Praja Bangalore is a unique group of citizens who take active interest in urban civic issues concerning Bangalore. Unlike the traditional Activist groups and NGOs in India

Indian NGOs

Indian Non-governmental organizations can be set up under various Indian laws, and the different legal entities under which civil society organizations can register themselves are: -Registered Societies:...

, members of this non-profit group interact largely via Internet based Social media

Social media

The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...

 tools.

History

The group started in 2007 when some enthusiasts built a collaborative blog

Collaborative blog

A collaborative blog is a type of weblog in which posts are written and published by more than one author. The majority of high profile collaborative blogs are based around a single uniting theme, such as politics or technology....

 for analytical discussions on local issues pertaining to Bangalore. Content was moderated for language and references, and tended to be very analytical. The virtual group met face to face for the first time during a visit to the then under-construction Bangalore International Airport (Praja visit to BIAL). As the virtual community grew in size, some members felt the need for an on-ground organization to interact with local governments so that constructive criticism and suggestions can be taken forward. A Society

Indian Societies Registration Act

The Indian Societies Registration Act of 1860 was enacted under the British Raj in India. It provided for the registration of literary, scientific and charitable societies....

 was created to formalize this organization.

Current status

Praja Bangalore is largely confined to Bangalore, though there have been efforts made to start in cities of Mysore, Pune and Chennai. The Group has evolved to undertake projects based on volunteer's time and support and resources from academic institutions, local government or industry partners. The group has so far focused largely on land based public transportation issues, and interacted with BMTC

Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation is a government agency that operates the public transport bus service in Bangalore, India.-History:...

 regarding marketing, availability of information, last mile issues and with South Western Railways for Bangalore Commuter Rail

Bangalore Commuter Rail

Bangalore CRS is suburban railway services for the city of Bangalore, with 10 routes totalling 204.0 km, was proposed in a transport survey carried out in 2007, in three phases.-Routes proposal:The recommended routes are:...

.

Projects

In November 2009, in association with CiSTUP, Indian Institute of Science, Praja Bangalore organized Mobilicity, a group think event to evolve practical transportation solutions for Bangalore. Onwards from this event, members of Praja Bangalore helped BMTC conceptualize and implement the Bus Day event. The group has also undertaken a partly successful project to lobby for implementing Commuter Rail

Bangalore Commuter Rail

Bangalore CRS is suburban railway services for the city of Bangalore, with 10 routes totalling 204.0 km, was proposed in a transport survey carried out in 2007, in three phases.-Routes proposal:The recommended routes are:...

 System at Bangalore. At present, the group is working to lobby for BRTS in Bangalore

Bangalore BRTS

Starting with a comprehensive report in 2007, and even earlier, several proposals have been made to implement Bus Rapid Transport System in Bangalore...

via a project called Bus Priority System.

Awards

Praja got an award from best Social Media Usage at India eGov 2.0 awards in October 2010 . In October, 2011, Praja received a special mention from Volvo for encouraging positive initiatives to support sustainable Mobility.

Criticism

At times, Praja Bangalore is criticized for being largely virtual. Use of Internet based social media tools means access is not easy for a lot of citizens. The group is also criticized for not doing enough to convert discussions and analysis to meaningful projects that can make real impact on the ground.