Governance

A fascinated child stands transfixed in the Zoology section of the Government museum in Egmore, her attention drawn by the giant skeleton of a whale on display, spanning the length of the room. This is is just one of many intriguing artefacts in India's second oldest museum. While the museum can boast of a steady stream of visitors, with enough in store for everyone who would like to spend an hour in learning, there are several aspects of the museum that leave plenty of room for improvement and are crying for attention from the state. The massive collections of the…

A massive demonstration was organised on Wednesday, December 12, 2018, on the premises of the BBMP Head Office at Corporation Circle by the BBMP Guttige Pourakarmikara Sangha, affiliated to AICCTU, where over 1,000 pourakarmikas took part. They protested against the callous attitude of the BBMP Officials towards the workers.  After years of determined struggle by the pourakarmikas, the BBMP was compelled to abolish the contract system and take the contract pourakarmikas on their rolls, and make out direct payment to them. Despite this, at today’s protest, the workers highlighted the fact that the contractors were still working behind the scenes…

Fifteen years ago, Chennai had to rely on neighbouring metros such as Bengaluru to rehabilitate and reform the lives of drug addicts and alcoholics. But as the number of addiction cases increased, private rehabilitation centres mushroomed in the city. "There is a steep increase in people falling prey to alcoholism, drug abuse and other substances. We had admitted 111 cases in 2015-16 and 220 patients in 2016-17," says Dr V Sunil Kumar, a clinical psychologist and founder of  Mindzone, a private de-addiction centre in Adyar. However, while a barrage of information is available online when you search for de-addiction centres,…

Just like sports clubs and art clubs, several Chennai colleges will soon have Anti-Human Trafficking (AHT) clubs to sensitise and train youngsters to prevent and act against human slavery. Twelve colleges in Chennai have expressed intention to launch AHT clubs in their institutions to elevate human trafficking issues to public discourse and combat the rampant human rights violation. The launch of the programme, to commemorate the 70th International Human Rights Day on December 10th, took place at the Madras School of Social Work (MSSW).  The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) spearheaded the initiative, in collaboration with the International Justice Mission…

If you thought you were born in Ahmedabad, prepare to forget it soon. You need to get used to the identity crisis that could befall you when your birthplace suddenly becomes Karnavati. However, there is always consolation: Cousins from other cities might be sharing your distress. After all, Hyderabad is soon to become Bhagyanagar and Aurangabad will become Sambhaji Nagar. Would that really achieve anything? You may be mourning the expiry of a name that always reminded you of your first standard teacher, your grandparents' legacy or the first experience of flying kites in a steely wind. Then again, others may ask,…

Citizens in Bengaluru are finally looking forward to participate in hyper-local level of governance in Bengaluru, with a systematic approach to ward committee meetings. A directive issued by the BBMP Commissioner on November 16, 2018 mandated the meetings to be held on first Saturday of every month. If you are gearing up to go to the ward committee meeting, here's a compilation of everything you might want to know. What exactly is a ward committee? Ward committees are the citizen committees at the hyperlocal level meant to decide the functioning of a ward. They have been mandated by Nagarapalika Act,…

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has released its 2017-18 annual report online last week in its entirety. The report details BMRCL's efforts to keep up the pace of construction and other issues. Six new stretches of the Metro cover 72 km and 61 stations. Two extensions of the already existing purple line on the west and east sides, two extensions of the already operational green line on the north and south sides, and establishment of the new Yellow Line and Red Line form six stretches totally. While the civil contracts have been awarded for all the depots costing Rs…

State to fund PRR land acquisition, Cabinet discusses pending issues Several issues awaiting the cabinet's approval were finally addressed in a meeting presided over by the Chief Minister on November 19. Minister for Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary affairs, Krishna Byre Gowda, briefed the media on the important decisions taken. Among them was the nod given to execute the Peripheral Ring Road project at a cost of Rs 17,000 crore. Toll fee collection will be a revenue stream for this project. Since there were no agencies ready to fund the land acquisition due to controversies surrounding compensation to farmers, the state…

Through a flurry of tweets recently, senior IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, affirmed that e-autos were the way forward to combat pollution and address the issue of last mile connectivity. Rao, who previously held the post of Transport Commissioner and Director, Security, Vigilance and Operations at the KSRTC  (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) says that a lack of imagination, coupled with a centralised approach, is what stops the administration from finding effective solutions to the transport nightmare of Bengalureans. Excerpts from his interview with Citizen Matters. How do you see electric technology working in the context of public transport? I have been…

You've been hearing of a looming food safety crisis triggered by the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in meat and vegetables for some time now. Now, this has hit close to home, right here in Chennai, with new found evidence. A study that examined samples of vegetables, fruit, fish, chicken and mutton from households, market and fish and meat outlets has found the presence of colistin-resistant bacteria in 44 of the 100 samples. The study has also unravelled the mechanism by which a gene responsible for antibiotic-resistance can be transmitted to humans, with worrying consequences. Colistin is known as the ‘antibiotic…