GENRE: Features

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship Bengaluru has always grappled with migration and population explosion. As a result, the city produces more than 5,000 tonnes of waste every day. With a faulty garbage transport system and contractor mafia, the city runs into garbage problem every now and then. The identified landfills around the city keep filling fast. Bengalureans have always tried to come up with waste-management systems, starting from garbage bins to clean up drives and from a no-bin to a three-bin system. Even so, garbage dumps became rampant in Bengaluru. Indiscriminate burning of garbage also became…

The Fort High School in Chamarajpet, built in 1907, has lain dilapidated for years. Its alumni include freedom fighter H S Doresamy, cricketer G R Vishwanath, and even the former King of Mysore Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar. Sometime back, authorities even "repaired" the school in places with vitrified tiles, completely ignoring its importance as a heritage structure. Last year, the non-profit INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) took up a project to restore the building to its original state. It took about eight years for INTACH to document the building, get permission from DPI (Department of Public Instruction) to…

“Enter via the big arch of the crematorium.” The ominous instructions to reach the Dr. Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary in Pune perhaps foreshadow the fate that is looming for this green patch. Located off the busy Nagar Road in Pune, on the banks of the Mula Mutha river, the inconspicuous sanctuary shares an entrance with a crematorium and a garbage dump – not the most appealing welcome for visiting birds or birdwatchers. The slice of green, however, has been quietly attracting several species of birds and butterflies and houses a variety of trees and shrubs. But Pune’s booming infrastructure is…

Translated by KJ Krishna Kumar 2016-17 நிதி ஆண்டு அறிக்கையின் படி "டாஸ்மாக்" அரசு மது விற்பனை நிறுவனத்தின் மொத்த வரவு : 31,247 கோடி , நிகர லாபம் 25.23 கோடி ஆகும். இது 2016 டிசம்பர் உச்ச நீதி மன்றம் 220 மீட்டர் அருகாமையில் உள்ள மதுபான கடைகளை இடமாற்றம் செய்ய இட்ட ஆணையின் படி 3321 டாஸ்மாக் கடைகளை தற்காலிகமாக மூடியதினால் வந்த இழப்பையும் தாண்டி. மது விற்பனையால் அரசுக்கு கொழுத்த லாபம் வந்த நேரத்திலும், மதுவால் பாதிக்கப் பட்டோர்களுக்கு திருத்தம் செய்ய என்ன செய்திருக்கிறது / போதுமான அளவு ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்திருக்கிறதா? சமூகநீதி மற்றும் தன்மேம்பாடு அமைச்சகம் நியமித்து AIIMS'சின் தேசிய போதைப்பொருள் மறுசீரமைப்பு மையம் செய்த ஆய்வின்படி மதுவினால் வரும் பிரச்சனைகளில் முதன்மை மாநிலமாக உள்ளது தமிழ்நாடு போதையடிமை மறுசீரமைப்பு மையங்கள் எல்லாம் ஒரு அரசு மருத்துவமனையோடோ, பொதுநல மையங்களோடோ இணைக்கப்பட்டு இருப்பதால்,…

As Mumbai voted to elect its representatives to the next Lok Sabha on April 29th, it was in a way the realisation of a three-decade long dream for the SP-BSP candidate in Mumbai’s north west constituency. Or almost. Two-time MLA in UP, Subhash Pasi has indeed made a long journey to finally arrive at this day. A UP bhaiya, Pasi, 60, claims to represent the large number of his fellow bhaiyas, and Muslims and Dalits of this constituency. “They comprise about eight lakh of the 16 lakh voters,” said Pasi, Pasi’s family arrived in Mumbai from UP in the early…

Indian Mythology is peppered with great stories. And my favourite right now, with the elections around the corner, is the legend of Mohini - Bhasmasura. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the it, let me give you the abridged version - Lord Shiva who is pleased with the penance of Bhasmasura, the great demon, gives him a boon that he can burn anything and anybody by just placing his hand upon its head. Upon receiving the ‘gift’, Bhasmasura tries to place his hand on Lord Shiva’s head to burn him. To me, nothing else succinctly sums up my…

Finally, the much awaited day is here, when Chennai is all set to choose its representatives in the 17th Lok Sabha. Parliamentary elections this time are distinctive in the fact the median age of the electorate is 27.9 years. For the first time in the history of India, forty-five million young people have become eligible to vote as they turn 18 and have been added to India’s electoral rolls since 2014 (according to ECI data of 2018). Needless to say, therefore, that how India’s young population votes will be one of the major deciding factors in the ongoing elections. Young…

A G Mourya, retired IPS officer and Makkal Needhi Maiam candidate is contesting from Chennai North parliamentary constituency; rival candidates are DMK’s Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy and DMDK’s former MLA Alagaapuram R Mohanraj. In a candid interview, A G Mourya, an MCC alumnus and the former Deputy Inspector General of Prisons, says he is confident of winning from the constituency, that had been a hot seat for the DMK for ten consecutive elections before 2014, when the AIADMK won it. Here are excerpts from the interview: How do you feel the transition from being a police officer to a politician? It…

The representatives of Federation of OMR Residents Associations (FOMRRA) came together on the afternoon of April 14th to listen to some of the candidates contesting for the Lok Sabha elections from Chennai South constituency. FOMRRA represents nearly three lakh households in gated communities, independent houses and small apartments. The candidates had been sent a set of key questions regarding water supply, sewage network and traffic management which have posed and continue to pose many challenges for the residents over the years. First to speak was Thamizhachi Thangapandian from the DMK. She acknowledged the questions sent to her but added that most…

With just two days to go for Phase 2 of the 17th Lok Sabha Polls, civic campaigns complement the Election Commission of India's back-to-back activities on creating awareness about the right to vote. As part of the Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities by the Election Commission, Greater Chennai Corporation has organised various activities such as Parasailing, bike rally and workshops to reach out to the voters. The website of the Chief Electoral officer, Tamil Nadu is filled with awareness videos by eminent film personalities such as Vijay Sethupathi and Vivek. Created by the Election Commission, #MakeYourMarkTN is…