July | 2018 | | Citizen Matters

45 degrees in April, submerged in July: Smart city Bhubaneswar needs to be climate-smart

July 31, 2018 Basudev Mahapatra

As in many other cities in India, extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and intolerable temperatures are becoming an annual event in Bhubaneswar too. One can no longer ignore the urgent need for climate-smart urban planning.

City buzz: Maratha protests in Mumbai, Delhi pollution dip and UN award for India’s solar powered airport

July 30, 2018 News Desk

What’s making news in our cities? If you missed some of the interesting and important developments over the week gone by, here’s your chance to catch up.

Why shunning thermocol needs to be an essential mandate of every plastic ban

July 26, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

Thermocol is a threat to the environment and poses serious health hazards for everyone. It is high time we considered more eco-friendly and safer alternatives.

Mumbai monsoons: Are citizens passing up a chance to solve the flooding issue?

July 25, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

Heard of Advanced Locality Management (ALM) in Mumbai? It is a programme under which citizens of a locality can get involved and work with the municipality to ensure resolution of civic issues. Can ALMs not work towards solving the city’s annual monsoon misery, one locality at a time?

MNS protest against Mumbai potholes is a bigger attack against pedestrians!

July 23, 2018 Vidyadhar Date

To protest potholes, axe-wielding men of the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) dig up a well-laid footpath. Government authorities evict vendors from station premises and allow car parking in the space. Who cares for the pedestrian in Mumbai?

An open letter to parents: You need to protect your child from sexual abuse

July 19, 2018 Sonal Kellogg

Child rape has assumed pandemic proportions in India. Often parents don’t have the slightest inkling of the abuse faced by the victim, as in the recent Chennai case. A CSA survivor writes an open letter to parents, telling them about the role they have to play in protecting their child.

Bubbling with energy, these Kolkata kids taught apartment elders how to save energy

July 18, 2018 Biswajit Majumder

Ably guided by an aware and responsible citizen, a group of kids from a Kolkata apartment complex undertook a novel summer project — educating themselves and elders in the community about saving water, energy and the environment in general.

Where and how to file a complaint against online trolling

July 17, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

They spare no one — whether it’s an union minister or you! A quick look at how to get the offender booked under law, if you have been a victim of online harrassment, intimidation or abuse.

City buzz: Mumbai monsoon woes, Delhi garbage crisis unabated even as Centre eyes new schemes

July 16, 2018 News Desk

Here’s a quick look at some important headlines from the week gone by, pertaining to our cities and urban development. Stay up to date on what’s happening!

Use your tech prowess to end manual scavenging in cities

July 13, 2018 News Desk

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a Technology Challenge, inviting entries proposing tech solutions for cleaning of sewerage systems and septic tanks. If you can come up with a technology that can end the curse of manual scavenging, apply before August 14th.

What’s behind Delhi’s crazy electricity demand this summer?

July 11, 2018 Down to Earth Staff

Delhi supplies the cheapest electricity compared to most other mega cities. That, combined with badly designed buildings and poor AC standards, is leading to a whopping, unsustainable consumption of energy, finds a CSE analysis.

Where have all the girls gone?

July 10, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

It sounds counter-intuitive but do you know that the overall child sex ratio in the 0-6 years group in India is actually pulled down by the alarming ratio in cities? That this ratio is actually lower among mothers with more than 10 years of education? A look at the reasons behind the gender imbalance in urban India.

With SC ruling on AAP vs LG, will these schemes see the light of day in Delhi?

July 9, 2018 Aruna Natarajan

From CCTVs across the city to more mohalla clinics and midday meal interventions, many schemes proposed for Delhi and its people have remained suspended for months, thanks to the turf war between the government and the Lieutenant Governor. Will that change now?

City buzz: SC verdict on Delhi vs Centre, Mumbai bridge collapse and more

July 7, 2018 News Desk

Quick weekend reading for you — a recap of some of the important headlines from our cities. Stay abreast of what’s happening.

Three years on, where does the Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City project stand?

July 6, 2018 Manasi Paresh Kumar

Out of 27 projects proposed by these twin cities in North Karnataka under the Smart Cities Mission, only one has gotten off to a start. An interview with the Special Officer of the SPV on the challenges and overall progress so far.

Whose cities are these and how smart will they be?

July 4, 2018 Himanshu Upadhyaya

A new report from policy think tank, Housing and Land Rights Network, has strongly criticised the Smart Cities Mission for neglecting the rights and concerns of the poor and marginalised. A look at what the report recommends for truly inclusive cities.

Oldest ‘matha’ in Hubli leads the way in waste management

July 3, 2018 Manasi Paresh Kumar

At the Siddharoodha Matha in Hubli, the community kitchen cooks for and feeds almost 6000 people everyday. Yet, hardly any waste from it reaches the landfills.