Latest news with #RizwanArshad
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Private school initiative breathes new life into 140-yr-old Bengaluru institution
Bengaluru: Time-worn walls, sorry-looking classrooms and over-a-century-old building ready to crumble. That was then. Cut to now. The 140-year-old govt Tamil Higher Primary School on Shivajinagar's Thimmaiah Road is an ochre-and-dark-grey building with spiffy classrooms and flooring that outshines a mirror. This is the story of the school's transformation at a cost of Rs 1.8 crore in two years. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Under a public-private partnership with Inventure Academy, a private school on Sarjapur Road, the newly rebuilt Tamil school was inaugurated on Wednesday — with new look, feel, and English-medium sections, besides the existing Tamil medium. The school has 28 admissions into English medium in Class I and II this year, besides eight students in Tamil medium from Class I to VII. This is Inventure's second such venture after a similar success story of their Ramagondanahalli project in Whitefield where it adopted a Kannada-medium school in 2019. What started with 200 students now has 1,100 students. In Tamil school too, Inventure will provide teachers and pedagogy, besides operating English-medium sections. The infrastructure was built using MLA Rizwan Arshad's local area development funds to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, and the rest came through donations. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Indonesia (Prices May Surprise You) Container House | Search ads Search Now Undo by Taboola by Taboola English-medium sections will have a head teacher, two teachers, one teaching assistant. During the construction period of two years, the Tamil-medium classes were conducted in a small building with two classrooms. The English medium started this year from a small space in an NGO's building. "After the MLA visited our Ramagondanahalli school, he expressed interest in replicating the model in his constituency, where he has been revamping schools. I, too, wanted to plough back to society. I have been here multiple times — as a child, with my mother, from seeing it up close during corporation elections to shopping at Russell Market. We chose this school that was completely dilapidated," said Nooraine Fazal, founder, Inventure Academy. The school was in a sorry state: No permanent electricity connection, blackspots, garbage, school premises a hive for drunken elements. "When I joined 25 years ago, the school had 70 students. The numbers began to dwindle over the years, but the real downfall began after Covid. The huge area was targeted by the public. We are looking forward to a change now," said Kalaivani, a Tamil teacher at the school. "The difficult part about the public-private partnership is the govt has a standard MoU where the private parties build infrastructure and leave it at that. We, at Ramagondanahalli and Shivajinagar, have a different approach of delivering holistic education to children. While officials appreciate our objective, the technical formalities are hard to complete," said Nooraine. The new building was designed by Indian Institute of Interior Designs. "While we wanted to maintain the old building as a heritage structure, it was so dilapidated it crashed. In the new building, we wanted to ensure a play of light and small learning courtyards inside the building instead of the usual govt school designs," said Kavita Shastri, architect. FIGHTING THE ODDS * The British, who had a base in Madras Presidency, brought in skilled labourers and traders to Bengaluru * Many Tamil schools started, to meet needs of workers' children * Govt Tamil school on Thimmaiah Road saw a decline over the years, with parents rooting for English-medium education * Besides, a 2km radius has 26 govt, aided, and unaided schools
New Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
BBMP now custodian of 500-acre Mallappa Lake
BENGALURU: Unable to handle the continuous flow of sewage, encroachments and the unsolved issue of fencing 500 acres of Yele Mallappa Shetty (YMS) Lake in KR Puram, the minor irrigation department has decided to hand over administration of the water body, and also transfer ownership to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Confirming the development, minor irrigation department secretary BK Pavithra said, 'The lake is in urban local body limits and it will have sufficient funds to develop the lake, which is huge. Hence, the department has decided to transfer it to BBMP.' The official said the suggestion to transfer the lake in Mahadevapura zone came from MLA Rizwan Arshad, chairman of the Legislature Joint Review Committee, Greater Bengluru Governance Bill. Reacting to the reports, Arshad stated that BBMP has funds and a team to take up lake development.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
For now, Greater Bengaluru unlikely to go beyond BBMP limits
