City: Hyderabad

Indian laws currently don't recognise gig workers either as organised or unorganised workers. While organised workers are protected by their agreements, unorganised workers like wage labourers, at least theoretically, can access some benefits under the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008. The exclusion of one of the most conspicuous types of workers today from both these categories seem to contribute to the invisibilisation of their work. In Part 1 of this series, we saw how platform workers in Hyderabad become more vulnerable during extreme rains and flash floods. In this part, we explore what protections are available to them under…

On August 9, Syed Farhan, a Zomato delivery worker, fell into an open drain in Hyderabad while completing a delivery. In a video tweeted by Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) on X, Farhan is seen narrating his ordeal: “The water was [at a high] level and it was hard to understand the depth since nothing else was parked. My bike drowned and my phone, worth ₹20,000, also stopped working. My bike was worth ₹1.4 lakhs…I was still paying for it monthly.” In the video, he says he has been working for Zomato for the past seven years and…

The Indian government has churned out multiple codes and schemes for making buildings climate-friendly in the past two decades, but with little success. Though several states have adopted codes such as the Energy Conservation and Building Code (ECBC), this has hardly translated into practice. But some cities like Hyderabad and Ahmedabad have made better progress. These measures are urgent now, as more people are falling prey to heat-related deaths and diseases, including inside poorly ventilated buildings. In the summer of 2024 alone, the Indian government reported 360 heatstroke deaths. Cities like Ahmedabad have seen devastating heat wave impacts much earlier,…

As I write this, Hyderabad is gearing up to vote in the Telangana state assembly polls scheduled for November 30th. Political rhetoric and slugfests have both been at a peak over the last few months leading up to these elections. But in the usual noise, what is often lost are the real needs of the city and its people. What Hyderabad needs most urgently is good governance. There is a vacuum of participatory governance, ethical governance, transparent governance, and accountable governance. The city faces several social, economic, environmental and other challenges, the resolution for which can come about only through…

When a nature group heard that stately banyan trees, many planted before independence, would be chopped to expand a highway out of Hyderabad, its members pleaded with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to modify the route to spare the trees. When that failed, a small group of citizens went to court, where they called out the NHAI’s false claims about the lack of bird and animal life, the inability to modify the route and the number of trees. How they did it is a lesson for other citizen groups nationwide trying to save roadside trees. Asiya Khan remembers…

Those familiar with Hyderabad would be aware that it was once known as the City of Lakes. Today, if we do an online map search for the lakes of Hyderabad, we still see numerous blue spots but the city that boasted of about 7000 lakes and tanks has seen the numbers dwindle steadily over the years. Why is Hyderabad losing lakes? Like many urban cities, Hyderabad been facing the problem of fast vanishing lakes. This should not be surprising, given that many of them were small, and lost to the government's decision to convert water bodies that were of less…

Once upon a time, Hyderabad was the ‘City of Cycles’. Ask old timers and they will tell you how the streets were full of cyclists, a complete contrast to the congested mess of cars and motorised vehicles that have taken over all roads, big and small. In olden days, it was much safer for cyclists too, because there were fewer motor vehicles on the roads and therefore, the risk of cyclists meeting with serious or fatal accidents was low. Things, however, have changed drastically now. As the Bicycle Mayor of Hyderabad, I am in close touch with the cycling community…

As cities use up more resources, produce more and consumption spirals upward, there is a concomitant increase in solid waste generation. While this solid waste is comprised of both biodegradable waste and non-biodegradable waste (plastic, rubber, aluminum, glass etc.), the latter is what is most damaging to the environment. Most of the non-biodegradable waste ends up in landfills, open dumps and the natural environment, such as drains, rivers, lakes and the oceans. The iconic Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad presents a perfect example of an urban water body impacted by an increase in the flow of floating solid waste from…

For Santhana Selvan, an IT professional, cycling began as a part time hobby, just a few trips to nearby destinations to run errands. From those days to the beginning of April 2021, when he took over as the Bicycle Mayor of Hyderabad, it has been a long journey. One in which he has evolved from just another enthusiastic biker to one who feels deeply about the need to spread the culture and practice of cycling among a much larger section of people.  The challenges in a city like Hyderabad, where the conditions are not particularly amenable, are vast. But in…

My first memories of Hyderabad are the long evening walks watching the sunset along Necklace Road, as a young architecture student welcoming the millenium new year. Now twenty years later, the city has been my home for almost three years, and those memories remain preserved even as the city has grown rapidly, not just in size but aspirations too.  Hyderabad Metropolitan area has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in India with The Mercer Quality of Living Rating 2019 ranking Hyderabad and Pune as the top cities in India, making it one of the emerging investment…