EVENTS

Some make it to the news. Especially when it involves a well-known public figure like Cyrus Mistry, or a celebrity sportsperson like Rishabh Pant. Some find sharp but transient attention in public discourse, such as all those pothole-related fatalities, or incidents like the horrific one in Delhi that rocked the nation at the start of the year. Others are simply relegated to an obscure corner of the daily newspaper, while many many more are never reported at all. The truth, though, is that every single road crash is one too many. Yet through years of deliberations, legislation and piecemeal initiatives…

The revamped Church Street, which opened to the public in 2018, was built to be primarily pedestrian-friendly. The project also integrated all the networked services under the road – water, sewage, power, gas, and stormwater drains, ensuring minimum disruptions. (In)famous for being dotted with restaurants, bars, and pubs, Church Street is an attraction for tourists and residents, alike. The videos and reports on social media of how the street, and the adjacent Mahatma Gandhi (MG) road, were crowded on New Year's eve, vouch for its popularity. Five years later, even as Church Street is recognised for its design and aesthetics,…

In 2018, a revamped Church Street opened to the public with much fanfare. The 715-metre stretch was redesigned along Tender SURE guidelines at a cost of Rs 9 crore. The cobblestoned streets and wide footpaths were welcomed as being pedestrian-friendly, hassle-free for cyclists, and accessible to all. As in most cities in India, Bengaluru roads often require maintenance and repair due to constant digging up by service providers. To overcome this issue, Bengaluru piloted the state-of-the-art designed Church Street, a first of its kind in India. The project integrated all the networked services under the road: water, sewage, power, gas,…

Street parking in Chennai has always been a contentious issue between pedestrians and vehicle owners. As the former wonders where to walk, the latter wonders where to park.  This question becomes even more prominent as Chennai roads bear almost 60 lakh private motor vehicles as of 2021, which is one-fifth the total number of vehicles in Tamil Nadu. Moreover, the count of privatised motor vehicles has increased by two times. With these recent developments, street parking has become a pressing issue that affects daily life in the city. Attempts have been made to address the issue with the proposal for…

Every year there is news about the loss of limb and life due to potholes on Bengaluru roads. Politicians across the spectrum announce funds to repair them, but little happens on the ground. In 2015, a group of citizens led by Vijayan Menon filed a PIL in the High Court of Karnataka demanding accountability from BBMP who they held responsible as the “owner and custodian” of all roads in Bengaluru per Article 12 of the Constitution. Read more: Roads not completed, users overcharged — the many potholes in implementing highway projects After multiple deadlines given to fix the potholes, Bengaluru…

Every woman in India has felt unsafe while accessing public spaces. Even though Mumbai is considered relatively safer for women when compared to other metropolitan cities, incidents of sexual violence are not uncommon in the city. To address women's safety in Mumbai, Citizen Matters Mumbai held an hour-long virtual discussion with researchers, legal experts, and activists. The discussion first shed light on the acts of violence that women and other vulnerable genders are subjected to daily and then turned towards the question of how they can be prevented. Speaking about her experience while researching for her book Why Loiter: Women &…

In its annual report titled ‘State of Policing and Law and Order in Mumbai, 2022’, PRAJA Foundation revealed that 98% of the total cases in Class II serious offences, including murder, crimes against women and cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act are pending for trial. In cases where the trials were completed, 86% ended in an acquittal or discharge. The data was based on findings from applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and data published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Read more: Is Mumbai really safe for its women? Data suggests otherwise…

Citizen Matters has published in-depth articles and analyses on understanding the multiple causes of Bengaluru's flooding this year. So it was only pertinent to engage with citizens to understand the issues they faced in their homes and apartment complexes during the floods, and give them a platform to raise their queries. Challenges of rain-related problems, such as seepage, weakening foundations, damp basements, soil damage, not to mention potholed roads and footpaths, will predictably become more frequent as rainfall intensifies due to climate change. The first edition of Bengaluru Citizen Clinic, a format in which experts address specific questions from citizens…

Flooded buildings and inundated neighbourhoods have become more commonplace in the last few years. In addition, residents have to deal with seepage, weakening foundations, damp basements and soil damage, not to mention potholed roads and footpaths.  With climate change, rainfall is only going to get more intense. How do we fix rain-related problems and prevent further issues in our homes, apartment complexes and layouts? What issues are you facing? What do you need to know to get the problem solved? Citizen Matters, Bengaluru will host a panel of experts to address your questions and doubts on November 4th (Friday), 6…

The festival season is almost synonymous with the sale season. It's an excuse to splurge, buy and gift. Advertisements and discounts attract us to many such offers and our shopping carts, virtual and otherwise overflow with binge buys. But this rampant consumerism in festivals is incredibly damaging to our environment, increasing the burden on our resources, and adding to the mounting levels of waste and pollution. With Diwali around the corner, Citizen Matters was joined by two enthusiastic and spirited environmentalists for a panel discussion held on Instagram live, titled 'Conscious consumers: Celebrating in a sustainable and responsible way' on October…