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On 7th September 2017, a 7-year-old school-going child was run over by a school bus while he was trying to cross Old Madras road (OMR). He was rushed to the hospital in an auto-rickshaw. The doctors examined the boy, and proclaimed that he suffered severe head injuries and had died on the way to the hospital. On 14th March 2017, a male pedestrian, 45, was hit and run by an unknown vehicle near Battarahalli junction on OMR when he tried to cross the road. He too sustained serious injuries and died on the way to the hospital. In another three…

Co-authored by Dattatraya T Devare and Saurabh Ketkar If the train transformed the way we think about a nation and distance, then it is the car that has transformed the way we think about public spaces and community. Prior to the invention of the private motor car, the street was an integral part of the community; children played on them, people gathered to share news, exchange views and traded goods and services. After the car invaded this integral communal space, the way we look at the world around us has changed forever.  In India today, our citizens aspire to be…

For decades, buses have been the public transportation of choice in Chennai. But recent numbers indicate that this might be changing. With increase in fares, growth in number of private vehicles and alternative modes of transport, it's now a case of buses missing the people of Chennai. A report by the Ministry of Road Transport highlighted that in 2015-2016, MTC carried the highest number of passengers per bus per day at 1270. However, a variety of reasons has led to a steep drop in ridership in the city buses over time.  Bus ridership over time  The MTC has been one…

This July, the BWSSB (Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board) had warned that Cauvery water supply to the city would stop by September. Rainfall was extremely low, and water levels in the Cauvery reservoirs had plummeted. But come August, the scenario turned around completely. The two-and-half months of monsoon this year has been strange. In July end, while compiling the storage levels across all four Cauvery reservoirs in Karnataka - Harangi, Kabini, Hemavathi and KRS - I found that we were staring at the lowest water levels this decade! As the KSNDMC (Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre) does not…

As school reopens after a break, Arjun is rather upset for still being in the first bench. "Why am I so short?" he asks, "Others in the class who are younger than me are taller. They sit behind me." What Arjun does not realise, perhaps, is that he is among the many short children who, by 2022, will comprise almost 31.4% of the under-fives in the country. But why are so many kids so short? Is it just genetics? Not really. Arjun is stunted rather than short. His physical stature is a key indicator of child malnutrition, indicating that a boy…

Four months after the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) initiated serious action on waste reduction and management in the city, the civic body is beginning to see the results. According to statistics obtained from Chennai Corporation, the daily average of garbage collected in Chennai has fallen from 5098 Metric Tonnes (MT) in March to 4493 MT in June, a reduction of 605 MT. In other words, Chennai Corporation is stopping an average of 18000 MT of waste from reaching the already burdened landfills of Perungudi and Kodungaiyur every month. Roadmap to reduction Here are the five steps being followed by Chennai Corporation…

P C Mohan has emerged as the winner again from Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency, scoring a hat-trick. Bangalore Central comprises eight assembly constituencies – Rajajinagar, Chamrajpet, Gandhinagar, Shivajinagar, Shantinagar, Sarvagnanagar, CV Raman Nagar and Mahadevapura. The majority of voters in this constituency are linguistic and religious minorities. Large slums, the Central Business District, gated communities in newer areas like Bellandur and Whitefield, are all part of Bangalore Central. The voter turnout in the constituency was only 45.34 percent this election. Mohan won the seat with 50.35 percent of the vote share, which accounted for over six lakh votes. Rizwan Arshad…

An RSS swayamsevak and lawyer at the Karnataka High Court, 28-year-old Tejasvi Surya is the winning candidate from Bangalore South constituency. Known for being the General Secretary of the Karnataka state Yuva Morcha, Surya has also been part of BJP’s national social media team. He is also the nephew of Ravi Subramanya, the BJP MLA from Basavanagudi. Bangalore South parliamentary constituency is a BJP stronghold. For the longest time, it was held by six-time MP late Ananth Kumar. The seat had remained vacant since Kumar's demise last November. It was widely reported that BJP’s national leadership had chosen Surya over Ananth…

D V Sadananda Gowda of Bharatiya Janata Party has retained his Bangalore North seat, becoming an MP for the fourth time. Gowda got 8.2 lakh votes or 52.83 percent of the total votes polled. His closest rival, Congress candidate Krishna Byre Gowda - MLA and Minister in Karnataka’s ruling coalition - trailed behind Gowda by over a lakh votes. Sadananda Gowda had handled three portfolios in the Modi cabinet - Minister of Railways, Minister of Law, and eventually Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Straight match Bangalore North has been BJP’s stronghold since 2004. Sadananda Gowda had won the 2014 elections…

The counting of votes for the 17th Lok Sabha elections is just days away. But how does such a mammoth counting exercise take place? Here is a guide. Preparations for the Counting Day The Returning Officer (RO) fixes the time & place of counting at least one week before the date of polling. The place is decided in consultation with the police. The selected place should be spacious enough with adequate lighting and other facilities to accommodate the officials and agents. A permanent structure like a college or a university is usually selected for the purpose of counting. The same is…