Organisers of Beku Beda Santhe pose with their campaign poster. dh photo
The year 2016 witnessed one of the most successful victories of public engagement for change when the plans to build the steel flyover was scrapped by the government after thousands of Bengalureans came together to voice their opposition.
On October 15, citizens' groups and residents will join hands to commemorate the first anniversary of the human chain for the steel flyover beda campaign.
The event - #BekuBedaSanthe - will provide a powerful platform for Bengalureans to express what they want for the city and what they don’t. The Santhe is being organised by Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) that was instrumental in the success of the #steelflyoverbeda campaign.
“The Santhe is an expression of citizens’ rights to demand the governance they want, especially in the run-up to the elections. This signal is to the political class, the government, opposition and aspiring candidates that citizens' demands are ignored at their own peril,” said Tara Krishnaswamy, founder of CfB and coordinator of the event.
Tara said the event will provide a powerful platform for various citizens' groups to come together. Most citizens groups work in isolation, because of which they are not able to achieve the desired results.
One of the highlights of the Santhe will be citizens casting their votes for what they want in the city and what they don’t, in ballot boxes named 'beku' and 'beda'.
"Close to 30 non-government organisations have come forward to co host the event with us. Over 150 organisations have been invited to participate in the event apart from the citizens of Bengaluru." said Tara.