GENRE: In Focus

Bengaluru was once divided into two distinct centres: An urban settlement and a military cantonment. However, in 1948, the two centres merged together to form Bengaluru city corporation for a new, unified Bengaluru city.  Over the following decades, the city experienced large-scale development of public industries in sectors such as telecom, machinery, electronic goods, etc. It also saw the emergence of a large number of residential layouts, which made it a pensioner’s paradise. One such locality is  Jayanagar neighbourhood, which was laid out in 1949. Characterised by numerous art deco bungalows, abundant parks, playgrounds, an accessible schooling system and a neighbourhood commercial…

A year ago while I was looking into the spate of evictions in Chennai, I came across the heart-wrenching story of 115 families in Kannappar Thidal. Around 62 families, who were living on the streets near the Ripon building, were evicted in 2002 by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) as their presence was found to be an obstacle to the then-ongoing sporting events and developmental work in the nearby Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. These families were provided a temporary shelter in a building that was originally used to house load-men working in the nearby Southern Railways goods shed. They were promised…

Keeping the slum dwellers at the core of its planning, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme was initially conceptualised way back in 1995. With about half the Mumbai's population living in informal settlements, the SRA scheme is critical for ensuring better quality housing for all Mumbaikars. The city has about 2149 SRA projects, involving 5,29,434 proposed tenements and 2,49,887 tenements already handed over to people. As we saw in the first part of this series, the buildings are poorly maintained and affecting the not just quality of life but also causing extreme stress to the residents due to various issues.…

“I was so happy when the bank sent the test amount of Rs 1. It means I have been selected for the scheme”, says Lakshmi V, a resident of NSC Bose Road, on being eligible to receive monthly cash assistance of Rs 1000 under the newly launched Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, the Tamil Nadu government has taken a significant step towards women's empowerment with the launch of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme. This initiative aims to extend the benefits of the State Government's Universal Basic Income Program to nearly one million women across…

At the entrance of the Jankalyan Society at Dahisar, near the lift, a blackboard asks residents to clear their pending maintenance charges. Signed by the building's Mahila Mandal Sudhar Samiti (MMSS) or resident women's group, the note also urges residents that they would be able to offer better services to residents if maintenance dues are paid on time.  Though a number of garbage bins lie below their building, the provisional committee members of the Society are convinced that their building is cleaner and better maintained compared to other buildings provided by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) Mumbai. Even so, at…

A study conducted by the Chennai-based NGO, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), on World Bank-financed housing projects in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu reveals that nearly four decades after the implementation of the project, a majority of the beneficiaries still await land titles and sale deeds that were promised to them. The study, titled 'Implementation of the World Bank-financed Housing Projects in Tamil Nadu and its Impact on the Deprived Urban Communities', has been compiled based on the existing information and updates available in various citizens’ reports and participatory assessments that were facilitated by IRCDUC…

This three part series examines rainfall patterns in Bengaluru and the lessons we can learn about water resilience. Part 1: Over 100 years of Bengaluru rains decodedPart 2: Can a little boy affect Bengaluru's rains?Part 3: Deluge or drought: Water researchers explain how Bengaluru can build resilience So far, the rainy season of 2023 is breaking all sorts of records. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in Bengaluru, April had a 54.3% rainfall deficit while May had 102% surplus rainfall. May 2023 was the wettest May in 66 years. Meanwhile, June was in deficit, July had 6% excess rainfall…

Chennai has waited for more than a decade for the completion of the Port-Maduravoyal Expressway project. The infrastructure project was commissioned with a view to decongesting Chennai roads, particularly from traffic from containers that head to the city’s port. The funding agency for the Port-Maduravoyal Expressway project is the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) which is also responsible for its maintenance and management. Disagreements between successive state governments have resulted in the project lying suspended for an inordinately long period. Over all these years, commuters have been driving past incomplete pillars where the elevated expressway should have been. Shanavas…

This three part series examines rainfall patterns in Bengaluru and the lessons we can learn about water resilience. Part 1: Over 100 years of Bengaluru rains decodedPart 2: Can a little boy affect Bengaluru's rains?Part 3: Deluge or drought: Water researchers explain how Bengaluru can build resilience Through my childhood in the nineties, all I recall about Bengaluru’s weather was that it was good, mild or fine. By mid-2000s, the talk was mostly about how the city was getting hotter. In 2020, well into adulthood, I suddenly noticed the rains. Over the course of the first lockdown, lime- washed white…

Bhaucha Dhakka or Ferry Wharf, located on the eastern seafront of the city, is one of Mumbai’s oldest fish landing sites. It is one of the four major sites, where fish is brought to the town.  Over the last few years, the dhakka has seen immense changes. A grimy billboard inscribed with the title ‘Sagarmala-Port-led prosperity’ stands at the side of the current trestle that leads to both the jetty and the newly constructed cruise and ferry terminal. This trestle will soon be demolished.  Bhaucha Dhakka handles both small boats and trawlers. As claimed by the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)…