BENGALURU : The govt is all set to put on hold the move to expand Bengaluru's civic area to 1,000-plus sqkm by including peripheral villages within the jurisdiction of the proposed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Instead, it will retain the current extent of 709 sqkm. The state cabinet, which will meet Friday, is expected to discuss the matter with a decision on the date of implementation of Greater Bengaluru Governance Act-2024 , which was notified on April 24. Following the passing of the new legislation, delineation of GBA's boundaries had come up for discussion, with many villages on the outskirts of the city expressing interest in getting detached from gram panchayats and being included within the city civic body's jurisdiction. The BBMP Restructuring Committee, in its first interim report, had suggested the GBA area cover 1,307 sqkm (including BBMP and BDA areas). The committee led by MLA Rizwan Arshad, which submitted the latest report on restructuring Bengaluru city administration, spoke about creating new corporations to govern while not specifying the proposed extent of the city's civic area. Following this, several legislators in the city and Bengaluru Rural district submitted suggestions seeking the inclusion of some villages into Bengaluru. That had a ripple effect on the realty sector with land prices shooting up in villages on the city's periphery in anticipation of becoming an integral part of Bengaluru's civic administrative system. However, the proposed inclusion and expansion of GBA area will not happen immediately. A source said: "Initially, the existing BBMP limits will be considered as the jurisdiction of Greater Bengaluru. In future, decisions will be made regarding the inclusion of gram panchayats and towns on the city's outskirts." Although there were proposals to create three city corporations for more efficient governance, the final decision rests with the govt. The govt notified Greater Bengaluru Governance Act-2024 on April 24, which outlines a three-tier civic governance system consisting of Greater Bengaluru Authority, city corporations and ward committees. The Act allows for the formation of up to seven city corporations. In fact, the opposition BJP had criticised the govt's move to form Greater Bengaluru, calling it a strategy to centralise power and influence the upcoming civic body elections. For over four-and-a-half years, BBMP has been functioning without an elected body, and while the Congress govt promised that the city will be governed by an elected body once Greater Bengaluru comes into existence, the timeline for this remains unclear. On holding elections for newly formed Greater Bengaluru, the source said, "There are proposals to trifurcate BBMP limits into three civic corporations. Once formed, elections to the new local bodies are likely to happen by the year-end. Prior to deciding on the elections, there are many modalities that need to be completed which include jurisdiction of the wards, reservation and others." On other hand, BJP has already explored legal options to hold civic elections as per the BBMP Act by approaching the court and plans to challenge GBA's formation.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
For now, Greater Bengaluru unlikely to go beyond Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike limits
Bengaluru: The govt is all set to put on hold the move to expand Bengaluru's civic area to 1,000-plus sqkm by including peripheral villages within the jurisdiction of the proposed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). Instead, it will retain the current extent of 709 state cabinet, which will meet Friday, is expected to discuss the matter with a decision on the date of implementation of Greater Bengaluru Governance Act-2024 , which was notified on April 24. Following the passing of the new legislation, delineation of GBA's boundaries had come up for discussion, with many villages on the outskirts of the city expressing interest in getting detached from gram panchayats and being included within the city civic body's jurisdiction. The BBMP Restructuring Committee, in its first interim report, had suggested the GBA area cover 1,307 sqkm (including BBMP and BDA areas). Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far The committee led by MLA Rizwan Arshad, which submitted the latest report on restructuring Bengaluru city administration, spoke about creating new corporations to govern while not specifying the proposed extent of the city's civic this, several legislators in the city and Bengaluru Rural district submitted suggestions seeking the inclusion of some villages into Bengaluru. That had a ripple effect on the realty sector with land prices shooting up in villages on the city's periphery in anticipation of becoming an integral part of Bengaluru's civic administrative system. However, the proposed inclusion and expansion of GBA area will not happen immediately. A source said: "Initially, the existing BBMP limits will be considered as the jurisdiction of Greater Bengaluru. In future, decisions will be made regarding the inclusion of gram panchayats and towns on the city's outskirts." Although there were proposals to create three city corporations for more efficient governance, the final decision rests with the govt notified Greater Bengaluru Governance Act-2024 on April 24, which outlines a three-tier civic governance system consisting of Greater Bengaluru Authority, city corporations and ward committees. The Act allows for the formation of up to seven city fact, the opposition BJP had criticised the govt's move to form Greater Bengaluru, calling it a strategy to centralise power and influence the upcoming civic body elections. For over four-and-a-half years, BBMP has been functioning without an elected body, and while the Congress govt promised that the city will be governed by an elected body once Greater Bengaluru comes into existence, the timeline for this remains holding elections for newly formed Greater Bengaluru, the source said, "There are proposals to trifurcate BBMP limits into three civic corporations. Once formed, elections to the new local bodies are likely to happen by the year-end. Prior to deciding on the elections, there are many modalities that need to be completed which include jurisdiction of the wards, reservation and others." On other hand, BJP has already explored legal options to hold civic elections as per the BBMP Act by approaching the court and plans to challenge GBA's formation.
