In depth – Citizen Matters

Why Rs 759 crore over 16 years has failed to revive Srinagar’s iconic Dal Lake

November 28, 2018 Nusrath Sidiq

Almost synonymous with Kashmir, the Dal Lake is dying a slow death, marred by ineffective sewage disposal, rampant encroachments and inefficient administration. The J&K High Court, too, has observed that “crores have been spent so far, but nothing has happened on the ground.”

Updating land records in Telangana: What cities could learn from the rural exercise

October 31, 2018 Varun Panickar

The Telangana Land Records Updation Programme (LRUP) has been hailed as a success, especially for the planned and extensive use of state resources to complete the survey in an intensive time-bound manner. Yet gaps in scope are evident, and the state must keep these in mind when it initiates the same exercise in cities.

Explained: How can dengue deaths be prevented?

October 30, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

How do you know if your fever is dengue? What are the different types and is one more dangerous than the other? Can dengue fatalities be prevented? Can we immunise against the disease? This will answer most of your questions about the dreaded disease.

Clean, cheap drinking water: How water ATMs in Delhi are bringing this precious resource to citizens

October 27, 2018 Nikita Vashisth

Water ATMs installed and maintained by several private vendors in collaboration with the Delhi Jal Board and municipal corporations are providing purified potable water for as less as 30 paise a litre in certain areas, So, where are these and how do they function?

Is Delhi ready for development based on land pooling?

October 26, 2018 Ruby Moun

Notification of the revised Delhi land pooling policy is a welcome step, but is the government ready to implement it? Effective application would require coordination between different stakeholders and ramping up of institutional capacities and resources.

Common mental ailments: Why it is important to seek specialised help

October 10, 2018 Deepa Vaishnavi V M

20% of our population suffer from common mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar and the like. Renowned consultant psychiatrist Dr S Kalyanasundram sheds light on all that you need to know if you are dealing with mental health issues — either yourself or in someone close to you.

Murky Metro: CAG auditors point out irregularities in the way Jaipur Metro was launched

September 28, 2018 Himanshu Upadhyaya

Flouted guidelines, inadequate groundwork and hazy dealings: A look at the grey areas and violations for which the CAG has pulled up the Jaipur Metro and accused it of pushing through a ‘financially unviable’ project that has hardly benefitted commuters.

With ‘upcycling labs,’ ‘safai banks’ and more, can environmental education save our planet?

September 18, 2018 Aditi Tandon

Right from pre-schools to online digital academies for adult practitioners, educators are coming up with many innovative programmes to promote sustainability and spread awareness about the environment. The question is whether these can really create impact in the long run.

Waiting to dance: What the queer community and supporters anticipate after Sec 377 verdict

September 10, 2018 News Desk

The LGBTQ+ community in India and all those who stand for their rights have been celebrating the SC verdict decriminalizing consensual homosexual acts. Amid the jubilation, we listen in to a few voices from the ground on what this landmark judgment really means for the people.

Delhi’s Qutb Minar has competition … from tower of garbage!

August 18, 2018 Mayank Aggarwal

46 percent of municipal solid waste generated in the capital is left unprocessed. Landfill sites are filled beyond capacity, with the height of Ghazipur dump now just eight metres less than that of the national monument. A parliamentary panel has taken strong exception to the inaction of the environment ministry and the Delhi government.

Bike sharing is good, but will big city residents risk cycling to their destinations?

August 16, 2018 Manasi Paresh Kumar

Indian city roads witness a David-Goliath tussle everyday between cycles and motorised transport. And the latter still holds a big advantage. As more and more cities formally launch bike sharing programmes, will the commoner take to cycling in a big way, given the safety concerns?

Formalin in your fish? Sorry, FSSAI can’t do anything!

August 11, 2018 Amita Bhaduri

FSSAI, constituted under the food safety law in India, is responsible for formulating and enforcing safety standards for our food. The Act, however, governs only manufacturers and processed food, even as we find increasing contamination in primary and raw produce. What could be the way out?