GENRE: Voices

The festive season is all about lights, delicious savories, fun and frolic with family and are much awaited by the people across the country . But amidst the sight and sounds, an unaccounted number of birds and animals scamper. Similar to a human infant or elderly person, they too are unsettled by the wild display of fireworks and shrill or explosive sounds. The helpless animals are distraught in the face of the overall increase of heat in the surroundings, the chemical fumes entering their bodily system and the general melee all around. As though all this was not sufficient cause…

The #CycleToWork programme launched last year has made tremendous strides in catalysing commute in Bengaluru. The cycleto.work platform allows 'Bicycle Ambassadors' nominated in each company to take leadership to upscale cycle commute in their company. More than half the companies that clock rides on the #CycleToWork platform are situated in the IT belt. So it was just a matter of time before the ambassadors wheeled up to make a statement. Yesterday, we kicked off '#CycleToWork Fridays' as a critical mass event for bicycle commuters, under the leadership of Shilpi Sahu, Sameer Shisodia and Chidambaram Subramanian. The event was held on…

We don't want any trees in Chennai. No one said this, at least not to me, and certainly not out loud. I am saying this to myself. How else does one explain the heartlessness shown towards trees in this city? If one of the reasons it was called Singara Chennai, was the number of tree lined avenues we had everywhere; well, we are Singara no more. The Kotturpuram Tree Park is a jewel, a tribute to the persistence and dedication shown by a group of tree lovers, and supported by citizens in and around Kotturpuram. The park has many rare…

The global call for Climate Strikes between 20-27 September, 2019 drew many young Indians to the streets. The week-long climate protests held across the world have shown that the young generation isn’t going to let the politicians continue with their inaction on climate change. They want them to listen to the scientists, and take urgent climate action. Global climate strikes have built a solidarity among youth across the world on the issue of climate change. The youth today live in fear and anxiety about their future because of the failure of the previous generations to act on climate change. These…

Translated by Sandhya Raju மாற்றம் என்பது இன்று தொடங்கி நாளை முடிவதல்ல. ஒரு நகரத்தில் பெரிய அளவில் மாற்றத்தை கொண்டுவர வேண்டுமென்றால் அதிலுள்ள குடிமக்களின் பங்களிப்பு மிக அவசியம்.  கழிவு மேலாண்மை, மழை நீர் சேகரிப்பு மற்றும் நீர்நிலைகளின் மறுசீரமைப்பு ஆகியவற்றில் பாரம்பரிய மற்றும் நவீன முறையை பயன்படுத்தி பல்வேறு முயற்சிகளை (தெற்கு) பிராந்திய துணை ஆணையர் பதவி வகிக்கும் ஐ ஏ எஸ் அதிகாரி ஆல்பி ஜான் வர்கீஸ்  மேற்கொண்டு வருகிறார். பல்வேறு முயற்சிகள் குறித்தும், நடைமுறைபடுத்தும் பொழுது தான் சந்தித்த சவால்கள் பற்றியும்  நமக்கு அளித்த பிரத்யேக பேட்டியில் அவர் பகிர்ந்து கொண்டார். ஆல்பி ஜான் வர்கீஸ், ஐ ஏ எஸ் சென்னையின் தெற்கு பகுதியில் ஜீரோ கழிவு முயற்சி எந்த கட்டத்தில் உள்ளது? அடையாறு, ஆல்ந்தூர், வளசரவாக்கம், பள்ளிக்கரணை, சோலிங்கநல்லூர் என தெற்கு பகுதியை  ஐந்து மண்டலங்களாக பிரிக்கலாம். இங்குள்ள மொத்த மக்கள் தொகை 17,15,799…

Change is a slow process and to implement it in cities on a large scale requires active citizen engagement and participation. Through a mix of traditional and non-traditional means, Alby John Varghese IAS, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) has attempted to make inroads into the areas of waste management, rainwater harvesting and restoration of water bodies. In this exclusive interview, Alby John takes us through the various initiatives and challenges faced in implementing them.  How is the zero waste initiative picking up in the South region of Chennai?  If we look at the South as a region, there are five zones,…

The city administration recently resolved to implement bus lanes on the 12 high-density corridors identified by the government in 2016. This brings in some pertinent observations by citizens at large, who are very excited about the project but are also concerned if it would be effective on ground. What is proposed is not Bus Rapid Transit which is a system with its own dedicated tracks, a separate rolling stock of buses, and separate bus stations (if the ticketing systems are different). The 12 high-density corridors are proposed to have bus priority lanes which use the existing road infrastructure and the…

With all the buzz around sustainability, climate change and plastic pollution, it is good to see businesses around the world including PepsiCo and Nestle starting to talk about eco-friendly choices. Everyday, news reports highlight the innovative strategies of businesses to combat plastic pollution. For decades, we have been polluting our environment with plastic disposables, obsessed with the use-and-throw culture. Now we read about many inventions to replace plastic disposables with other types of disposables that are environment-friendly, labelled as pro-earth, biodegradable, compostable, food-grade etc. But are we going in the right direction by replacing one kind of disposable with another…

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the Smart Cities Mission in 2015, which aims to execute ‘smart solutions’ that help develop cities in a people-friendly, sustainable way. Chennai Smart City Limited (CSCL) is the local arm of this initiative. It is also the organisation behind the upcoming pedestrian plaza at T-Nagar and other key projects. Below are excerpts from a chat with its CEO, Raj Cherubal. What is your vision of a Smart Chennai? The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has the concept of a liveability index, which basically focuses on improving the quality of life. Electronics,…

The extreme spells of rain over the past few weeks may have made Hyderabad’s traffic situation worse than ever, but the situation is hardly bearable even when we have less inclement weather. The problem is especially acute in the Hitech-City - Financial District area, given the large concentration of office goers who come here from various parts of the city. Traffic speeds on a regular day often fall to 12-15 km/hour, which is slower than riding a bicycle. The current trend also suggests that more and more employees are switching from public transport towards owning and traveling by their personal…