Ashwin Mahesh Citizen Matters, Blogs

CM’s Budget speech scores high on mobility ideas, water planing and education

February 9, 2019 Ashwin Mahesh

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

We’re paying the price for digging holes around the ground we stand on

November 30, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

For years together, people talked about the ‘demographic dividend’. Thanks to high fertility ratios in the past, a large number of young people would be entering the workforce, and we as yet don’t have a

Bringing bins back to Bengaluru is bad idea

October 9, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

Around the city, it’s easy to see that a number of localities are struggling to manage their waste. Heaps of trash lie around on the sides of roads, and are cleared only occasionally. The BBMP

Needed in Bengaluru: Bicycle networks that don’t follow road networks

September 25, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

I was at the launch of the Cycle to Work campaign along with the Mayor and the Bicycle Mayor last week. It was very nice to see many cyclists come together, hopeful of renewed efforts

Citizens are the solution for any problem in any city

September 25, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

For several years now, I’ve had one theme around which I felt we could push for change – “rather than try to solve problems, we should focus on increasing the number of problem solving people”.

Citizens can help govt by jogging its memory, and helping with skills

August 2, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

The easiest way to work with government is to solve some of their problems. We often think that the government should solve our problems, but in practice, they have many of their own!! And unless

Of plumbers, slumber and economic development

July 16, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

If there’s a leak in the water line in your building, you’ll call the plumber. You won’t call the carpenter and hope that by a combination of luck, brute force, learning-on-the-job, prayer, etc. he’ll somehow

Why we need to dedicate Budget to projects based on value they create

July 5, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

When a Budget is presented in July, and when a significant new commitment of expenditure is made for a single purpose (as in the case of agricultural loan waivers this year), there is not much

Sustainable Bengaluru is a pipe dream until rest of Karnataka develops

July 3, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

Bangalore’s struggles are not due to lack of expertise or new ideas. We’ve tried those, with only limited success. What is needed instead is faith in the right institutions and processes, and realising that until

Conflict of Commercialisation – How does it stop?

February 13, 2018 Ashwin Mahesh

In some neighburhoods, citizens are vexed by an increasing number of bars and pubs, and the dramatic change in the surroundings as a result. There have been various instances of conflict between residents and these

Here’s how Bengaluru roads can go pothole-free

October 24, 2017 Ashwin Mahesh

Square sections of tar have appeared on various roads, as BBMP and the government scramble to resurface the city. While these will provide immediate relief, they will also become the reason why we end up

When governments don’t want strong local bodies or citizen participation

July 7, 2017 Ashwin Mahesh

Multiple groups are protesting the manner in which BBMP instituted ward committees in about 2/3rd of the wards – ignoring citizen volunteers and public interest groups, and taking only the input of the corporators. Such

Parking fees plan: what more can we do?

May 20, 2017 Ashwin Mahesh

BBMP’s proposal to begin charging people to park on the streets can seem like a long-overdue scheme. But while the principle of charging for public space seems reasonable, we should do more than that. We

Hale kallu, hosa billu syndrome

May 14, 2017 Ashwin Mahesh

BBMP likes to create regular, small contracts. This system is informally known as ‘hale kallu, hosa billu’, and is well understood by all the stakeholders !! Take the example of shoulder drains. To begin with,

When will we have a real Master Plan for Bengaluru?

January 23, 2017 Ashwin Mahesh

Wherever BDA shows its Master Plan, there are strong objections to it. People point out that it … (a) .. is autocratic, having been developed with no input from the people of the city. It