Civic

Countless promises and mere lipservice display the lack of political will to tackle the mammoth problem of pothole-ridden roads in Bengaluru, even as several reports highlight the spike in fatality caused by them. Citizen Matters on November 18th hosted a Twitter Spaces, titled 'What will it take to make Bengaluru free of potholes?', where several civic leaders voiced their discontent when it came to road management in Bengaluru and offered solutions and avenues for civic action. Vaidya R, who traced the road management by the Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA) which yielded peak road and pothole-free roads, highlighted the…

Street parking in Chennai has always been a contentious issue between pedestrians and vehicle owners. As the former wonders where to walk, the latter wonders where to park.  This question becomes even more prominent as Chennai roads bear almost 60 lakh private motor vehicles as of 2021, which is one-fifth the total number of vehicles in Tamil Nadu. Moreover, the count of privatised motor vehicles has increased by two times. With these recent developments, street parking has become a pressing issue that affects daily life in the city. Attempts have been made to address the issue with the proposal for…

Teen footballer's death causes uproar The death of a 17-year-old football player, R Priya from Vysarpadi, due to medical negligence at the government hospital in Chennai has created an uproar across the State. Priya was admitted to Periyar Nagar Government Peripheral Hospital where she underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the ligament on her right knee on November 7. She then developed complications due to prolonged pressure caused by a compression bandage and was shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) where her leg was amputated and treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). On November 15, she was…

Mumbai taxi drivers asked to put a rooftop indicator Mumbai's kaali-peeli (black and yellow taxi) drivers, by March 31st, 2023, will have to put an indicator on its rooftop that tells passengers if it is vacant, hired or the driver wants to take a break. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Transport Authority (MMRTA) has made it mandatory for all taxis in the city to install this colour-coded indicator before the deadline. The indicator will have green, red and white-coloured LED lights with writings in English and Marathi. Red will indicate that the vehicle is hired, green will signal if it is…

Opposition slams BJP government for voter data theft The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) filed a complaint with the Halasaru Gate Police Station to look into allegations of voter data theft by Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Trust, a private agency. The State Election Commission directed the district election officer (DEO) to conduct a probe and submit a detailed report. Senior Congress leaders, on November 17th, slammed the '40% Commission Sarkara', the BJP-run government, for permitting Chilume to conduct a house-to-house survey and steal personal voter data. The agency had claimed to be creating awareness on filing online applications through…

Across the globe, numerous cities have reaped the benefits of citizen-led urban planning proposals. Such initiatives consider the needs and aspirations of citizens, ensuring the effective use of open spaces and resources. For instance, in 2013, the Metropolitan Government of Seoul designed an urban regeneration policy focused on improving public, open spaces within the city through active citizen engagement, collaboration, and participation. Today, it is the 3rd best city in Asia. In a similar effort to revitalise the Nepean Sea Road in Mumbai, the Nepean Sea Road Citizens’ Forum has put forth a proposal to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to redesign a 2.7-km…

It is difficult to imagine a couple of constantly-overflowing garbage bins standing near a transformer being a part of so much history. But the ones you see at the tri-junction in Thiruvanmiyus where Malaviya Avenue Third Street bifurcates into the left and right of Sivakamipuram First Street in Thiruvanmiyur dominate the conversation in these parts.  For nearly a decade, efforts have been made by tenacious residents to transform the area by moving street furniture and getting the necessary infrastructure in place to prevent flooding. During this time, there have been recurring issues with waste management in the streets. If only…

Translated by Sandhya Raju தமிழ்நாடு மின் உற்பத்தி மற்றும் மின் பகிர்மான கழகம் (TANGEDCO) செப்டம்பர் 10-ம் தேதி மின் கட்டண உயர்வை அறிவித்தது. இதனால் மின் கட்டணம் 50% அதிகமாகலாம் என கூறப்பட்டது. எந்த அளவு மின் கட்டணம் உயரும் என்ற கவலையில் மக்கள் உள்ள்னர்.  இதனை சமாளிக்க என்ன நடவடிக்களை நாம் மேற்கொள்ளலாம் என குறிப்புகளை உங்களுக்காக இங்கே பகிர்கிறோம். முதல் 100 யூனிட் இலவசம் என்றாலும், 400 யூனிட் வரை ஒவ்வொரு 100 யூனிட்டிற்கும் அடிப்படை கட்டணம் ₹2.50-லிருந்து ₹4.50 ஆக உயர்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. 400 யூனிட் முதல் 500 யூனிட் வரை, ₹6 ஆகவும், 1000 யூனிட் வரை ஒவ்வொரு 100 யூனிட்டிற்கும் ₹1 முதல் ₹2 வரை உயர்த்தப்பட்டுள்ளது.  சென்னையில் வீட்டு உபயோகத்திற்கான புது கட்டணம். தகவல்: TANGEDCO Read more: Did your July electricity bill shock you? Here is…

Bengaluru's traffic police have tried their hardest to curtail the city's infamous traffic brawls and instances like speeding, drinking rashly, drunk driving or while on the phone by levying heavy traffic fines on the violators. Bengaluru has always ranked higher in the state for having the most number of traffic violations, which have translated to increased penalties. There were also reports of a single traffic cop collecting as much as Rs 2 lakh in two hours from traffic violators. How much amount has the government collected and what does it propose to do with all the fines they have raked…

Desilting of Pallikaranai marshland invites backlash in Chennai Water Resources Department (WRD) is desilting a drain in the Pallikaranai marshland to prevent flooding in areas like Perumbakkam and Semmenchery, near Chennai. However, environmental experts believe that this move can backfire and cause more flooding in the surrounding areas because the marshland will get to a lower level than its current elevation. The latter is lower than that of the sea level. The Madras High Court has also restrained the authorities from desilting the marshland, point out activists from Chennai. But, the authorities plan to complete the dredging within a week,…