CITIZEN JOURNALISM

An infographic by Mint (@livemint) went viral in Bengaluru as the frustration of taxpayers found collective expression on social media. Most people are unaware of what happens to the taxes they pay. Who actually gets that money and how does it get used by the government? Direct tax collection in Metro, FY2021-22. Pic courtesy: Twitter thread by Srinivas Alavilli First things first: All the taxes we pay in our cities, go to one of the three tiers of Government. Union Government (Government of India)State Government (Government of Karnataka, Maharashtra etc.)City Government (Bengaluru Corporation BBMP or Mumbai Corporation BMC etc.) Tax…

Mumbai's suburban railway network, also known as the ‘local train’, is famous across the country for its robust network. While it connects the entire city, its expansion has also added pressure to existing infrastructure. Overcrowded trains and station platforms are a common sight, especially at busy stations like Dadar, Kurla and Thane. Trains on average carry 2.6 times more than the official capacity carrying 7.5 million passengers every day. When it comes to railway station infrastructure, safety, hygiene and accessibility become paramount for women and children who use trains regularly. Railway toilets form an important part of this infrastructure. Read more: Mumbai’s…

All of Chennai is in different stages of 'dug-up' due to stormwater drain (SWD) work across the city. Residents have faced various inconveniences over the course of the work such as traffic jams, blocked roads, limited access to entryways and safety hazards. Despite this, there has been widespread cooperation for the work, as most residents recognise the importance of completion of the work to prevent flooding. But the alarming pace of tree felling in K K Nagar to make way for it has made residents concerned. Unwitting victims of SWD work A consequence of the work happening across the city…

I live in Kranti Nagar, Kandivali, at the base of a hill in an informal settlement. Our homes are made of tin sheets and we have received everything from water supply to electricity, but after a long struggle. Heavy rainfall coupled with a poor sewage system has made the monsoons unbearable. The water cannot flow into the gutters as they are choked to the brim with waste, causing them to overflow and the water to collect entering our homes after a round of heavy showers. Our roads are not concretised or tarred and our homes are makeshift shelters or incrementally…

In 2019, Mehndi and Pooja, as part of their low waste journey from the हम Prithvi से, a social enterprise, visited a doctor practising near the Deonar dumping ground in Govandi. While it was known that the lives of people living around the dumping ground are poor, what they heard was quite heartbreaking. The doctor had been practising there for over a decade. He mentioned that he observed a rise in cases related to air pollution in the past few years. The reason is the rising quantity of dumped waste around and the toxic fumes from the hazardous waste especially after being…

Within the narrow lanes of Thubarahalli, garbage dumps on one side and tin shacks on the other, a thumping noise is heard. Two trucks make their way into this neighbourhood. About 30 volunteers in yellow shirts, ‘India’ written on them, follow the trucks in cars and vans. After the trucks are parked, people quickly start assembling near the  vehicles. They stand in lines and spots demarcated by the volunteers for better organisation. The trucks have brought packaged food items, which is some relief for the families whose lives have been disrupted by the floods. One by one, queues of people start…

The road accident, in which  former Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry and another passenger, Jehangir Pandole, were killed, was widely reported in the media as it involved a famous businessman. The car was travelling on the state highway in Maharashtra's Palghar district at high speed and hit a divider. The accident also severely injured the driver and the co-passenger in the front, but they survived because they were wearing seatbelts, while Cyrus Mistry and Jehangir Pandole weren’t. The importance of wearing seatbelts for rear seat passengers was highlighted in the news as it is a safety precaution that is either…

George Town in Chennai encompasses NSC Bose Road and many bylanes that bustle with activity at all times. It is a wholesale market where businesses and individuals buy goods in bulk for cheap. The narrow lanes and many shops make navigation of these roads very difficult. While much has changed about the area over the years, the tricycle carts used by cart pullers to transport goods have remained constant. In the din, from dawn to dusk, one can spot men on their tricycles, moving goods to and from the market. They work close to 12-14 hours a day. The cart…

The Kannada movie, 777 Charlie, not only beautifully showcased the relationship between dog and man, but also highlighted the perils of indiscriminate breeding. The film also stressed the essential narrative of ‘adopt, don't shop’. The reality is that dogs are bred indiscriminately, pups and dogs do get abandoned, and there are still many dogs looking for homes.  An abandoned St Bernard. Pic courtesy: Voice of Voiceless Dog Breeding and Marketing (DBM) rules, 2017, and Pet Shop rules, 2018, lay out the broad structure,  regulations and controls to ensure responsible breeding and to avoid cruelty. While the framework exists, does it…

Dear General Public, Corporations, and Decision-makers of Mumbai, I, like many of my fellow students, grew up in a world where our present, future and heritage are under-threat due to climate change. As I discovered more about the social and ecological issues around me, the definitions of eco-angst and climate anxiety became unnervingly familiar.  Growing up in the 21st Century, we hear a lot about the environment—campaigns to “save electricity”, “save water” and  “use paper bags”—but I always felt this approach does not look at the large-scale destruction and the climate disasters caused by it.  We are told to micromanage…