ELECTIONS

In 2022, with the world just recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, it didn’t seem extraordinary when elections to the richest civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were postponed. Though the reasons for postponement were a case in the Supreme Court about OBC seats and an earlier delimitation exercise, any aberrations to the existing systems were acceptable in the backdrop of two ghastly COVID-19 waves and Omicron.  But decisions that seemed fine at that point have outlived the concession. In Mumbai, as the city prepares for the state assembly elections, the elephant in the room is actually the BMC elections. Not to…

Scorching heat waves, devastating floods, a yearly increase in temperature, high AQI levels, Mumbai has seen it all over the past few decades, with no sign that the vagaries of climate will let up anytime soon. If the island city is to weather the storm of climate change, it requires a concrete map to navigate the next couple of decades. The Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), created by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with the World Resources Institute (WRI) as a knowledge partner, is such a map. In 2020, Mumbai became a part of the global C40 network, pledging  a…

In October 2021 Prime Minister Narendra Modi had declared a plan to make Indian cities garbage-free under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0,  with the Government of India allocating Rs. 3,400 crore to Maharashtra for the implementation of the  Swachh Bharat Mission. According to the Environment Status Report (ESR) for 2022-23, released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Mumbai generated 6330 metric tonnes (MT) of waste per day in 2022. With the two dumping sites in Mumbai — Deonar and Kanjurmarg — overflowing, a radical change in our approach to solid waste management is urgently needed. As Maharashtra gets ready to go to…

Maharashtra, one of India’s most urbanised States, faces a transportation crisis that has snowballed into a public health, environmental, and economic challenge. With over half its population residing in urban areas, Maharashtra is home to 28 municipal corporations — the highest in the country. Cities like Mumbai and Pune are struggling with the relentless surge in vehicle ownership, which has led to traffic congestion, alarming pollution levels, and a steep rise in road crashes.  Despite these pressing concerns, many cities have pursued an approach focused on expanding road infrastructure, relying on flyovers and highways to absorb traffic overflow. However, experts…

Mumbai is one of the most densely populated cities in the world and faces many challenges - from shrinking open spaces, rising pollution to serious climate change impact as a coastal city. We, at NAGAR, (NGO Alliance For Governance Advocacy Renewal), have been advocating and championing the cause of open spaces in Mumbai to ensure a better quality of life for all citizens for over two decades.  As assembly elections approach us, we would like to draw the attention of voters and candidates towards some of the pressing issues that need to be addressed urgently.  We hope that when the…

The past five years have seen public health crises, not only locally but globally. Considering this, it is only fair to expect that budgetary allocations for public health would be made more robust. But an analysis shows that the allocation of funds for public health has dropped, though the number of people seeking medical care from the public healthcare system has increased. Experts have pointed out that the public health budget for 2024-2025 is less than that for 2023-2024. Jan Arogya Abhiyan, a group of NGOs and healthcare professionals has released a health report card assessing the performance of the…

Amin Patel is a top-ranked MLA, representing the Mumbadevi assembly constituency, according to the report card brought out by Praja Foundation, an NGO that works on civic issues. Mumbadevi is one of the oldest and most diverse areas of Mumbai, where the incumbent Patel (Indian National Congress) has served for three consecutive terms. The area comprises Grant Road, Girgaum, Dongri, Tardeo, Umarkhadi, Bhuleshwar and Nagpada.  Maharashtra is all set to vote on November 20th in the Assembly elections. The state has 288 assembly seats and of these 36 are in Mumbai. Though the number is small, Mumbai remains significant as…

As the Maharashtra state elections get underway, the daily struggles of Mumbai's citizens, especially their commuting woes, seem to be overlooked in the electoral discourse. Political parties are focusing on massive infrastructure projects, sidelining the city's lifelines like the Railways and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking in favour of the Metro Rail. Despite being partially operational, the Metro has yet to make a significant impact. Surveys reveal that 52% of Mumbaikars walk to work, yet on many roads, pedestrian infrastructure remains neglected, encroached upon, and unusable. While traffic congestion has made commuting a nightmare, trains are perennially…

Maharashtra assembly elections are here and Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is witnessing tough fights between various parties for 36 out of a total 288 seats. With many political defections and splits in parties, the number of contesting candidates has gone up by 28% since 2019. A total of 4,140 candidates will contest the polls, including 420 candidates for Mumbai. Amidst this politically volatile atmosphere, in all likelihood, the focus will be on who forms the next government. Issues that need to be discussed and are of relevance to people, will remain on the periphery as the political campaigns gather…

Candidates from various political parties are vying for votes in the upcoming Assembly elections. While the youth vote often takes centre stage, one demographic tends to be overlooked during election campaigns — senior citizens. According to data released by the Election Commission of India on October 30, 2024, there are 1.78 crore voters aged 60 and above, making up 18.34% of the total voter population.The interests of this 18.34% have been collated in a manifesto released by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Maharashtra, which represents 26 organisations working for senior citizens including NGOs, researchers and academics from the field…