Civic

Seema* has been living in the G Block, colloquially known as Paras colony, of Aya Nagar for more than seven years now. Having migrated from Uttar Pradesh in search of better employment opportunities, she and her husband had only one dream, like any other migrant - to buy their own house in the locality. “My husband and I work very hard and have always dreamt of having a house of our own.”  However, little did she know that just a year after she bought the land in Aya Nagar from a local Gurjar, the front yard of her house would…

How many of you remember Moondravathu Kan, the short film featuring comedy actor Vivek which was released to sensitise citizens about the importance of CCTV cameras in crime prevention and detection? Moondravathu Kan (3rd Eye) was actually a project  of the Greater Chennai City Police (GCP), introduced by the then Police Commissioner Dr. A.K. Vishwanathan sometime in early 2018, as part of which Chennai saw a significant increase in the number of CCTV cameras in the city. By forging a public-private partnership, GCP managed to get the shopkeepers, traders and several resident welfare associations to pitch in with their contributions…

Centre asks states and UTs to relax COVID restrictions  The Union Health Ministry on February 25th said that India is seeing a steady decline of active cases, now at 1,34,235 as compared to over two lakh over a week back. Taking cognisance of this, the Union Home Ministry asked states and union territories to consider relaxing curbs on sports, social, entertainment, academic and religious events, as well as night curfews. Accordingly, after a careful analysis of the local situation, Delhi will have its first day without any COVID related curfews and other restrictions on March 1st, almost two years after the first…

Urban local body polls: DMK sweeps polls, low voter turnout, poor facilities in polling booths The DMK sweeps in urban local body polls in Chennai, held on the 19th, with the results announced on the 22nd. The party won a total of 178 out of 200 councillor seats in the city. This is the first time in 11 years that the party has been in power in the urban local body stage. The AIADMK seems to have significantly lost its strength in voters, compared to the previous civic elections where it held 160 out of 200 councillor seats. The BJP, which…

Decision on shutting down COVID jumbo centres likely by next week The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will decide on whether Covid jumbo centres in Mumbai should be dismantled, by next week. With COVID-19 cases reducing to between 200 and 100, a few centres like the ones at Dahisar, Goregaon, Malad, Sion and Kanjurmarg might be shut, but centres at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Byculla (Richardson and Cruddas) and Worli (NSCI) will continue to function. “The daily occupancy in many of these centres has been in a single-digit since the past few days. While we will ensure that we are prepared…

Metro reduces emissions: Study A study by Bangalore University’s Department of Environmental Science showed that the air quality at six locations along Namma Metro Phase-II improved between 2017 and 2021. The study measured air quality at the following Metro corridors — Mysuru Road Terminal to Kengeri, Puttenahalli Cross to Anjanapura Township, Gottigere to Nagawara, RV Road to Bommasandra, Krishnarajapuram Byapanahalli to Whitefield, and Hesaraghatta Cross to BIEC. The PM2.5 concentration recorded at all the sampling stations were within the limit of 60µg/m3 prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board. PM10 had exceeded the prescribed limit of 100µg/m3 in 2017, but…

On January 8th, a voice note on WhatsApp groups of civic organisations was making rounds in the areas of Borivali and Kandivali. Recorded by an unidentified woman, she claimed that her mother, who lives alone, was duped out of money by a man posing as a Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) agent. On 6th January, he arrived at her home on the pretext of checking the gas meter. On inspection, he allegedly found gas leakages and warned her of a possible fire. She was told that fixing the leakages would cost her Rs 1850 per valve, and in total, she was…

Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” But, what about systems that make it harder for groups to materialise and facilitate change? Let us imagine, as a thought experiment, that a group of like-minded individuals, wanting to transform a city, is established. These might be people who have the time, space, energy and intent to do this. Those with wealth and cultural capital could bring resources in, and those marginalised by the state could bring intent and a personal drive.…

More companies to hire freshers this year As India slowly unlocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, job searches by freshers might be easier in 2022. Around 47% of companies surveyed across the country are expected to hire freshers, way above the the global average of 7%. The top three sectors expecting to increase hiring are information technology, telecommunications and e-commerce and technology startups. Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi will have more jobs for freshers during January-June 2022. In contrast, Gurgaon, Pune, Chandigarh, Indore and Nagpur are seeing a decline in hiring. Reflecting the growth of the economy and its post-pandemic recovery, hiring…

Residents of slums decide to boycott civic polls Residents of slums in Perungudi and K.K. Nagar have decided to boycott the urban local body polls on Februrary 19th. Residents express a lack of faith in the elections and frustration with officials, as they have failed to bring any kind of effective civic amenities to their neighbourhoods. According to a member of the Kallukuttai Slum resident Welfare Association, residents have been living in the area for over 40 years. They have taken part in numerous elections, yet there has been no change. There are still no drains, drinking water facilities or…