CITIZEN JOURNALISM

Very often the mention of residents' associations, or RWAs, conjures up images of members of an apartment community and a rigidly structured set-up involving various office bearers. But the R K Nagar Residents’ Association (R K Nagarra), comprised of representative groups from 12 streets, is experimenting with an ever-evolving model, engaging residents from individual houses and apartment complexes in the area. Formation of R K Nagar Residents’ Association  In the evolution of RK Nagar Residents' Association so far, we have covered almost 12 streets. The idea was also to create a healthy competition between the streets as they engaged in…

I recently visited my parents in Patna where their Indie-dog Julie had given birth to 8 pups. Unlike Bengaluru, Patna has limited facilities for pet care - vaccination, sterilisation, and adoption, so My brother and I decided to get them back to Bengaluru with me. We travelled with the pups by train - Here are the learnings from that experience. Travelling long distances with your furry companion can be daunting, especially if it is the first time. Advance preparations help. Before you begin your journey, take your pet to the veterinarian to make sure it is fit to travel, as…

I had just spent a wonderful evening with friends on Residency Road, one mid-January evening this year. At the time, the world was between waves of the pandemic, but one could sense that people wanted to be out in the world again, meeting people, shopping, traveling. I was undoubtedly one of them. So here I was, returning home as I had always done before the pandemic hit, in an auto-rickshaw at 9 p.m. I was scrolling through social media on the phone, unaware of just how much the world around me had changed. But to be on the safer side,…

Perambur railway station is one of the important stations in the Chennai Suburban Railway network. In terms of commuter traffic, it is the fifth largest station in Chennai, after Chennai Central, Egmore, Tambaram and Mambalam. All of the suburban trains passing through this station, except one or two, halt here, and many of the long-distance trains also have a stoppage at this station. Perambur Railway Station is also the second oldest in the city after Royapuram railway station. The station was originally built in the 1860s to cater to employees at Southern Railway's locomotive, carriage, wagon and coach-building workshops.  The…

The Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), announced by the Maharashtra government on August 28th was meant to democractise decision making in order to make Mumbai sustainable by considering suggestions from citizens, experts and research organisations. However, the ground reality seems very different. Numerous projects currrently being executed in the city have drawn strong criticism from experts and citizens. Below are some of the concerns raised by experts which need to be addressed urgently. Induced demand phenomenon While some countries have dismantled their highways and coastal roads to promote public transport, Mumbai's approach is something called induced demand; the economic concept…

The past month has been a whirlwind for most residents of Jawahar Nagar. Our streets made headlines and featured in news snippets, a scenario many of us didn't imagine possible. It was due to the heavy downpour that the city experienced during the northeast monsoon. For many of us, this was reminiscent of the floods of 2015. The downpour left our streets waterlogged and residents had to scramble to reach higher ground and save their belongings. Jawahar Nagar during the rains On November 6th, we received an unprecedented amount of rainfall from 10 pm to 3.30 am. This led to…

There are two kinds of childbirths, a ‘normal’ childbirth - vaginal  - and a ‘lower section caesarean section’, more commonly known as a C-section.  A C-section is a surgery performed to deliver the baby through an incision made on the stomach and the womb. It involves expensive medical bills and the possibility of a medical emergency. The choice between a normal childbirth and a C-section is a burden on every expecting woman for many reasons, primarily, the side effects, the risks and the costs. In 2019, experts said that India may soon have the ‘most caesarean births in the world.’…

On December 2nd, observed as National Pollution Control Day, the Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) is launching an E-Vaahana campaign to facilitate the adoption of community Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations. BAF plans to reach out to over a million apartment residents who could benefit from one-stop access to the knowledge and rules on implementation/technology/choice of vendors for EV charging installation. BAF has partnered with the Energy/Industry departments of the state government, WRI (World Resources Institute) India, Apartment ADDA, Citizen Matters and EV charging vendors for the campaign. The campaign will kick off with a webinar on December 2nd. The federation,…

It’s early morning, and the PfA Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre in Kengeri receives a call. A small bird with blue, green, and black wings is lying immobile on a terrace, said the caller. The roof, wet from incessant drizzle, is bespeckled with a handful of orange and white down feathers. Feral cats are on the prowl. The caller says he picked up the bird and placed it indoors, in a warm corner. He has no clue what this spectacular, multicoloured bird is, but the rescuer, already racing on his bike, knows only too well. A visiting Indian Pitta. Now…

With the effects of climate change in front of us, protecting our natural environment is what we should be doing, but the situation on the ground is different. In Navi Mumbai, at the centre of all development is the planning authority of Navi Mumbai, the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO). The city of Navi Mumbai was entirely planned and built by CIDCO, starting in the early 1970s. Fifty years on, Navi Mumbai is threatened by urban planning that is destroying its environment. Read more: Activists win in the fight to save Panje Let’s go back to over…