Civic

It was a year of in-depth articles that not only informed readers with detailed reportage and explainers, but also offered solutions to issues of concern to citizens. For example the Bengaluru floods of 2022, arguably one of the worst the city has experienced. While a series of articles explained the various causes of the floods, there were also articles that sought to explore solutions. Based on reader's concerns, Citizen Matters also conducted an event, 'Flood-proofing homes and neighbourhoods', a first-of-its-kind citizen clinic format. In this format, a panel of experts offered insights on how homes and neighbourhoods can be protected…

Towards the beginning of the year, I looked at the public bike-sharing systems in Mumbai through the electric Yulu bike. A cross between a scooter and a moped, it wasn't long since it had been introduced in Bandra West as a transport option for delivery workers of Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo, etc.  Because I don’t live in Bandra, I was witnessing the development in flashes. On one visit to the area I caught the blue bike as a blur hurtling past Carter road, on the next, I saw multiple around Hill Road. The bikes had certainly caught on in the area. Thinking of…

While covering stories, reporters come across situations that stay with them for a long time. Like, what did a place look like? How were the people in the story dressed that day? For anyone, these are inconsequential, mundane and everyday things. But these details can speak volumes about systems, governments, and people. Late August this year, I came across a man named Deepak Khilare who had come from Nanded to avail treatment at Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital. A month earlier, he had suffered trauma to his spine, as a result of which has was in a wheelchair. Deepak was…

As of December 2022, I complete five months at Citizen Matters. During this time, I have written articles across the verticals of civic, society, infrastructure, environment, and economy. I have profiled how community-based learning can accelerate the education of children from lower rungs of the socio-economic strata, if recently established Namma Clinics can bridge the last-mile gap in healthcare, and elaborated on what the government does with traffic fines that are collected. There were three stories, however, which received overwhelming responses from readers. Brookefield settlement floods One of my most challenging stories was when in my first month, I came across…

River restoration work by GCC underway Work on the restoration of the Adyar and Cooum rivers is ongoing, with the planting of saplings along the banks, erection of barricades and levelling work taking place across various locations. The work is being carried out by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). As part of the project, a walkway has also been constructed from the MRTS bridge to the Thiru Vi Ka bridge. The cost of the walkway is Rs 5.4 crores. The planting of 60,000 saplings is also being carried out. The saplings include Neem, Ashoka and Banyan trees. Encroachments are also…

COVID-19 spending in Mumbai immune to any probes All spending done by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) during the COVID-19 pandemic is immune to any audits and probes, the municipal commissioner Iqbal S Chahal has said. Such a loophole is possible because the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and Disaster Management Act, 2005 were in force, shielding any decisions and expenditures made in this period in Mumbai from everyone but the Supreme Court. This news comes after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had asked the Comptroller Audit General (CAG) to look into the BMC's projects worth Rs 12,000 crore between November 28,…

Caution over COVID-19 The City Police Commissioner, C H Pratap Reddy, issued a set of guidelines and strict vigilance measures to take precautions during the festive month. Wearing masks is mandatory in indoor and closed places, such as pubs, bars, restaurants, malls, offices, buses and trains. Schools are making masks and sanitisers mandatory, instructing children to maintain social distancing and not share food, among other things. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has mandated COVID-appropriate behaviour, including face masks, due to TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) recommendations. The Health Minister, Dr K Sudhakar, has urged people to take precautionary booster doses,…

Padur is an important area strategically located 2km from one of the country's largest IT parks in Siruseri. Due to the presence of IT parks, multiple deemed university campuses, colleges and schools, the population in the area is dense and growing. Yet, scant attention has been paid to the infrastructure in the area. As a result, the bad roads of Padur are a menace that residents have been forced to live with. Read more: Explainer: How are roads in Chennai laid? Unmotorable roads of Padur  On December 1st, a major accident occurred in the area when a government bus collided…

Cyclone Mandous uproots trees, damages Marina beach ramp Cyclone Mandous left a trail of destruction in its wake over the past weekend with hundreds of trees uprooted and damage to the newly inaugurated accessible pathway for persons with disability on the Marina beach. The cyclone resulted in the uprooting of over 200 trees in 107 locations and generated 645 tonnes of garden waste. Frontline workers had to clear the trees on war footing. The waste generated was sent to the dump yards in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur. Another fallout from the cyclone was the destruction of the viewing deck of the…

Police vehicles purchased for women being used as escort vehicles for Shinde govt MLAs Since July, vehicles purchased by the Mumbai Police under the Nirbhaya fund to combat crimes against women have been used as escort vehicles for MPs and MLAs of the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. The fund is a corpus set by the Centre in 2013 for state governments to ensure women's safety in the aftermath of 2012 Delhi gangrape. In June, Mumbai police spent Rs 30 crore under the Nirbhaya fund and purchased 220 Boleros, 35 Ertigas, 313 Pulsar bikes and 200 Activas. Source: The…