Civic

“Don’t give us food packets, we can buy rice from the ration shop. Find a solution for the flood waters!” said the women gathered in a group in Semmanjeri. That area, 30 kilometres south of Chennai city, on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, in Kancheepuram district, was severely flooded on November 25, 2020. The submergence was neither new nor unusual for the residents of this low-lying locality. In 2015, when Chennai went under water in a historic and notoriously mismanaged flood, so did Semmanjeri. But in some neighbourhoods at least, the streets and storm water drains seemed to be somewhat better prepared…

Frontline workers first in line for COVID vaccine Around 6,000 frontline healthcare workers have been identified for the administration of COVID vaccine on top priority. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner G Prakash also noted that the count could go up to a lakh with enumeration across the state. Once healthcare workers have been vaccinated, staff of the Chennai Corporation and police personnel, who have been at the forefront of battling the pandemic, will be next in line. Persons above 70 years of age will be the next category to receive the vaccine.  As the corporation undertakes door-to-door screening programme…

Farmer protests continues, might intensify in coming days  As talks between the farmers and government remained inconclusive, farmers have continued to stick to their demand of revoking all the three controversial farm laws. The farmers have also added a new demand and that is to provide a minimum support price (MSP) mechanism on all the 26 crop items they have mentioned. They are now planning to increase the numbers of protestors at different border locations. The farmers have also called for boycotting the establishment and services of two corporate giants, Ambani and Adani.  The Ministry of Agriculture in its fresh…

Farmers protest new land law A coalition of farmers, labour and Dalit organisations staged rallies in the city to protest the Karnataka Land Reforms (Second Amendment) Bill that seeks to remove restrictions on the purchase of agricultural land. The State Legislature passed the Bill on Tuesday. Thousands of protesters — wearing green shawls and holding whips — arrived in the city to show their ire against the ruling BJP government for passing the law, and the Janata Dal (Secular), for supporting its passage. They were also opposing the Union government's farm laws that have led to nation-wide protests. While their…

Translated by Sandhya Raju கே கே நகர் சிவன் பார்க்கில் உள்ள ஸ்கேட்டிங் ரிங் பார்த்ததுமே எட்டு வயது சிறுவன் சரத்திற்கு உற்சாகம் பொங்கும். பொது முடக்கம் அமலுக்கு வந்த சில மாதம் முன்பு வரை இதில் பயிற்சி பெற்று வந்த சரத், விளையாட்டை மேம்படுத்த ஆர்வமாக காத்திருந்தான். ஸ்கேட்டிங் உபகரணங்களை வாங்க தன் பெற்றோரை வற்புறுத்தி அனுமதியும் பெற்றிருந்தான். ஆனால் சிவன் பார்க்கில் உள்ள ஸ்கேட்டிங் ரிங்கை உபயோகிக்க சமீபத்தில் விதிக்கப்பட்ட கட்டணத்தால் பல சிறுவர்களைப் போல், சரத்தும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளான். தற்போது பூங்கா நிர்வாகப் பணி தனியார் நிறுவனத்திடம் ஒப்படைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள நிலையில் ஒரு நாளைக்கு ஒரு மணி நேரம் ஸ்கேட்டிங் ரிங்கை பயன்படுத்த 500 ரூபாய் மாதக் கட்டணமாக அந் நிறுவனம் நிர்ணயித்துள்ளது. இதே போல் பல இடங்களில் தனியார் நிறுவனங்களிடம் ஒப்படைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள பூங்காக்களில் உள்ள பாட்மிடன் கோர்ட், ஸ்கேடிங் ரிங்க் ஆகியவற்றை பயன்படுத்த கட்டணம் நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. நகரத்தில்…

A budget is a statement of accounts; it is an estimate of planned expenditure and receipts of the government or any organisation or a company in a particular period of time. And while this document really gives us the planned allocations and expected income of the local body, every financial year, citizens look at the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) budget to form an idea of the various new civic or infrastructure projects that the municipal government of the day is prioritising. But what are the sources of income for the Corporation and what are the various heads on which the…

The Bangalore Apartments' Federation is holding it's annual event 'Bengaluru Apartments – Making Bengaluru  Operationally Outstanding and Sustainable' (BAMBOOS), on December 12th and 13th. Covid-19 restrictions has forced the event to go online. Stakeholders will discuss, engage, share and collaborate on the theme Responsible, Resilient &  Responsive Apartment Communities for the Bengaluru of next decade. To participate, one would have to register at: https://baf.org.in/bamboos Representatives from government, bureaucracy, civic agencies, expert groups, non profit organisations, media, management committees of apartments and residents will come together to reimagine a better Bengaluru.  Panel discussions would be held on the following topics:  Essential…

Five years since the international community agreed to the list of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, achievement of the sixth (SDG 6) -- ensuring inclusive access to clean water and sanitation facilities -- remains a far cry in Indian cities.  What obstructs inclusive and resilient access to water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and healthy spaces for all urban dwellers?  What are the challenges specific to Indian cities, especially the metros? Are there successful experiments led by communities or organisations, using either technology or nature-based solutions, that can be showcased and scaled to bridge the gaps that exist? To probe…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and Janaagraha’s #MyCityMyBudget annual campaign, meant to involve citizens in the making of the city’s budget, was kicked off on Tuesday.  The thrust of this year’s campaign is to improve public toilets, end public urination and ensure pedestrian-friendly footpaths.  The campaign that will  be live for a month, seeks inputs from citizens for the next BBMP Budget. Citizens can submit their proposals at: https://www.ichangemycity.com/mcmb2020. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said that inputs are welcome through email, apps, forms and even through the budget van. He recalled that in the year 2017-18, the campaign received 22,000 suggestions…

Eight-year-old Sarath's eyes light up at the sight of the skating rink at Sivan Park in K K Nagar. He had been using the facility for a few months before the lockdown and was eager to continue improving his balance and form. He had even persuaded his parents to buy him skating gear. Sarath is one of the many children who have been affected by the recent imposition of charges on the use of the skating facility at Sivan Park. The private contractor who has been entrusted with maintenance of the facility inside the park now charges Rs 500 per…