RPB

The Navi Mumbai Draft Development Plan 2018-2038 is the first development plan to be formulated since the formation of the Municipal Corporation. When Navi Mumbai was conceptualised, planning authorities wanted to decongest Mumbai and shift industrial and housing demands to Navi Mumbai. Housing has always been one of the primary concerns for the financial capital of the country. The City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), a planning authority in Navi Mumbai, was therefore tasked with the responsibility of identifying land for industrial, residential, commercial usage, etc. [Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is the planning authority of Navi Mumbai, but CIDCO and…

In the first part of The Secret Life of Bengaluru’s Lakes, the history of the city’s lakes and how they are connected were explored. In the second part, the author looks at the future of lakes and how protecting lakes could improve our transit experience. Uses and Users of Lakes There is a lot more going on in our lakes today than we are aware of. Here is a short video that highlights some of the activities in some of our lakes. Read more: In pictures: Backyard birding at Kaikondrahalli and Kasavanahalli lakes The future of lakes Our relationship with…

We have over 200 lakes in Bengaluru today. Some are amazing ecosystems, some are toxic wastelands filled with trash, and most are somewhere in the middle. Depending on who you are and where you stay, you may or may not have a relationship with your local lake. There is a lot going on though in each of our lakes, and there is a lot more that can happen with them in the future. Get to know about the history of Bengaluru's lakes and how they are connected: History of Bengaluru's lakes Early history It is said that Kempegowda’s mother told…

On his 17 km walk along the Mithi, Abhijit Waghre observed the river’s water level, its flood protection infrastructure, and associated limitations in basic sanitation services. Read more: Walking along the 17-km long Mithi river: A look at the riverine ecosystem Most of Mumbai's stormwater systems depend on the Mithi river for drainage to the sea. However, systemic challenges abound, with settlements abutting the river, limiting the effectiveness of this approach during the problematic monsoon months. When high tides and heavy rainfall coincide, the city's stormwater flow to the river gets backed up resulting in Mumbai’s annual flooding woes. Household…

வண்ணாரப்பேட்டை டெக்ஸ்டைல் பார்க்குக்குள் நுழையும் பகுதி - பரபரப்பான காலை, சாலையின் இருபுறமும் மின்னல் வேகத்தில் கடந்து செல்லும் வாகனங்கள், எதையோ தொலைத்துவிட்டு திரிவதை போல உம்மென்று ஹெட்செட்டில் மூழ்கியிருக்கும் மனிதர்கள் - இவற்றுக்கிடையே ஒரு தடவைக்கு வெறும் 30 நொடிகளை மட்டுமே வாய்ப்பாக அளித்திருக்கும் சிக்னல் விளக்கை பார்த்த படி சாலையை தன் கைகளாலேயே தவழ்ந்து கடக்கவேண்டும் என்கிற வரத்தோடு சாலையை கடக்க தயார் நிலையில் இருக்கும் ஒரு தவழும் மாற்றுத்திறனாளியை இன்று சந்தித்தேன். அவருடனான உரையாடலின் ஒரு பகுதி. வாழ்வாதாரம் தேடி அண்ணே ‘வணக்கம்’ என கூறி என்னை அறிமுகப்படுத்திக் கொண்டதுடன், என்ன வேலை செய்றீங்க? எங்கிருந்து வரீங்க? என அவருடனான எனது உரையாடலை தொடங்கினேன். நான் தீவுதிடல் பக்கத்துல இருக்குற திடீர் நகர் பகுதியில தான் பொறந்து வளந்தேன் தம்பி. நான் மட்டும் இல்ல எங்க தாத்தா காலத்துல இருந்து அங்கதான் இருந்தோம். சின்னவயசில இருந்தே இளம்பிள்ளை…

As a 'yellow alert' has been issued, yet again, in Bengaluru, citizens search for answers on the reasons for the severe floods this year. One such explainer is by Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks. In a series of videos, titled 'Floodsplaining' posted on the Bangalore Walks YouTube channel, Arun Pai deep dives into questions on the causes of the floods. He does not pass any value judgements and focuses on the scientific reasons for the severe floods. His videos are based on his extensive research, including talking to experts, reading on the topic, and gaining insights by going around…

In a previous article, Citizen Matters summarised and republished the first in the YouTube series of Arun Pai's video explainers on why Bengaluru floods to provide insights on the reasons for the city experiencing its worst floods in September this year. In episode one of the series, Arun Pai explains how elevation determines why certain parts of Bengaluru flood. The second and third episodes in the "Floodsplaining" "series respectively explain how our ancestors captured and utilised rain water and how some locations in the city are more vulnerable to floods. Arun Pai, founder of Bangalore Walks, uses interactive maps, history…

Bengaluru witnessed one of its worst floods in September this year. The city received more than 800mm rain, since June. Heavy rains led to flooding of many parts of the city in the east, southeast, and northeast, inundating neighbourhoods and houses and damaging vehicles. Tractors and boats were used to evacuate people from homes in flooded neighbourhoods. Bengaluru's IT corridor was among the worst affected. Large swathes of the city were flooded, normal life was disrupted, and the apathy of the authorities raised many questions.  In search of answers Several reasons have been cited for the flooding: from rapid and…

Chennai’s swirling mass of two-wheelers and cars could technically make the Greater Chennai Corporation a wealthy civic body through parking fees, but the current realisation of revenues is only of the order of Rs.1.2 lakh a day, going up from a low Rs.80,000 after parking lots were “improved.” The GCC plans to double the number of street parking sites to 88 locations and provide 12,000 spaces.As of April 2021, there were 9.99 lakh cars and 49 lakh two-wheelers registered in the State capital as per official data. For Tamil Nadu as a whole, the vehicle population grew sharply since 2001,…

In September 2020, the Bombay High Court initiated a suo moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) following the partial collapse of a 36-year-old illegal building in Bhiwandi. The collapse had resulted in the loss of 38 lives, mostly labourers. On February 26 2022, the court pronounced its judgment: this tragic state of affairs in Mumbai, it said, is because “encroachments on public land happen with impunity” and because slum policy confers a “premium illegality in favour of the encroachers, by granting them a windfall of State largesse…in the form of tenements”. This is nothing but “legalising encroachments on prime public lands,”…