City: Delhi / NCR Citizen Matters

Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru, our cities treat pedestrians as second class citizens

August 21, 2019 Dattatraya T Devare

In 2018, pedestrians comprised more than 50% fatalities on Mumbai streets; the numbers for Delhi and Bangalore stood at 44% and 40%. Our streets have turned into a battlefield between cars and citizens, and citizens almost always lose.

Where cars are king and pedestrians their slaves

August 17, 2019 Dattatraya T Devare

Thanks to lack of political will and unfortunate US-style aspiration, we have arrived at a sad state of affairs as far as urban mobility is concerned. In this first of a four-part series, the author explains the latent inequality and hierarchy in our city streets.

Why Bengaluru must phase out diesel vehicles on war footing

June 25, 2019 Vimal Simha

One diesel SUV accounts for the emissions of about 25-65 petrol cars! And yet cities, where vehicle emissions are the biggest cause of particulate matter pollution, have not been able to shun them. Can we take the steps needed to mitigate the diesel threat or will citizens and environment continue to pay a heavy price?

2020 is around the corner, can we stop Delhi from running dry?

June 24, 2019 Akshita Nagpal

If a 2018 Niti Aayog report is to be believed, the capital is among 21 Indian cities that look poised to run out of groundwater by next year. Here’s what has brought Delhi to this ominous brink, and what needs to be done to avert Doomsday.

Meet Chandni Chowk MP, one of the 100 influential people in climate policy

May 12, 2019 Prerna Chatterjee

Dr. Harsh Vardhan represents Chandni Chowk in Delhi as a Member of Parliament besides being the incumbent minister at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry

South Delhi Lok Sabha Candidates: New faces from AAP and Congress against BJP’s sitting MP

May 12, 2019 Prerna Chatterjee

With inputs from Sri Krishna, Delhi Considered a prestigious Lok Sabha seat, this constituency has been represented in the past by senior BJP leaders like Sushma Swaraj, late chief minister Madan Lal Khurana and senior

South Delhi MP Ramesh Bidhuri confident of another term despite controversies

May 12, 2019 Prerna Chatterjee

Avoiding election frenzy and the intense heat of Delhi summers, South Delhi MP, Ramesh Bidhuri is seen spending most of his time in his poll war room in Mehrauli. His complacence comes from BJP’s strong

Governance

Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma: West Delhi MP has high attendance, but relatively low participation, in parliament

May 11, 2019 Prerna Chatterjee

West Delhi’s incumbent MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma is contesting from the constituency again on a BJP ticket. While Verma had 97 percent attendance in parliament, his participation in debates was below average

Manoj Tiwari: North East Delhi MP’s performance in parliament below average

May 11, 2019 Prerna Chatterjee

Manoj Tiwari, the incumbent BJP MP from North East Delhi constituency, is contesting again this Lok Sabha election. Tiwari’s performance, both in parliament and in developing his constituency, has been underwhelming

Delhi just got three new mayors, but can they change anything for the city?

April 30, 2019 Santosh Joy

Amid the din of the Lok Sabha election campaigns, Delhi witnessed a silent but significant change of baton at the post of three mayors of the South, East and North municipal corporations. However, given the power dynamics in the capital, the road ahead for city administration under the new leaders hardly looks promising.

Will Delhi’s Rs 571-crore CCTV project finally take off successfully?

April 26, 2019 Sri Krishna

Lack of maintenance and monitoring, power supply and cost sharing issues have seen many cameras go kaput in the past. Now, with a freshly drawn-up Standard Operating Procedure, the Kejriwal government is all set to revive the project with 2000 installations across the city.

Report card: Centre, states did little to improve air quality in 14 most polluted cities

April 10, 2019 Prerna Chatterjee

From Kanpur to Srinagar, from Gurugram to Varanasi, the story of cities in the Gangetic plains is similar – air pollution levels are extremely high, governments apathetic and inactive.

When will Delhi see electric buses on its regular routes?

April 1, 2019 Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya

In a detailed interview with Citizen Matters, Jasmine Shah, Vice Chairperson of the Delhi Dialogue and Development Commission (DDC), throws light on the exact goals with regard to induction of e-buses in the capital and the journey towards that over the last one year.

Death in a Delhi sewer…and lives of those left behind

February 22, 2019 Bhasha Singh / PARI

After Anil’s death while cleaning a sewer in Delhi, Rani has been struggling to make ends meet, while battling grief and barbs about not being his legally married wife. “On how many fronts can I fight?” she asks, and hopes the state will now bring in machines for cleaning drains.

When reading soldiers’ names on India Gate was any Delhi kid’s favourite Sunday pastime

February 19, 2019 Aruna Subramaniam

The author’s visit to the capital evokes nostalgia over the sights and sounds of the past, and also brings out remnants of past glory and the sites that make it a magical city — the sound, smog and crowds notwithstanding!