October, 2020 Citizen Matters

Struggling to save lives and livelihoods in Pune, post lockdown

October 31, 2020 Ambika Shaligram

The old jobs are out. The only option left to earn some income is to try something different. But how is that panning out in Pune?

People-centric approach critical for solving India’s housing woes

October 30, 2020 Parul Agarwala, Swati Singh Sambyal and Pooja Varma

PMAY and Clean India Mission have built strong foundations for sustainable, inclusive housing but community engagement is crucial, say experts from UN-Habitat on the occasion of World Cities Day.

Jobs scarce, markets depressed; Chandigarh now hoping for Diwali boost

October 29, 2020 Raj Machhan

The dire need to find alternative sources of income is not limited to just domestic and construction workers. Every category of labour has been hit hard.

Where’s the roadmap to prevent the next Hyderabad-like flood?

October 28, 2020 Himanshu Thakkar

Urban flood disasters are clearly on the rise. The problem is known, the reasons evident, and the prescription is also more or less clear. But who will implement it?

Delhi: Festival season’s here, but where have the shoppers gone?

October 27, 2020 Vijaya Pushkarna

COVID-19, job losses, salary cuts and no bonus have led to muted festival shopping. Sales staff seem confident though that things will look up as Diwali nears.

Hyderabad: Nature has no fury as the environment scorned

October 23, 2020 Kolla Krishna Madhavi

Construction over lake beds, blocking of stormwater drains have aggravated flooding in the city. Not much has changed over the last 20 years in terms of its preparedness to mitigate extreme climate events.

Why the NHRC recognition for sex workers makes us especially happy

October 22, 2020 Santoshee Gulabkali Mishra

After a Citizen Matters article highlighted the plight of women in sex work during the pandemic, the National Network of Sex Workers pursued the matter more rigorously.

Urban Local Bodies in Karnataka still waiting for crores due to them

October 21, 2020 Himanshu Upadhyaya and Abhishek Punetha

Not only were PRIs and ULBs deprived of grants worth crores, authorities in Karnataka government also failed to get these grants released from the Centre, say CAG auditors.

From 630 to 122: Where did Ahmedabad’s lakes disappear?

October 19, 2020 Darshan Desai

A study of land-use patterns, through Landsat images from 1974 to 2017, has revealed that water bodies in Ahmedabad have been shrinking at a decadal rate of 1.57 square km.

City Buzz: Hyderabad floods | COVID-19 vaccine in a few months | The top biomedical waste generator….and more

October 17, 2020 News Desk

A recap of important urban updates across the country over the past week

The challenges before Delhi’s ‘Happiness’ teachers, during COVID and otherwise

October 15, 2020 Kriti Gupta

The Happiness Curriculum was introduced in Delhi government schools in 2018. A recent research project tells us how teachers have been faring, before and during the pandemic.

How RWAs in Gurugram are showing the way out of urban India’s waste crisis

October 14, 2020 Rahul Khera

Decentralized waste management systems could be an effective solution to the complex waste management challenge in our cities. An expert from Gurugram explains why and how.

Delhi’s pollution response plan key to flattening its winter COVID curve

October 13, 2020 Sri Krishna

Uncontrolled pollution leads to severe respiratory problems, which could worsen the COVID-19 situation. Can the government’s response plan, with its 10-member high-tech war room, prevent that?

City Buzz: Delhi plan to fight pollution | A dhaba that went viral | Women’s safety in Kolkata…and more

October 10, 2020 News Desk

A recap of key urban news from the week that just passed.

Rediscover Delhi and its rich heritage through tree walks

October 9, 2020 Deepanwita Gita Niyogi

Tree walks and nature trails have found a growing audience in Delhi where urban citizens are keen to connect with natural surroundings.