Swaraj for Cities

Annual Fundraiser 2025 in progress - All are welcome to contribute! consciouscommunities.in/support

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill will doom Bengaluru. Please read & sign this petition to reject it: action.jhatkaa.org/aQZRw Bengaluru deserves a governance model that is people-centric, democratic, and accountable. #NoToGBGB #SaveBengaluru #Constitution #74thAmendment

What stops the Karnataka Govt from holding BBMP elections right away with the 198 wards delimitation, or the 243 wards delimitation, or even the 225 wards delimitation? NOTHING! Just excuses! Hold BBMP Elections or resign @DKShivakumar!! Enough is enough! @RahulGandhi is this how you respect the constitution? Have you ever read it? Have you read Articles 243 P to 243 ZG? Have you read the 74th Amendment - Nagarpalika Act? If you have, then ask the Karnataka Govt run by your @INCIndia @INCIndia to operationalise the MPC which the city is deprived of for 32 years, issue Masterplan and give planned development for Bengaluru which it is deprived of for 32 years... Immediately hold elections to the BBMP Council; pass orders to devolve, decentralise and democratize local self govt by holding elections to ward committees and area sabhas.... Carrying a constitution around in your pocket for optics is fine, but please do read it once in a while.. And act on it! Thank you! #74thAmendment #NagarpalikaAct #Constitution #Swaraj #LocalSelfGovt #CityGovt #Swaraj4Cities #CitySwaraj @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @HKPatilINC @rashtrapatibhvn @TCGEHLOT @TcGehlotOffice @DKShivakumar @BLRTownHall @Tejasvi_Surya @SRVishwanathBJP @PCMohanMP @ASUPBengaluru @BelawadiBlr @SandeepAnirudha @kiranshaw @NandanNilekani @PrasadBidapa @TVMohandasPai @ashwinmahesh @cpbelawadi @SandeepAnirudha @murali772 @nnarasimhan @BrindaAdige @HariniNagendra @psridharp @ravichandar @srikanthn1975 @Infosys_nmurthy @kris_sg @BengaluruAgenda @civicbangalore @Namma_Bengaluru @TrustBangalore @DTDevareSubhash @rajdugar @nnarasimhan bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/civi…

Thank you @TCGEHLOT @TcGehlotOffice Hon Governor heard us - Returned Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill to Govt seeking clarifications on issues raised by us! @BelawadiBlr @BLRTownHall #YesWeCan #Solidarity #Bengaluru #SaveBengaluru #NoToGBGB #74thAmendment #Constitution

A city standing up for its rights! #SaveBengaluru #NagarpalikaAct1992 #74thAmendment #Constitution

ANNUAL FUNDRAISER 2025 - Conscious Communities consciouscommunities.in/support Hello all, this is a fundraiser for all of these communities. You are welcome to contribute to the fundraiser if you align with or support what we do. It is your enduring support that helps us carry on doing what we do. A broad-based crowdfunding ensures that we are able to pursue an unbiased or uncompromised agenda. DISCLOSURE: At the bottom of the page, you would find the income expenditure statement of the previous fundraisers. SPREAD THE WORD: Also request you to please pass this crowdfunding appeal along to friends, family and networks, with a word of recommendation. Thank you! SCALING UP: We have a wealth of knowledge and experience in all the domains addressed by our various communities, but we are limited by our dependance on volunteers. We might be able to scale these up rapidly if we get some kind of unstructured, unconditional funding support by big philanthropies, so that we can employ resources and expand. If you are connected to any philanthropists, please ask them if they are interested in nation-building and sustainability initiatives. Thanks and regards, Sandeep Anirudhan

There we go again.... looks like we citizens only have to do something, the system keeps failing us... again and again...

1/n WARD MEETINGS (Whitefield Cluster) WED, 5th FEB 2025 Announced: Kadugodi 97 | AECS 102 | Whitefield 103 Citizens, please attend. Failed: Hudi 98 | Byrathi 99 Citizens, please reach out to the Zonal Commissioner, Mahadevapura and demand regular meetings. DETAILS: sites.google.com/view/whitefiel… CITIZENS PLEASE WAKE UP! Citizens are requested to participate in the planning and governance of the ward, raise civic issues and collaborate in improving the neighbourhood. Officials from various civic agencies will be present at the meeting. ❓Not happy with how things are in your neighbourhood? ❓Not happy with the civic infrastructure? ❓Not satisfied with local governance? Then don’t just sit around and crib, ✅ Come participate in the Ward Meeting. ✅ Make sure your voice is heard! ✅ Contribute to change. ✅ Come discuss issues related to Unplanned Devt, illegal buildings and layouts, roads, footpaths, electricity, water, lakes, parks, general infrastructure, budgets, mobility, town planning, welfare, etc., ✅ Anything that you feel must be heard by the officials, please show up and ensure that it is heard. ✅ Ensure the issues are recorded in the meeting proceedings MOM. ✅ Follow up the issue in the next meeting. ✅ Have your say over your neighbourhood. ✅ Don’t be a loser, be a Citizen! #BrandBengaluru #74thAmendment #Grassroots #74thAmendment #LocalGovt #Grassroots #GrassrootsDemocracy #ParticipativeGovernance #NagarpalikaAct @BBMPofficial @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar @BBMPCOMM @BBMPAdmn @chairmanbwssb @NammaBESCOM @wftrps @wfieldps @NammaWhitefield @WFRising @east_bengaluru @WF_Watcher @BengaluruAgenda @NammaBengaluroo @bengalurupost1 @civicbangalore @BAFBLR @BangaloreRepair

