CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Gangaram Hivrale has been making trips to the ward office to ask about the “promised” rehabilitation. However, he is yet to get a positive response. It’s been six years since his family was evicted. In 2017, the Bombay High Court had ordered removal of houses for the security of Tansa Pipeline and also ordered rehabilitation based on the 2000 cutoff date for informal housing.  “Every time we go to the ward office to ask about our status of Annexure-2 finalization, we are told there are no houses available in the city. We have all the documents yet, we have to…

சென்னை முகப்பேர் மேற்கு பகுதியில் 200 அடி பைபாஸ் (NHAI) சாலையின் பணிகள் இருபுறமும் சர்வீஸ் சாலை அமைக்கப்பட்டு இருபுறத்திலும் ஒருபகுதி கால்வாய் அமைக்கப்பட்டு இருந்தது. சர்வீஸ் சாலையின் இருபுறமும் மழைநீர் கால்வாய் 1 ×4 அடி அகலம், 8 அடி ஆழத்தில் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சர்வீஸ் சாலையின் இருபுறமும் தார்சாலை இரண்டு தடவைக்கு மேல் போடப்பட்ட காரணத்தினால் கால்வாயும் - தார் சாலையும் ஒரே சம அளவில் நிறைய பகுதியில் இருந்தது. அப்பகுதியில் வேலைநிமித்தமாக தினம் சென்று வரும் அப்பகுதியில் கால்வாயில் நாய், ஆடு, மாடுகள் விழுந்த வண்ணம் வாரத்திற்க்கு இரண்டு தடவைக்கு மேல், அவர்களை காப்பாற்றும் பொருட்ட வண்ணம் (நடந்து செல்லும் மக்கள் துணையுடன் செய்து இருந்தேன். மழைபெய்யும் காலங்களில் இரவு நேர பணிக்கு சென்று வருபவர்கள் சரியான ஒளி விளக்கு இன்மை காரணத்தினாலும், மழைநீர் சமஅளவில் உள்ளதாலும் பலர் விழுந்து இயற்கை எய்தினார்கள். Read more: How citizen…

On April 25th, commuters, residing along Kanakapura Road (KPR) between the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and NICE road junction, were in for a rude shock while traveling to their offices inside the city. The traffic police closed the right turn from KPR to ORR at Sarakki signal. Commuters had to go straight towards BSK TTMC, drive through BSK vegetable market, and take a right turn into 9th Cross, in front of SNN Raj Spiritua to go towards Jayadeva/Silk Board/BG Road. This change in route increased travel time by 20 minutes; 60% of the traffic on KPR, which used to take…

Every Saturday, there are neatly lined up boxes of plastics, bottles, electronic waste and more at the gates of many societies in and around Thane. A truck picks it all up, and takes it to Kopri, where it is segregated and sent for recycling. This practice has been in place for a couple for years now, and the response has only multiplied. Women workers, who segregate garbage for a living, and housekeeping staff of residential societies are the main links in efficient solid waste management. Workers, whose livelihoods depend on collection, segregation and selling of dry waste to scrap dealers,…

On a sunny Sunday morning, May 28th, a group of enthusiastic citizens gathered at Cubbon Park for a community meet-up, organised by Jhatkaa.org, a digital campaigning organisation that empowers citizens using technology to take action on issues that matter to them. The community included individuals who had signed up to volunteer with Jhatkaa in verticals, such as air pollution, gender, sexuality, and policy making. The common goal was to address various pressing issues in Bengaluru, such as street lights, traffic management, and conserving the environment. Over 20 people came together to share their concerns and discuss solutions. The event not…

Since the new Karnataka government announced the free electricity scheme, Gruha Jyoti, many news reports have talked about a large hike in electricity tariff of Rs 2.89 per unit. WhatsApp groups were forwarding messages claiming that rates went up by 50%. This piqued my curiosity, so I decided to try and understand this. Let us see how accurate they were. First, it is important to understand the different parts of your electricity bill. It is a fairly complicated beast, consisting of many moving parts. What goes into your monthly electricity bill? This report from The Hindu, explains the different parts…

In part one of this series, we looked at how parking and riding vehicles on footpaths is hazardous to pedestrians, and the legal provisions addressing this. This article will explore the budgetary allocation to footpaths and the possible solutions to improving footpath infrastructure. Bad footpaths invariably have a larger impact on certain vulnerable groups, like senior citizens, children and persons with disabilities. Infact, footpaths are never designed for pedestrians such as pregnant women, or women taking their newborn babies out on a pram, toddlers or senior citizens, eliminating the most vulnerable from using and accessing public spaces. Most footpaths in…

Chennai Mayor R Priya’s Makkalai Thedi Mayor scheme was launched in May this year. Under the scheme, the Mayor is to visit all 15 Zones of the city every 15 days to meet with residents and address their grievances.  The meeting that took place in Zone 6 highlighted some key issues with how the residents have been able to engage with the Mayor.  We spent over two hours waiting in various queues before the audience with the Mayor. The poor planning left us wondering if the event was indeed Makkalai Thedi Mayor or Mayorai Thedi Makkal. Read more: In a…

Crowding and congestion on Bengaluru roads push pedestrians to the narrow, potholed and often non-existent footpaths. Footpaths are one of the most critical prerequisites for a more liveable Bengaluru, but they continue to be a neglected priority. A large number of citizens who die in road accidents are pedestrians. With an increasing number of pedestrian deaths, it becomes imperative to address the lack of walkable footpaths and the necessity to maintain them. Vehicles on footpaths Of all the issues plaguing footpaths in Bengaluru, the most prominent is the indiscriminate parking of vehicles. Parking of two-wheelers on footpaths has been a…

We have been living in Orlem, Malad for many years now. But for the past seven months, we have been facing a dire situation due to the presence of an illegal Ready-Mix-Concrete (RMC) plant in the area. This plant has resulted in immense pollution and poses a serious health-hazard because of the cement particles. Residents have been falling sick and complaining to the authorities. Unfortunately, the government officials have shown no cooperation in addressing this problem, leaving the burden solely on the affected residents. We have been in touch with the Assistant Municipal Commissioner, and local politicians, but have been…