GENRE: Voices

Driving down from Hebbal to Tin Factory, as you cross the Kasturi Nagar flyover, you may occasionally chance upon a lone crane or two, circling over a water body on the left. It may create a pretty picture, but this was not the case until sometime ago. Situated along the Old Madras road and stretching up to the Tin Factory bus stop is the Benniganahalli lake. Not quite visible from the main road, many citizens had become aware of the lake only when it started frothing a few years back due to the untreated sewage flowing into it from nearby…

The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019 was passed by the Rajya Sabha last week and now awaits passage in the Lok Sabha, where it has been reintroduced with the changes based on recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, to which it had been earlier referred by the lower house. While the Health Minister described the Bill as an achievement of the government that will enable greater access to quality medical education and highly trained professionals, the medical fraternity clearly does not seem to subscribe to that, as evident from the widespread dissent and protests…

Across Bengaluru, apartments have been popping up like mushrooms over the years. This poses several challenges to the city, including waste management. Though BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has introduced many rules that require apartments to manage their own waste, not all apartments follow these. Some apartments face practical difficulties such as lack of space or the heavy investment needed to install a composting unit. The poor management of waste affects not just apartment residents, but all citizens. But the solution could be quite simple. Back in the olden days, people used to segregate and compost their wet waste - mainly…

The newly introduced Dial for Water 2.0 scheme by the Metro Water Department is being billed as the panacea for long delays in  water supply, but it could be a classic case of the cure turning out to be worse than the disease. As per the new scheme, one has to make an on-line payment while booking is made.  This means that only those who have the wherewithal to make on-line payment can make the bookings. The new scheme says it will not allow a consumer to make further bookings if he does not confirm receipt of the previous supply…

A short walk in any part of Bengaluru will reveal that any available surface space has been turned into parking space for cars and motorcycles - be it footpaths, area by the curb along roads, or vacant plots. Last October, the head of Bengaluru Traffic Police warned that the iconic Cubbon Park in the heart of the city was turning into a parking lot. But motorists around the city invariably complain about the difficulty in finding space for parking. Does that mean enough parking space isn’t available? Proposal for paid parking This March, the Kumaraswamy government approved the Draft Management…

Since the introduction of the Metro, Chennai’s transportation landscape has undergone quite a change. For those who use private transportation and MTC buses, traffic congestion is a serious issue. The reach or coverage of forms of public transportation such as suburban trains and metro are not extensive enough. Hence, for many, using a combination of private and public transport or more than one form of public transport is part of a daily routine. In a city that’s home to people of different socio-economic backgrounds, this mix is an opportunity as well as an incentive for smart city goals of making…

Recently, the citizens' movement CfB (Citizens for Bengaluru) presented the Corporator #1 awards to the BBMP councillors who had attended the most ward committee meetings. If you are convinced that ward committee is an effective mechanism to engage with the government, this articles gives some pointers for you to get started. Bengaluru's governance is what it is due to decades of apathy and lack of active citizen participation. There are no instant fixes, but things can be improved if committed citizens come together and work on the ground with a clear action plan. The good news is, there are many…

It is now around five years since the Central Government announced its Smart City project, under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The mission, aimed at 100 cities of India, was meant to make them function better under various heads such as Mobility, Energy, Water, Technology and Environment. It was expected that these initiatives would improve the quality of life, get people to participate in governance, bring about transparency in the functioning of those in authority and promote public consultation. It is a moot point as to whether any of this has been achieved. The Short and…

Chennai had a severely deficient monsoon in 2018 with 40% less rain than normal. Since then, the city has been bracing itself for a water crisis. But clearly not enough had been done and the severe water scarcity this summer has been a wake-up call for people, highlighting the urgency of finding ways to use their water resources better. Though rainwater harvesting was made mandatory in 2003 when the city experienced similar drought like conditions, the idea has been poorly implemented across the city. With the recent water crisis, the focus has shifted to efforts that the citizens can undertake…

If you are a parent, you’d know how challenging it is to keep a young child still for more than a few minutes. From constant requests for loo breaks and a gazillion questions about everything, to (god forbid) fights if there is another child, it is not for nothing parents learn referring skills early on. A child’s development is a fluid, dynamic process. Nature, nurture and culture/arts are among the factors that help a child grow to be a well-rounded individual. The first two accommodate, and even encourage, a child’s need to explore and be restless. But how do you…