Raj Machhan | | Citizen Matters

How Chandigarh’s four-pronged strategy is helping the city fight COVID-19

April 29, 2020 Raj Machhan

Municipal Commissioner K K Yadav talks about the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the strategies adopted by the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation to tackle the same.

“House-to-house delivery is the only way to avoid chaos and crowding”: Social Development Officer, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation

April 17, 2020 Raj Machhan

In a video interview with Citizen Matters, Chandigarh’s Social Development Officer Vivek Trivedi talks about the steps that his department has taken to ensure supply of essentials to citizens during the COVID lockdown.

How the people of Chandigarh are rallying behind Kashmiri migrants stuck in their city

April 17, 2020 Raj Machhan

A group of 21 Kashmiri traders who came to Chandigarh in winter, as they have been doing for decades, are now stuck there because of the lockdown, and have found unconditional support from the local population.

Chandigarh: Ahead of harvest, farmers worried about labour and procurement

April 9, 2020 Raj Machhan

Every year, Punjab employs around 10 lakh migrant labourers to carry out the market operations during Rabi harvest. These labourers generally come in late March and stay on till June to complete the transplantation of paddy.

With many lapses in self isolation, Punjab braces for spurt in coronavirus positives

March 22, 2020 Raj Machhan

In cities and towns across the state, individuals exposed to the virus and eventually found to be infected refused to go into quarantine, and came in contact with hundreds, reveals the contact tracing exercise.

Chandigarh: Resettled vendors rue lack of business and facilities in new vending zones

February 10, 2020 Raj Machhan

The main grouse appears to be around the location of the new zone; those allowed to operate in original sites, or relocated to sites near market areas, appear satisfied with the new regulation even if they have seen marginal decline in business.

How the Chandigarh Municipality raked in Rs 21 crore from its street vendor regularisation plan

February 10, 2020 Raj Machhan

Chandigarh ranks first among Union Territories and third among the states in the CCS Progress Report on Implementing the Street Vendors Act 2014. Here’s what it has done to regularise street vending in the city, and what that means for the city corporation.

What Chandigarh could learn from Panchkula’s successful innovations in cycle-sharing

December 18, 2019 Raj Machhan

Despite attempts, the Chandigarh administration has been unable to popularise cycles as a preferred mode of transport among people. Neighbouring Panchkula on the other hand has clocked 76000 rides in just two months since November. What did it do right?

Why the Kashmir situation is bothering Amritsar’s textile industry

November 14, 2019 Raj Machhan

Countless manufacturing units in the once-thriving textile sector lie idle today, and 80% of the two lakh people directly and indirectly employed by the industry have returned home. The Kashmir clampdown may not be the only reason, but is making matters worse for sure.

Thousands of blue-collar jobs hit as Mohali’s manufacturing sector cedes ground to IT, services

October 18, 2019 Raj Machhan

Compared to other industrial hubs in Punjab, Mohali has better infrastructure and enjoys the advantage of proximity to Chandigarh. But despite the edge, manufacturing units in the city have failed to survive. Here’s why.

Toxic pollution in Sutlej waters puts one crore lives at stake across three states

October 6, 2019 Raj Machhan

Indiscriminate dumping of industrial effluents and untreated municipal waste in the Sutlej river, and various other channels flowing into it, is causing unprecedented incidence of cancer and other health hazards in the three states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

In Jalandhar, the makers of Dhoni’s bat are crying out for government help; here’s why

September 16, 2019 Raj Machhan

There was a time when Jalandhar contributed to almost 80 per cent of the sports goods manufactured in India. Thanks to slow modernisation, stiff Chinese competition and most recently, the GST, its leadership position is challenged not just globally, but even within the country.

Citizen Matters Impact: Buddha Nullah restoration in Ludhiana gets new life

September 11, 2019 Raj Machhan

It has been a little over three months since Citizen Matters raised the long-pending issue of the clean-up of Buddha Nullah. That coverage has given a boost to attempts by a 50-member umbrella organisation to restore the Sutlej tributary, and the government appears to be listening too.

Ludhiana’s bridge of chaos makes life miserable for commuters

July 31, 2019 Raj Machhan

The old British built Jagraon bridge, that shared the traffic, has been closed since 2016, so that the new bridge sees pile up lasting for hours at peak times. Work on a new bridge, however, remains in limbo, as do many other infrastructure projects in the city.

Rs 550 crore spent on clean up, yet Ludhiana’s polluted Buddha Nulla only grows more toxic

June 8, 2019 Raj Machhan

Buddha Nulla, formerly Buddha Dariya, symbolises Ludhiana’s decay; its water grows more polluted and contaminated with carcinogens as governments fail to curb dumping and spend crores in sporadic cleaning efforts.