Infrastructure

From the Western Expressway Highway if you turn left, you start to see mangroves beyond which lies the Mithi river. Go further towards the Kala Killa bus depot at Dharavi, and you will see a green fence beyond which lies an urban forest. This is the Maharashtra Nature Park that the Maharashtra Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) built with the support of the NGO World Wide Fund for Nature India, starting from 1983. Architect Shriya Bhatia cites this as an example of blue green infrastructure (BGI). Built on a former garbage dumping ground, the park houses indigenous plant varieties and an…

Concerns about the quality of housing and basic amenities in Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenements have reached a tipping point. Resettled families, relocated due to natural disasters, continue to face persistent issues such as frequent flooding, dilapidated infrastructure, and a lack of essential services. Residents are grappling with the daily challenges of damp walls, crumbling ceilings, non-functional lifts, and poorly lit streets, making them feel fearful and uncertain. The tragic death of a 60-year-old man in an elevator shaft at the KP Park tenement is a stark reminder of the existing safety hazards. Meanwhile, the government continues…

In mid-February, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) submitted the revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Airport-Kilambakkam metro project to the Tamil Nadu government. “The DPR proposes the construction of the elevated corridor in the first level and the metro corridor in the next level. It was prepared as per the suggestions of the State’s Highways Department,” M A Siddique, Managing Director, CMRL, told Citizen Matters Chennai.  Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, while presenting the state budget on March 14th, said the DPR would be forwarded to the union government. Estimated to cost Rs 9,335 crore, the metro line is among…

Bengaluru, a city known for its vibrant streets and rapid urban growth, struggles with a critical yet overlooked issue: safe and accessible pedestrian infrastructure. Footpaths, meant to provide safe passage for walkers, are often riddled with obstacles, forcing people to step onto busy roads and risk their safety. Arun Pai, the founder of BangaloreWALKS, brought together a group of citizens of Bengaluru to participate in a Footpath Challenge, an initiative aimed at documenting and addressing footpath-related hazards and showing how citizen action can create civic change. We walked 15-kilometres from Singayyanapalya Metro Station to Kadugodi Tree Park, documenting every obstruction…

The recent hike in Namma Metro fares, announced by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), has evoked strong reactions from commuters. This analysis delves into the policies and decisions of both the Union and State governments over the past 12 years, drawing on documents available in the public domain and information obtained through RTI. An analysis of these documents suggests that all the three concerned authorities, namely the Government of India (GoI), Government of Karnataka (GoK) and BMRCL, must take their share of responsibility for the stiff increase in fares. Some of the decisions indicate that the metro has…

As the Convener of the Perambur Neighborhood Development Forum and an active citizen journalist, I have spent the past few years auditing the public infrastructure across the city. I have regularly shared the findings from my observations with the community through digital, social and print media. A few days ago, I visited the Vyasarpadi Jeeva Railway Station to conduct an on-the-spot audit on the state of its public infrastructure. Here is what I found:  Vyasarpadi Jeeva Railway Station. Pic: Raghukumar Choodamani. Lifts and foot overbridge The concrete steps on the existing foot overbridge, located on the platform, are dilapidated and…

या मालिकेच्या पहिल्या  भागात, आपण बघितले  कि कशी जय भीम नगरच्या रहिवाश्यांची घरं पाडली गेली आणि त्या ठिकाणी असलेल्या हिरानंदानी गार्डन्सच्या कायदेशीरदृष्ट्या संशयास्पद इतिहासाचा आढावा घेतला. ५ ऑक्टोबर रोजी, मुंबई उच्च न्यायालयाच्या शिफारशीनुसार पवई पोलिसांनी बीएमसीच्या एस वॉर्डमधील अधिकाऱ्यांवर, हिरानंदानी ग्रुप (HGP Community Pvt Ltd) आणि चार सहकाऱ्यांवर जय भीम नगरमध्ये अनधिकृत पाडकाम केल्याबद्दल एफआयआर नोंदवला. आरोपींवर गुन्हेगारी कट, सार्वजनिक सेवकाने इजा करण्याच्या उद्देशाने चुकीचा दस्तऐवज तयार करणे आणि खोटी माहिती पुरवणे यांसारख्या आरोपांचा समावेश आहे. पाडकामापूर्वी जय भीम नगरमध्ये राहणाऱ्या ६०० -६५० कुटुंबांपैकी सुमारे १००-१५० कुटुंबे अजूनही तिथे राहत आहेत. मागील काही महिन्यांत तीव्र पावसाचा सामना करत राहिलेल्या या…

The Karnataka Cabinet has cleared two big-ticket projects: Tunnel Road and Sky-Deck. The BBMP’s DPR for the Bengaluru Tunnel Road is for a six-lane, 18-kilometre underground tunnel that will connect Hebbal in the north to the Central Silk Board junction in the south. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 16,500 crore. The proposed 250-metre-high sky deck, supposed to become the tallest tower in South Asia, is estimated to cost Rs 500 crore. The tunnel roads may be extended, there may be other expressways, flyovers, double-decker roads, etc., in the pipeline. All these projects taken together are expected to…

पवईच्या गजबजलेल्या फुटपाथवर एक ताडपत्रीने झाकलेले शेड रोज संध्याकाळी मुलांच्या किलबिलाटाने भरून जातं. 'सर्वांची लायब्ररी' ही जय भीम नगरातील फुटपाथवर राहणाऱ्या मुलांसाठी बनवलेली तात्पुरती अभ्यासिका आहे. इथे ते जवळच्या आयआयटी बॉम्बेच्या स्वयंसेवकांसोबत अभ्यास करण्यासाठी नियमितपणे येतात. ही अभ्यासिका इथे तीन महिन्यांपूर्वी सुरू करण्यात आली जेंव्हा जय भीम नगर वस्ती पाडली गेली आणि रहिवाशांना जबरदस्तीने तिथून हटवण्यात आले. ६०० च्या आसपास घरे असलेल्या या वस्तीतून बरेच रहिवासी इतरत्र स्थलांतरित झाले आहेत, परंतु सुमारे १५०-२०० कुटुंब अजूनही पाडलेल्या वस्तीच्या आसपासच्या रस्त्यावर राहत आहेत. "आम्हाला जाण्यासाठी कुठली ही जागा नाही , आम्ही इथेच राहू," असे शंकर, जय भीम नगरच्या एका रहिवाशाने  सांगितले. जय भीम नगर वस्ती, जी…

In August this year, the Karnataka cabinet approved the construction of a 250-metre high sky deck at Rs 500 crore. The state government claims that this would be the tallest structure in South Asia. The proposed sky deck will give tourism a boost as it will offer a 360-degree view of Bengaluru. The sky deck, as per the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), will offer “breathtaking views of Bengaluru city”. However, in this city struggling with traffic and myriad infrastructural issues, this seems to have aroused excitement among very few. In general, the question on most minds seems to be,…