Civic

SEC seeks to speed up BBMP polls The SEC (State Election Commission) filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the government to issue a fresh notification to fix the reservation for the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) wards immediately. The SEC alleged to the courts that the state government is seeking three more months to issue a notification, so that it can delay the BBMP elections beyond May 2023. The Assembly polls are due before May, so if the election schedule is declared, then the BBMP elections would get postponed indefinitely. The hearing on the state application…

State deploys 11-member task force to control Measles crisis Maharashtra has formed an 11-member task force to control the measles crisis in the state. The task force will include paediatricians, an epidemiologist, representatives from WHO, UNICEF, health officials from BMC and National Institute of Virology, Pune. There have been 89 measles outbreaks in Maharashtra so far with 12,241 suspected cases and 745 confirmed cases. This is a 700% jump compared to the previous year. Data suggests Mumbai to be the epicentre, accounting for 37 of 89 outbreaks. Source: Times of India Read: Missed vaccines, misinformation and other gaps highlighted by…

With the increasing number of private motor vehicles in Chennai, the need for a comprehensive parking management strategy is being felt acutely. Despite initiatives like multilevel parking facilities being taken up by the government, the public continues to park their vehicles on the streets or on pavements, causing multiple problems. With an intention to find answers to this long-term problem in Chennai, Citizen Matters organised a webinar titled ‘Finding a solution to street parking in Chennai’, bringing together a panel of experts for the discussion. The panel comprised Sanjay Pinto, Advocate, Columnist, Author and former Resident Editor of NDTV 24x7;…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allocated crores of rupees to beautify wards, yet, participatory planning has been abandoned altogether. There is a greater need for involvement of citizens in actively monitoring the work being undertaken in their ward and demanding accountability from the municipality. Complaints of irregularities in the tendering process also alarm us, considering the lack of consultation with citizens during the planning or implementation stages. In an ideal world, all that would be expected of a citizen is that they would pay their taxes and enjoy the benefits and comforts authorities offer, in the form of good…

A raft of proposals for the beautification of Mumbai was announced recently amid well-orchestrated publicity. The project which is estimated to cost Rs 1700 crore is slated to be completed by March 2023. Neighbouring Thane will be forking out Rs 100 crore for a similar beautification project. The "Mumbai Beautification Plan" includes beautification of road dividers, improvement of footpaths, installation of street furniture and street lights, the beautification of traffic islands, optimum usage of public spaces underneath bridges, maintenance of toilets and creation of wall paintings and murals. Even the most politically naïve citizen will refuse to believe that these…

Come winter and there is a surge in fire incidents in Srinagar — a city of 1.4 million — mostly in shops and homes. This year has seen no exception. On October 25th, fire damaged two residential structures in the old city area of Rajouri Kadal. “We called the Fire and Emergency Department control room in time, but fire tenders reached the site only about an hour later,” said Abdur Rashid, whose house was damaged in the blaze. “Had they reached the spot quicker, both houses would have been saved.” The fire started from his house and engulfed his neighbour’s…

Translated by Sandhya Raju சூடான டீ, இசையுடன் மழைக்காலத்தை வீட்டினுள் ரசிப்பது தான்  நம் பெரும்பாலனவர்களின் விருப்பம்.  மழையை நாம் ரசிக்கும் அதே நேரம், மழை நீர் தேங்காமலும், மின்சாரம் தடைபடாமலும், கழிவுகள் தெருக்களில் தேங்காமலும் இருக்க, பலர் மழைக் காலத்தில் நமக்காக பணியாற்றுகின்றனர். தங்கள் சொந்த வேலைகள், குடும்பத்தின் தேவைகள் ஆகியவற்றையும் பொருட்படுத்தாமல், பல களப்பணியாளர்கள் மழைக்கால வேலைகளில் ஈடுபடுகின்றனர். பருவ நிலை மாற்றம் காரணமாக, பல தீவிர கால நிலை நிகழ்வுகளை எதிர்கொள்ளும் நிலையில், களப் பணியாளர்களின் பணி மேலும் சவாலாக மாறும் நிலை உள்ளது. களப்பணியாளர்களின் கடினங்கள் 21 வருடம் முன், சென்னை கழிவு நீர் மேலாண்மை வாரியத்தில் தற்காலிக பணியாளராக சேர்ந்த வெங்கடேஷின் நாள் தினமும் 5.30 மணிக்கு தொடங்குகிறது. ஊரப்பாக்கத்தில் வசிக்கும் இவர், தினமும் 30 கி.மீ பயணித்து ராயபேட்டைக்கு பணிக்கு வருகிறார், ஊதியமாக  ₹2,800 பெற்ற அவர், 2021-ஆம் ஆண்டு ₹6,000…

Recent discourse at the national level on stray dogs and the issues faced by residents has brought the spotlight on Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes in cities. ABC is an effective way to keep the population of stray dogs in check while also ensuring that harmful diseases like rabies are kept at bay. ABC procedures also help dogs to lead a longer and healthier life and reduce human-animal conflicts.  The ABC centres in Chennai are operated with the aim to regulate the street dog population by sterilising and vaccinating them. Rules that govern ABC Before we dive into how ABC centres work…

Cooler weather in Chennai reduces the demand for electricity Owing to cooler weather, the electricity demand decreased by 20% in Chennai, pegged at 2141 MW on November 23rd. The city has been experiencing below-normal temperatures due to low pressure in the north of Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal. TANGEDCO sources say that the electricity demand has reduced due to less usage of air-conditioners in Chennai. Usually, the monsoon season sees a power demand of 2500 MW-2700 MW in the city. On November 20th, a Sunday, the electricity consumption came down to 2013 MW because workplaces were closed in…

A comprehensive parking policy in the works The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) claims it has completed drafting a parking policy for the Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA), which would be legally authorised to fine illegal parking. It will go live on a pilot basis early next year in the wards: D (Malabar Hill, Nepean Sea Road), G-South (Worli), K-West (Andheri west) and S (Powai, Bhandup). The civic body has been under deadline after the High Court ordered parking spaces be designated in the city. While all NOCs have been acquired, the digital platform and a centralised data system is yet to…