Civic

Fatal accidents and accident deaths drop by 11.84% and 11.52% respectively in Chennai There were 499 fatal road accidents and 507 deaths in 2022 in Chennai, a drop in numbers from the past year. According to Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal, a team of experts zeroed in on accident hotspots by identifying areas with three to five accidents within a span of half a kilometre. The team also studied the reasons for accidents and considered mitigation strategies. As per the strategies being implemented, roads are being improved at a cost of Rs. 1 crore in Chennai. Since most road accidents happen…

BMC to spend Rs 6,080 crore to concrete 400-km of roads, allots contracts to large firms The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be spending Rs 6,080 crores to concrete 400 km of Mumbai's roads. The civic body has selected five large construction firms with a track record in building national highways to carry out the job, effectively eliminating small road contractors in order to fulfil the largest-ever civic contract. The road contractors will be responsible to maintain the roads for a period of ten years. Three contracts amounting to Rs 4,000 crore have been allotted to western suburbs. The contract…

266 COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru, highest among metro cities Bengaluru Urban district reported 266 active COVID-19 cases (309 cases were reported in Karnataka) on January 4th. The city has the highest number of cases among metro cities. New Delhi and Mumbai reported 32 active cases each and Chennai reported 27 cases on January 3rd. However, on January 3rd, the test positivity rate in Bengaluru came down from 2.2% on December 25th to 0.3%. Dr Thrilok Chandra, special commissioner (health), BBMP, said testing has been ramped up to 5,000 a day. No samples with BF.7 or XBB.1.5 variants have been found…

In 2018, a revamped Church Street opened to the public with much fanfare. The 715-metre stretch was redesigned along Tender SURE guidelines at a cost of Rs 9 crore. The cobblestoned streets and wide footpaths were welcomed as being pedestrian-friendly, hassle-free for cyclists, and accessible to all. As in most cities in India, Bengaluru roads often require maintenance and repair due to constant digging up by service providers. To overcome this issue, Bengaluru piloted the state-of-the-art designed Church Street, a first of its kind in India. The project integrated all the networked services under the road: water, sewage, power, gas,…

In an interview with a traffic policewoman in Chennai, we asked her how she manages trips to the washroom when on traffic duty. She said that used the toilets in hospitals or educational institutions near the junction she was posted at, but did not mention public toilets. The Greater Chennai Corporation has toilets in 943 locations with 7590 toilets, all free to use. There is a common notion among many that these toilets are not clean and fit for use. We visited a few of Greater Chennai Corporation's public and community toilets across Chennai in the last week of December…

Only the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) even mentioned this in its 10-point poll promise list. The menace posed by stray animals — cattle, dogs and monkeys — in Delhi. None of the other contestants to the Delhi Municipal polls had thought this was a serious enough problem to make it a campaign point. While Congress ignored the issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had a single line in its 12-point manifesto: “We are committed to provide better parking facilities and solving the problem of stray animals”. While other issues such as clearing of landfills, sanitation, street vendors etc. were stressed…

One of the recurring themes in the life of a journalist is looking at a story done by another publication and kicking yourself for not having thought of the idea yourself. So, to sign off for the year, I’d like to highlight the stories that our reporters did on Chennai in 2022 that I hope made someone else think, “I wish I’d written that!” These stories also happen to be the ones that illustrate what we do best - platforming voices drowned out by the daily discourse, unpacking urban policy and highlighting actions that bring about collective change. Life in the…

Mumbai is the financial capital of India, a city of dreams with an underworld beneath its dark belly, and Bollywood that glitters over it. It’s a congested, over-crowded city that feeds everyone who comes with hope and hard work… so on and on… Mumbai and neighbouring Thane is all this and more. Beyond what is obvious, the city is also its millions of common people that work tirelessly to make a living and keep the city moving. Citizen Matters focuses on those people and issues that matter to them, to make every city a little bit better. For most of…

It was a year of in-depth articles that not only informed readers with detailed reportage and explainers, but also offered solutions to issues of concern to citizens. For example the Bengaluru floods of 2022, arguably one of the worst the city has experienced. While a series of articles explained the various causes of the floods, there were also articles that sought to explore solutions. Based on reader's concerns, Citizen Matters also conducted an event, 'Flood-proofing homes and neighbourhoods', a first-of-its-kind citizen clinic format. In this format, a panel of experts offered insights on how homes and neighbourhoods can be protected…

Towards the beginning of the year, I looked at the public bike-sharing systems in Mumbai through the electric Yulu bike. A cross between a scooter and a moped, it wasn't long since it had been introduced in Bandra West as a transport option for delivery workers of Swiggy, Zomato, Dunzo, etc.  Because I don’t live in Bandra, I was witnessing the development in flashes. On one visit to the area I caught the blue bike as a blur hurtling past Carter road, on the next, I saw multiple around Hill Road. The bikes had certainly caught on in the area. Thinking of…