Articles by Harsha Raj Gatty

Anupama Provisions, Akbar Fruits and Vegetables, Kumar Mutton - let’s admit it,  not many of us can recount the names of the small retail shops right next to our homes. Standalone shops, vegetable and fruit stalls, some with carpet area of just 200 sq ft claiming to be mini-supermarkets. Never mind the obscure names of these shops or their enterprising abilities - when malls and supermarket chains in prime areas almost shuttered operations during COVID-19 lockdown, these corner shops became the go-to-outlets for the local residents to cater their daily needs. Unlike many other businesses, these shops which sell essentials…

“How would you feel if someone took a picture of your misery? I can’t even refuse the food though, because I am very hungry,” Manjunath, a 38-year old former sugarcane vendor said. Manjunath used to do quite well, earning Rs 700-1000 a day. But he was evicted during a BBMP drive last month, after cholera cases were reported in the city.  “The same corporator and police officials who made us jobless, now come with mobile cameras, give us some packet of food worth Rs 20 and take pictures. They barely talk to us, or even come close to us. They…

In a recent interview with Citizen Matters, S T Ramesh, former Karnataka DG&IGP (Director General and Inspector General of Police), had pointed out the challenges as well as the shortcomings of the police in enforcing the COVID-19 lockdown. Ramesh had opined that the police was able to reduce social contact but failed to keep essential services unhindered. We caught up with the current DG&IGP Praveen Sood for his take. Over a phone interview, Sood said that the situation with respect to COVID-19 escalated so quickly that the police were caught off-guard. There was no specific protocol to follow, and no…

Chitra*, a senior worker at the garment manufacturing company ­­­­­­­­­­­­Shahi Exports, is uncertain about her future. Chitra’s line manager has told her that she would not get her wages until the lockdown ends. Ever since garment factories as well as leading fashion retailers downed their shutters, Chitra has become one among the over four lakh garment factory workers in Bengaluru who may lose their wages. Given the possibility that the lockdown may be extended, the workers are more vulnerable. For the month of March, Chitra did get her full wages of Rs 10,500 in her bank account; but many factory…

On an endless stretch of National Highway 58 (NH-58), a batch of over 200 migrant workers, arriving all the way from Ahmedabad are intercepted at the Rajasthan borders. The officials manning the borders, who are short-stocked on testing kits or thermal screening devices are insistent that the ‘returnees’ produce ‘Health Certificates’. The repeated claims of the migrants, including women and elderly, that they are natives of the state are insufficient to secure them safe passage back to their homes in South Rajasthan. Since the nation-wide lock down on March 24th, the reverse-migration of semi-skilled and unskilled workers ‘on foot’ --…

It has come to our notice that this article has been forwarded on several chat and social media platforms with a MISLEADING introduction that the Disaster Management Act prohibits any citizen, apart from the government, to post any update or share any forward related to Coronavirus, making it a punishable offence. This is NOT what the article below says; it merely explains the provisions of the said law, and points out that **FAKE** claims and warnings may attract penalties under Sections 52 and 54 of the Act. Fake news peddlers may now face imprisonment of up to one year or…

It was almost mid-morning on Tuesday, when Manjunath, a sugarcane juice vendor, had three unexpected visitors. Lanyards hanging from their necks, their ID cards were concealed in their pockets. However their sharp dressing - long-sleeved shirts and dark pants - was a giveaway to the 40-year-old vendor. He realised they were not ones to take a sip of ‘pressed juice’ from his makeshift outlet near Koramangala grounds. Manjunath says, “One was speaking on his phone, two others seemed to be checking the sugarcane juice vending machine, steel vessels, sieve, stored juice extracts. One of them made some notes in a…

Apprehension loomed large in the mind of homemaker Geetha Dhananjaya, when she first accompanied the Bengaluru City Police (BCP) to their night rounds in Kumaraswamy Layout, in mid-September. Now however, the 45-year old, sporting a salwar kameez, says she has become a regular at the night rounds. Geetha is part of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee (NWC) of the city police. “Being a homemaker, I was not used to being around cops though all of them were women. So initially I had agreed to accompany them with a bit of reluctance,” Geetha says. Geetha is among the 45 NWC members at…

This article is part of a special series: Safety of women in Indian cities Last November, the Karnataka government issued a notification allowing women employees in factories to work night shifts, along with their male counterparts. Until recently, night shift for women was allowed only in the IT and ITeS (IT enabled services) industries. As per the Factories Act, 1948, women were originally allowed to work only till 7 pm. This law was amended in 2007 to extend timings to 10 pm. With the new notification, factories registered under the Act can employ ‘willing women workers' in night shifts - that…

Translated by Madhusudhan Rao and Pavan ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ್ 4 ರಂದು, 33 ವರ್ಷ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನ ಐಟಿ ಉದ್ಯೋಗಿ ವ್ಯಾಸ್ ರವರ (ಹೆಸರು ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಿದೆ) ಸ್ಕೂಟರ್ ಗುಂಡಿಯೊಳಕ್ಕೆ ಬಿದ್ದು, ಮೊಣಕಾಲು  ಮುರಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕಾಯಿತು. ನಂತರ ನಡೆದ ಶಸ್ತ್ರ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ, ಆಸ್ಪತ್ರೆ ಖರ್ಚು, ಫಿಸಿಯೋಥೆರಪಿ, ಔಷಧಿ ವೆಚ್ಚ, ಗಾಡಿ ರಿಪೇರಿ ಖರ್ಚು ಇವೆಲ್ಲ ರೂ.4,34,323 ಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. ಆತ ಈಗಲೂ ಹಾಸಿಗೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿಲ್ಲ. ವ್ಯಾಸ್ ಪರಿಹಾರದ ಭರವಸೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದಾದಮೇಲೊಂದು ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಇಲಾಖೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಇಮೇಲ್ ಕಳುಹಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದ್ರೆ ಜವಾಬು ಮಾತ್ರ ಬಂದಿಲ್ಲ. ಕಾರಣ? ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯಲ್ಲಿ  ರಸ್ತೆಗುಂಡಿ ಸಂತ್ರಸ್ತರಿದ್ದರೂ, ಬಿ.ಬಿ.ಎಂ.ಪಿ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಒದಗಿಸುವ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಿತ ಕಾರ್ಯಸೂಚಿ ಕಲ್ಪಿಸದೆ ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದು ರಸ್ತೆಗುಂಡಿ ಅಪಘಾತ ಸಂತ್ರಸ್ತರಿಗೆ ತಲೆನೋವಾಗಿ ಪರಿಣಮಿಸಿದೆ.   ಇಲ್ಲಿವರೆಗೂ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಕೇವಲ ಮಹಾಪೌರರ ‘ವಿವೇಚನೆ'ಯ ಮೇರೆಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸೀಮಿತವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲದೆ, ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಸಂತ್ರಸ್ತರಿಗೆ ಈಗಿನವರೆಗಿನ ಮಹಾಪೌರರು ಪರಿಹಾರ ಒದಗಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅನ್ನುವುದರ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಕೂಡ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಈ ವರ್ಷ ಜೂಲೈ ನಲ್ಲಿ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ…