GENRE: LN

Shakuntala (61) is a domestic worker in Mumbai's Lower Parel where she takes up jobs in and around the area and travels in BEST buses. On the rare days when she cannot afford the tedious task of waiting at a bus stop, she chooses the luxury of a kaali peeli taxi. Shakuntala was surprised to find out that the city's traffic police are now imposing fines of Rs 200 if all the passengers in a car fail to wear a seatbelt. "I travel short distances, my commute is limited from home to work and back I don't know about all of this," she…

"As a car driver, sometimes one is compelled to use the riskier mode of a two-wheeler on potholed roads because of lack of on-street or stilt/ basement parking. It adds 15 to 20 minutes of travel time, risk of towing, and undue pressure on the driver to plan the trip according to possible/potential parking availability, " says Namrata N, a regular commuter. This is a problem that every commuter in Bengaluru, who has taken out their private vehicle, has been resonating with for quite a long time now. Parking ranks high on the list of the city's road problems. It…

Planting saplings as part of tree plantation drives in Chennai is an act that provides tremendous gratification to those who plant them. But what happens to the saplings after they are planted is a key question that we should be looking at. How many tree plantation drives are successful in their mission? Whom does the responsibility of caring for the plants fall upon? How can tree plantation drives be made more effective? A resident's lament Namachivayam C of Venkatarathinam Nagar planted 40 saplings in and around his locality ten months ago. "I grew up seeing many trees disappear in my…

Bengaluru's traffic police have tried their hardest to curtail the city's infamous traffic brawls and instances like speeding, drinking rashly, drunk driving or while on the phone by levying heavy traffic fines on the violators. Bengaluru has always ranked higher in the state for having the most number of traffic violations, which have translated to increased penalties. There were also reports of a single traffic cop collecting as much as Rs 2 lakh in two hours from traffic violators. How much amount has the government collected and what does it propose to do with all the fines they have raked…

Visualise this: Many stalls are put up in an area. A number of people visit each of these stalls. Many more people move from one stall to another, peeping in, observing the displays, interacting with those manning the stalls, and may be even transacting. People meeting strangers, striking up conversations, exchanging information and thoughts, and exploring the things that are available there. A familiar face here, a known person there – the hand waves, the ‘Hi’s!, and the catching up. If a market place came to mind, you are not wrong. For indeed, the above was my experience at the…

Bengaluru's first Namma Clinic, a freshly painted building being established in Mahalaxmipuram, that will provide free basic health care to the urban poor, is waiting to be inaugurated. The opening could happen anytime this month, no particular date has been set as yet. The plan is to set up 438 Namma Clinics across all the city's 243 wards by the end of December 2022, according to state health minister Dr Sudhakar K. As per the 2022-23 state budget, "In these clinics, the services of detection of non-communicable diseases and of referral for treatment to specialists will be provided". The clinics…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be spending over Rs 10 crore on the beautification of the M-east ward in the first phase. The ward authorities also plan to construct a clock tower at Indian Oil Nagar in the second phase of beautification. However, residents in the area believe the money could be used more efficiently. 33-year-old Kailash Aran, who works as a driver and resides in the slums of Annabhau Sathe Nagar, contends BMC needs to focus on keeping the area clean and ensuring the ward remains mosquito-free instead of such beautification projects that don't do much for the…

The traffic on Akurli road, Kandivali, is not news. It is the main access road to all of Kandivali East, beginning at Kandivali railway station. From there, it passes Growel’s mall, cuts through the Western Express Highway (WEH), going on to Hanuman Nagar, Lokhandwala, Damu Nagar and Gautam Nagar, stopping only at the green expanse of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).  Despite the heavy traffic it has to carry, the road is just 90 feet wide. Shops and parked vehicles on either side further squeeze it, and many lanes intersect it linking the areas along the way.  Complaints have been…

While social media lauded the efforts of the civic body and state administration in preventing widespread urban flooding during the initial spell of the Northeast Monsoon, the past week also saw parts of North Chennai's residents feel neglected in terms of response to the rains and overall flood mitigation efforts.  "If the Corporation can constantly keep vigil in core areas in Chennai like Nungambakkam, what about North Chennai? There may be so many people who are educated enough to raise complaints in the centre of the city. But North Chennai is predominantly made up of the working class, who are…

On the morning of October 29th, 55-year-old Faiyaz Ahmed visited Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (also known as Sion Hospital) along with his daughter for her medical check-up. However, he had no intention of getting himself checked. However, an announcement on the loudspeaker inside the hospital's OPD building changed his mind. The announcement said that anyone above the age of 30 who wanted to get screened for diabetes and hypertension could visit the free-of-cost, walk-in Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Centre. "Abhi umar bhi ho gayi hai, socha sugar check karwa leta hoon. Kuch alag se taklif ho nahi rahi hai," Ahmed says.…