GENRE: LN

On June 17th, DK Shivakumar, as the Deputy Chief Minister and the Bengaluru Development Minister held a meeting of 42 eminent personalities and experts to look into issues that need to be fixed in the city. The idea is to reform Brand Bengaluru by constituting a committee of industry leaders and officials. The state government also launched a website where the public can offer comments. City based NGO, Environment Support Group (ESG), has criticised the move for being elitist. The organisation is appealing to the government to undertake Bengaluru’s development through elected representatives in the Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC). Although…

Few days ago, a reel on Instagram made it to several groups of citizens involved in civic action. It was about residents of Chimbai lamenting the condition of the beach, where they grew up. They reminisced about how Chimbai beach looked like a ‘beach’ and it was used by the people as a playground. The residents said they used to play on the beach when they were young but now their children play on the road, which is unsafe. They all spoke about how Chimbai has lost its beauty over the years. Several women spoke about the absolute lack of cleanliness…

Fast-filling lakes make BMC rethink water-cut plan After heavy rains in lake catchment areas, the BMC will revise its decision on the implementation of water cuts in the first week of July. On Tuesday the local body had announced a ten percent water cut that would have taken place from July 1. Since then the lake levels have shown improvement and heavy rain is expected in the next three days.  Monsoon arrived late and the water levels in the five lakes of Thane and Nashik had dropped but heavy rains have compensated. As per the status of 24 hours till…

Every Saturday, there are neatly lined up boxes of plastics, bottles, electronic waste and more at the gates of many societies in and around Thane. A truck picks it all up, and takes it to Kopri, where it is segregated and sent for recycling. This practice has been in place for a couple for years now, and the response has only multiplied. Women workers, who segregate garbage for a living, and housekeeping staff of residential societies are the main links in efficient solid waste management. Workers, whose livelihoods depend on collection, segregation and selling of dry waste to scrap dealers,…

During the pandemic, coaching centres were compelled to conduct classes online. However, post pandemic, the trend seems to have reversed. Many students, preparing for competitive and board exams, are opting for offline classes. However, online study material, apps, recorded zoom classes, and YouTube videos, are being used by students either because they cannot attend classes in person or due to easy accessibility. Students' preferences Lutsuhlu Swuro, who joined Rau’s IAS Study Circle to prepare for the UPSC exam, says there is no alternative to classroom teaching. "The environment at home does not give me enough privacy to focus and study.…

Kavitha and Jyothi are domestic workers from Tamil Nadu who have been living in North Bengaluru for two decades, raised families here, and speak Kannada fluently. However, only Jyothi can access the free bus scheme. Kavitha doesn’t have an Aadhar card with a Karnataka address. The Congress government’s free bus scheme, Shakti, is highly popular and has been lauded across the media. But the benefits of the scheme will not reach all women. Migrant women in the state who are not domiciled, will be left out of it. Free bus travel has opened up the city for women, say activists.…

Ramalingam*, a sexagenarian, was travelling alone from Madurai to Chennai on a Sunday morning and reached the Egmore railway station. As he was walking on the foot-over-bridge to take the metro rail, he went into a sudden cardiac arrest. While the public tried to help him and dial 108 ambulance service, not many were aware of the emergency medical centre inside the station's premises that is exclusively meant for attending to medical emergency cases in Chennai Egmore railway station. A railway staff noticed the crowd and intimated the medical staff at the centre. A female and a male nurse immediately…

From Meetha River to a polluted nullah, Mithi River's identity changed a long time ago. A tourist or a newcomer in the city may not even recognise the river due to the waste and sewage deposited over decades. Now, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has initiated a new project - rejuvenation of the Mithi River, by way of filtration of 80 lakh litres of water. What is the new project all about?  Under the 'Mithi River Development and Pollution Control Project', the 'Mithi River Water Quality Improvement' initiative has started since January 2023. As part of that, a sewerage treatment…

Mariamma, a 71-year-old weaver of bamboo baskets, sits on the footpath of K R Road, applying ointment to the wounds on her hands, hoping someone would buy the baskets she had woven four days ago. Weaving baskets has been Mariamma’s livelihood for the past 58 years. “I started weaving baskets at the age of 11 when I was a newlywed,” says Mariamma. “I have been doing it alone since 1984 after my husband passed away. Although this is our traditional occupation, we cannot afford to do this anymore, hence I did not let my children take up this profession.” This…

Every morning, Tony Aranha, a resident of Malad West, wakes up to find a pile of garbage right in front of his housing society. The situation is so dire that he avoids stepping out even for bare minimum errands to the nearest market. "It is difficult to walk due to the stench of garbage. The area is extremely unclean, and I feel that the machinery put up by the BMC is ineffective. Instead of going from society to society, the BMC should designate a centre for segregation at Malad," says Tony. Malad (P/N Ward) is one of the most populated…