Civic

Cops push back protestors of Badlapur rape case The police custody of a 23-year-old school janitor, arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two kindergarten girls in a school's toilet at Badlapur town was extended till August 26. A special investigation team (SIT) has registered an FIR against the school authorities, for not complying with the provisions of Section 19 of the POCSO Act. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has announced a Maharashtra bandh for August 24. Meanwhile, the police said that many WhatsApp groups were created and appeals to join the Badlapur railway station protest on August 20th were circulated. Protestors gathered…

National outrage over doctor's rape and murder The midnight hour on the eve of the 78th Independence Day saw massive protests by lakhs of people, demanding justice for a young Kolkata doctor, brutally raped and murdered in the state run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, while on duty, on August 9th. Demonstrations spread not just across the cities and towns of West Bengal, but also to Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Patna, Silchar and even global cities like Poland, Scotland, Munich, London, Leeds and Atlanta. There were slogans on reclaiming women's right to safety and security, and safety…

Dharavi has had many distinctions from being Asia's largest slum to being the subject matter of Indian and international movies such as the Oscar winning Slumdog millionaire and scores of fiction and non-fiction books. But amidst all these, it is the people of Dharavi who make it what it is - a settlement spread over 240 acres with countless micro industries from pottery, snacks to leather and garments and more. For decades, the settlement has housed migrants coming to the city to make a living. For decades the settlement has suffered from lack of basic amenities such as sanitation. Located…

Huge urban waste leakage into water bodies Indian cities face the risk of being among the top global contributors of waste leakage, mostly untreated municipal solid waste, into aquatic environments. Researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis estimate that in 2020, municipal solid waste from India contributed to 10% of waste leakage to the world’s rivers. About 70% of the leakage is from urban areas, due to lack of regulations and implementation, low collection rates, high transportation costs and lack of diversified municipal solid waste technologies, explains the study. The paper suggests that a global treaty with standardised…

Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar, fondly called Bessie, is known for its scenic beauty and bustling food stalls. The beach is also at the centre of a debate over environmental preservation and commercial activities.  As the number of visitors to the popular beach has increased over the years so have the restaurants, food trucks, and pushcart vendors along the promenade. The same is true for the food stalls within the beach area. This, combined with the lack of civic sense among beachgoers — particularly weekend visitors — has resulted in extensive littering of the beach premises. Read more: Construction debris…

Coming from a family of politicians, it was a natural decision for JK Manikandan, the councillor of Ward 186 in Chennai, to choose a career in politics. His father PA Jayachandran has been in the public domain for almost four decades and this paved the way for Manikandan's political journey. In 2006, when Ullagaram was a municipality, his father won as the President, while Manikandan became the Vice President. Back then, he was part of the AIADMK. After the death of the then AIADMK supremo, J Jayalalithaa, Manikandan joined DMK. He was given a ticket to contest in the urban…

Heavy rains devastate hilly towns in Wayanad, HP More than 300 have been killed in the toll due to landslides in the hilly towns of Wayanad, Kerala. The rescue operations have entered the fourth day on August 2, with about 40 rescue teams combing the area, despite the heavy rains and challenging terrain. They include army personnel, Defence Security Corps (DSC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Forest and Fire and Rescue Service, swmming experts and volunteers, who are picking their way through the debris with rescue equipment, including earth movers, radar-based drones and sniffer dogs. Climate change and unscientific construction…

“Thubarahalli Extension Road consists of various apartment complexes and residential units with a total population of approximately 2,000+ residents currently. The number of residents is going to go up beyond 3,000 with newer housing projects coming up very soon. We are hereby communicating to provide you (with) a comprehensive representation of the various issues faced by our area residents, as well as suggestions for improvements that will help to enhance our living conditions and overall quality of life.” Thus begins an open letter, dated February 15, 2024, addressed to The Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister. It is…

KP பார்க்கில் உள்ள 13 மாடி குடியிருப்பின் எட்டாவது மாடியில்  தனது வீட்டிலிருந்து வெளியே செல்ல புறப்பட்டார் ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). எப்போதும் போல மின் தூக்கியில் ஏறியவரை, உயிர் இல்லாத சடலமாகத்தான் மீட்கமுடிந்தது. ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). Pic: Sakthi Vel N ஆறாவது மற்றும் ஏழாவது மாடியினிடையில் மின்தூக்கி செயலிழந்துவிட்ட நிலையில், அவரை வெளியேற்ற முயற்சி செய்து கொண்டிருந்தபோது, கால் தவறி ஏழாவது மாடியில் இருந்து கீழே விழுந்து உயிரிழந்தார் கணேசன். இம்மரணம் சம்பவித்து ஒரு மாதமான நிலையில், அங்கிருந்து 3 கிமீ தொலைவில் அமைந்திருக்கும் TT பிளாக் குடியிருப்புவாசிகளுக்கு மிகுந்த அச்சத்தை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. “போன மாசம் KP பார்க் ல நடந்த சம்பவம் எங்களுக்கும் நடக்கணுமா? 13 மாடி கட்டடம் எங்களுக்கு எதுக்கு?” என்று கேட்கிறார்கள் அம்மக்கள். Read more: Chennai’s decades-long policy failure to address housing issues of the…

A drive on some of the roads in Ward 188 can be quite challenging, as many of them are in a state of disrepair or in various stages of construction. One of the reasons for the bad condition of roads here are the many development projects being executed simultaneously in major localities such as Madipakkam and Ram Nagar. These include work on stormwater drains, underground sewage lines and Metro Water connections. These projects are being put in place to mitigate flooding, a major concern in this part of the city, and to upgrade the area. Once a small village panchayat,…