Articles by Aniruddha Gaonkar

Aniruddha is a volunteer at the Blue Ribbon Movement. As a process and culture holder for the youth movement, he has been playing a key role in the Sarv-Anumati (100% consent-based decision making) process and alumni engagement. Apart from this, Aniruddha is a college walkout who works with financial markets for a living.

How Mumbaikars can register civic complaints and ensure BMC action

by May 27, 2024

In early January, Dahisar resident Pankati noticed garbage being thrown behind one of the electric junction boxes in Kandarpada, her neighbourhood. It had accumulated over a few weeks. This was not a garbage collection point and it used to be clean before. She decided to raise a civic complaint on that garbage issue using the ‘MyBMC Assist’ WhatsApp Chatbot, which is run by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Pankati, a volunteer with the Blue Ribbon Movement, found garbage being dumped behind an electric junction box in Khandarpada. Pic: Aniruddha Gaonkar After waiting for over a month, the garbage was still…

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Guide for citizens: Here’s how to audit BMC ward expenditure

by March 30, 2022

Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city and its suburbs. One of the richest municipal corporations in Asia, its budget is bigger than some of the smaller states in India. For 2022, the civic budget is Rs 45949.21, a 17.70% jump from the previous year. With such a large budget and population to cater to, we must be aware of how our tax money is spent and communicate our expectations to the municipal corporation. Active citizen participation is the foundation of democracy.  Read more: Understanding Mumbai’s municipal corporation Why a…

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