Civic

CRZ 1 buffer zone to be marked to protect Mumbai's mangroves The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and revenue officials have been issued directions to demarcate the 50-meter buffer zone identified as Coastal Regulation Zone 1 along the mangrove forests. The direction has been issued by the suburban collector's office per the orders of the Bombay High Court. The 50-meter buffer zone will be marked initially on maps and then physically demarcated on the ground. Once demarcated, fencing of the area will be carried…

Come January 1, 2019, the Tamil Nadu government will implement a blanket ban on single use plastic, an unprecedented move in the state, aimed at protecting the environment. Plastic ban has been at the centre of discussion among many citizens who are still confused and worried about life sans plastic. The state government is continuously reminding people about the ban through newspaper ads, but has failed to provide a concrete road map on the implementation of the ban or the alternatives to be adopted. Several  organisations, especially NGOs, have on the other hand been on the field to sensitise the…

December 2015 -- a date that Chennai is unlikely to forget in a long time to come. The ruthlessness of nature coupled with an unprepared civic administration created one of the worst floods that any city in India has ever seen. But if there was anything good about the floods and their aftermath, it was the awareness created among large sections of citizens about the need to restore and preserve the water bodies in the city. Among the many water bodies that were identified to be in need of a major makeover was the Buckingham Canal. Several discussions, research and…

Surat bags fastest growing city tag A study by research firm Oxford economics has predicted that 17 of the world's 20 fastest growing cities between 2019 - 2035 will be from India, with Surat leading the pack. Other cities that are expected to register strong growth rates include Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. Indian cities have found the top spot based on GDP growth rates, though the actual aggregate GDP will be much lower in these cities compared to their western and Chinese counterparts during the same time period. The list led by Surat also features Agra, Nagpur, Tirupur, Rajkot, Tiruchirappalli…

Private sewage tankers go on mass strike Nearly 350 private sewage lorries in South Chennai went on an indefinite strike early this week to protest against the hike in rates for discharge of sewage loads at Perungudi treatment plant. Chennai Metrowater has recently hiked charges from Rs 100 to Rs 250 for sewage disposal at its Perungudi sewage treatment plant.  The plant is the sole point of discharge for these tankers, which collect sewage from hotels, multi-storeyed apartment complexes and households from Tambaram, Guduvancherry, Medavakkam, Jaladarampet and along the OMR and ECR stretches. The Perungudi treatment plant receives nearly 208 sewage…

NGT fines the State National Green Tribunal has slapped a fine of Rs 50 crores on the State government for failing to protect Bellandur and Varthur lakes, and has asked that Rs 500 crores be kept aside in an Escrow Account for cleaning up Bellandur lake. The tribunal has formed a committee, headed by Justice Santosh Hegde, to oversee the action plan. The Tribunal also directed that the recommendations made by the Panjwani Committee in its report (dated May 31, 2018) be carried out to ensure that no pollutant is discharged into the lakes and nalas. Source: Bangalore Mirror People…

Despite court orders and civilian protests, the Ward Committees (WCs) were not allowed to function in Karnataka for a long time. Finally, in a weak beginning, a few wards held WC meetings on 1st December, 2018. There are many systemic issues that would not let the WCs function effectively, or bring good governance in the city administration. The following issues need to be addressed as soon as possible: 1)  The WC members do not truly represent the public in the ward: According to 74th amendment, the ward committee members are supposed to be chosen by the Area Sabhas.Thus each WC…

Silicon Plateau Volume 2 is a collection of essays where contributors responded to the question: what does it mean to be an app user today—as a worker, a client, or simply an observer? Stories about contemporary life in Bengaluru, of conversations spoken and typed, of deliberations and connections, through a simple a tap on our mobile devices find a place in this book.  This is edited by curator Marialaura Ghidini and artist Tara Kelton, and published by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru. Below is an edited excerpt from the book, from the chapter written by Nicole Rigillo, a…

A worn out broom, an aluminium basket and a pair of gloves form the work kit of C Thenmozhi (name changed), a sanitation worker on Pantheon Road, Egmore. The state of her equipment speaks volumes about her challenges, as she toils on the littered, congested roads of Chennai. On this particular Wednesday night (Nov 28th), the swooshing of her broom is particularly dull and slow, and lacks its usual enthusiasm. “I don’t know if I will even have this job next month,” says Thenmozhi, one of the 8,246 contract sanitation workers in Chennai, assigned the task of keeping the city roads…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities A layer of dust covers every conceivable surface in houses in Samy Nagar in Tirusulam. The vehicles parked on the road have a thin film of grey over them. The drums used to store water have to be shut with heavy lids to prevent the dust from coming in. The curtains in the houses are always drawn tight, so as not to leave any room for passage of dust. But that blocks out the light too. The residents, particularly the women, are constantly dusting and cleaning their…