GENRE: Voices

In the summer of 2019, we thought of renting a house within walking distance of our son's new school. Around our home, Sarjapur road traffic was getting worse and he was getting stuck in traffic a lot. The new school was right next to a large, upscale apartment complex in the IT neighbourhood in Bellandur. Hence we considered moving there; maybe we could walk our son to school. In the first few days of our search, we found a flat we liked there, surprisingly, within our budget. The owner said we could move in within a month, as soon as…

Chennai offers a slew of transportation options for its citizens. The MRTS network that serves as a key connection with the suburbs, the swanky Metro rail that now connects large parts of the city and the well-networked bus system play an important role when it comes to commuting within the city. In addition to this, Chennai has a large number of private vehicles, with two-wheelers topping the list. As a result, the city grapples with congestion, lack of parking space and issues such as air pollution from vehicular emissions. With the aim of curbing the ill-effects of rising personal vehicle…

The bustling shopping area of Pondy Bazaar in T Nagar has seen many changes over the last few years. For many, the street provides a one-stop solution to all they may need. Just take a walk down the street and you can get anything, from freshly ground coffee powder to large household appliances, all at various prices. Pondy Bazaar was famous for its pavements lined with small shops and street vendors who sat outside the larger outlets that were found on either side. The stretch where most of the shopping took place was also one that was least pedestrian-friendly.  This…

When the smart cities mission was launched in 2015, it held much promise for Chennai as it was one of 20 cities selected in the initial phase. Chennai was formally identified in January 2016 for a slew of projects that ranged from water conservation to pedestrianisation. While the city saw a slow start to these projects, ranking only 37 out of 87 cities when the smart cities were ranked in 2018. However, two years later, key projects such as the Pedestrian Plaza and rolling out of smart bikes have taken place. Expansion of these initiatives are in the pipeline now,…

This article is part of our special series on Delhi Elections 2020 In 2014, when the World Health Organisation declared Delhi as the world’s worst polluted city, the national capital became the face of air pollution for India. Since then, Delhi has been branded as a “gas chamber” by its own ruling government. Courts have called out the Delhi government for committing “genocide,” allowing a public health emergency of such mass scale. Every year since then, from Diwali and stubble burning season till the end of winter, politicians announce a slew of measures which fail to address the root cause of…

Translated by Ankitha Kamath and Katyayini ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿನ ವಾಹನ ದಟ್ಟನೆ ಸಡಲಿಸಲು ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಉಪಾಯಗಳು ಕೇಳಿ ಬಂದಿವೆ. #ಸೈಕಲ್-ಟು-ವರ್ಕ್ ಫ್ರೈಡೇ ಆಂದೋಲನ ಈ ಸಾಲಿಗೆ ಹೊಸ ಸೇರ್ಪಡೆ. ರಾಜ್ಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಬಸ್ಸ್ ಪ್ರಯೋರಿಟಿ ಲೇನ್ Bus Priority Lane (BPL) ಯೋಜನೆಯು ವಿನೂತನ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನವಾಗಿದೆ.  ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕ ಸಾರಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಜನಪ್ರಿಯಗೊಳಿಸಿ, ಈ ಮೂಲಕ ಖಾಸಗಿ ವಾಹನಗಳ ಬಳಕೆ  ತಗ್ಗಿಸಲು ಉತ್ತೇಜನ ನೀಡಿ ಸಕಾರಾತ್ಮಕ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ ತರುವುದು ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ಚಿಂತನೆಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಯೋಜನೆಯ ಬಹುಮುಖ್ಯ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಶಿಸ್ತಾದ ಸಂಚಾರ, ಮತ್ತು ಸಮಯ ಪಾಲನೆ.  ಬಸ್ಸುಗಳು ತಮ್ಮ ನಿಗದಿತ ಮಾರ್ಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದೇ ಅಡೆ-ತಡೆಗಳಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಂಚರಿಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕರಿಗೆ ಸಮಯವು ಉಳಿತಾಯ, ವಾಹನ ಚಾಲನೆಯ ತಲೆ ಬಿಸಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ.  ಆದರೆ  ಈ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಯ ಪ್ರಯಾಣದ ಬೆಲೆ ಜನಸಾಮಾನ್ಯನ ಕಿಸೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಹಿತವಾಗಿರಲೂಬೇಕು.  BMTC ಬಸ್ ಶುಲ್ಕವು ದೇಶದಲ್ಲೇ ಅತಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯಲು ದೇಶದ ಇತರೆ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ನಗರಗಳ…

In the first part of this series, we looked at the patterns in pedestrian fatalities in Bengaluru. In this part, we look at solutions to the problem. Between 2010 and 2018, over 3000 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in Bengaluru. Since 2010, the number of deaths have gone down by around 31 percent, which is an average reduction of 3.8 percent per year. While the city has performed better than other metros like Delhi and Chennai, it is yet to make significant strides in improving pedestrian safety. That a large number of pedestrians continue to die is unacceptable, and warrants…

History says that the origins of the city of Madras lie in the north. But, for various reasons, North Chennai has remained one of the least developed regions in the city. Unmilled roads, lack of sewer connections and traffic congestion are among the many basic issues that plague the northern parts of the city.  “The problems faced in the city as a whole is generally aggravated in North Chennai. But there has been steady development,” said P Akash, IAS, Regional Deputy Commissioner (North) Chennai Corporation, in an exclusive interview with Citizen Matters Chennai.  Excerpts from the interview: What are the…

Enough and more has been said on the subject of stifling dissent and readers must be wondering as to whether yet another article on the subject is at all warranted. But even if we were to wish away what is happening elsewhere in the country, and we certainly cannot do that, the recent occurrences in Chennai have taken us by surprise and it is time we feel necessary to speak out on what the city stands for. But for those who are not aware, a brief recap is necessary. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 is the current subject of discussion…

It was October of 2018. We were on the road from Silchar Airport in Assam to Cachar Cancer Hospital and Research Centre. A distance of 30 kilometres took forever, especially after reaching the dusty and crowded roads of Silchar town. The traffic moved at a snail's pace. And then we sighted the hospital. It was at first sight an unimpressive plain building, parts of which seemed unfinished. The terrain was uneven, we negotiated the slopes and entered the building and were shown into the spartan room of the Director, who received us warmly. He showed us around the facility. He…