EDITORS' PICK

"Inconvenience today for a better tomorrow" — this saying resonates as we navigate the streets of Perumbakkam, a reminder that the ongoing Metro Rail construction work promises progress. But when it comes to saving lives, that inconvenience becomes a serious concern that demands immediate attention. In Perumbakkam, the sound of an ambulance siren has become a haunting reminder of a persistent and growing problem. Instead of speeding through traffic, these emergency vehicles often find themselves trapped — immobilised in a gridlock of cars, school buses, and construction barriers. What should be a quick dash to the hospital often turns into…

While most apartment associations strive to manage their societies with the utmost care, accidents related to swimming pools or electrical safety can still occur. Unfortunately, there have been some tragic incidents due to electrocution, which included the loss of two children, one of whom succumbed to an accident in a swimming pool and the other whilst playing in the park. There was also another death of a man, who died while working in an apartment sump. These incidents underscore the critical importance of implementing stringent safety measures and conducting regular maintenance to prevent such tragedies. “In apartments, lifts are well…

A community swimming pool is one of the most pleasurable and easiest avenues of relaxation for most urban apartment dwellers today. And yet a number of very unfortunate incidents in the recent past have created grave concerns and stress around its use, maintenance and management. From Gurgaon to Hyderabad and of course, in Namma Bengaluru, several shocking incidents leading to fatalities in swimming pools have given a huge jolt to residents and management committee members. The biggest jolt, perhaps, came in the recent instance, where following the tragic swimming pool death of a nine-year-old child in one of Bengaluru’s apartments,…

“One life-form turns into another. Recycling is like that,”  says Ramnikbhai Satra, a scrap dealer, as he compares inanimate objects taking on another form to the cycle of death and rebirth. Even as he speaks to me, he keeps an eye on one of his workers weighing newspapers and flattened cartons, answers a customer who wants to know the price of some plastic objects kept in a tray next to which there is a box of glass jars of all shapes and sizes. “Individuals sell this stuff to me. Then it is picked up for recycling by different people— a…

I take a delivery of vegetables, remove the vegetables from the plastic bag, and the plastic wrapping. The bag and the wrapping go into the bin, followed a while later with the peels and discarded bits of vegetables. The bin seems forever ready to take in whatever I throw into it: medicine wrappers, sanitary waste, paper, old batteries and so on.  While researching for this series of articles I realised both the quantum and variety of things that we, a household of four, end up throwing in the bin every day, and quite thoughtlessly so. The results: one full bin…

Chennai was one of the first cities in India to get selected under the Smart City Mission. The objective of the ambitious Central Government programme was to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens; a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘smart’ solutions. But, the benefits of the programme for Chennai residents have been limited. While projects like the bicycle lanes and vertical gardens were a failure, the multi-level parking scheme remains underutilised. In April this year, when we spoke to a few experts on the Smart City projects implemented…

“Does Mumbai feel the need to conserve water?” asked Sanjay Ubale, executive board member of Mumbai First at a conclave about water in Mumbai. With easy availability of water from seven reservoirs, the city has the best per capita water ratio in India, and so, there is less incentive to conserve water or practise rainwater harvesting, he explained. Why would societies spend funds to store water for future use when they are getting water at highly subsidised rates round the year, he asked. Statistics too suggest the same.  Approximately only 3000 societies of the total estimated 20,000 societies in Mumbai…

“I have got a lung infection because of the dust. Even at home I try to keep my windows shut. A lot of redevelopment is happening near my home as well as office,” says Rohini Vij, an HR professional at a fast food chain. Her workplace in Prabhadevi is undergoing renovation and refurbishment work, and what makes working even more difficult is the redevelopment of buildings around. She says the noise and dust are affecting their productivity. It does not help that it is the same situation in the area where she lives in Bandra. Rohini is among the many…

Throughout the year, vegetable shops and markets are stocked with select vegetables and produce that form our diets. This produce is grown in large scale farms and sold across the country despite geographic and seasonal variations. But 23rd June was an aberration for some of us, who spent time at the Hirvya Devachi Yatra. We got in touch with forest foods that grow in the wild, people who harvest them and make delicacies out of these.  The Hirvya Devachi Yatra was organised this year by the Shramik Mukti Sanghatana, Van Niketan, Ashwamedh Pratisthan and INTACH Thane Chapter. It has been…

“It used to flood a couple of years ago. Water would get into the bank on the ground floor of my building. But now there is a pump to clear out the water. So it doesn’t flood, unless there is a lot of rainfall,” says Shubhalaxmi Burde, a resident of Sleater Road in Grant Road. But she remembers a time, when she moved as a new bride in 1978, she discovered that people in the area had to use small boats to get around because of the flooding. Nana Chowk  at Grant Road and the area around it, has been a…