CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) is the first project taken up under Government of India’s (GoI) new Suburban Rail Policy. From that angle, it is of national importance. How it pans out will have a bearing on future projects under this Policy. Therefore, Bengaluru cannot afford to fail itself and the country. Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) map. Pic: Rajkumar Dugar Background of the project After decades of discussions, on 21 October, 2020, BSRP was sanctioned to be built at a cost of Rs. 15,767 crores with four corridors crisscrossing Bengaluru over a total length of 148 kilometres. The Sanction…

As a wheelchair user, who likes to travel and go around the city, the biggest hurdle is navigating public spaces and using public transport to get around. As a member of the Disability Rights Alliance (DRA) in Chennai, I have taken part in accessibility audits and have been involved in different activities such as training wheelchair users for state and national-level competitions in a paralympic game called Boccia. Whenever we travel for all these activities, accessibility is the main challenge. Most of the public transport including buses and trains cannot be used by persons with physical disabilities, especially people who…

As I write this, Hyderabad is gearing up to vote in the Telangana state assembly polls scheduled for November 30th. Political rhetoric and slugfests have both been at a peak over the last few months leading up to these elections. But in the usual noise, what is often lost are the real needs of the city and its people. What Hyderabad needs most urgently is good governance. There is a vacuum of participatory governance, ethical governance, transparent governance, and accountable governance. The city faces several social, economic, environmental and other challenges, the resolution for which can come about only through…

Hosur Road and Sarjapura Road are two arterial roads, cutting across the important south-east suburbs of Bengaluru. Sarjapura Road has become strategically important over the last few years due to the exponential rise of the IT corridor on Outer Ring Road (ORR), which has propelled development on Sarjapura Road. This development has led to the consequence of traffic bottlenecks. At the crucial junction of these two roads is the junction of Hosur and Sarjapura Road at the St John’s hospital. This area is perennially congested due to the complexity of two adjacent traffic junctions: the Marigowda Road and Koramangala National…

Every time motorists or pedestrians pass by Sembudoss street and Armenian street in George Town, they feel like they are part of a hurdle race that never seems to end. Apart from the fact that many of the roads in the locality are riddled with potholes, manhole covers which are protruding out on the road add to the misery of citizens. These unscientifically built structures that are quite a few inches above ground, pose a threat to commuters.  Apart from George Town, these utility hole chambers that are used for covering the underground drainage pipes, can be seen in several…

As we celebrate Deepavali, the festival of lights, a day when homes are decorated with lights and greetings are shared, bursting of crackers is also part of our tradition. However, the Supreme Court mandates the use of eco-friendly green crackers due to their less harmful effects on health and the environment, especially in a post-covid scenario. In 2018, a couple of fathers, concerned about their newly born infants’ health, filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court due to the increasing pollution in New Delhi, especially from October to December Further, the crackers used during festivals such as Deepavali, Christmas…

Swathi Mahila Sangha (SMS), a community-based organisation, has been working for the empowerment of women sex workers since its inception in 2003. Part one of the series delved into the journey of the organisation helping marginalised women with essential services by providing them with healthcare, financial security, social protection. This article will examine the legal challenges women sex workers face and the future plans of SMS to further strengthen the lives of women in sex work. What are the challenges they face? What does the law say? Despite progress made by India on various fronts, women in sex work continue…

Sex work is a complex and often stigmatised profession in India. Women engaged in this occupation face a heightened risk of HIV infections. The marginalised and vulnerable status of many sex workers, coupled with limited access to healthcare and safe working conditions, contribute to this health crisis. It is essential to recognise that addressing HIV among women in sex work requires a multifaceted approach, including destigmatisation, advocacy for their rights, and comprehensive healthcare services. Only through these measures can we hope to reduce HIV infections and ensure the well-being of these women, who often face disproportionate challenges and social ostracisation.…

Indira, a daily wage earner, came to the Anahat Clinic in Shantinagar, in December 2021 with a fasting blood sugar (FBS) level of 359 and postprandial (after eating) of 725 - both several times over the normal limits. With regular medication, sugar monitoring and slight lifestyle modifications through Anahat’s preventive health programme, Prerna, Indira’s FBS is 106 and her PPBS is 227 - both close to the normal range. This was achieved in just one year. Indira is now no longer on medication for diabetes, showing that small changes can successfully, in some cases, even reverse the disease. Indira, a…

In part one, I wrote about my experience as a regular user of public transport. I described what it is like to commute by walking, by bus, and by cabs and auto rickshaws. This article will provide insights about using the metro and my perspective as a pedestrian. Most importantly, I will also offer suggestions on how the government and other entities can improve public transport. Namma metro I simply love the metro. It is unimaginable that public transport can be enjoyable – neat, clean, air-conditioned, well-behaved people, always on time, etc. There is hope! But advertisers make the metro…