Civic

Pink Squad looks into the safety of women travelling in Chennai Metro Rail The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) conducted a survey last year on the safety of women passengers in metro trains. The majority of the 12,000 women who took part in the survey opined that they felt safe travelling in the metro trains. However, they have concerns over male passengers occupying the seats in women's coaches. In a bid to address this issue and to further improve the safety of women passengers, CMRL has recruited around 25 women, who are trained in martial arts, to patrol on the…

257 water crisis zones in the city The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has identified 257 areas facing potential water scarcity. Poor monsoons have led to a significant drop in the water table, with 1,240 out of 10,995 borewells expected to dry up soon. To meet the shortfall, an extra 1,680 million litres of water per day (MLD) is needed. Hence, the BWSSB is planning to make up for the water shortage with its 60 tankers, 120 private tankers and high awareness programmes. Almost 20% in the city get water from tankers due to increasing scarcity in the state,…

Leopard spotted behind residential complex A leopard was seen behind the boundary wall of Oberoi Splendor, a residential complex near the Aarey forest. A video taken of the leopard shows it walking parallel to a barbed wire fence. Forest officials are keeping an eye on the situation and patrols have been put in place. They have made an appeal to people to inform them in case they spot a leopard. Residents of the complex have been advised to keep away from dark areas, to ensure that children and pets are not allowed outside without the presence of an adult, and to keep…

Citizen activism in Bengaluru has been an example of perseverance and driving change. There are citizen groups that serve as an inspiring example that not all development initiatives need to be government-led. Sustained citizen action can play a huge role. These groups have demonstrated that the city can advance through hyper local intervention by citizens. We profile a few of these groups that mark their milestone years of being changemakers. Whitefield Rising: 10 years of citizen action The question of responsibility for addressing everyday issues, like garbage and traffic, prompted Nitya Ramakrishnan, founder of Whitefield Rising, Mahadevpura constituency, to contemplate that…

In the first week of December 2023, residents of Chennai and surrounding areas experienced flood fury, which brought the city to a grinding halt. When the 2015 Chennai floods happened, the authorities said it was a one-in-100-years disaster and would not occur for a long period. Yet, in eight years, here we are facing the consequences of a disaster. Now the citizens are asking — who is to blame for the Chennai floods? Major rivers, lakes and canals in the city come under the purview of the Water Resources Department. "But the department, which should be restoring waterbodies and channels…

Bengaluru world's 6th most congested city Bengaluru was ranked the sixth most congested city in the world by the TomTom Traffic Index 2023. TomTom is a Dutch technology firm. This is an improvement from the second rank in 2022, when travel for a 10-km drive took 30 minutes. But in 2023, the time was brought down to 28 minutes for 10 kms, with the congestion level at 63%. The ‘worst day’ last year was on September 27th, when it took 33 minutes to cover 10 kms, mainly on the Outer Ring Road, where a number of private vehicles from tech…

Panel on Ennore gas leak directs CIL to pay compensation The seven-member technical committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government to look into the ammonia gas leak in Ennore in Chennai has directed the Coromandel International Limited (CIL) to pay a fine of ₹5.92 crore to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). The panel confirmed that the leak that occurred on December 26 and affected many local people, was from an under-sea pipeline belonging to the fertiliser plant. The technical committee also recommended that the existing pipeline should be replaced by a new one that has automatic control and…

Children need to sleep; schools to start at 9 am The Maharashtra Government has issued a government resolution (GR) making it compulsory for primary and pre-primary schools to open at 9:00 am or later from the upcoming academic year 2024-25. This is to allow the young children to sleep better and get adequate rest. The GR applies to schools of all boards without exception.  “Considering the changed lifestyles, various modern entertainment devices and a city life that continues with all kinds of noises till late in the night; children along with people at large are sleeping late. This is causing…

Rapid urbanisation in many Indian cities highlights a widespread challenge — inadequate quality of life in public spaces, regardless of location or economic status. This is a common scenario experienced by most Indian cities today, irrespective of their geographical location, level of development and state of economic stability. The quality of life in the public realm is extremely poor. Reimagining city landscapes/commons Launched in 2021, The Urban Revamp Design Challenge aims to identify distinctive public spaces for redevelopment, fostering imaginative futures centred around inclusiveness, climate sustainability and community engagement. The Challenge facilitates collaboration among urban planners, designers, architects, local communities,…

From a homemaker, who had little knowledge of the workings of the outside world to being triumphant in the Chennai urban local body polls — and managing her ward — B Sumathi, Councillor of Ward 77, has charted an eventful journey. "My husband was quite active in the party and also involved in social work. Since, this was a ward reserved for women from scheduled castes, I was given a seat to contest. To my surprise, I won by a margin of 6,847 votes," says Sumathi. Speaking about her tenure so far, she says, "Though I was scared initially, I…