GENRE: In Focus

It may have surprised many, when Bengaluru set the record for the most protests in a month with 82 protests between December and January. The ‘garden city’ is rarely associated with political activism and is often overshadowed by the likes of Delhi and Mumbai. However, like in the rest of the country, the CAA protests have served as a locus for different groups, ideologies and movements to coalesce. Inspired by Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, Bengaluru’s Bilal Bagh started on February 8 and is ongoing. Organisers have imposed precautions to keep the coronavirus at bay. On February 29, the City Corporation banned…

As lunch hour breaks, there's palpable energy among the students of Chennai Primary School run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in Tondiarpet, as they gather to eat their protein-rich midday meal -- eggs and sambar rice. However, just a few kilometres away, the students in the Government Primary School at Ennore, are not as fortunate. Forget mid-day meals, the 32 children belonging to various classes of the government school do not even have enough room to sit according to class - they  are all accommodated in a single congested asbestos-sheeted classroom. The school in Tondiarpet has roped in NGOs…

Given the global pandemic of the coronavirus/COVID-19, Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN) has called upon the central and state governments to implement special measures to prevent and check against the spread of this virus among homeless and inadequately-housed people, who face increased vulnerability, on account of their poor living conditions and already high morbidity. India has at least 4 million people living in homelessness in urban areas and over 70 million people living in ‘informal settlements’ without access to essential services. The homeless population and those who live in settlements without adequate housing are particularly vulnerable to contracting and…

Tamil Nadu reported its first case of COVID19 on March 9th. An individual who had travelled to Kanchipuram from Oman showed symptoms and tested positive. He was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai. Seven others who had been in close contact with the infected individual were also placed under observation for symptoms and tested negative for COVID19. On March 11th, Tamil Nadu’s Health Minister Vijayabaskar announced that the first person found to have been infected with COVID19 in the state has tested negative after treatment and subsequent tests. With this, the number of infected persons in…

Delhi's riot-ravaged north-east district is slowly picking itself up. Relief, rehabilitation and compensation for the families of 53 dead, more than 200 injured and the hundreds displaced and deprived is gaining steam, even though grief, bewilderment and confusion still hang over residents. The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 provides for (a) prevention and control of communal violence, (b) speedy investigation and trials, and (c) rehabilitation of victims. While efforts at prevention, control or investigation of communal violence, with special trial courts for speedy justice, are under question, rehabilitation at least is gaining strength. But skirting…

As much as Rs, 8344 crore was announced for Bengaluru’s development in the latest state Budget presented by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on March 5. Here’s the catch: It is a carry-over of the previous year’s Budget – with an outlay of Rs 8015 crore for Bengaluru --presented by then Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. What’s more, it bears a new name. The former’s grants came under the `Chief Minister’s Nava Bengaluru Kriya Scheme’ while Yediyurappa’s allocations for Bengaluru comes under the `Chief Minister’s Nava Nagarottana Scheme’. There are more similarities: From solid waste management to transport, mobility, water supply,…

While the Indian government has shared information on precautions and preventive measures to tackle the Covid virus pandemic, there are specific actions that communities with residents living close to each other can take. Here is an FAQ to address questions from apartments, paying guest accommodations, and group housing quarters: What care should security personnel and housekeeping staff take? For the safety of security personnel who interact with a large number of visitors, apartments should ensure they wear masks and have access to soap/water and sanitiser solutions. Public health officials advise that the elevator should be operated only by one security…

With only one Coronavirus positive reported in the state so far, alarm bells in Chennai have predictably been less shrill than in other cities of the country. However, there is no scope for complacence. Government departments have been issuing circulars and releases to the media, detailing the various precautionary measures taken by them to prevent the spread of the disease. In the most recent development, the Tamil Nadu government has announced closure of kindergarten classes in all districts till the end of March.  India is reportedly in Stage II of the disease outbreak, where transmission is said to be contained…

It was almost mid-morning on Tuesday, when Manjunath, a sugarcane juice vendor, had three unexpected visitors. Lanyards hanging from their necks, their ID cards were concealed in their pockets. However their sharp dressing - long-sleeved shirts and dark pants - was a giveaway to the 40-year-old vendor. He realised they were not ones to take a sip of ‘pressed juice’ from his makeshift outlet near Koramangala grounds. Manjunath says, “One was speaking on his phone, two others seemed to be checking the sugarcane juice vending machine, steel vessels, sieve, stored juice extracts. One of them made some notes in a…