Concrete galore: The transformation of Bengaluru

The concretising didn’t stop with roads; like a cancer it spread across to pavements, as paved regions into parks, and even into urban forests like Turahalli where, thankfully, public resistance stopped it. But the phenomenon is so widespread now, that it shows up in satellite imageries, and when it rains, the city floods in no time as there is simply no open ground for water to percolate. And in summer ‘heat islands’ result, desiccating what little greenery is left.

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Week 7: Securing Clean Air and Inclusive Mobility for Bengaluru

Everyone pays a very high price for mobility in Bengaluru. Incredible traffic snarls cost precious time, money, infrastructure and public health, and substantially erode the ‘salubrious’ quality of the metropolis. With an astonishing 0.8 to 1 vehicle to population ratio, Bengaluru metropolitan area is amongst the most fossil fuel dependent urban spaces globally. Air quality is significantly deteriorating, resulting in severe health impacts, especially for the poor and marginalised.

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Webinar Report: Making Bengaluru Energy Independent

“Is it possible to keep this city running with this pattern of consumption and demand for energy? How are BESCOM and KPTCL sustaining this supply? What are the challenges of the petrochemical sector in supporting fuel demands? Is there a way that we could shift to more sustainable sources, such as renewable energy, and can those transitions be just for all involved? Will such just transitions require Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Authorities to imagine futures that are based on sustainable energy systems, in contrast with the prevailing extractive and unsustainable systems? And can we ensure all homes (be they of rich, poor or middle classes), institutions, offices, government buildings will find ways to consume less power and shift to alternate forms of locally generated power?”

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Representation urging postponement of Public Hearing on 18th August 2020 regarding the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR)

Below letter is a representation urging postponement of Public Hearing on 18th August 2020 regarding the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) proposal of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) being held in blatant disregard for rule of law, judicial directives and in violation of Central, State and Local Government orders relating to COVID-19 pandemic per Disaster Management Act, 2005

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Karnataka Scraps State Environmental Clearance Committee Overlooking Possibility Of Review And Reform

. A framework was developed to rigorously and comprehensive assess and analyse the working of the SECC. This involved reviewing 447 clearances that had been accorded during 2002-2012 to dams, industries, mining projects, infrastructure projects, biotech firms, radiation processing units, etc. and field verification of 10% of these projects across various sectors and district was undertaken to assess extent of compliance with clearance conditions. The quality of the clearance accorded were also thoroughly reviewed for sectoral specificity.

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