India Today
05-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
How Bengaluru's civic management hit the change button
Eighteen years after it was created to cater to a burgeoning city, Bengaluru's municipal body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), will now make way for a new system of civic governance in India's tech capital. This transition phase formally commenced on April 24 when the Greater Bengaluru Governance (GBG) Act, 2024 was legislation, passed in March and receiving governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot's assent on April 23, aims to transform the system of governance in Bengaluru by splitting the BBMP into smaller municipal corporations, which would be part of a Greater Bengaluru Authority responsible for city GBG Act was brought in with the objective of decentralising the civic apparatus and to achieve greater coordination among several parastatal agencies that provide various civic amenities in the move had met with some criticism from Opposition parties and civic groups, which argue that it concentrates power with the state government and thereby undermines the 74th Constitutional Amendment's provisions for local self-government. Instead, they recommend strengthening the BBMP and devolving powers that will allow it to function more effectively. The notification of the GBG Act also means that civic polls in Bengaluru, which have been delayed for five years, will likely not happen anytime soon. The term of the BBMP's previous council lapsed in September 2020; the city has been governed by an administrator since then. Now, the civic restructuring means several milestones have to be crossed before elections can be GBG Act requires the government to define the territorial area of the new Greater Bengaluru Authority and constitute the body within 120 days of the Act coming into the BBMP's area of jurisdiction is spread over 786 sq km. The recommendation by a joint legislature committee, which had reviewed the GBG Bill and submitted a report in March, was to redraw this boundary by including peripheral panchayats that have witnessed unregulated urbanisation in recent years.'If you don't regulate it now, it would be a bigger problem. So, we have recommended to integrate all the peripheral panchayats, which are developed now, into the Greater Bengaluru area,' Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad, who chaired the committee, had told INDIA TODAY in chief secretary Tushar Giri Nath, who took over as administrator of BBMP on April 30, said discussions are on about the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the options before the government. For him, the task at hand will be to oversee the transition along with M. Maheshwar Rao, who has simultaneously taken over as the BBMP's new chief the notification of the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the new municipal corporations replacing BBMP will need to be carved out. 'We can do it simultaneously with the Greater Bengaluru Authority or sequentially. Both options are available before the government,' said Giri GBG Act provides for up to seven corporations with a view for future requirements. For now, three or four corporations are seen as ideal. However, achieving a balance among the new corporations in terms of revenue generation, population density and employment opportunities is going to be the key has also been a key concern of citizens' groups opposed to splitting up the BBMP. They have cited the experience of Delhi which, in 2022, reverted to a single municipal body by merging three corporations formed a decade FY25, the BBMP collected Rs 4,930 crore in property tax, the highest in India for the second consecutive year. More than a quarter of this (Rs 1,309 crore) came from the eastern-most Mahadevapura zone, home to a tech corridor. Of the total eight BBMP zones, the east zone came next with property tax collection of Rs 834 crore, followed by south zone with 733.65 crore. The north-western zone of Dasarahalli had the lowest collection of Rs 153 the current fiscal, the BBMP has set an overall target of Rs 5,716 crore as property tax. Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the minister in charge of Bengaluru, has said he plans to convene an all-party meeting to seek suggestions on the way to India Today Magazine
