Civic

No notice. No alternative housing. Tsunami survivors at Nochi Nagar near Marina beach are left in the lurch as the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) is tearing down their temporary shelters, in brazen violation of the residents' basic rights. As their houses are destroyed before their eyes, the Nochi Nagar residents stare at an uncertain future, a future in which they will have to shell out exorbitant sums for rental housing if they want a roof over their heads. They say they have been victims of discrimination throughout -- eleven years ago, they didn’t get the houses meant for them and…

“We come and check. If it’s good and we like it, we take it, otherwise we know it’ll be useful to someone else. Everything kept here is put to good use,” says a woman smiling, as she picks up an item kept at the Brookefield Community Fridge. In a city where one has Zomato, Swiggy, high-end restaurants, big breweries, ice cream parlours, Indira canteens and numerous other options, food should be the last worry on a Bengalurean’s mind. Yet, there are hundreds of families who go to bed on an empty stomach in Bengaluru every day. While mid-day meals in schools,…

Is Chennai ready to withstand the monsoon? The city experienced good showers last week, but the short spell left many Chennai roads dirty and water logged. That raises a pertinent question: Are we ready to face the monsoon, leave alone a flood-like situation? The storm water drain work is still incomplete in many parts of the city instilling fear of floods, especially in the suburbs of Chennai. Though the officials claim they are undertaking the work and will complete them before the onset of north east monsoon, there still is a long way to go. Meanwhile, the integrated stormwater drain…

Eight die in Mumbai suburban rail network every day! Data from the Government Railway Police has shown that a staggering 18000 people have died on Mumbai’s railway tracks over the last five years. However, the number of people who died daily on average was down to 8 in 2017, from 10 in 2013. Around 8 million people use Mumbai’s suburban rail network and the network has the highest passenger density in the world. Recent incidents such as the collapse of a foot over bridge and a near-stampede in a crowded station have led the public to question civic inaction in…

London's Deputy Mayor inaugurates shared network of cities to handle air-pollution:  C40 Air Quality Network, a collective of 14 cities across the world, with Bengaluru and London leading the initiative, was officially launched on July 30.  Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara inaugurated the event to mark the beginning of a global discussion to tackle and share knowledge regarding the steps taken to handle air-pollution. The Deputy Mayor of London, Shirley Rodrigues, listed out measures she intends to implement in the British capital. Imposing toxicity charges on polluting vehicles, and adhering to UK and European air pollution limits are among the…

Sanitation woes Public toilets in the city have come under the scanner for poor maintenance, lack of facilities and sheer inadequacy in number required to cater to a population the size of Chennai's. A subset of this issue is the lack of access to toilets for women. Dhagam Foundation’s recent event, Kakkoos-a-kaanom highlighted this problem plaguing people from all walks of life, especially women. The NGO had undertaken a meticulous social audit that covered 613 public toilets across the 15 zones in the city. A perception survey was also conducted among 1351 individuals on the myriad issues that prevent them…

Tamil Nadu, the largest manufacturer and consumer of plastic in South India, has announced a welcome move to ban disposable plastic from January 2019. Ripples of the proposed ban can be felt in the state and even in Chennai city, where questions are being raised over the preparedness of people to fall in line and the many ramifications of doing away with plastic altogether. Will people really be able to discard everyday disposables that they are so used to? And how will the shift affect employment and income generation? A self-help group in Walajabad panchayat of Kancheepuram has initiated a…

A series of articles around important topics affecting Bangaloreans. The food on our plate Pic courtesy: Wikimedia The series is an explainer on sources of our food and growing our own food. Many questions are answered here: What’s the source of our food? Where do our vegetables come from? What does the supply chain look like? Are they grown in safe environment? How are they transported? How does one know what is organic food? Why does one need organic food? What are the packaging norms? What challenges are being faced by big suppliers of food door delivery? What are the…

Rain provides respite for Delhi air pollution Delhiites finally got a chance to breathe in some air of “good” quality – for the first time in 2018 -- following continuous downpour over a few days that naturally washed away the usual pollutants present in the air. On Friday, July 26th, The Air Quality Index in the city was recorded at 43, which is categorized as good. However, experts find little cause for cheer or complacency in that. According to global environmental group Greenpeace, the reason for such improvement was largely natural: meteorological factors – in this case, rain, which cleanses…

Relief for property owners: property tax hike reduced to 50% Within days of announcing a likely increase in property tax to as much as 100%, the Government reduceD the cap to 50% for residential buildings. The rollback on tax hike came after requests from the public, and resident welfare associations. The owners of residential buildings, irrespective of whether they are self-occupied or rented out, will now face a tax rate hike of not more than 50%. Source: Times of India Are private schools hampered by the fixed fee rule? The recent controversy surrounding the demand of a caution deposit by…