Governance

Around the city, it's easy to see that a number of localities are struggling to manage their waste. Heaps of trash lie around on the sides of roads, and are cleared only occasionally. The BBMP has tried various things to stop this - from warning signs to pleas to decorating a few places hoping that people will be reluctant to dirty them. None of this has worked. Now comes a different explanation. Some communities want to bring back the old bins. Until about a decade ago, the municipality used to have bins at street corners and people would dump their…

All of us would agree there is a growing need for last mile connectivity in our public transport system. With the introduction of the Metro Rail and expansion of MRTS, the idea of a multi modal transport system is definitely a welcome move. Given the popularity and  large scale acceptance for shared public transport systems worldwide, is this not the right time for the administration to introduce clear guidelines and a set of rules for the privately operated share autos ? Over the last several weeks diesel share autos which ply between Retteri and Perambur have been taking a detour from…

Mass public transit: 5 mantras to learn by rote - Or, how to answer other people's questions 1. Why do we need suburban rail in Bengaluru? #ModaluTrainBeku because suburban train connects the suburbs around the core of the city without needing to pass through the city. Circular commute, similar to a ring road. Suburban trains in India are also much cheaper than the Metro. This enables people who may be lower income earners with no choice but to live farther away from the core & commute, to do so efficiently, effectively, affordably & without causing congestion & pollution. 2. Why…

I got this useful post , i am reproducing it here with the grammatical errors rectified. ******************* Have you applied for your driving license (DL), but don’t know the status? Waiting to get a copy of you DL can be a time consuming process. Instead of waiting for the DL to arrive by post, you can visit the respective Regional Transport Office(RTO) with your token number to check your driving license status. You can also go online to the Sarathi website of the MInistry of Road Transport and Highways. How to Make a Driving License Status Enquiry *Please visit the official website…

Here are my responses to the most frequently asked six questions from people who watched our videos on elevated corridors. Please feel free to add your points so we can strengthen the argument and keep it to the merits of the case without getting personal, no matter what the others say. You can catch the video here if you missed it : https://www.facebook.com/tara.krishnaswamy.7/videos/10216165669396468 Q1: What is the problem with elevated roads? Why do you oppose it? A: The problem with elevated roads is that they are built for private vehicles. Bikes & cars carry people very inefficiently. When a city…

The easiest way to work with government is to solve some of their problems. We often think that the government should solve our problems, but in practice, they have many of their own!! And unless those are sorted first, there's no chance of anything we want being tackled well. There are some standard problems in government that citizens can help solve. Once we understand this, it's only a matter of finding things to get started with. After that, it's quite easy to build a good working relationship with officials to pursue solutions to public problems. Broadly, there are two categories…

For my second blog, I would like to write about retro reflective sign boards.  The local administration during the erstwhile DMK regime had, in the final months of their tenure, decided to change the existing concrete street signs to  retro-reflective stainless steel sign boards. In the first phase in 2011,  over 1000 important roads across Chennai  sported these boards. Months later, there was a change in the administration, when the AIADMK came to power. They suspected corruption in the  retro reflective sign boards project, and decided to paint the sign boards on the walls of houses as illustrated in the…

For my second blog, I would like to write about retro reflective sign boards.  The local administration during the erstwhile DMK regime had, in the final months of their tenure, decided to change the existing concrete street signs to  retro-reflective stainless steel sign boards. In the first phase in 2011,  over 1000 important roads across Chennai  sported these boards. Months later, there was a change in the administration, when the AIADMK came to power. They suspected corruption in the  retro reflective sign boards project, and decided to paint the sign boards on the walls of houses as illustrated in the…

For my first post, I’ve decided to chronicle the three-year struggle to get Corporation of Chennai to provide a raised permanent concrete median opposite the Perambur Railway Station extending upto Adayar Ananda Bhavan, covering Venkatraman Canal Street and Perambur High Road intersection, similar to the median installed opposite to the Railway Kalyana Mandapam on Perambur High Road. In April 2015, residents from Perambur filed petitions with the Corporation of Chennai asking them to replace the existing median made up of concrete blocks. The centre median made up of concrete blocks had surfaced or carpeted with the level of road due…

For my first post, I’ve decided to chronicle the three-year struggle to get Corporation of Chennai to provide a raised permanent concrete median opposite the Perambur Railway Station extending upto Adayar Ananda Bhavan, covering Venkatraman Canal Street and Perambur High Road intersection, similar to the median installed opposite to the Railway Kalyana Mandapam on Perambur High Road. In April 2015, residents from Perambur filed petitions with the Corporation of Chennai asking them to replace the existing median made up of concrete blocks. The centre median made up of concrete blocks had surfaced or carpeted with the level of road due…