City: Hyderabad

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users amongst all the others. In fact, studies on pedestrianization by Wilbur Smith Associates for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) found that 28% of the population was estimated to be walking population. Yet, Indian cities have become quite unsafe for this walking population.  In a survey carried out by Central Road Research Institute, 9 out 10 pedestrians felt unsafe while crossing roads. The Law Commission Report on "Legal Reforms to Combat Road Accidents" has also stated that 53% of road deaths are among pedestrians. Indian cities are struggling constantly to provide…

It was declared open with much fanfare on November 4, 2019 by K T Rama Rao, Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD). But the newly built uni-directional flyover connecting DivyaSree Orion to Biodiversity junction (popularly known as Biodiversity Park flyover) had to be shut down within a month following two accidents on the flyover resulting in three deaths. One horrific accident happened on November 23rd, when a driver failed to negotiate a curve and skidded off the flyover. The car crashed to the ground 20 metres below, crushing to death a hapless bystander and injuring six others standing…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities The brutal rape and murder of a young veterinarian and the subsequent police encounter deaths of all four accused in the crime brought Hyderabad into the national headlines for all the wrong reasons. Women in Telangana’s capital face the same safety and security problems that affect women all across the country---harassment, assault, violence in public and private places. But the Telangana police have taken some steps to provide speedy assistance to women in trouble. In an interview to Citizen Matters, Swati Lakra, IPS, IGP Law & Order…

Co-authored by C S Sharada Prasad and Isha Ray November 19 is World Toilet Day. India's massive five-year all-hands-on-deck Clean India Mission to construct latrines for all has just ended. The Government reports that 100 million additional toilets have been constructed via this campaign; these are mostly not connected to waterborne sewer systems. Just over 30% of India's urban population has access to sewers, though most city plans include elaborate plans for sewerage. Sewers are supposed to be underground and unseen, and are not supposed to need manual labour to dispose of the waste. But sewers get blocked and have…

Urban growth and expansion of cities is increasing the demand for land and water, increasing pressure on resources available not only in urban, but also in peri-urban areas. State policies often use peri-urban spaces and resources to meet the needs of urban populations; for instance, they use grazing lands for urban infrastructure, sewerage and water treatment plants or for special economic zones. Water is another resource that continues to be scarce in urban areas because of the growing population and competing domestic and industrial water needs. Public infrastructure and utility services are unable to keep pace with the growing water…

The extreme spells of rain over the past few weeks may have made Hyderabad’s traffic situation worse than ever, but the situation is hardly bearable even when we have less inclement weather. The problem is especially acute in the Hitech-City - Financial District area, given the large concentration of office goers who come here from various parts of the city. Traffic speeds on a regular day often fall to 12-15 km/hour, which is slower than riding a bicycle. The current trend also suggests that more and more employees are switching from public transport towards owning and traveling by their personal…

Chakri S is a regular user of the Hyderabad metro, the city’s largest ever infrastructure project. He finds it more convenient and cheaper than using the city bus. But Chakri is one of the lucky ones. As experts are pointing out, the Metro, planned in 2004, has been unable to keep up with the rapid growth and expansion of the city which has nullified some of the original assumptions that went into drawing up the metro routes. “For example, the Miyapur line should be extended upto Patancheru/Lingampally where there are a large number of factories,” said Chakri. “Similarly, connecting HITEC…

Once upon a time, Kudi Kunta lake, one of the oldest lakes in Serilingampally mandal, hidden among the bylanes of Masjid Banda, Kondapur in Hyderabad, was a drinking water source for thousands of residents living around it. But as has happened in many cities, this fresh water source has largely disappeared due to decades of neglect and waste dumping. Spread across 8.04 acres (as per the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) survey of 2014, the freshwater lake (Lake ID 3742) used to be an aquatic habitat and occasional home to migratory birds. Not any more. Dumping of toxic wastes, garbage…

As a socialist politician of Socialist Secular Sovereign Democratic Republic of India, it hurts me deeply that I was excluded from the democratic process of exercising my fundamental constitutional right to vote in spite of repeated representations to election officials in New Delhi and Hyderabad. What happened Around mid 2018, reports were pouring in from various parts of Telangana state that voters did not find their names in electoral rolls. On 24th September 2018 I was shocked to find that my voter ID too was not present in the electoral rolls. I wrote same day to Election Commission of India…

Secunderabad parliamentary constituency is comprised of seven assembly constituencies — Musheerabad, Amberpet, Khairatabad, Jubilee Hills, Sanathnagar, Nampally and Secunderabad.The constituency has seen both Congress and BJP MPs in the recent past, with Congress winning the seat in 2009 and BJP in 2014. With AIMIM backing the TRS, the constituency is set to see a tight three way contest this elections. A total of 28 candidates are contesting from Hyderabad parliamentary constituency, according to the Election Commission of India website. ECI has rejected  applications to the constituency. According to the latest rolls from the Chief Electoral Officer Telangana, the constituency has…