CITIZEN JOURNALISM

In a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, 821 million people – one in nine – still go to bed on an empty stomach every night. Even more -- one in three – suffer from some form of malnutrition. Inspired by Sarabjeet Singh of Shimla, I thought of starting something similar on a very small scale in our residential society, Akme Encore, in Kundalahalli. I sent out a video of Sarabjeet's work on our community WhatsApp group and called for volunteers. Around 6-7 people came forward but we were clueless about what to do next.  To gain…

Mass Rapid Transport Systems the world over have transformed the lives of people and the landscape of cities. That’s exactly the magic Namma Metro has weaved, at least for some Bengalurueans. The Metro -- where ever it is operational -- has been a dream-come-true. It has provided respite from traffic snarls, accidents, pollution, wastage of time and money, and liberated us from our "adjust maadkoli" attitude towards these everyday hassles. Read more: Is Bengaluru’s Metro Phase 2 almost ready? Here’s a progress report Namma Metro services towards Yelachenahalli from Nada Prabhu Kempegowda Station in June 2017 came as a boon…

Elections, our festival of democracy, are around the corner in Tamil Nadu. A good indicator of election season of late has been the flurry of activity by the civic body across the city. Roads that citizens have complained about for years with no response get a facelift, potholes are fixed, pavements are laid and any and all grievance is addressed with a swiftness that makes one wish election season lasted longer.  Several infrastructure development projects which had been put on the back burner over the past five years will now be taken up on a war footing and completed in…

Sea Breeze CHS Ltd is one of the oldest and largest societies along the iconic Palm Beach Road, in Sector 16, Nerul. The Society comprises of 10 towers with 28 flats in each, making it a total of 280 flats, with about 1000 residents. (Pic: Sea Breeze CHS) In 2017, when the Swacch Bharat Misson began, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) mandated all housing societies with more than 200 flats to do complete segregation of waste at source - into wet and dry waste, and total in-house wet waste management. The Managing Committee (MC) of the society decided to go full…

When we were moving to Mumbai, one of the major relocation tasks was finding a suitable house to live in. Suitable as in proximity to children’s school and husband’s office, size, furnishing, rent, amenities, and the like… things people look for while choosing a house. We knew a few people who were already living in the area and they indicated that the most efficient way of going about this would be to approach one (or more) of the many real estate agents who had set up shop for people like us (and for owners who had bought the houses but…

Baiyappanahalli Railway Terminal nearing its completion: Pic: Gaurav Sawant The new Baiyappanahalli terminal is fast approaching operational readiness. The various planning departments are still discussing the infrastructure needs to access the terminal and ideas to regulate traffic. Most citizens are not aware that the whole project involves a terminal with a built up area of 26,00,000 square feet, with 21 towers in the complex for both residential and commercial purposes. Many of the towers are 12 floors high. Proposed Master Plan of the upcoming Baiyappanahalli Railway Terminal which is expected to be inaugurated in February 2021. Pic: Shine George In…

“The lockdown around me is making me feel lonely, and I don’t understand how to make myself feel better. I also want to help my parents in some way, but I don’t know how to do so…” Today, we find ourselves in a world which is more overwhelming, challenging and restricted than before. With the COVID-19 pandemic, physical health is on everyone’s mind, and mental health has become an inevitable casualty. Children from low-income communities of India are facing adversities that have long-term psychological, emotional and physical effects; situations have worsened causing economic and financial ramifications, leading to issues such…

More than 2,500 people die and over 3,000 are injured annually in Mumbai's suburban network, considered the lifeline of India's commercial capital. Quoting figures from the Railway Police, the Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2019-20, reveals that in 2017, there were 3,014 deaths and 3,345 injuries, while in 2018, this number was 2,981 and 3,349, respectively. On a particularly deadly day, 18 July 2019, 18 people died - the maximum in a single day. These include 12 on Central Railway and 6 on Western Railways. The latest conundrum surrounding the location of the Metro 3 car depot needs to be viewed in this context. In this political tug of war, no matter…

It is magic at the DPS Lake these days. Located near Palm Beach Road behind Delhi Public School, Nerul in Navi Mumbai, the lake is home to many different species of birds. At this time of the year, the flamingos stand out and they are there in thousands! Flamingo City. (Pic: Malcolm Stephens) (Pic: Malcolm Stephens) Greater and Lesser flamingos fly in to Mumbai every winter from Kutch, Gujarat and Sambar Lake, Rajasthan. They are also known to come from other countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran. The winters are harsh there, and apart from the warmth, the shallow…

There are nearly 750 TASMAC outlets in Chennai district. As the sale of liquor is entirely controlled by the state, these outlets are the only vendors of alcohol for everyone across the city. A sizable portion of revenue of the state government comes from the sales made by these outlets. Even during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the limited number of shops that were opened raked in revenues in crores each day. Despite protests in various parts of the city and across the state, the state government has not kept its promise of closing down many TASMAC outlets. With…