COVID-19

Based on orders by the Centre's Ministry of Home Affairs on May 17, Karnataka government issued an order on lockdown measures applicable in the state till May 31. Here are the key highlights, as summarised by the Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF). Lockdown to continue with relaxations Lockdown will continue till May 31. However, this phase of lockdown is characterised by reasonable relaxations that would support day-to-day life coming back to normal, while certain high-risk activities would be restricted. Intra-city public transport to resume Local public transport mediums (except Metro rail) like BMTC buses, cabs (driver + 2 passengers) and autos…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “ஏன் காய் இல்லை, அம்மா? என தன் மகள் கேட்கும் கேள்விக்கு என்ன பதில் கூறுவது என எண்ணிக்கொண்டே கடைகள் மூடியுள்ளன, விரைவில் நல்ல சப்பாடு போடுவதாக கூறுகிறார் கே ஷென்பகம். மாயா, நாயகி போன்ற தொலைக்காட்சி தொடர்களில் நடித்துள்ளார் 38 வயதாகும் ஷென்பகம். ஒரு வரி வசனம் பேசி செல்லும் நபர் அல்லது ஒரு காட்சியில் பின்னணியில் கூட்டத்தில் நடந்து செல்லும் நபர்களை நினைவுள்ளதா? பல பெரிய பட்ஜட் படங்களில் இது போன்ற காட்சிகளில் ஒரு நாளுக்க 300 ரூபாய் சம்பளத்திற்கு ஷென்பகம் நடித்துள்ளார். ஆனால், கோவிட்-19 தொற்று காரணமாக நாடு முழுவதும் உள்ள ஊரடங்கு மற்றும் தொழில் முடக்கத்தால் ஷென்பகம் இடிந்து போயுள்ளார். கடந்த சில வாரமாக வெறும் ரசம் சோறு மட்டுமே தன் குழந்தைகளுக்கு கொடுக்க வேண்டிய சூழலை எண்ணி வேதனையில் உள்ளார். "காய்கறி வாங்க முடியாத நிலையை நான் எப்படி…

“Hello Teacher,  kis ka accha hain? Mera ya uska?” “Mera, Mera” (Hello Teacher. Whose toy is better - hers or mine?” “Mine, Mine”) Two paper frogs, one green and one white, talking to one another animatedly. The voices in the background belong to children. A joyful WhatsApp forward on a Sunday morning led us to pursue this heartwarming story of children in the bastis crafting puppets to beat the stress brought on by COVID-19. The lockdown has placed enormous economic burden on the urban poor. There is a palpable gloom produced by a normal way of life coming to a…

“Hello Teacher,  kis ka accha hain? Mera ya uska?” “Mera, Mera” (Hello Teacher. Whose toy is better - hers or mine?” “Mine, Mine”) Two paper frogs, one green and one white, talking to one another animatedly. The voices in the background belong to children. A joyful WhatsApp forward on a Sunday morning led us to pursue this heartwarming story of children in the bastis crafting puppets to beat the stress brought on by COVID-19. The lockdown has placed enormous economic burden on the urban poor. There is a palpable gloom produced by a normal way of life coming to a…

Vikas Kumar was all smiles as he alighted from the first Shramik Train that brought him Jaipur to Danapur, on the outskirts of Patna, on May 2nd. Even as he realized that the smile would be short lived, given the reality of life back in his village of having to take care of his six-member family and his aged parents. “I am clueless about my future,” said Vikas who worked in a stone cutting factory in Jaipur. “It was a hard decision to return, but there was no other option as we were dying there. I did not get my…

As we approach the relaxation of lockdown, traffic and people on the roads is bound to increase, even as we continue to battle the pandemic. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) can be very effective in helping the Greater Chennai Corporation, as the civic body continues its measures to create awareness and enforce social distancing in the near future. Here are some salient points for RWAs from a note issued by a senior GCC official. Awareness Awareness material will be handed over to RWAs by GCC.Do paste where it will be visible to the publicDo share the digital messages widely.Do NOT spread…

With lockdown relaxations, BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) and KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) have just resumed services. Following is a press release from BMTC on how their bus services will be run in the present circumstances. In view of providing safe and convenient transport facility, and to create a sense of trust among passengers by ensuring required cleanliness and hygiene in buses, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has planned to operate buses as per the guidelines of the central and state governments. Service availability Initially, operations will be resumed on high-density routes in Bengaluru city except in…

Karnataka government and industry bodies have been speaking of the need to relax labour laws in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. We, at AICCTU (All India Central Council of Trade Unions), believe that in the crisis caused by the pandemic, we must strengthen labour laws, not weaken them. We submitted a memorandum to the state government in this regard on May 15. We hope that the government will consider our demands seriously and initiate action quickly. Government must strengthen labour laws to fight hunger and poverty, to build a secure society.Government must discuss with all trade unions on how labour…

When Anita, aged 60 and her husband, 65, tested positive for COVID-19, it didn't feel like news to them. "We were returning from New Zealand on March 15th and a fellow passenger in our flight was sick. We expected to get it," says Anita candidly. Anita narrates her experience in dealing with COVID and shares some advice for fellow citizens: The start of the illness "We were not tested for COVID-19 in the beginning probably since we had returned from New Zealand, where number of the cases was still low back then. But we self quarantined ourselves at our home…

Pisavali is a densely populated, low income neighbourhood. Most residents of the low income settlement are working in the informal sector. Many of the temporary residents in the basti are migrants from states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal without a permanent home in the city. After the sudden declaration of a nationwide lockdown starting on the 24th of March, only a few of the migrants were able to go back to their native villages. The majority however was stranded in Pisavali.  Map of Pisavali. Source: Google Earth Life became difficult given the precarious nature of employment for residents…