@ArshadRizwan It's good to hear you saying that you would hold a public meeting on the Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, and strive for transparency. These are like drops of rain in a parched desert... We hope you will publish the summary of the public consultation/feedback/objections recd with: a) List of suggestions and objections received from the public b) List of suggestions accepted c) List of suggestions rejected, along with reasons for rejection, etc., Then this exercise wont end up being a public joke like previous public consultations by the Karnataka Govt. Good luck in your efforts! More importantly, we hope you will preserve the sanctity of the Constitution, and comply with the the provisions of the Nagarpalika Act 1992 (74th CAA); implement the letter and spirit of the Act, by setting up the planning authority for the city, and a unified, devolved, decentralised and elected city govt. The Karnataka Govt has been in violation of the constitution for 32 years, and the city has paid a huge price for this by the collapse of the city from the the IT Capital into an IT SLUM! Bengaluru today is abused by one and all for being an example for unplanned development, and touted as an example of how not to govern a city. This is only because of the lawlessness at the top! We are long overdue for correction. If your committee does what is required of you, and ensures the state complies with the constitution and puts Bengaluru back on the road to planned growth and good governance by abiding by the constitution, you will be remembered as the one who save it. We do hope that our elected representatives are capable of setting a better example than they have in the past 3 decades! Good Luck! @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar @MoHUA_India @mlkhattar @byrathi_suresh @NITIAayog @MLJ_GoI @HKPatilINC @arjunrammeghwal @NIUA_India @CPRUrban @PRIA_Urban @civicbangalore @CAFBengaluru @WhitefieldWards @rashtrapatibhvn @VPIndia @SwarajForCities @PRSLegislative @Vidhi_India @impriindia @PRSLegislative @Prajafoundation @pacindia @BPACofficial @Vidhi_India @CPR_India @CLPRtrust @InfyFoundation @iimb_official @iiscbangalore @CPP_IIMB @DSTCPRIISc @PolicyTiss @CPP_IIMB @TakshashilaInst @NLSIUofficial @KautilyaSPP @bengalurupost1 @east_bengaluru @Namma_Bengaluru @NammaWhitefield @NammaBNP @NammaBengaluroo @namma_BTM @BalagereConnect @BluruMobility

