In depth | Citizen Matters

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?

From Delhi air to Bengaluru lakes, will environment finally be an election issue in 2019?

August 7, 2018 Mayank Aggarwal

Environment has been a part of manifestos of the major national parties over the last few years. But will the growing pressure from young voters and the urban middle class finally force them to go beyond lip service to issues like pollution, tree cutting and waste?

Will the rise in Minimum Support Prices make the food on your table more expensive?

August 1, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

There are several reasons why the MSP has little to do with how much you pay for the food items you consume. Here’s a primer for the urban citizen, who invariably feels jittery when the government announces a rise in support prices for the farmer.

45 degrees in April, submerged in July: Smart city Bhubaneswar needs to be climate-smart

July 31, 2018 Basudev Mahapatra

As in many other cities in India, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and intolerable temperatures are becoming an annual event in Bhubaneswar too. One can no longer ignore the urgent need for climate-smart urban planning.

Mumbai monsoons: Are citizens passing up a chance to solve the flooding issue?

July 25, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

Heard of Advanced Locality Management (ALM) in Mumbai? It is a programme under which citizens of a locality can get involved and work with the municipality to ensure resolution of civic issues. Can ALMs not work towards solving the city’s annual monsoon misery, one locality at a time?

What’s behind Delhi’s crazy electricity demand this summer?

July 11, 2018 Down to Earth Staff

Delhi supplies the cheapest electricity compared to most other mega cities. That, combined with badly designed buildings and poor AC standards, is leading to a whopping, unsustainable consumption of energy, finds a CSE analysis.

Three years on, where does the Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City project stand?

July 6, 2018 Manasi Paresh Kumar

Out of 27 projects proposed by these twin cities in North Karnataka under the Smart Cities Mission, only one has gotten off to a start. An interview with the Special Officer of the SPV on the challenges and overall progress so far.