GENRE: In Focus

Indian laws currently don't recognise gig workers either as organised or unorganised workers. While organised workers are protected by their agreements, unorganised workers like wage labourers, at least theoretically, can access some benefits under the Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008. The exclusion of one of the most conspicuous types of workers today from both these categories seem to contribute to the invisibilisation of their work. In Part 1 of this series, we saw how platform workers in Hyderabad become more vulnerable during extreme rains and flash floods. In this part, we explore what protections are available to them under…

On August 9, Syed Farhan, a Zomato delivery worker, fell into an open drain in Hyderabad while completing a delivery. In a video tweeted by Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) on X, Farhan is seen narrating his ordeal: “The water was [at a high] level and it was hard to understand the depth since nothing else was parked. My bike drowned and my phone, worth ₹20,000, also stopped working. My bike was worth ₹1.4 lakhs…I was still paying for it monthly.” In the video, he says he has been working for Zomato for the past seven years and…

As Chennai moves rapidly towards privatising its waste management, serious questions are emerging, not only about the impact on workers, but also on the city’s finances and transparency. In the first part of this series, we saw how privatisation of waste management affects the workers. In this second part of our series, we investigate whether privatisation truly makes economic sense for the city. Today, 13 of Chennai’s 15 zones are managed by private companies, including Ramky Group and Urbaser-Sumeet. But a closer look reveals troubling gaps in accountability. Read more: Status check: Key concerns remain as Chennai moves ahead with…

Living near the waste processing unit in Lingadheeranahalli has turned daily life into a struggle for residents. Many have been grappling with health issues. “Asthma cases are rising among the elderly and young children. My mother, who has heart issues and stents, finds it hard to breathe when the stench intensifies. Even basic routines like eating have become unbearable,” shares Ravi N K, a resident whose home is less than a kilometre from the facility. Located in Banashankari, in the southern part of Bengaluru, the waste processing facility is one of seven such units across the city. Over the years,…

For 17-year-old Jareen Saifi, school is the highlight of her day. Born with multiple disabilities including speech impairment, she eagerly signs to her mother asking if they can go to school. For the past five years, she has been attending the Girls Senior Secondary School in New Delhi’s New Friends Colony — a mainstream institution with a relatively high proportion of children with disabilities. The school offers a special educator, resource room and speech therapy, all of which are crucial for her. The school’s playground is close to her classroom and that is where she truly lights up.  But the…

At Bengaluru’s first Dry Waste Collection Centre (DWCC) in Domlur, heaps of waste in segregated piles dominate the landscape. Drivers of collection vehicles and waste pickers work through the piles, segregating waste in challenging conditions. These centres were established to promote decentralised waste management and improve the livelihood of waste workers. Yet, a decade later, waste pickers continue to struggle without formal employment status, volatile resale prices for recyclable waste, a shortage of quality waste and fragile job security. Workers at the Domlur DWCC come from various backgrounds. For some, waste picking is a generational occupation — A Krishna, the…

In August this year, over 2,000 sanitation workers from Central and North Chennai staged a peaceful protest against the Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) decision to privatise waste management services in Zones 5 and 6. Their demonstration was met with force and allegations of police brutality, just one day before Independence Day. Sanitary workers protest against the privatisation of waste management in zones 5 and 6 in Chennai. Pic courtesy: Sakthivel/Vyasai Thozhargal Over the years, GCC has outsourced solid waste management to private firms in 13 out of its 15 zones. The latest was in June this year, which approved the…

As the monsoon continues to wreak havoc in Mumbai, residents of Appa Pada, living along the slopes of the Malad hillocks within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), are among the worst affected. As soon as the rainy season begins, they find eviction notices pasted on their doors. The Forest Department also erects banners warning residents to vacate the area because of monsoon-related hazards. These notices seem to absolve the government of any responsibility in the event of an accident.   Appa Pada continues to be susceptible to landslides, posing danger to the hillock’s inhabitants. Despite this, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation…

In many parts of Bengaluru, cows foraging through heaps of garbage is a common sight. One such long-standing blackspot is in Jayachamarajendra Nagar (JC Nagar) near Benson Town. Neela, who runs a grocery shop right opposite the dump, says it has been there since she moved in three years ago; others claim it has existed for over a decade, while some residents say they’ve seen it all their lives. The locality, a low to middle-income settlement with narrow lanes, does not receive door-to-door garbage collection. Instead, a tipper truck waits at a fixed spot where residents must bring their waste…

Sponge parks are quickly becoming a prominent element of Chennai’s flood mitigation efforts. Spearheaded by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), the project now boasts 78 sponge parks in the city, under the Sponge City initiative. While these structures are designed to manage surface runoff and prevent urban flooding, a closer examination reveals significant deviations from the holistic, nature-based designs that typically define a sponge park. Unlike the sponge park in Porur (Dr MS Swaminathan Wetland Eco Park), that integrates nature-based design and ecosystem restoration, most GCC-implemented sponge parks function more like glorified rainwater harvesting systems. The critical question remains: Are…