CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Mumbai has over 16,000 cessed and dilapidated buildings — some close to a hundred years old — that must be redeveloped. On May 14, 2023, the state government announced that it would constitute a separate authority to push for self-redevelopment of such buildings — a solution to the city’s housing crisis that involves societies of residents living in these buildings undertaking the redevelopment.  Deputy chief minister and housing minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government has set up a particular cell for self-redevelopment to ensure that proposals are approved within three months and deemed conveyance — a significant requirement for such…

On the bylanes of Dockyard Road leading to Reay Road, lies a ‘basti’ popularly known as Darukhana. Its occupants are migrant families from states of northern India and occasionally some Maharashtrian families. This ‘basti’ or informal settlement, has approximately 7000 huts, which are small in size and occupied by large families.  There is a glaring lack of basic amenities, and most families do not possess basic documents due to migration and the informal nature of their work. While the elders make their living by doing odd jobs at the local fish jetty or in small scale industries and the unorganised…

Battered roads have become the new norm across the city of Chennai. Roads that were resurfaced over a couple of months ago are now ridden with potholes and craters. At every 10 to 50 metres, commuters are bound to stumble upon a road cut or a pothole or speed breaker or a manhole cover which is at least four to six inches higher than the surface of the road.  The reasons stated for poor roads have been that there is ongoing development work such as the construction of the metro rail or the creation of stormwater drains. As a result of…

The advent of technology and concomitant digitalisation has unleashed new business models and working arrangements in urban centres. The gig and platform economy are at the heart of this structural transformation of jobs, disrupting sectors like ride-hailing transport services, profession, education, home services and retail. I refer to this as ‘Digihenheimer’- a counter phenomenon to regular paid jobs. Definition of Gig Workers In the Niti Aayog (2022) report, gig workers are defined as those engaged in livelihoods outside the traditional employer-employee arrangement. They can be broadly classified into platform and non-platform-based workers. Platform workers are individuals whose work is based…

Madras Week celebrations have time again proven to be a way for those in Chennai to get to know the city better. One such opportunity was a Heritage Tree Walk organised by Nizhal and Green TN Mission, which helped me get acquainted with the greenery that the city boasts of.  With the city’s is rapidly declining green cover, it becomes even more vital to learn more about its trees and what needs to be done to protect them. The walk proved very illuminating on this count, with the heritage trees standing the test of time inspiring confidence for a greener…

Plenty of manuals and guidelines are available that list out various steps to be followed to ensure quality in road construction. The problem is the unwillingness to enforce these guidelines at the time of construction. Just to list some factors which affect the quality of road construction: Inadequate bitumen content in the mix Overheating of bitumen during mixing process Inadequate compaction during construction Stripping of bitumen from aggregates (Aggregates are raw materials that are produced from natural sources , including gravel, crushed stone, and sand. When used with a binding medium, like water, cement, and asphalt, they are used to…

The effects of climate change know no boundaries, transcending borders and impacting every individual, community and nation. India ranks third among the top 50 nations most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Closer to home, this summer, Tamil Nadu witnessed sweltering heat waves, with the vulnerable facing the brunt of it.  Blue collar workers like Gauthaman, a water can supplier to households in Chennai, expressed concern about the escalating summer heat impacting his health, especially as much of his day is spent on the go. Nirmala, a domestic worker in the city, who also sells flowers in the evenings,…

Pothole deaths are the most devastating accidents. Monsoon and a cut in utility maintenance worsen the condition of potholes. There are many causes for a cut in utility maintenance: new utility connections (such as water, sewage and power lines), pipe damage due to heavy traffic movement, old pipe replacements, BESCOM line damage, etc. If potholes are not constantly monitored and maintained, they can result in large craters, which can be fatal for motorists, especially two-wheelers. Read more: Bengaluru’s potholes cost lives and money, but here’s how you can hold BBMP accountable Why do potholes form? It is essential to understand…

People make a landscape their city and their home. Garden City, Victory City, Steel City and many such identities are rightfully linked with urban centres across the country. When there is a mention of the most rainfall, our mind immediately travels to our middle school textbook pages that introduced us to Cherrapunjee. Water is said to be an element of nature with a memory. Often, the best of our memories of nature also happen to be related to water. The first time the waves crashed at our feet, the first time we took a dip in that meandering river, the…

In its earlier avatar, Mumbai was known as ‘Heptanesia’, denoting a collective of seven islands, as named by Ptolemy in 150 AD. With the city being transformed from a cluster of islands into a unified mass in early 18th century, its enduring connection to the coastline beholds captivating marine biodiversity that lies right at our doorstep.  There exists a facet of Mumbai that remains shadowed within the towering buildings and lost between the burgeoning crowds. Often hailed as a ‘city that never sleeps’, it also holds a hidden truth: its shores too remain in a perpetual state of wakefulness.  The…