CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Smartphones have almost become indispensable in our daily lives. The many mobile apps that we use every day are continuously growing and provide assistance for different purposes, including transportation.  From navigating city streets, hailing a taxi, to booking tickets, smartphone apps are simplifying our commutes in many ways. By offering tools that streamline our journeys, smartphone apps enhance the commuter experience and also play a vital role in alleviating traffic congestion and reducing pollution. They help users find the shortest, cheapest, and least congested routes, making daily travel more efficient. There are an array of popular transportation apps, such Google…

Perambur, the second oldest railway station in Chennai after Royapuram was taken up for restoration under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at ₹17.86 crores months after the foundation stone was laid on August 6, 2023. The Coimbatore-based contractor, who was initially awarded the tender, backed out for unknown reasons and the contract was retendered and awarded to a different company. The work is currently in progress. According to the original plan, the main railway station building was supposed to be constructed at the extreme west end of the first platform behind the existing parking area and buildings are already under…

What if we had clean rivers, thriving lakes, and no foul-smelling drains ruining our morning walks? Sounds too good to be true? The new Draft Liquid Waste Management Rules, 2024 raise hopes for the same, though. With the new rules, the government has set the stage for a cleaner and more sustainable future—and urban citizens are at the heart of this transformation. "With the Draft Liquid Waste Management Rules, 2024, the government is setting the stage for a cleaner and more sustainable future" Why do these rules matter? India’s cities produce staggering amounts of liquid waste every day — from…

In the larger narrative on climate change and urbanisation, the plight of India’s small and mid-sized cities has mostly slipped through the cracks. Not that the global and national media is oblivious to the stellar rankings, which highlight that 15 of top 20 most polluted cities are in India. However, the specific contexts in which this toxic air has been brewing are not well looked into and understood. While the metropolises hog the spotlight, these smaller cities housing millions are silently choking under a haze of neglect.  Our recent report “Declining Air Quality in Small and Mid-sized Cities” highlights the…

Three days before I began writing this article, a bench of Bombay High Court judges criticised the BMC for its inaction in clearing hawkers from railway station areas across Mumbai while addressing a petition. Sadly, this isn't the first time the court has heard such a petition. A simple Google News search for "Bombay High Court hawkers" over the past 20 years brings up over 14,000 results, showing how often this issue has been raised. Recently, BEST also came under fire for removing buses from routes affected by hawker encroachments in Borivali. Clearly, the unregulated presence of hawkers is widely…

Global carbon dioxide emissions continue to soar despite climate agreements like Kyoto and Paris. Should this be the path we tread? Since the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997, annual carbon dioxide emissions have surged by an average of 1.7%. This is in stark contrast to the 0.9% increase seen in the seven years prior (1990-1997) to the signing of the Kyoto Protocol. The exclusion of the world's biggest polluters — United States, China and India — is the primary cause of the failure of the Kyoto Agreement. Vehicular emissions contribute significantly to air pollution in Bengaluru. Pic: Jyothi Gupta…

For years, we have lived in the shadow of the Kodungaiyur dump yard in Chennai, and it has been challenging. The news of a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant being planned in the area has added to our concerns. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has already issued a tender for the plant, and the bidding process is underway. In response, many civil society organisations in Chennai have collectively written a letter to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), to protest the construction of the plant.   In the letter, we demanded: Scrapping of the WTE incineration projects in the Kodungaiyur area…

Crowded buses, with passengers jostling for space, are common on Chennai's roads. The city has many public transport users, including college students and people commuting daily for work. Share autos play a crucial role in providing last-mile connectivity, helping passengers travel from bus stops and MRTS stations to their final destinations. These share autos fill the gap by making multiple stops between bus stations, schools, colleges, and other key locations. However, the share auto system has its shortcomings, the most notable being that it is unreliable. Share auto drivers often decide daily whether to stop at a specific location. If…

Sassoon Docks, located in Colaba in South Mumbai, were built in 1875 by Albert Abdullah David Sassoon. Initially a private enterprise, the Docks were later taken over by the Bombay Port Trust (BPT). This docking facility located by the Arabian Sea has been providing employment directly or indirectly to thousands of people. Moreover, it has brought lakhs of rupees worth of foreign exchange into the country and provided fish to the local population as well. Despite the massive economic contribution of the Sassoon Docks, the people working here have no economic security nor an infrastructure which supports their work. Who…

The ongoing COP29 conference in Baku, is a pivotal moment in climate action, focusing on global cooperation to limit warming to 1.5°C. Key priorities include mobilising financial resources for developing countries to submit ambitious climate plans (NDCs) by 2025 and continuing support through the Fund for Loss and Damage (FRLD) established at COP28. COP29 also aims to strengthen adaptation efforts by setting finance-backed targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation.  While COP29 primarily focuses on international climate initiatives, India must address pressing domestic issues. One key group often overlooked is informal workers in Indian cities. Over 80% of India’s urban…