PRESS RELEASE

The Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply in August 2021 pointed out that 53% of the total population of Tamil Nadu is currently residing in urban areas and that this figure is likely to become 60% in 2036. The demographic and vulnerability profile of the urban homeless in Chennai are heterogeneous in nature and they face several intersectional issues. Currently, the shelter for the urban homeless is seen as the only viable solution to address the multi-dimensional vulnerabilities faced by the people. However, there is an emerging need to develop a comprehensive intervention to ensure access to basic services…

The Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga has extended a public invitation to the second Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga Samaavesha to be held on October 16th (Sunday) at Government Arts College, next to Civil Court complex, from 10 am. The main objective of the Balaga is to strengthen the ward committees of Bengaluru by working together and collaborating with the BBMP and other civic agencies. BBMP elections are still pending (likely to happen before December 31st per Court orders), but we are glad to report more ward committee meetings are happening now than before our May 28th meeting. However, in many meetings,…

As we gear up to celebrate Diwali, stalls selling firecrackers crop up across the country, homes are cleaned and new clothes are bought. We see round-the-clock advertisements for clothes, jewellery, gadgets, sweets and other food products with attractive offers. Little thought is spared for waste generated in the production, packaging and disposal of all the products we buy during festivals. Burnt firecrackers, huge garbage bags filled with disposable cutlery, packaging from gift boxes are a common sight after festival days. Ever increasing waste and pollution levels We grow up reading about the disastrous impact of firecrackers on the environment and our…

Bengaluru’s pristine environment of the 60s and 70s has, in the past half a century, deteriorated significantly. People who have lived here for the past few decades would have a clear perception of this environmental degradation. Left to itself, the environment in the city’s gated communities too would be much the same as that exists on the outside. When it comes to air pollution, gated communities experience the same pollution as other city residents. Although every individual living in Bengaluru has the duty to work towards reducing pollution, let us look at initiatives gated communities can consciously take, to reduce…

BBMP is constructing an underpass at Sarjapura Road at Harlur Road junction, much against local residents’ objections. Despite numerous attempts to engage with BBMP, the authorities are insisting on going ahead with this project. This insistence is surprising even as BBMP itself has recently talked about rejecting underpass solutions. Announced in 2016-17, the project to construct an underpass on Sarjapura Road at Harlur Road Junction was estimated to cost Rs 23 crores. While the proposal was based on the situation back in 2016-17, the ground situation has changed now with traffic management measures being taken, as well as a post-pandemic…

With the swearing-in of the councillors, Chennai has an elected local body for the first time since 2016. The councillors who have taken office are a mix of experienced old-timers and those who have been elected for the first time. Half of the council is represented by women.  While these are promising developments, Chennaiites must be able to engage with their elected representatives and officials from the civic body to ensure effective administration. The push for ward committees and area sabhas is one way there can be an element of participatory planning in local governance.  Read more: Chennai in 2022:…

MyCityMyBudget, the annual participatory budgeting campaign run by the BBMP in collaboration with Janaagraha and community organisations, was held between February 23 and March 20, 2022 . The campaign reached all 198 The campaign reached all 198 wards under the leadership of community groups, apartment associations, federations and resident welfare associations. A total of 7238 budget inputs were provided by Citizens to make Namma Bengaluru a walkable, public urination-free and green city— 3290 for Public Toilets (46%)2188 for footpath improvements (30%) and1760 for parks (24%). MyCityMyBudget inputs from citizens. Pic credit: Janaagraha Among these categories: In footpaths ‘new footpaths’ has…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election is an election of members who govern Greater Mumbai. The BMC is Asia's largest municipal corporation and elections for its members are scheduled to be held in April 2022. The current tenure of the sitting corporators came to an end in February 2022, and on March 8th, current municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal was appointed as administrator of the city, in the backdrop of delayed civic polls. A study conducted by the non-profit organisation Praja has revealed that 90% of Mumbai’s corporators have performed poorly based on criteria set by the organisation, with only two corporators scoring “A”. The…

‘Decoding Everyday’ is a citizen science portal which invites contributions from individual residents, student communities, RWA members and anyone interested to share their experiences and stories about streets and public spaces in cities. It is an initiative of the Bangalore-based Everyday City Lab (ECL) that was recently selected to be a part of the Citizen Innovation Lab’s (CIL) ‘Six-week Sprint’ within its Civic Tech program. Under this program, CIL supports initiatives to develop technologies that enable citizens to engage with the government and/or communities to work towards civic participation in governance. The Everyday City Lab recently launched a series of…

A latest report by Greenpeace India reveals that average air pollution levels in ten major cities of Southern India far exceed the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, by analysing the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s data. The analysis is a much needed reminder that air pollution is a public health crisis that is not confined to cities only in Northern India.  What data reveals Air pollution data from ten cities – Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Amaravati, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Mangalore, Puducherry, Coimbatore and Mysore – were selected and analysed based on the availability of data, population and monitoring station networks. It…