steel flyover. CfB was born out of this citizen movement. To mark the second anniversary of citizens coming together, today CfB met the Mayor of Bengaluru and urged her to institute monthly ward committee meetings starting Nov 1st. Attached the letter submitted to the Mayor. Srinivas Alavilli, one of the founders of CfB said “I always look at #SteelFlyoverBeda as a tipping point - that infused fresh energy into citizen activism…

While there have been attempts to formally plan the growth of a city, this has not proved to be successful in many parts of the world. Informality does play a significant role in several cities, especially those that are in the emerging economies. For those working in the informal sector, access to capital is limited and resources are not plentiful. The informal worker or the street vendor therefore borrows from the public spaces of the city where no price or a small price can reduce or eliminate the overheads related to rent or ownership of a space. In a study…