Infrastructure

Mumbai is reported to have only 1.24 sqm open space per person. This includes gymkhanas, cemeteries, storm water drains, sewage treatment plans, etc, so even that paltry number is exaggerated. The areas coloured green in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s Development Plan 2034 to signify ‘open spaces’ are misleading, since many have buildings and slums in their place. According to a study done as part of the ‘Harita: The Green Footprint’ fellowship, the real figure is only around 1 sqm per person. The fellowship mapped and graded 500 parks in the city. The report concluded that only 18% of the…

On Friday, November 12, Citizen Matters hosted a webinar on fire safety in Mumbai’s high rises. Following a story that covered the unfortunate fire incident at the 60-storey Avighna Park in Lower Parel, 3 weeks ago, the panel sought to discuss fire safety in Mumbai’s buildings by including subsequent fire tragedies in the city in recent weeks.  The panel consisted of Hemant Parab, Chief Fire Officer, Mumbai Fire Brigade and Chandrashekhar Prabhu, an Indian politician, architect, professor, urban planner and management expert. Arathi Manay, community anchor at Citizen Matters Mumbai and an experienced market research professional, moderated the discussion.  Read…

Last year, controversy arose over the Karnataka government’s decision to create a ‘tree park’ in the 600 acre Turahalli Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Protestors questioned the conversion of an existing forest into a ‘tree park’; asserting that the ‘tree park’ would resemble ‘horticulture parks’ with manicured lawns and ornamental plants and not real ‘forests’. The project was stopped temporarily. In mid-2021, walkers around the forest noticed signs of activity. Work on the ‘tree park’ had restarted without any consultations with citizen groups or locals. The forest department had built a park with statues of tigers, peacocks, bugs,…

[BBMP, in coordination with other government agencies, has initiated the K100 (Citizens’ Water Way) project to rejuvenate the stormwater drain network between Majestic and Bellandur lake. Mod Foundation, an urban action and research institute, has been working with these agencies to ensure the project’s goals are met, and is also facilitating the overall design concept. The author, who is part of the Mod Foundation, gives details of the project in this article.] There is growing awareness about the dire state of Bengaluru’s lakes, which has mobilised citizens, institutions and the government to take action. Storm water drains (SWDs) are a…

I am a resident of Dadar Parsi Colony in Mumbai with cerebral palsy. I’ve been using a motorised wheelchair for the past two years. Before that, I used elbow crutches, but a nerve compression in my spine forced me to make the shift to a wheelchair. While a wheelchair could mean more independence to move around, I quickly realised that most of Mumbai’s roads were not accessible to me. The dangerous conditions of road travel in the city made it difficult for me to do basic chores like going to the grocery store, chemist, bank, or visit public spaces recreationally.  My…

When former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa inaugurated Bengaluru’s Commercial Street in July, one didn’t expect the makeover to run as quickly as it did. Within hours, the so-called ‘Smart’ street was unable to contain the rainwater, which then found its way into shops. Within a week, the street wore its usual haggard look. It certainly didn’t look like a year had been spent giving the road an expensive makeover! Commercial Street is among the 36 roads being developed under the Smart Cities Mission in the Central Business District (CBD). While the roads under the project have had their issues,…

On October 22nd, a fire broke out on the 19th floor of One Avighna Park, Curry Road, a 61 storey building. Arun Tiwari, a 30-year-old security guard, plunged to his death while trying to escape the fire. The incident has incited panic among residents of skyscrapers, especially those staying in the top floors. A fire brigade enquiry, conducted right after the incident, revealed that a short circuit caused the fire, and despite fire safety measures in place, slow water pressure ultimately impacted the fire fighting mechanisms in the building. Alteration work overseen by a resident on the 19th floor greatly…

They are not just a danger to life and limb. Bengaluru’s potholed roads are also inspiring artists and activists to get creative about their modes of protest at the poor state of the city’s roads. While artist Badal Nanjundaswamy frequently takes inspiration from a well-formed pothole to unleash his creativity, Aam Aadmi Party activists recently held a Pothole Habba to “celebrate” the city' potholes. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the city’s civic body in charge of ensuring road quality had, in 2018, come up with a grand plan of concretising roads to erase potholes, presumably (and disputably) forever. Called white…

The conditions of most roads in Bengaluru are as bad as they can possibly get. Potholes and slush have reduced the speed of all types of vehicles, increasing consumption of scarce fossil fuels like petrol, diesel etc., and also worsening atmospheric pollution. Citizens are losing patience. Fed up with the deteriorating conditions of roads, citizens have been registering/highlighting their grievances on social media via creative means. Some have even taken matters into their own hands and have started fixing roads by themselves. Yet the attitude of the executing authorities whose job it is to keep roads in good shape remains…

"We have lost everything. Who has reaped? still, we are displaced in our freedoms" are the opening lines of the poem ईरपाल (erpal), meaning grievance, by local Koli poet Shahir Pundalik Mhatre; documented by the Tandel Fund of Archives, an archival project run by artists Parag Tandel and Kadambari Koli. The poem hallmarks the many years of displacement of the Kolis of Bombay, and the reclamation of their lands by the city's industries. The city's earliest inhabitants, its vibrant fisherfolk, are now fighting a long battle with their own home.  Morning travels in the Mumbai local trains are usually marked…