GENRE: In Focus

Even though manual scavenging was officially banned in 1993, it continues in the city. This is due to the increasing number of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and a lack of awareness about their operation and maintenance.  In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the absence of data and organisation within the rehabilitation programme for manual scavengers. In this part, we look further into the emergence of a new form of manual scavenging. In 2018, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) amended its guidelines for STPs. It made the installation of STPs mandatory in apartments above 50 units.…

Chennai has long been guilty of excluding marginalised communities from the scope of its flagship projects such as Singara Chennai. Explaining this historical marginalisation process, the Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), in its ‘Urban October Campaign’ says that historically, marginalised communities settled near water bodies in Chennai, as these were the only available lands that were neither in demand nor in possession of affluent communities. Forcibly dislocating marginalised and vulnerable families from their places of habitation to the city margins, without exploring possibilities of relocation near their existing sites of residence, is an act of…

Part 1 and 2 of the series looked at the transformation of Jayanagar from a quaint neighbourhood to a bustling commercial zone. Part 3 explores the street and transit networks in Jayanagar as well as its land use. Figure 3.1 The Transportation network of Bengaluru and transit deserts: The arterial roads connect to other cities i.e., Bellary, Tumkur, Coimbatore, Mysuru  and the Old Madras Road. The transit networks also run along these prominent roads, forming a radiating network with concentric roads for internal movement. Pic courtesy: Manojna Polisetty Figure 3.1 shows roads that connect Bengaluru to other cities. These are called arterial…

The increasing instances of student suicides in Chennai have brought the need to discuss mental health of students, especially teenagers, to the fore. Given that the environment at home and at school has a major role to play in the mental health of students, a closer examination of what transpires in these spaces is essential. Saranya A, the founder of Arukah Counselling Service, speaks to Citizen Matters on the factors that affect the mental health of students and what can be done to create safe spaces for them. Saranya A, Counselling Psychologist Saranya holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology…

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…