Governance

This is the first of a two part story on why finding a sustainable solution to regulate Delhi’s legal and illegal street vendors is so difficult. Ask the best-dressed girl in Lady Shri Ram College or Miranda House where she bought the smart top she is wearing, chances are she will tell you “SN (Sarojini Nagar market)”. The checked cots wool shirt or cushion covers and tablecloth with exquisite embroidery in that posh Gurugram apartment would most probably also have been “picked up “as a “bargain” or to “help the craftspersons/roadside vendors”, from the footpath in Janpath. Ditto for the…

The Navi Mumbai Draft Development Plan 2018-2038 is the first development plan to be formulated since the formation of the Municipal Corporation. When Navi Mumbai was conceptualised, planning authorities wanted to decongest Mumbai and shift industrial and housing demands to Navi Mumbai. Housing has always been one of the primary concerns for the financial capital of the country. The City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), a planning authority in Navi Mumbai, was therefore tasked with the responsibility of identifying land for industrial, residential, commercial usage, etc. [Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is the planning authority of Navi Mumbai, but CIDCO and…

In his office inside a park in Ward 176, Councillor V Anandam sits with the residents and Assistant Engineer and makes plans on how he can be more accessible to people. "Let us put up your face and phone number on a flex board in different areas so that more people can reach out to you," suggests a resident. "Yes, that is a good idea," he says. "After the rains, all the 400 plus streets in our ward will have a board with my phone number for them to reach me easily. This will invite the people of Ward 176…

Settling into a cosy corner at home with a mug of hot tea during the rains is the idea of a picture-perfect monsoon for many. However, when we relax indoors enjoying the drizzle, there is often someone out and about ensuring the roads are not inundated, that power lines stay intact, the drains are not clogged, and garbage is not strewn on the streets after a heavy downpour. Chennai's many frontline workers deal with these unenviable tasks even as they are unable to attend to their own needs or that of their families during these situations. With the impact of…

A Ward Committee meeting is a unique opportunity for all citizens, regardless of their social or economic status, to sit across the table from officials and participate in ward-level governance. No other major city in India has Ward Committees as Bengaluru does. This is made possible by the ‘BBMP Act 2020’, which replaced the earlier Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act and provides for ward committees. Read more: Everything you must know, as Bengaluru marks a milestone in local governance What is a Ward Committee Meeting? BBMP, the city Corporation of Bengaluru, is divided into eight zones and 243 wards. Each of…

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be spending over Rs 10 crore on the beautification of the M-east ward in the first phase. The ward authorities also plan to construct a clock tower at Indian Oil Nagar in the second phase of beautification. However, residents in the area believe the money could be used more efficiently. 33-year-old Kailash Aran, who works as a driver and resides in the slums of Annabhau Sathe Nagar, contends BMC needs to focus on keeping the area clean and ensuring the ward remains mosquito-free instead of such beautification projects that don't do much for the…

The infamous floods of 2015 were a catalyst for the formation of many a residents' welfare association (RWA) in Velachery and other parts of the city. The need for collective action was felt acutely during this time as residents were marooned in more ways than one. The AGS Colony Residents’ Welfare Association (ACRWA) in Velachery West was started as a response to the crisis that ensured during the floods and the difficult aftermath that many residents had to deal with.   Some home truths from the floods The 2015 floods were a difficult time for all Chennaiites, especially those in…

Ever wondered what happens at public consultations for major government projects across Chennai? “Usually at these hearings, they want to show that they have taken the consent from a wide array of people; from well-off residents to a few fishermen. But when we are given a chance to speak, it is only in terms of ‘yes or no'," says Velayudam, a fisherman who had attended a public consultation on the construction of stormwater drains in East Coast Road. Velayudam wanted to speak about how such a project negatively affects the lives of fishing communities living in Sholinganallur. He was of…

If someone from the city were playing Pictionary, and they had to guess from a drawing of floods or inundation, they would probably guess "Chennai" and be right. Flooding and Chennai have become synonymous with each other. No wonder the civic body is hurrying up with storm water drain (SWD) work in Chennai. Will SWDs be the panacea for urban floods? "No city in the world can rule out inundation [due to rains]. However, it will be much lesser than before in Chennai," says Gagandeep Singh Bedi, the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation, when questioned if the current monsoon…

The Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga has extended a public invitation to the second Bengaluru Ward Samiti Balaga Samaavesha to be held on October 16th (Sunday) at Government Arts College, next to Civil Court complex, from 10 am. The main objective of the Balaga is to strengthen the ward committees of Bengaluru by working together and collaborating with the BBMP and other civic agencies. BBMP elections are still pending (likely to happen before December 31st per Court orders), but we are glad to report more ward committee meetings are happening now than before our May 28th meeting. However, in many meetings,…