74th Amendment Act envisioned a third-tier government at the urban level in the 1990s. Localization of government was deemed important because it creates checks and balances of government, and brings democracy into the political system, that is public participation. Plus having citizens participate in the...
Tag: Governance
Cultivated Idea
[This article was originally published in Down To Earth] The potential of urban agriculture in alleviating food insecurity in cities requires holistic policy support from governments. Some 60 per cent of Delhi’s demand for meat is fulfilled by city-grown produce, as is 25 percent...
Another City Is Possible: Localising Urban Democracy
Localization of decision-making and urban planning has become an important objective to create an inclusive and participatory city. There is a need to focus much on strengthening local community initiatives and relegate political power to the hands of the people at the community level. Although...
Caught in the Tangles of Court Orders and ‘Development’, the Yamuna Remains As Polluted As Ever
[This article was originally published in The Bastion] Crores have been spent by various state governments on different policies to ‘develop’ the Yamuna and bring it back to life. In the process, such schemes disenfranchise those communities that have lived by the river for generations....
Another City Is Possible: Democratizing Urban Governance
The problems lurking in the prevalent system have initiated an urgent need to reimagine the structure of governance and the process of planning undertaken in the urban centres. Various people’s movements and initiatives also point towards the many disabilities rampant in the current governance system...
Why Kolkata must reconsider its bicycle ban
– Debapriya Chanda [This article was originally published in Citizen Matters] In recent times, one of the lasting representations of Kolkata in popular culture lies in an iconic scene from the film Piku, where Bhashkor Banerjee, played by Amitabh Bachchan, is seen riding a bicycle...
Another City Is Possible- Localizing Urban Democracy
Registration Link People’s Resource Centre invites you to an online discussion on the need for localization of governance and planning in Indian cities. This is the second session in continuation of our ongoing series to imagine alternatives and present people’s initiatives around the idea that...