Citizens for Bengaluru is a grassroots people’s movement that came together to stop the VIP steel flyover and promote public transport as the alternative to address two of our biggest problems: traffic and pollution. We believe in ground action to make public opinion heard and organized the following:
Mission and Purpose
Citizens for Bengaluru is citizen's movement working towards getting government and civic society to work together to build a sustainable living model in Bengaluru.
Origins and Development
CfB is a citizen movement that created itself, out of necessity and not by design. Our city came together for #SteelFlyoverBeda, three years ago, on : 16th October 2016. Nearly 8000 people formed a human chain on the streets. Four days later, 19th October 2016, about 100 people showed up at Cubbon Park to volunteer - see the picture courtesy Suraj - that energy and passion gave birth to an apolitical, volunteer movement, CfB, that refuses to die years after the disastrous steel flyover got canceled
Organizational Structure, Membership, and Funding
Open organisation sans registration, membership fees or formalities. Funding from the volunteers.
Specializations, Methods and Tools
"Protests and the logic of numbers: Politicians understand the language of caste, religion, money but they also understand numbers. If they see numbers of people, they are compelled to respond. That’s exactly what we delivered to them three years ago and realized it can actually bend the political will. We continue to show up in numbers, for train, bus, footpath and ward committees, using creative methods of expressing public opinion that cannot be ignored": Srinivas Alavilli
Major Projects and Events
CfB has run multiple campaigns around issues of public transport and citizens participation, starting October 2016. Below is a list of major campiagns:
#SteelFlyoverBeda
#BusBhagyaBeku
#ChukuBukuBeku
#NammaSamitiNamagaagi
#TenderRadduMaadi
#NammaSamitiPuraskaara