Bengaluru had develop into a flashpoint in 2022 because it struggled to deal with the city floods triggered by incessant rains in August and September. Giant-scale encroachment of lakes, rajakaluves and buffer-zones precipitated frequent flooding of homes. It was a wake-up name for policymakers to higher put together for excessive climate occasions and have a flood-resilient infrastructure.
Whilst town boasts of being the IT-BT capital, start-up hub and silicon plateau of the world, it’s incomes a foul fame because of the presence of potholes which have remained a menace and turned out to be demise traps for a number of previously yr.
In the meantime, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), town’s civic physique, has been with out an elected council since September 2020. There aren’t any indicators of the elections happening earlier than the meeting polls early subsequent yr, and residents have no one to carry accountable for the civic points.
From town’s crumbling infrastructure and poor situation of roads, to alleged voter knowledge theft and tussle between cab aggregators and the transport division, the IT hub left the residents in lurch on a number of parameters in 2022.
Floods & crumbling infrastructure
Heavy rainfall in August and September introduced Bengaluru to a standstill. Varied components of town had been flooded, particularly the IT hall and adjoining areas from east Bengaluru alongside the Outer Ring Highway (ORR) to south-east Bengaluru.
Rain precipitated site visitors jams in a number of components, particularly within the Central Enterprise District (CBD), and key arterial roads. Individuals had been seen travelling on boats and tractors by way of the streets of the IT hub.
Based on India Meteorological Division (IMD), in August this yr, Bengaluru acquired 370 mm of rainfall, which is barely just a little wanting the all-time document of 387.1 mm of rainfall, final seen in August 1998.
Heavy rains uncovered the chinks within the civic infrastructure and lack of preparedness on a part of the civic physique. Whereas the federal government blamed the unusually heavy rainfall, consultants stated poor city planning, encroachment of drains and lakes are the explanations behind the recurring drawback.
IT corporations and banking institutions in ORR space additionally wrote to chief minister Basavaraj Bommai that they incurred a lack of ₹225 crore because of the heavy rains and flooding on August 30.
Deaths and accidents as a result of potholes
The pothole menace continues in Bengaluru regardless of a number of complaints by commuters. This yr, Bengaluru reported about seven deaths as a result of potholes, with officers including that many such deaths might have gone unidentified.
Within the newest incident, a 55-year-old bike-borne man died after a tractor ran over him when he slipped whereas attempting to keep away from a pothole.
The town’s civic physique has been blaming the rains and tough climate for potholes growing on the roads each monsoon. However activists stated corruption, structural points and lack of accountability are the primary causes behind town’s crumbling street infrastructure.
In 2015, a PIL was filed by Vijayan Menon and others in Karnataka excessive courtroom, looking for instructions for filling up potholes and upkeep of roads. Whereas the excessive courtroom has tried to repair the accountability on Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) a number of instances, the civic physique, till now, has not been in a position to give you an answer.
On December 15, the excessive courtroom directed the police to not hesitate or keep away from registration of FIR in case a citizen approaches with a criticism of accident as a result of a pothole.
Delay in BBMP elections
The Karnataka authorities is but to conduct the already much-delayed elections to BBMP, citing challenges to the Different Backward Courses (OBC) reservation checklist and delimitation of wards.
Bengaluru has been with out an elected physique since September 2020 when the time period of the BBMP ended, and the final BBMP polls had been held in November 2015.
The excessive courtroom, on September 30, had put aside the August 3 reservation checklist of the state authorities and ordered a recent checklist to be ready by November 30. It additionally set a deadline of December 31 to carry the civic polls.
However that received’t occur because the state authorities has now been given time until March 31 to submit a report on the political reservation for OBCs in native our bodies of the state.
The meeting elections in Karnataka are slated to be held in early 2023. The BBMP elections, if held earlier than then, would function the BJP authorities’s litmus check and reveal the anti-incumbency sentiment, in response to consultants.
Voter knowledge theft scandal
The ruling authorities can be within the thick of significant allegations pertaining to voters’ knowledge by an NGO. The BBMP had entrusted Chilume with the duty of conducting house-to-house surveys to create consciousness on revision of electoral rolls. The agency, nevertheless, allegedly collected private particulars, together with caste, schooling, mom tongue, Aadhaar and different particulars.
On November 18, NGO head Krishnappa Ravikumar was arrested together with different workers, together with NGO director Renuka Prasad, HR government Dharmesh and challenge government Prajwal.
On November 27, 4 BBMP officers had been arrested on prices of offering pretend ID playing cards to representatives of NGO Chilume. Two IAS officers had been additionally suspended on this regard.
After the difficulty surfaced, the Election Fee ordered a recent audit of the voters’ checklist. The Congress has accused the state BJP authorities of facilitating widespread voter fraud and demanded the chief minister’s resignation.
Cab aggregators vs transport division
The tussle between the transport division and taxi aggregators gained momentum this yr. Cab aggregators Ola, Uber and Rapido had been underneath the federal government scanner for charging greater than ₹100 per journey, even for journeys shorter than 2km.
The transport division had pulled up the aggregators for providing auto rickshaw rides with out licence and issued a discover that autorickshaws ought to cost a minimal value of ₹30 for the primary two kilometres and ₹15 for each subsequent kilometre.
The Karnataka excessive courtroom on October 14 granted interim aid to Ola, Uber and Rapido, directing the state authorities to not take any ‘coercive’ steps in opposition to them till a good pricing mechanism for auto providers is in place.
Amid the tussle, an autorickshaw union in Bengaluru launched a brand new ride-hailing cell app known as ‘Namma Yatri’ that connects clients on to auto drivers with out an middleman.
Civic activist and convenor of Residents’ Agenda for Bengaluru, Sandeep Anirudhan, stated 2023 is particular as a result of it’s the thirtieth anniversary of the 74th modification of the structure, or the Nagarpalika Act. Anirudhan’s want for Bengaluru in 2023 is that the federal government “sees the errors of its methods, and implements the 74th Modification in letter and spirit.”
“The remorse is that this Act got here into drive in 1993, and if it was carried out, it may have modified the trajectory of Bengaluru previously three a long time when it skilled explosive progress,” Anirudhan stated.
“The Act lays out the framework for Metropolis Planning in addition to metropolis authorities capabilities. The Karnataka authorities, by violating the structure, has allowed Bengaluru to descend into chaotic unplanned progress and misgovernance,” he stated.
“My want is that town will get a devolved and autonomous Metropolitan Planning Committee, and a devolved, autonomous and built-in Metropolis Govt, as properly, with useful wards and space degree committees and engages totally with residents; that the a number of parastatals and authorities departments that duplicate town providers be both wound up, or merged into the BBMP.”
“That the state authorities cease meddling within the metropolis’s planning and governance, and the BBMP Act 2020 is amended to make sure it’s aligned with the 74th Modification. This, and this alone will set every part else proper, and can result in orderly and deliberate improvement of the Silicon Valley of India,” he added.