INTERVIEWS

Exactly a week before Srinagar reported its first COVID-19 case on March 19th, Junaid Azim Mattu, the flamboyant mayor of Srinagar chaired a high-level meeting with medical experts and senior officials of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), to frame the strategy to fight the spread of the deadly pandemic. Immediately after the meeting, he announced his first decision: closure of all schools and colleges across Srinagar. The announcement triggered a hot debate in the J&K administration and was opposed by the then divisional commissioner of Kashmir Basser Khan. But the same evening, the mayor’s decision was formally accepted and extended…

The recently released Tamil film on OTT media, ‘Ponmagal Vandhal’,  draws attention to the issue of increasing incidences of child sexual abuse and ends with a strong message about Childline 1098 as well as POCSO, timing well with the increase in child abuse during the lockdown period.  With studies (Child Abuse Study 2007 by Government of India) showing that 1 in 2 children in India experience some form of sexual abuse, it is critical that measures for prevention of child sexual abuse be taken up not just by the government but also by other stakeholders at the ground level, which…

The normally bustling, outpatient unit of the Adyar Cancer Institute, is deafeningly quiet. And so it has been over the last two months, confirms Chairperson of the Institute, Chennai, Dr V Shanta, as she shares her concerns in the background of the devastating COVID pandemic. “Over the years, we have evolved standardized protocols integrating all the advances in oncologic science and technology into our treatment. But this never-before situation has raised multiple concerns," said Dr Shanta, "With the lockdown adding to the panic, many patients were unable to reach the cancer centre. Outpatients numbered about 400 before lockdown times and bed…

RJ Radha from Radio Active 90.4 talks to Sreedevi from the Bangalore HIV Forum and Prabhanand Hegde from the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR) and highlights the problems faced by the People Living with HIV (PLHIV) community in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. They discuss solutions being implemented to help the community cope. Sreedevi says the main difficulty for PLHIV is the inability to step out and buy necessary medication during lockdown. To add to this, the people of this community find themselves out of work due to the lockdown, and the prices of the tablets they need…

In Chandigarh, the buck stops with Municipal Commissioner K K Yadav, when it comes to implementation of any and all decisions on how to handle the Corona pandemic in the union territory. From steering the Municipal Corporation (MC) during one of its most critical periods, to ensuring that essential needs reach all sections of society, especially the poor and marginalised, the 50-year-old Punjab cadre IAS officer has plenty on his plate. Having taken over as Municipal Commissioner in May 2018, Yadav has had his share of bouquets and brickbats over the handling of the city’s municipal needs. He began his…

The reports are everywhere, confirmed by various sources across the country. The coronavirus pandemic and the resultant lockdown have led to a massive spike in instances of domestic abuse. In a shocking report by the Press Trust of India published in early April, it was revealed that the Childline helpline in India received more than 92000 SOS calls over a period of 11 days during the lockdown, seeking protection from abuse and violence. The National Commission for Women has also confirmed a steady increase in the registration of domestic violence complaints from women since the lockdown was announced. But why…

Vivek Trivedi, 43, Social Development Officer at the Municipal Corporation** Chandigarh, is the man behind the resettlement of over 10,000 street vendors and hawkers operating in Chandigarh since the 90s. By regularising these vendors and giving them licences and specified work spaces, he has been responsible for generating revenues of Rs 24 crore for the cash strapped Chandigarh MC. An urban and social development expert, Vivek had earlier worked as Project Director with the United Nations Development Program and various social sector organisations of the union government. He is a fellow of the Al Gore Climate Leaders Program and has…

Translated by Sandhya Raju நாம் அனைவரும் நெருக்கடியான சூழலில் உள்ளோம், நம்மைச் சுற்றி அனைத்தும் இடப் பிழற்சி போன்ற நிலை உள்ளது. மனநல மருத்துவர் மற்றும் ரிச்மண்ட் பெல்லோஷிப் சொசைட்டியின் பெங்களூரு கிளையின் ஹானரரி ஆலோசகர் Dr  எஸ் கல்யாணசுந்தரம் அவர்களுடனான நம்முடைய முந்தைய உரையாடலில், மன நலம் சார்ந்த பிரச்சனைகள் வெகுவாக அதிகரித்துள்ளதை பார்த்தோம். Dr Kalyanasundaram S கொரோனா தொற்றால், நாம் இந்த பிரச்சனையின் நிலையை தற்போது உணர முடிகிறது - கார்ப்பரேட் நிறுவனத்தில் பணிபுரிவோர் அனைத்து வேலைகளையும் வீட்டிலிருந்தபடியே செய்ய சிரமப்படுவது, பெற்றோர்கள் தங்களின் குழந்தைகளை சமாளிப்பது, முதியோர்காளுக்கு தொற்றை பற்றியும் நிலைமையும் எடுத்துக் கூறுவது... இதையெல்லாம் விட இந்த சவாலான நேரத்தில் தொடர்ந்து பணி புரியும் மருத்துவர்கள், செவிலியர்கள், துணை மருத்துவ சேவை புரிபவர்கள் ஆகியோரின் முடிவில்லா வேலை! இத்தகைய சூழலை சமாளிப்பது எப்படி? Dr  எஸ் கல்யாணசுந்தரம் அவர்களிடம் உரையாடியதிலிருந்து: "மிகவும் மன உளைச்சலில்…

As the coronavirus outbreak shows no signs of abating any time soon, the economy of every nation, first world and third world, is in virtual free fall. For India too, COVID-19 is not only a public health challenge, but also an economic challenge that needs to be tackled on a war footing by the Central and state governments. Restricted cargo movement, weak supply chains, lack of liquidity in the markets, heavy cross-border movement by migrant workers and many other factors have added to the pressure on the economy. With relief packages aimed at the middle class and the poor being…

Sample this: One drone disinfects 80,000 sq metres in a day, requiring negligible manpower and covering all nooks and corners of the city.  This technology, adopted by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to combat the spread of COVID-19, has caught the attention of many city residents. In a tie-up with Team Dhaksha (Aerospace Department) of Anna University, the civic body is using drones for spraying disinfectant across the city. Following a pilot run in the Corporation’s headquarters at Ripon Building using four drones, the project is to be extended across Chennai, according to the Corporation’s press release. We spoke to…