Civic

Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar is one of the most abused natural spaces within the city.  The beach was in pristine condition until the early 1980s, with sparkling sand with two prominent structures, the Karl Schmidt Memorial and the governor’s Guest house with terracotta tiled roof. It was a scenic beach with scattered Ipomea patches.   Uca crabs could be seen busy de-silting their burrows at the same time being vigilant about their safety from their predators and humans.  There would be three rolls of ropes, used for dragging the net, stacked neatly in a circular pattern by the well-disciplined fishers.…

Flyovers to be open at night in Chennai Flyovers across Chennai will be open overnight after a recent decision by the city’s Traffic Police. Previously, all flyovers were shut during the night time, forcing motorists to take longer routes to reach their destination.  The restriction on the use of flyovers during the night was put in place during the pandemic to reduce vehicular movement but had continue long after. The rationale behind its continuation was that it was seen as a move to curb erratic driving and overspeeding at night. With more offices remaining open overnight, there has been an…

Two killed after BEST bus skids and crashes into auto-rickshaw Two people, travelling in an auto, were killed in a BEST bus accident. The bus crashed into the auto rickshaw after it skidded and collided with another BEST bus. The deceased were identified as Johnny Sankhram, 42 and Sujata Panthaky, 38. Both people sustained severe head injuries. The incident took place at the Goregaon check Naka on the Eastern expressway Highway.  The police booked the driver of bus number 1453 for causing death due to negligence under section 304 (A) of the Indian Penal Code. The officials said that since…

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented the first State Budget of his government. He claimed that the aim is to provide relief for inflation-affected citizens through five guarantee schemes by transferring Rs 52,000 crore to more than one crore families. The budget follows the Universal Basic Income being implemented for the first time. The outlay is over Rs 3.27 lakh crore. The government has increased the Additional Excise Duty on Indian Made Liquor by 20%, and on beer by 5.71%, and proposes to revise guidance value of properties and set a higher revenue target from stamp duty and registration. It also proposes that…

Key roads in Ashok Nagar have been subject to floods in recent years whenever there have been severe cyclonic storms in the city. An outdated stormwater drain (SWD) network was one of the key reasons for the flooding and the misery that the residents faced. Having seen the impact of the urban floods, the residents of the area organised themselves into a Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) that has successfully managed to work with the civic body in creating infrastructure that will prevent future floods.  Read more: Perambur SWD construction: Sewage, exposed cables and other horrors Key roads in Ashok Nagar…

Ganganna (name changed) has been working as a manual scavenger, cleaning toilets and drains for the past 25 years in Tumkur. He says that most villagers have almost stopped hiring manual scavengers, but in urban areas like Bengaluru, there is demand for people like him. Cleaning of STPs cause of death Bengaluru has a large number of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), mostly in apartments, and many lack mechanised maintenance. When STPs require manual intervention in repairing blocks and cleaning, it is workers like Ganganna who are called to get into the sewage pits. This has led to the institutionalisation of…

Chennai’s Semmozhi Poonga, which experiences fluctuating fortunes based on who is in power at Fort St. George hosted a a short three-day flower show from June 3. To prepare the park for the event, funds have flowed in for beautification, including the laying of granite walkways. In recent days, a new park in Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, has been named Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Park, after the former Chief Minister. The question that showpiece parks, some of which levy entry and photography charges, pose is this: can green commons in a populous and sprawling city be created only at high expenditure? Read more: In…

Banganga is known as the mini Banaras of Mumbai. It is a popular tourist attraction, with hundreds of tourists visiting the Walkeshwar temple every day.  It is located at Malabar Hill, one of the posh areas in Mumbai, known for its charm and beauty. However, a stark contrast to everything around Banganga, is the condition of the informal settlements, especially the sanitation facilities. Most of the community toilets are not usable. They are either locked or are not well maintained. Kalimata Nagar and Sagar Nagar in Banganga are the closest to the sea front. The two toilets constructed for women…

சென்னை முகப்பேர் மேற்கு பகுதியில் 200 அடி பைபாஸ் (NHAI) சாலையின் பணிகள் இருபுறமும் சர்வீஸ் சாலை அமைக்கப்பட்டு இருபுறத்திலும் ஒருபகுதி கால்வாய் அமைக்கப்பட்டு இருந்தது. சர்வீஸ் சாலையின் இருபுறமும் மழைநீர் கால்வாய் 1 ×4 அடி அகலம், 8 அடி ஆழத்தில் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சர்வீஸ் சாலையின் இருபுறமும் தார்சாலை இரண்டு தடவைக்கு மேல் போடப்பட்ட காரணத்தினால் கால்வாயும் - தார் சாலையும் ஒரே சம அளவில் நிறைய பகுதியில் இருந்தது. அப்பகுதியில் வேலைநிமித்தமாக தினம் சென்று வரும் அப்பகுதியில் கால்வாயில் நாய், ஆடு, மாடுகள் விழுந்த வண்ணம் வாரத்திற்க்கு இரண்டு தடவைக்கு மேல், அவர்களை காப்பாற்றும் பொருட்ட வண்ணம் (நடந்து செல்லும் மக்கள் துணையுடன் செய்து இருந்தேன். மழைபெய்யும் காலங்களில் இரவு நேர பணிக்கு சென்று வருபவர்கள் சரியான ஒளி விளக்கு இன்மை காரணத்தினாலும், மழைநீர் சமஅளவில் உள்ளதாலும் பலர் விழுந்து இயற்கை எய்தினார்கள். Read more: How citizen…

Few days ago, a reel on Instagram made it to several groups of citizens involved in civic action. It was about residents of Chimbai lamenting the condition of the beach, where they grew up. They reminisced about how Chimbai beach looked like a ‘beach’ and it was used by the people as a playground. The residents said they used to play on the beach when they were young but now their children play on the road, which is unsafe. They all spoke about how Chimbai has lost its beauty over the years. Several women spoke about the absolute lack of cleanliness…