Bengaluru's doom - Root of the problem! @SandeepAnirudha explains it simply, in just 2 points! Democracy rests on the foundation of two essential principles: 1) Constitutionality 2) Rule of Law When the Govt itself starts violating these principles, the result = Bengaluru! Bengaluru in a free-fall; infrastructure has been crumbling for decades, but public discussion doesn't go beyond the superficial! Nobody is addressing the root cause for the city's collapse - the violation of the legal provisions which are leading to this mess: The non-implementation of the Nagarpalika Act 1992 (74th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992)! We are paying the price for this. * The city lacks prescribed planning authority and institutionalised planning capacity. * Governance is missing, City Govt doesn't exist! The State govt runs the city inefficiently through 15-20 parastatals! It is a mess by design! Unfortunately, even the influencers in the city like @TVMohandasPai and @kiranshaw although they have the ears of the ministers, are unaware of the systemic malaise; they have photo-ops with them, and ask for superficial fixes. They don't ask the Govt to follow the constitution, or to build capacity. Being successful business-people they know how important institution-building is. But they fail to make the demand of the Govt. There are no superficial fixes for this mess. Band-aids will not work. What is required is deep surgery - 'systemic correction'. Our public servants (politicians & bureaucrats) get away with their lawlessness, because citizens in general are legally illiterate! Citizens need to demand that the Govt abide by laws and build capacity for planning & governance. * Pls ask the Govt to implement the Nagarpalika Act (74th CAA) * Pls ask the Govt to provide us a functioning Planning Authority - the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) * Pls ask the Govt to build capacity for planning - employ sufficient urban planners, transport planners and ecologists in the MPC * Pls ask the Govt to freeze all development till a properly constituted vision plan and masterplan are issued, arrived at with due process, and ground up planning * Pls ask the Govt to unify, decentralise and devolve the City Govt (all services and parastatals) * Pls ask the Govt to hold elections to the City Council * Pls ask the Govt to set up Area Sabhas and Ward Committees. youtu.be/cTPNxbCJBKw?si… on @MirrorNow #MirrorPrime | @pareektweets What does Ahmedabad have that Bengaluru doesn't? 1) Planning authority 2) Masterplan 3) Elected City Govt! Bengaluru's doom: non-implementation of Nagarpalika Act (74th CAA) by Irresponsible Politicians for the past 32 years! x.com/BengaluruAgend… From #ITCapital to #ITSLUM From #SiliconValley to #SiliconSewer! Story of Bengaluru's collapse: Mis-governance & Unplanned Development. Myopic, greedy politicians use Bengaluru as cash cow & do not build planning capacity, or devolve governance! x.com/BengaluruAgend… @nsitharaman @FinMinIndia @MoHUA_India @mlkhattar @PMOIndia @NITIAayog @narendramodi PLEASE DO NOT RELEASE ANY FUNDS TO STATE GOVTS TILL THEY IMPLEMENT 73rd and 74th AMENDMENTS FULLY! Make their funds conditional on implementation. #BrandBengaluru #UrbanRuin #ITSlum #Swaraj #Constitution #NagarpalikaAct #Lawlessness #Corruption #dereliction #ineptitude #maladministration #StoneAgeBengaluru #SoFedUp #UrbanRuin #UrbanCollapse #RuleOfLaw #UnplannedDevelopment #Bengaluru #CivicApathy #NagarpalikaAct #Elections #CityGovt #PGSlums #ConcreteSlums #SlumCity #SaveBengaluru @rashtrapatibhvn @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @DKShivakumar @BBMPAdmn @osd_CMKarnataka @barandbench @LiveLawIndia @LegallyIndia @lawbarandbench @IndiaLawJournal @Vidhi_India @indialegalmedia @FACIndia_ @anticorruption @MLJ_GoI @HKPatilINC @arjunrammeghwal @NIUA_India @INCKarnataka @BJP4Karnataka @AAPKarnataka @JanataDal_S @INCIndia @BJP4India @AamAadmiParty @RahulGandhi @RSSorg @DrMohanBhagwat @ravichandar @rajeevgowda @Nimmabhaskar22 @PCMohanMP @RajeevRC_X @Tejasvi_Surya @BYVijayendra @BSBommai

Urban infrastructure is neglected nation-wide due to lawlessness by state govts! Every state govt is filled with self serving myopic corrupt politicians who dont care for planned development of their cities. Every one of them flouts the constitution and doesn't establish planning authority (MPC) as envisaged in our constitution, and while Indian universities churn out thousands of urban planners, our own cities do not hire them. Compounding this is the lack of unified, devolved and elected city govts, which can provide focussed and collaborative governance with empowered citizen ownership. These are leading to a collapse of our fast growing cities burdened with the lack of sound foundations, lack of capacity building, lack of timely infrastructure planning and sensible holistic planning. Why are our politicians becoming such a burden and roadblock? Why @siddaramaiah @CMofKarnataka Why??? @DKShivakumar Why @narendramodi ?? Why @rashtrapatibhvn ??? #BrandBengaluru #SiliconValley TO #SiliconSewer #ITCapital TO #ITSlum #NagarPalikaAct #74thAmendment #Planning #UnplannedDevelopment #MPC #LocalGovt #Grassroots #GrassrootsDemocracy #ParticipativeGovernance #Lawlessness #Corruption #dereliction #ineptitude #maladministration #misgovernance #ITCapitalAnthe #StoneAgeBengaluru #SoFedUp #UrbanRuin #UrbanCollapse #RuleOfLaw #ConcreteSLUMS #PGSlums #IllegalBuildings @NammaWhitefield @WFRising @east_bengaluru @WF_Watcher @BengaluruAgenda @NammaBengaluroo @bengalurupost1 @civicbangalore @BAFBLR @BangaloreRepair @Namma_Bengaluru @TrustBangalore @civicbangalore @NITIAayog @NIUA_India @SwarajForCities @SandeepAnirudha @osd_cmkarnataka @krs_party @NammaBNP @barandbench @LiveLawIndia @LegallyIndia @lawbarandbench @IndiaLawJournal @Vidhi_India @indialegalmedia @anticorruption @ACTIndiaOffice @MLJ_GoI @HKPatilINC @arjunrammeghwal @NITIAayog @MoHUA_India #ExplosiveExclusive | @DEKAMEGHNA

