Civic

In the past few months, the Tamil Nadu Government has taken certain steps to create platforms for democratic participation in an urban setting. These include the formation of Area Sabhas and Ward Committees. They had been envisioned to function similar to Gram Sabhas, a constitutionally approved platform that exists in rural parts of our country, where people come together and deliberate on developmental issues. They also pass resolutions to achieve their developmental needs. Every village panchayat performs various functions as well as conducts social audits which are then approved by the Gram Sabha to ensure transparency and accountability. Area Sabhas…

The Supreme Court deadline of eight weeks starting May 20 to complete Bengaluru’s ward delimitation exercise was looming. That perhaps left little time for the subcommittee led by Special Commissioner Deepak K L to seriously consider all the 3833 objections that the public had filed on the ward delimitation draft prepared by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). Experts, civic groups and individuals had shared their feedback, suggestions and concerns over the ward boundaries in the proposed plan. Concerns included understanding who initiates the ward delimitation process, the shortcomings in relying on 2011 census data and the absence of a…

Notification on ward delimitation After waiting out the 15 days given for filing objections on the ward delimitation draft proposals by BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), the government on July 14th issued a final order notifying the new wards and their boundaries. As per the notification, the number of wards in the municipality goes up from 198 to 243. Over 3800 objections filed by citizens and citizen groups had been disposed of. While most suggestions were rejected, a few on new ward names proposed in the draft were accepted. For example, Ward 55 will now be named after Puneeth Rajkumar,…

COVID vaccine booster doses available at government hospitals The Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicines sent instructions to all deputy directors of health services to administer Covid vaccine booster doses to people in the 18-59 age group in all government centres on July 15. “Booster shots will be made available and mega camps will be held once every two weeks to complete vaccination in 75 days,” said health minister Ma Subramanian. This is on the heels of an announcement made by the Union Government on offering booster doses free of cost for those under 60. Source: The Times of India…

Tansa dam, which supplies water to Mumbai, is now full One of seven reservoirs in the city, the Tansa dam, has filled up thanks to steady and sometimes heavy rainfall in Maharashtra. However, the dam is now overflowing, which could be dangerous for those living close to it. With a height of 128.17 metres and an overflow level of 128.63 metres, the dam is at risk of rising water levels. Authorities in the area have begun preparations for any outcome in the next few days. Earlier in the monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had announced a 10 per cent water cut in this…

“We don’t want to do this but it's not like we have a choice”, said Kannika* on having to use the playground near her home to relieve herself due to the lack of proper sanitation facilities in the vicinity in Doomingkuppam.  This is the reality for many who reside in the area despite having lived in the city for decades. The many rows of huts that dot the area opposite the scenic beach do not have proper toilets, forcing residents to defecate in the open. Doomingkuppam residents await toilets Doomingkuppam is home to many from the fishing community, with their…

As the monsoons intensify, Mumbai’s beaches are getting dangerous. Since June this year, they have claimed six lives, according to information from the Mumbai fire brigade. While three youngsters from Chembur drowned together on the Juhu beach on June 14th, yet another life was lost at Dadar’s Chowpatty. On July 3rd, a courier employee, Ashish Dusar lost his life at Juhu beach while trying to save the life of a ten-year-old boy. Over 27 people have been rescued and saved from drowning by lifeguards since the onset of monsoons in June this year.  The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Iqbal…

Software engineer turned entrepreneur turned politician, Kiran Sharmilee has been elected councillor of Ward 107. Her foray into politics comes after a 4-year stint at HCL after which she set up a business along with her husband, who is also a politician. She got the opportunity to contest the local body polls held this year. Kiran Sharmilee hopes that her entry into politics, along with many more women who are part of the present council, will inspire other young leaders of the future. She feels that while earlier she had observed political developments from the sidelines, as a councillor she…

“3424 million litres run-off quantity is the missed potential, which sometimes becomes a liability in the city,” says the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the Delhi-based pro-environmental think-tank that has long been making a case for rainwater harvesting in parks and open spaces. “If managed efficiently, the run-off can be stored, recharged and moderated during peak rainfall”. Delhi has had a bad water year this summer. Even the “piaos” that many large hearted people set up outside their homes in different parts of the city to distribute water have gone dry this year,  The gap between demand and supply…

Bengaluru ranked India's least liveable city Bengaluru was ranked the lowest among the five Indian cities featured in the EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit) Global Liveability Index 2022, released on June 24th. Bengaluru had a global ranking of 146, and fell behind Delhi (ranked 112nd), Mumbai (117), Chennai (142) and Ahmedabad (143). The index ranked 173 global cities based on liveability, as determined by stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. In terms of infrastructure, Bengaluru scored 46.4 out of 100, worse than Karachi - among the world's five least-livable cities - and as bad as Lagos, the third least-liveable city.…