City: Mumbai

Historically, civilizations grew around rivers in their valleys (i.e. Nile and Indus valleys). It is relatively very recent in human history that we now dwell and thrive in spaces that are far away from rivers or other water bodies. I (Deepak) have read earlier that the city of Mumbai, with its population of 20 million people, draws its water requirement from large reservoirs and rivers that are more than a 100 km away from downtown city. Ironically, the native population living around these reservoirs have been restricted access to these bodies of water that are present in their communities. The…

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Unveils Budget  The Mumbai civic body presented an ambitious budget of Rs 39,038.38 crore. BMC has experienced a dip in its revenue due to COVID-19 induced lockdown. But its budget was 16.74% more than last year’s Rs 33,441.02 crore budget. BMC’s capital expenditure is also increased by a whopping 71% at ₹18,750.99 crore. BMC plans to earn through property tax, sewage tax, interests from investments, state grants, among others. Although capital expenditure has gone up by around Rs 5,000 crore, BMC has slashed its garden and parks budget by 50%, Mumbai Mirror reported.  Source: Hindustan Times, Mumbai…

The Mumbai Development Plan (DP), a statutory document which lists policies and proposals for land-use in an area, has undergone a tumultuous journey. First proposed in 2015, it was scrapped owing to a number of serious flaws, and a new committee was set up. Around the same time, women in the city started to raise clamour for how the development plan needs to pay attention to gender and recognise that women and men experience cities differently.  Led by the Akshara Centre, a non-profit working for women's rights, the activists advocated for a chapter on gender in the DP. But what got…

The Wetlands in India, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai included, are under severe threat. Time to take action is now. "According to the environment ministry, 35 per cent of wetlands have disappeared since the 1970s and 87 per cent have been lost since the 1700s. Causes of wetland loss are drainage and infilling for agriculture and construction, pollution, overexploitation of resources (like overfishing), invasive species and climate change." - Hindustan Times Read more: How a Navi Mumbai citizens group fought for the flamingos World Wetlands Day World Wetlands Day, that is observed on 2nd February every year, was celebrated by several…

Newspaper reading has been a habit quite lost in the recent years. However, in a city where thousands of people spend many hours commuting, newspapers are a way to kill time. Here's a how people used to read newspapers in the 'old normal' or before the pandemic struck and lockdown was imposed. Kurla 2019. (Pic: M. Gopal) Bandra 2018. (Pic: M. Gopal) Chembur 2017. (Pic: M. Gopal) Chembur 2017. (Pic: M. Gopal) Chembur 2016. (Pic: M. Gopal) Andheri 2018.(Pic: M. Gopal) Lalbag 2020. (Pic: M. Gopal) Kurla 2019. (Pic: M. Gopal) Harbour Line 2019. (Pic: M. Gopal) GTN Nagar 2020.…

Two hundred and six 'unrecognised' schools function in Mumbai, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Their numbers have reduced from previous years. In 2019-20, there were 230 such institutions and the year before that, there were 244. Getting Maharashtra government's Education Ministry to recognise the school means to get a certificate to function on the basis of predetermined requirements such as building safety, teacher-student ratio and curriculum specifications. In short, the government checks to see if the schools meet the basic minimum criteria required for schools to function well. Therefore, 'unrecognised' schools might put the students at risk. But lakhs…

Local trains to resume in slots from February 1 Suspended since March 2020 and restarted in phases, Mumbai local trains will be open to the general public under fixed time slots from February 1. The time slots are the first service to 7 am, 12 pm to 4 pm and 9 pm to the last service. Frontline workers, healthcare staff, single women travellers will be allowed to travel between the timings as well. Source: NDTV Government Extends Lockdown Restrictions Till March 28 The state government imposed a lockdown from the third week of March 2020. Since then, almost all restrictions…

Unlike the centre and state budgets, there's little discussion on municipal budgets in India. Multiple media reports highlight that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is India's richest municipal corporation with a budget higher than most states. But there's little awareness on what the budget entails, how BMC earns or spends its money, and how can a citizen keep track of its revenue or expenditure. Here's a look at some of its core features before BMC presents its 2021-22 budget. Who prepares the budget? Budgets at the centre and state are prepared and presented by the respective Finance Ministers. But the…

We, the citizens of Mumbai are extremely thankful and grateful to Mumbai's Municipal Commissioner's extraordinary leadership during this Corona Pandemic. In most of the actions, they have taken citizen’s voice at the centre of decision-making and particularly while overseeing the “chase Corona” policy. This piece is regarding the agents responsible for collecting the Mask Penalty of Rs 200. (Read about the penalty here.) Taking strict measures to check on the spread of coronavirus, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) imposed strict rules for people travelling in public transport and visiting shopping malls in September 2020. It also announced that people…

After the anti-CAA protests last year, for the first time Mumbai's Azad Maidan was teeming with people throughout this week. On Sunday, farmers affiliated with the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) marched 165 kilometers from Nashik to reach Mumbai. They farmers spent the night in Azad Maidan. Farmers gather in Azad Maidan on 16 January 2021. Photo: Kisan Alliance Morcha On Monday, several other organisations joined them in support. On India's 71st Republic Day, they unflured the flag and hosted programmes with leaders of the Congress Party and the Nationalist Congress Party. On Tuesday, the Maharashtra government agreed to the…