Shri Tushar Girinath aware, Ward Meetings elli? In Nov 2024, @BBMPCOMM announced that Ward meetings will be held by Nodal Officers, every Wednesday, and that the Zonal Commissioners of each Zone shall attend the ward meetings on rotation, attending a meeting in every ward, at least once a month or in two months. bbmp.gov.in/notifications/… ONE MORE BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! Weekly meetings are not held in most wards, and even where they are held, it only when the Zonal Commissioner is expected to attend. Can the BBMP Website publish a calendar with all the wards, and completion status of meetings, along with the Minutes of Meetings of each Ward Meeting? Additionally, a page for each ward with information on the ward, officials list, ward health indicators, budgets for the ward, projects in the ward and status, accounts, etc., (updated regularly), will be a great first step towards building trust! Why do we even have to tell you to do all this? Is this rocket science? Even school kids can come up with these fixes. So, why can't the state's best politicians and IAS bureaucrats think of them? Is this too much to ask of the administration of the "IT CAPITAL OF ASIA"??? In the area of governance, why does Bengaluru still live in the middle ages? #ITCapitalAnthe #StoneAgeBengaluru @CMofKarnataka @DKShivakumar @siddaramaiah @BBMPAdmn Why can't the Govt get anything right? At least one thing? Show us one thing that you are getting right! One thing that works reliably, predictably, transparently, and democratically in this city.... and complies with the Constitution of India and Rule of Law? #SiliconValley to #SiliconSewer #ITCapital to #ITSlum #SoFedUp #DevolutionBeku #DecentralisationBeku #74thAmendment #WardCommittees #AreaSabhas #LocalSelfGovt #BrandBengaluru #UrbanRuin #UrbanCollapse #Swaraj #transparency #Constitution #RuleOfLaw #NagarPalikaAct @osd_CMKarnataka @ICCCBengaluru @BBMPofficial @narendramodi @rashtrapatibhvn @NammaWhitefield @WFRising @WF_Watcher @BengaluruAgenda @east_bengaluru @bengalurupost1 @namma_BTM @Namma_Bengaluru @NammaBengaluroo @civicbangalore @BangaloreRepair @BAFBLR @NammaBNP @INCKarnataka @BJP4Karnataka @JanataDal_S @RSSorg @RahulGandhi @INCIndia @BJP4India @AamAadmiParty @AAPKarnataka @AAPBangalore @Prajaakeeyalive @krs_party @SwarajForCities

Exactly, but how will Bengaluru do that, when it doesn't have Metropolitan Planning Cmte or masterplanning? By violating Constitution, Govt is turning Bengaluru into overcrowded, unplanned slum, with poor mass transit infra! @CMofKarnataka @DKShivakumar @mlkhattar @MoHUA_India

1/n Civic welcomes you to a discussion "Misplaced Priorities of BBMP's Projects (Tunnel Roads, Sky-Deck) 🗓️Fri, 20 Dec 2024 ⏰ 9.30AM-1.30PM 📍Gandhi Bhavan Highlight: Sustainability & Quality of Life Index from transport ~ Prof Ashish Verma, IISc civicspace.in

@SandeepAnirudha says: @revanth_anumula did right to question capacity of our cities to plan, govern & conserve envt States need to implement NagarPalika Act(74th Amdt), create Masterplans, Devolve Governance to City Govt, Ward Cmte, etc #Swaraj4Cities @shreyadhoundial @MirrorNow

@SandeepAnirudha says: @revanth_anumula did right to question the capacity of our cities to plan, govern & conserve envt States need to implement NagarPalika Act (74th Amdt), create Masterplans, Devolve Governance to City Govt, Ward Cmte, etc #Swaraj4Cities @DEKAMEGHNA @TimesNow

What have we done with our city? #BengaluruFloods #DayZero #WaterCrisis #MostCongestedCity #ITSLUM #PGSLUMs #illegalBuildings #Lawlessness Let's join hands to #WinBengaluruBack REGISTER: bit.ly/VolunteerForBe… #SaveBengaluru #CitizensAgendaForBengaluru #CitizensForBengaluru

1/n DEAR CITIZENS, BENGALURU NEEDS YOU NOW! WILL YOU SHOW UP? REGISTER HERE: bit.ly/VolunteerForBe… Bengaluru has crumbled due to lack of #governance & #planning, due to #UnplannedDevelopment What can we do for our city? Join hands to #WinBengaluruBack #SaveBengaluru

My published #Oped articles on #Bengaluru #Sustainability #Planning #Governance #Mobility #Transformation Read here: consciouscommunities.in/about-sandeep-… @AP @Reuters @PTI_News @BengaluruAgenda @BluruMobility @NammaWhitefield @Coalition4Water @WhitefieldWards @AikyamCommunity @DSTCPRIISc

Friends, It's time for contributions; one of the ways you could support the good work. Here's the link: consciouscommunities.in/support Please share in your networks & among philanthropy minded folks! Note: Summary of the last 6 mths income/expenditure posted at the bottom of page.