GENRE: Voices

The new year 2019 promises to be a landmark year for Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti (MAPSAS) in lake rejuvenation and sustenance. The efforts to rejuvenate Kaikondrahalli Lake and Lower Ambalipura - the first lakes MAPSAS got involved with - started a decade ago in 2009. From a motley group of citizens who came together to envision a participatory and progressive way of managing our water resources in the form of lakes, some of us made a Trust called MAPSAS (Mahadevpura Parisara Samrakshane Mattu Abhivrudhi Samiti). We have taken more and more lakes in the neighborhood under our ambit.…

Here we are! The day that many naysayers said would never come. The day the Tamil Nadu government's ban on single use plastic goes into effect. With the Madras High Court rejecting a plea to stay the ban on December 27th, the first step has truly been taken. As Lao Tse famously said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Our solid waste management crisis is huge. Many issues remain to be acknowledged, leave alone addressed. Source segregation of garbage (mandatory since October 2, 2017), better door to door collection of segregated waste, forcing bulk generators…

Bengaluru has transformed from a city which was known as the “city of gardens” to the “Silicon Valley of India” because of the major IT boom it has witnessed since the 1990s. This transformation has, however, come at a major cost of widespread damage to the city’s vegetation cover, increasing pollution and concretisation of land. A problem that has crippled the city the most is the increasing traffic congestion. While most of the major roads in Bengaluru are plagued by traffic congestion, Hosur road is one of the worst affected. A 9 km-long elevated expressway was constructed on Hosur road…

A recent gazette draft published by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change proposed an ecosensitive zone for villages listed around Bannerghatta National Park in  Bengaluru. "The State Government shall, for the purpose of effective management of the Eco-Sensitive Zone, prepare a Zonal Master Plan within a period of two years from the date of publication of Final Notification in the Official Gazette, in consultation with local people and adhering to the stipulations given in this Notification for approval of Competent Authority in the State Government," said the notification, asking the State to prepare a master plan for eco-sensitive…

Private vehicle growth has choked cities and caused massive loss in productivity. With a growing population, moving to mass transport is the only way to avoid further congestion. But there are inconveniences in choosing public transport. One is the need to make multiple changes which means the transition needs to be smooth. Second, Public Transport never drops you at your doorstep. There is always a last mile which would have to be covered by walk or some other mode. Let’s for a moment assume this last mile segment is solved; as a choice architect, what can the state do to…

Divya (name changed) was a successful 40-year-old HR professional from Bengaluru till such time as she lost her mother to a heart attack, suddenly, a few years ago. She herself was hospitalised a couple of weeks later, reason unknown. It was left to a psychiatrist to identify that she was suffering from depression. She was advised medication and grief counselling which she continues to this day. 'Accepting that I had depression was not easy. Anxiety attacks compounded the problem. I went through denial before I could finally accept that what I dealing with was an ailment which needed attention -…

Today is observed as National Consumers Day. If you are reading this, you are a literate, educated citizen with internet connection for accessing  information via Google. But does ‘educated’ always mean ‘aware’? Check this. In Bengaluru, there are several medical shops and pharmacies that offer a discount for senior citizens. A comprehensive list of such shops, clinics and hospitals around the city, listed area-wise, is available at Nightingales Elders Enrichment Centre (NEEC) in Malleswaram, Bengaluru. Many elders know about this centre, they even attend regular events there, but some don’t know that there exists such a list of discounts available.…

This article is supported by SVP Cities of India Fellowship How many people in Bengaluru use Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Company (BMTC) buses, which are perceived to be the lifeline of the city, everyday? BMTC figures say the ridership is 51 lakh. This means BMTC, with its 6650 buses, sells 51 lakh tickets daily from the 70,892 trips it undertakes. Each bus undertakes an average of 5-6 round trips per day. There are demands for increasing BMTC buses. But will more buses help? Look at the city’s roads - the traffic crawls at such a low speed that even walking can…

Death by food poisoning is back in the news in Karnataka. As of the last report 13 people have died and over 130 people fell ill by consuming the prasad that was served at a temple in Chamarajanagar. This comes just two days after 87  students took ill after finding lizard in their midday meal scheme. And the chief minister’s answer to this is to issue a circular, by the Religious and Endowments or Muzrai department of Karnataka, which states that all food served in temples, including those to be donated by private individuals, should be tested before being distributed…

வரும் 2019 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஜனவரி மாதம் 1-ஆம் தேதி முதல், தமிழ்நாடு அரசு, ஒற்றைப் பயன்பாட்டு பிளாஸ்டிக் மீது போட்டிருக்கும் தடை விதிகளை அமல்படுத்தும். இது, சுற்றுச்சூழலை பாதுகாக்கும் நோக்கில், மாநிலத்தில் முன்னொருபோதும் எடுக்கப்படாத நடவடிக்கை. பிளாஸ்டிக் தடை பற்றி பல குடிமக்கள் மத்தியில் இன்னும் குழப்பம் மற்றும் கவலை உள்ளது. அதனை போக்க செய்தித்தாள் விளம்பரங்கள் மூலம் மாநில அரசாங்கம் தொடர்ச்சியாக நினைவூட்டிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது, ஆனால் தடையை அமல்படுத்த அல்லது ஒரு மாற்று வழிமுறைகளை பின்பற்றுவதில் ஒரு உறுதியான வரைபடத்தை இதுவரை வழங்க தவறிவிட்டது. பல நிறுவனங்கள், குறிப்பாக தொண்டு நிறுவனங்கள், இந்த பிரச்சினையைப் பற்றி பொது மக்களின் உணர்தலை மேம்படுத்த பணியாற்றி வருகின்றனர். திடக்கழிவு மேலாண்மை மற்றும் பல சுற்றுச்சூழல் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட பணிகளில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள நம்ம ஊரு பவுண்டேஷனின் நிறுவனர் பி. நடராஜனிடம் வரவிருக்கும் பிளாஸ்டிக் தடையைச் சந்திக்க வேண்டிய யுக்திகள் மற்றும் நம்ம ஊரு பவுண்டேஷனின்…