GENRE: In Focus

This is the second story of a two-part series on why finding a sustainable solution to regulate Delhi’s legal and illegal street vendors is so difficult. You can read Part I here. Kuldip Singh Sawhney, president of the Sarojini Market Shopkeepers' Association, says they moved a case against the street vendors in the Delhi High Court in September 2021. “Our plea was that according to the Master Plan 2021, the vendors holding capacity of this market is 60 to 80. On an adhoc basis, 65 vegetable stalls were allowed and there are 125 Thareja vendors. In addition, 324 of the…

"Rising petrol prices motivated me to buy an electric two-wheeler in Chennai," says V Akash, who rides an Ather 450X electric scooter. S Kaushik, who owns a Hero Electric Optima HX scooter, has a similar tale to narrate. "I wanted to try something new. Plus, the subsidy also substantially lowered the cost, making it a very viable option. There was a discount of around Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 45,000 when I bought my scooter last year," he says. Many electric two-wheeler users have almost the same motivation for buying an EV. "There is hardly any maintenance cost. We do not…

The  voter data scam, uncovered by The News Minute (TNM) and Pratidhvani, has raised concerns over the breach of privacy and the misuse of voter data. At the heart of the issue is the actual voter data. This is the first part of a series looking deeper into the implications of the Bengaluru voter data theft controversy. Part I: Illegal voter data collection: Does it really matter? (this article)Part II: Illegal voter data collection: How can we protect our privacy?Part III: Illegal voter data collection: Frontline workers of election management The crucial allegation against the NGO Chilume Educational Cultural and…

59% of the world’s population defecating in the open live in India. The sanitation situation is far worse in urban informal settlements. One such settlement is Shivaji Nagar, a neighbourhood located in the lowest-ranked ward of Mumbai. Communities in Shivaji Nagar have lived with toilet scarcity for decades. They face multiple challenges related to sanitation due to systemic marginalisation and strategic placement beside Asia’s largest landfill.  A study, taking stock of sanitation in Shivaji Nagar, was released recently by Apnalaya, a non-profit organisation working on issues of the urban poor. The NGO has been working in Shivaji Nagar for many decades.  Map showing functional and…

This is the first of a two part story on why finding a sustainable solution to regulate Delhi’s legal and illegal street vendors is so difficult. Ask the best-dressed girl in Lady Shri Ram College or Miranda House where she bought the smart top she is wearing, chances are she will tell you “SN (Sarojini Nagar market)”. The checked cots wool shirt or cushion covers and tablecloth with exquisite embroidery in that posh Gurugram apartment would most probably also have been “picked up “as a “bargain” or to “help the craftspersons/roadside vendors”, from the footpath in Janpath. Ditto for the…

Over the last few decades, the number of private motor vehicles on the roads of Chennai has increased significantly. The increase in the number of vehicles only contributed towards promoting severe air pollution, which had to be controlled. With this in mind, a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate for motor vehicles was made a mandatory requirement as per the Regional Transport Office (RTO) Rules. The PUC certificate is an indicator that the emissions from the vehicles are within the permissible limit. When the PUC certification rule was first introduced, several centres were opened across the city of Chennai. Over the years…

Rumours of child kidnappings on the internet rise time and time again. They are easy fodder on social media and messaging applications, featuring audiovisual media or text warning of child kidnappings at mass. With content that is often alarming, depicting a scary tale of children in danger, they prey on the concerns of parents and teachers. Mumbai is not immune to this. This past September, viral messages and social media posts of child kidnappings rumours led to an atmosphere of fear and suspicion in many pockets of the city, including Kanjurmarg, Ghatkopar, Andheri, Jogeshwari, etc. In one instance, two suspected…

With the increasing number of private motor vehicles in Chennai, the need for a comprehensive parking management strategy is being felt acutely. Despite initiatives like multilevel parking facilities being taken up by the government, the public continues to park their vehicles on the streets or on pavements, causing multiple problems. With an intention to find answers to this long-term problem in Chennai, Citizen Matters organised a webinar titled ‘Finding a solution to street parking in Chennai’, bringing together a panel of experts for the discussion. The panel comprised Sanjay Pinto, Advocate, Columnist, Author and former Resident Editor of NDTV 24x7;…

As we look forward to observing World Disability Day on December 3rd, it is pertinent to question whether Bengaluru is satisfactorily accessible, in terms of public spaces, buildings, mobility, public transport, for persons with disabilities or if there is a lot left to be desired. “The most difficult thing is accessibility to resources and information for people living with disabilities,” says Parinitha P, a resident of Bengaluru and a Person with Disability (PwD). Disabled-friendly infrastructure - only on paper The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPWDA) notified the Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier Free Built Environment for…

In the first part of the story, we looked at Mumbai’s AC trains, evaluating whether they are attracting car users off the roads and improving traffic in Mumbai. In Part 2, we shift our attention to the Mumbai Metro, which nears a decade since beginning operations in the city. When Gokhale bridge, a connector between the East and West sides of Andheri, closed for repair on Monday, November 7th, alternative routes suggested by the traffic police saw congestion and traffic jams. Some people, however, chose to park their cars and use the metro. Till 5 pm that day, 11,000 more…