GENRE: Voices

A collective of active citizens, non-governmental organisations, sustainable transport experts, and other stakeholders has called for strengthening the public transport network in Tamil Nadu's cities, making it accessible to all and creating low-emission zones across urban centres. The Sustainable Mobility Network (SMN), a coalition of over 30 civil society organisations across India, has released the 'Tamil Nadu Urban Mobility Charter 2031', a comprehensive roadmap urging political parties and governments to put sustainable mobility at the heart of the state’s development agenda. The Charter was shaped through a multi-stakeholder roundtable convened by ITDP India, Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG),…

Across Indian cities, women depend heavily on buses to get to work, school, healthcare, and to manage everyday caregiving. In recent years, several states have introduced women-specific bus fare subsidy schemes. Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu offer completely free rides for women in state-run buses, while Maharashtra offers 50% subsidy. Read more: Who benefits from the free bus for women scheme? These schemes have been both vilified as 'freebies' or touted as transformative solutions for women’s mobility. But do these schemes actually work? In 2025, the Sustainable Mobility Network commissioned a study to answer this very question. Beyond Free Rides…

As people gain awareness of mental health, many have started using apps that offer advice and support. This growth is driven by the increased use of smartphones and easy access to the internet. However, many people still believe that mental health care is expensive, which deters them from seeking professional help, despite the availability of trained experts at government hospitals and through helplines and district mental health programmes. Because of this, users may turn to digital platforms for mental health support. But, how reliable are these apps? A systematic review of 350 mental health applications by the Indian Council of…

At the heart of a nation’s character lies how it treats its most vulnerable. Today, India finds its soul stretched on a rack, its conscience torn between compassion and conflict, its legal pillars wobbling under the weight of a single, heartbreaking issue: the fate of its street dogs. What began as a Supreme Court suo moto hearing on August 11th has morphed into a national referendum on empathy, duty, and coexistence, exposing a deep, painful schism. Two sides Caregivers and animal lovers: They follow Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (CNVR). Their goal is to reduce dog populations and rabies…

As Mumbai votes to elect its city corporators on January 15, many citizens’ groups and civil society organisations have voiced their demands for better civic infrastructure. They have also highlighted the frustrations of daily problems faced by residents due to the absence of a municipal council. Last weekend, over 50 people from across Mumbai gathered with one shared purpose: to reimagine what a truly inclusive, responsive city could look like. Mumbaikars aged 18 to 60 deliberated on what was urgently needed for their city — better infrastructure, improved accessibility and good governance. The event, called the WISE Voting Weekend, was…

Across megacities, workers in gated communities are subjected to checks at entry and exit points. Often excessive and intrusive, these include bag searches, confiscation of items without a gate pass, and, in some cases, pat-downs of workers — practices justified as deterrents against theft. During an anonymous survey, we spoke to 20–30 residents and domestic workers across Bengaluru, and a few communities in Chennai and Mumbai. Respondents across these cities reported “visual cues” of suspicious behaviour that corresponded with these searches. While respondents in the surveys reported no pat-downs in their communities, some employers and domestic workers informally flagged pat-downs…

செங்கல்பட்டு மாவட்டம், திருப்போரூர் மற்றும் திருக்கழுக்குன்றம் வட்டங்களுக்குட்பட்ட வருவாய் கிராமங்களில், இயற்கையாக அமைந்துள்ள கழுவேலி, உப்பங்கழி நீர்நிலையில், புதிய குடிநீர் நீர்த்தேக்கம் அமைக்க CRZ அனுமதி வழங்கியுள்ளது மாநில கடற்கரை ஒழுங்குமுறை மண்டல ஆணையம். இத்திட்டத்தின் முதல் கட்டத்தில் நெம்மேலி, கிருஷ்ணகாரனை, தண்டலம், பட்டிபுலம், திருப்போரூர், மாமல்லபுரம், சலுவான்குப்பம், பையனூர் ஆகிய வருவாய் கிராமங்களுக்குட்பட்ட 4375 ஏக்கர் பரப்பளவில் வருவாய்த்துறை, நீர்வளத்துறைக்குச் சொந்தமான இடங்களில் நீர்த்தேக்கம் அமைக்கத் திட்டமிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. 1.655TMC கொள்ளளவு கொண்ட இந்நீர்த்தேக்கம் மேற்கூறிய கிராமங்களைச் சேர்ந்த 50 ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட மக்களின் குடிநீர்த் தேவையைப் பூர்த்தி செய்யும் எனவும் அருகாமை கிராமங்களின் வெள்ள பாதிப்பைக் குறைக்கும் எனவும் அரசுத் தரப்பில் கூறப்படுகிறது. Map showing components of the Kovalam reservoir. Pic courtesy: Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department. இத்திட்டத்திற்கான விண்ணப்பத்தை 17.11.2025 அன்று  தொழில் நுட்ப  வல்லுநர் குழு பரிசீலித்தது. 20.11.2025 அன்று  மாநில கடற்கரை  மண்டல ஆணையம் விண்ணப்பத்தைை பரிசீலித்து CRZ அனுமதிக்கு பரிந்துரைக்கிறது.…

Chandivali is a rapidly developing, upscale residential and commercial suburb in Andheri East, with both business hubs and green spaces such as the Powai Lake. It is close to the neighbourhoods of Powai, Saki Naka and Vikhroli. Many long-pending civic issues in the locality need the attention of the municipal authorities, and the residents of Chandivali have been demanding infrastructure development in the area. As the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election approaches, we reiterate our demand for better roads and improved civic facilities. Since founding the Chandivali Citizens Welfare Association (CCWA) in 2017, we have consistently raised and reported numerous…

For over two decades, residents along Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) have been fed a steady diet of promises about piped water supply. From desalination plants to reservoirs, successive governments have announced grand projects that would finally quench the IT corridor's thirst. Yet, as of January 2026, OMR residents are still struggling with inadequate piped water and are forced to rely on expensive private tankers or depleted groundwater that grows more brackish each year. The original promise It began with hope. In July 2004, the then Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, announced central government support for a desalination plant near Chennai.…

The Cantonment Railway Colony was declared Bengaluru’s second Biodiversity Heritage Site in September 2025—a rare victory for citizens who had protested against large-scale tree felling for a proposed commercial development. Over 15,000 citizens stood tall against the tree felling, and following months of protests, the government declared the site a Biodiversity Heritage Site. However, just three months later, on December 6, the state government withdrew the notification. The reversal has once again put nearly 370 heritage trees in the colony at risk. A threat for citizen participation The colony houses around 370 mature and heritage trees belonging to around 50…