GENRE: Voices

We are so lucky to be Indians and have so many festivals to celebrate and choose from. But there is also a need to draw some boundaries to ensure these festivals are equally joyful for all. The debate about firecrackers is often seen from a religious lens, and hence the arguments on it get drowned in ridiculous polarities, distracting us from the core problem.  The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act covers animal slaughter during Muslim and Hindu festivals (by allowing slaughter only in registered licensed abattoirs). Extremely loud music or prayers from religious establishments are covered by pollution…

As India reaches the eighth month of its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, with no foreseeable end, states and urban local bodies are severely cash strapped. A situation, which has been exacerbated by the Central government issuing various orders during and after the lockdown on policy issues strictly within the domain of states, such as prohibiting the sale of alcohol, restricting inter-state and intra-state movement, and withholding the GST compensation that each state government is entitled to. According to a report in the Bloomberg Quint, many states’ share in the Central Goods and Service Taxes constitutes an average of only 16-30%. The burden of raising remaining…

Housing is a fundamental social and economic need that determines the quality of life and health of people. Housing also underscores the deeply entrenched urban plight of our cities. 6.5 crore persons, that is 1 in every 6 persons, lived in slums and informal settlements in India in 2011. The existence of 33,510 slums, surveyed in 2013, in our 4,000 plus cities is another staggering statistic. Long-term marginalization of these neighbourhoods, is visible in the poor access to water and sanitation amenities in slum households. The census of 2011 showed that  43.3% households did not have water inside their homes…

There can be no dispute over the fact that the frequency, intensity and spread (new cities getting affected) of urban floods is increasing in India. The reasons are mostly known: increasing and mostly unplanned urbanisation, rural-urban migration, encroachments of water bodies, concretization of flood plains and other lands, decreasing capacity to hold, store, recharge and drain the rainwater, increasing rainfall intensities with changing climate, wrong operation of big dams and deteriorating governance. The damages are going up, also because our forecasts are far from reliable, accurate, location-specific or with sufficient lead time. Because of our incapacity to learn lessons. Disaster…

'Abhi koi Randi ya Dhandhewali nahi bolega, Izzat milega ," says Anita Thapa, a sex worker in Pune’s Budhwar Peth. Anita was reacting to the latest National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recommendation designating sex workers as 'dignified workers' of society. On October 7th, the NHRC issued a 11-page advisory recognising sex workers as informal workers, making them eligible for the various Central and state benefit schemes. The advisory titled 'Human Rights Advisory on rights of Women Context of COVID-19', includes a recommendation that sex workers facing domestic abuse from partners should be identified and reported. Check the detailed advisory here. The…

The COVID-19 pandemic currently devastating the globe has infected almost 7 million people in India, resulting in over 100,000 deaths. The figure is comparable to the official reported deaths caused by Tuberculosis (TB) in 2019. Despite TB being a preventable disease, this is a yearly phenomenon. Big cities have seen the highest concentration of COVID-19 cases. A district-wise analysis conducted in July showed that a mere 10 cities (including Mumbai) accounted for 52.7% of all active cases in the country. The infection is more widespread now, but Mumbai continues to be among the worst hit cities. Its sprawling slum population,…

A new waste management concessionaire has taken over our zone starting October 1 2020. We have been engaged in efforts to improve the waste management in our area through segregation and composting under the banner of RK Nagarra (RK Nagar Residents’ Association), which is replicating the the methods followed by TAKSRA (Thiruveedhi Amman Koil Street Residents Association) The effort covered individual houses and apartment blocks, with residents segregating their waste at source. The system functioned smoothly and was recognised as a pioneering effort by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board which conferred a Green Award for TAKSRA. TAKSRA received the…

In today’s fast-moving world, convenience is leading to consumerism. The convenience of getting things delivered to our doorstep and the abundance of choice has turned us into impulsive buyers. What we fail to realize is that every order placed, every return initiated, every dish cooked, every fruit eaten is generating some waste. In cities, due to higher population density and higher spending power, the quantum of waste generation is also high. Therefore, decentralization of waste management is something which makes the entire exercise easier and more sustainable for cities.  But what is decentralised waste management? It refers to a system…

Note: The edited version of the article, published on 14 Oct 2020, has been replaced by the version submitted and subsequently modified by the author himself. The author had contested the copy edits made by Citizen Matters prior to publishing. A revamp of the city government was long overdue; our freedom fighters had led a long struggle for Swaraj, ie., Self Rule, which has eluded entire generations, due to the centralized nature of government adopted by our constitution. Cities and towns in India, have in administrative terms, remained colonies of their respective State Govts, giving the residents of the cities…

The last few weeks have seen a renewed debate on whether the State needs a new capital. This is of course one of those topics that are periodically dusted, discussed and then put back on the shelf. But nevertheless, it is a matter that merits attention, especially in the present circumstances. It must however be pointed out here that after having been aired, all talk on this has died out for now, but we never know as to what can take focus, especially with state assembly elections due next year. Concentration of development The ongoing COVID crisis has shown that…