Civic

Lok Sabha elections: GCC chooses 21 disability ambassadors to promote accessible elections In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has chosen persons with disabilities (PwDs) as ambassadors for the 21 disability categories to ensure accessible elections. The problems faced by PwDs were highlighted by the ambassadors during the training programme conducted for the polling officers in Chennai. Accordingly, the GCC has also planned to ferry the PwDs to polling stations through a mobile van service. As part of the voting exercise, the GCC has planned to take the mobile vans with a model electronic voting machine to the…

Did air quality improve in 2023? The air quality in the city improved last year, shows the ‘World Air Quality’ report. The average PM2.5 value was 28.6 micrograms per cubic metre as against 31.5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2022 - better than since 2018. The report has ranked the city as the third most polluted in India and 673rd among 7,812 global cities. However, it is proven to be less polluted than many other metropolitan cities, including Delhi, Hyderabad and Kolkata. However, experts said that the improved air quality is due to climatic changes, such as the El Nino…

On Saturday, March 23rd, Oorvani Foundation hosted the first ever edition of the India Civic Summit, an annual event envisioned as a unique convening of people working in the urban civic space. The Summit provided a platform for them to come together to learn, get inspired and celebrate their journeys. In today’s time, where our cities face such overwhelming challenges — from traffic to water scarcity, from safety issues to vanishing commons and ecosystems — the need for citizen engagement is higher than ever. And that’s one of the reasons that the efforts and stories of the initiatives being undertaken…

Valmiki Nagar is a compact and beautiful residential colony in Thiruvanmiyur, comprising four Seaward Roads that run East-West and Balakrishnan Road running North-South that bisects them. The quality of the roads in Valmiki Nagar, re-laid over 10 years ago, has deteriorated over the years, with large patches of exposed areas, loose stones and so on. The volunteers (me being one of them) of the Valmiki Nagar Residents Association took up the request for relaying of roads with the councillor of Ward 180 and Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Assistant Engineer (AE). Here is how the road laying went — Pre-approval phase…

Limits on using water The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has drawn up some guidelines to celebrate Holi on March 25th. While the festival can be followed in households or in public, potable water for any such event cannot be used. A rain or pool dance should not be organised for monetary gains and Cauvery or borewell water should not be leveraged for the event, said BWSSB Chairman, V. Ramprasath Manohar. However, several hotels are selling tickets for pool parties. Meanwhile, it is mandatory for bulk water users to install flow restrictors or aerators by the end of…

Bhushan Gagrani replaces Iqbal Singh Chahal as BMC Commissioner On Monday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) asked the Maharashtra Chief Secretary to immediately transfer the Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Iqbal Singh Chahal. Besides this, it also asked for the transfer of all Additional Municipal Commissioners and Deputy Municipal Commissioners, who have been in their current posting for over three years and are posted in their home district in Maharashtra. Soon after taking charge from Iqbal Singh Chahal, new BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani addressed a meeting for monsoon preparedness. Pic: BMC via Twitter (X) On Wednesday, the ECI…

Private firm to help GCC reclaim Kodungaiyur dump yard land The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has taken up the initiative of reclaiming land, where the Kodungaiyur dump yard stands and has signed a pact with the environmental infrastructure company, Ramky Infrastructure Limited for the purpose. The private service provider will do biomining to remove legacy waste from the dumping ground, which is the largest in Chennai. The project will be undertaken for Rs 216 crore for two years and four months. The presence of the dump yard in the area is a cause for concern for residents living nearby as…

Even as our cities grapple with diverse challenges and issues, there is always hope as long as there is an active citizenry willing to engage, act and push for positive change. In the 15th year of Citizen Matters and the 10th year of Oorvani Foundation, we are excited to host a convening of such people committed to making better cities. The India Civic Summit 2024 in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 23rd will bring together citizens and community volunteers, who are dedicated to solving civic, environmental and urban challenges in their respective cities. There will be inspiring stories. There will be…

New names for eight suburban railway stations The state government has given its in-principle go ahead for the renaming of eight suburban railway stations in Mumbai. Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale said that after the decision is ratified by the state cabinet, the proposal will be sent to the Union government. Curry Road station will be called Lalbaug, Sandhurst Road will be renamed Dongri,  Marine Lines as Mumbadevi, Charni Road will be called Girgaon, Cotton Green station is set to be renamed Kalachowki, Dockyard is to be called Mazgaon, King’s Circle as Tirthankar Parswanath, and Mumbai Central as Nana Jagannath…

Food Safety Department collects food samples in Chennai To curb the use of food colouring agents that have harmful chemicals in them, the Food Safety Department in Chennai has been conducting inspections in various food stalls and eateries around the city. In the last two days, the department has taken samples of food that may contain non-permitted food colour, from 200 eateries and sent them for analysis. Almost a month ago, the sale of cotton candy in the city was banned after food safety officials found the presence of Rhodamine-B, an industrial-grade dye in the candies. According to officials, their…