Civic

Two die, third critical after falling into manhole Mumbai continues to see tragic accidents related to manual scavenging and deadly manholes. Two people died and a third is critical after falling into a 30-foot-deep manhole in Malad. The manhole was connected to a drain pipe on the site of a private under-construction building at Pimpripada in Malad east. Raju, who was a worker at the site, fell in and after that two nearby residents, Aqib and Javed jumped to save him. When none of them came out, the locals called the fire brigade to rescue them. According to the preliminary…

TN government's plans to denotify a portion of Pulicat Bird Sanctuary raise concerns Thirteen revenue villages were included within Pulicat Bird Sanctuary boundary limits in 1980. The state government has now begun rationalising its boundaries raising concerns over the shrinking of the sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). According to a news report, a proposal for the use of 215.83 hectares of non-forest land for the development of an industrial park inside the ESZ, and 5 km from the bird sanctuary was discussed during the 77th meeting of the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife held in January 2024. With the…

Bengaluru's Lok Sabha Elections 2024 voter turnout Bengaluru voted, braving the searing heat, in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 on April 26th. Voting started at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm. In comparison to the 2019 elections, the city saw a lower voter turnout. According to a tentative report posted on the X account of Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, Bengaluru saw a 53.10% voter turnout this year; in 2019, it was 54.1%. Among the four constituencies, the highest voter turnout was in Bangalore Rural at 67.29% while Bangalore Central saw the lowest voter turnout at 52.81%. Bangalore South recorded…

Does the average voter evaluate each of their candidates carefully?  Like we do every election, Citizen Matters has been publishing voter guides with profiles of key candidates for constituencies in Chennai, Bengaluru and other cities. We summarise candidates’ background, promises, and their interviews. We highlight the parliamentary performance of incumbent MPs – their membership in committees, questions they have raised, debates they participated in etc. We also compile news media reports to track their recent work.  There are various criteria that voters base their decision on. While there are those undecided or open-minded who have found the information in our…

Bengaluru goes to polls on April 26th. As candidates ramp up their campaigning efforts, discussions centre on issues like infrastructure and mobility. Even as political parties have released their manifestos, residents and civic groups from a cross-section of society too have expressed their demands from their MPs. Civic group manifestos include environmental, mobility, employment and healthcare issues. Here is a compilation of a few citizen manifestos from Bengaluru: Bangalore Apartments' Federation (BAF) BAF is a Federation of Apartment Owners’ Associations (AOA) and Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWA) in Bengaluru. Their demands include:  Commitment to lobby for immediate and high priority conduct…

Heat wave in Mumbai Mumbaikars experienced the hottest day in April in the past decade on Tuesday with the temperatures crossing a scorching 39.7 degree Celsius. According to the Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) Santacruz observatory, Monday night was also the hottest night of the year in Mumbai. An orange 'severe heatwave' alert was sounded by the IMD for Tuesday. Tuesday's temperature showed an abnormal increase of 6.5 degrees above normal. Night temperatures on Monday also left Mumbaikars sweating with temperatures settling above 27 degrees at Colaba and Santacruz. The heatwave warning was extended to Wednesday with a yellow heatwave alert…

Water supply upgrade Even as the city completes 140 dry days with little rainfall, due to the El Nino effect, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects light to moderate showers this month. On April 19th, there were moderate rains. At 37.2 degrees Celsius, April 2nd was the fourth highest temperature for the month recorded in the last 15 years. On March 17th, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) agreed to supply Cauvery water to 21 IT parks in and around Mahadevapura, the BWSSB Chairman said after a meeting with members of the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA).…

High voter turnout in all three constituencies of Chennai The three constituencies in the city were among those that recorded the lowest turnout of voters in the State as the first phase of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections drew to a close on Friday evening. The three constituencies within Chennai district — Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South, recorded a voter turnout of 60.1%, 54.3% and 53.9% respectively. The overall voter turnout in Tamil Nadu was 69.46%, according to the Election Commission, Tamil Nadu. The voter turnout in the city was lower this Lok Sabha election compared to the…

TapTap wristbands for metro passengers Passengers on the Metro 1 line, which runs from Ghatkopar to Versova, will have a new ticketing option in the near future. Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) has introduced a QR-coded wristband dubbed TapTap.  Passengers will be able to tap their wristbands at the automated fare collection gate (AFC). With an inaugural price of Rs 200, these wearable metro tickets are available at all customer care windows on the metro line. According to MMOPL, the TapTap wristbands are made of a silicone based material that is non-allergenic. They are water-proof and operate without a battery.…

Kannappar Thidal residents of Chennai Central constituency to boycott Lok Sabha elections In line with the villagers of Ennore and Parandur, residents of Kannappar Thidal in Chennai's Central constituency have also decided to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Around 62 families, who were living on the streets near the Ripon building, were evicted in 2002 by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) as their presence was found to be an obstacle to the then-ongoing sporting events and developmental work in the nearby Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. These families were provided with a temporary shelter with a promise of alternative housing in…