The Weekly Observer

Volume 16 Issue 10

An IIJNM Publication

Tuesday, 25th October 2016

Chemicals in lake: Suppliers hike water prices Anushree Madappa anushree.m@iijnm.org VARTHUR: Water has turned into an expensive commodity for the residents in Varthur. For over two years, the Cauvery water supply has dried up and so have their faucets say the residents. The pollution has meant that residents in Varthur are forced to pay high costs levied by tankers that charge Rs 600 to Rs 2000 depending on the number of water tanks filled per week.

Varthur was vastly dependant on its lake for water supply. A recent study conducted by Mr. Ramachandra of the Indian institute of Science states that the lake is 99 per cent polluted. The lake water has high contents of nitrates, potassium, and sulphates, say experts.

The bore well in Varthur is rich in nitrates which can cause cancer, says the 2013 IISc study.

Mr. Chandrashekar, a resident

Residents fill water supplied by tanks to meet everyday needs. Courtesy:OBERVV

of Varthur, has been having a tough time trying to meet the exorbitant cost of water tanks."The Cauvery water stopped flowing two years ago. We wait for the tanks to show up once a week,” he said “The water supplied by the tanks is insufficient to meet our everyday needs and we can't afford the high costs.”

Ms. Parvathy, also a resident of

Varthur said the community was “utterly reliant on the Cauvery water” to meet day-to-day needs.

“It helped to have Cauvery water supply but that seems like the thing of the past. Water stoppages are a regular phenomenon in this city, but for over two years, it is just absurd,” said Parvathy.

But Ms. Pushpa Manjunath, the area’s Bruhat Bengaluru Mahana-

gara Palike contractor, said, "The lack of rains is responsible for cutting off the Cauvery water supply to the homes in Varthur. The BWSSB is responsible to supply water to the ward, and they claim there is insufficient water to meet the needs of the people of Varthur, so they cut off supply and asked to turn to water tankers.”

Cauvery water has been a source of contention between the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. A recent Supreme Court verdict to release water to Tamil Nadu only stoked the fires of contention between the two states.

"The dispute between the states is not going to help the matter of redirecting the Cauvery water supply to the households in Varthur to which we have been working towards for months. This is going to be a long, brutal battle. Until then, the residents are at the mercy of water tankers,” said Ms. Manjunath.

City records 31% infant mortality rate

Photo credit: logbaby.com

Mrigakshi Dixit mrigakshi.d@iijnm.org BENGALURU: After months of preparing for the birth of her unborn child, 27-year-old Riddhi never thought she would be burying her infant daughter days after the child’s birth. But that is exactly what happened.

Riddhi and her husband are among many families who have been impacted by the lack of proper equipment and specialists in some

government hospitals.

“Soon after the birth, my baby was affected with infection due to unavailability of proper treatment,” said Riddhi. “I had to shift her to another hospital. The other hospital was costly and in all this process of finding better treatment, I lost my baby.”

India ranks 51 in the world with infant mortality rate of 31 per cent in the city, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to a Neonatal Infec-

tion Study conducted by AIMS Delhi, about 56,524 infants in India die due to overuse of antibiotics, which are used to fight bacterial infections caused just after birth.

At the Vani Vilas Women and Children Hospital, every day around 20 to 50 deliveries take place.

The hospital delivers around 1,500 babies a month. The infant mortality rate for newly born babies up to 1-month-old is about 10 to 15 percent and about 4 to 5 percent of the babies aged one month to a year die, said the hospital. In 2013, the hospital saw around 1,072 babies die, mostly due to bacterial infection.

Dr. Premalatha R., professor and medical superintendent at Vani Vilas Hospital, said that around 33 per cent of the deaths at the hospital are due to infections acquired from inside the hospital.

In state-run government hospitals, she added, many cases are reported for premature babies, pneumonia, diarrhoea, neurological diseases, neonatal sepsis and soonafter- birth-infections, all of which the hospitals fail to treat due to the

delay in the diagnosis as basic, inhouse lab and metabolic labs are not functioning properly.

Dr. Nirmala, health commissioner of hospitals at Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), said that in Bengaluru about 30 government hospitals deliver babies, but many of them do not have the proper neonatal intensive care units to immediately treat babies who catch infections, so they give them antibiotics.

Other major reasons for infant mortality are inadequate space in the operation theatre, a shortage of nurses, doctors and resident doctors for emergency cases, said Dr. Premalatha, of Vani Vilas Hospital. She added that maintenance of instruments is neglected, radiant warmer, pots and ventilators are not replaced and old equipments are kept broken and discarded for several years.

Dr. Nirmala, added, In order to reduce the death rate of babies in the government hospital, the authorities are taking measures to improve the construction of the NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and to replace the old equipments with new ones.

Skywalk construction approved along KIA expressway:NHAI Pallabi Sutar pallabi.s@iijnm.org BENGALURU: The five, standing just a feet apart, flinched and then took a step back as vehicles zoomed past, not heeding the zebra crossing sign, let alone pedestrians.

Five minutes later, they would try crossing again, apprehensive at first, but their steps slowly gaining momentum. Suddenly the loud screech of tyres prompts everyone to turn around to see a woman narrowly escaping being hit by a truck.

The scenario at the road facing Esteem Mall plays out daily. According to statistics on the Bangalore Traffic Police website, there have been as many as 850 accidents in the last four months and approximately 125 people have been injured along the stretch of road in front of the mall, known officially as KIA Expressway.

The stretch of road leading towards Kempegowda International Airport has long been a death trap for pedestrians due to the lack of a traffic signal or the regular presence of a traffic policeman.

Just over a year ago, a reckless tanker driver mowed down a 19year-old Arpitha Janardhan as she crossed Ballari Road at the busy Hebbal-Kempapura Junction. The deadly Feb. 16, 2015 accident triggered an outcry among her fellow college students as they took to the streets to protest. The protest brought the highway to a halt. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Siddaramaiah, chief minister of Karnataka, promised a skywalk to make the crossing safer though there has been no sign of a skywalk being constructed anytime soon. At the time, the project was stuck in a bureaucratic hurdle.

However, NHAI project director for Bangalore, Mr Srinivasulu Naidu, confirmed recently that they were allowed permission from the traffic police and other bureaucrats to go ahead with construction with regard to the skywalk. He also talked about construction of a service road along with the skywalk. The budget allocated for the skywalk is 3 crores.

95 years of Laxman

Food wastage continues while malnourishment plagues the city Sonal Agarwal sonal.a@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Forward Foundation, an NGO that deals with sustainable development, discovered through a waste characterization survey in 2014 that 60 percent of the total waste in three wards of Bangalore is food waste despite the prevalence of malnourishment in the city.

On one hand, 60 percent of waste is food and on the other hand, there still exists malnutrition in the city as well as state. A survey conducted by Child Rights and You (NGO) in the anganwadis of its four

Public Action Groups (PAG) shows prevalence of malnutrition in the city. Moreover, the National Family Health Survey 4 (2015-2016) shows that around 32.6 percent of children below 5 years in urban areas are stunted and 24.8 percent of children below 5 years in urban area are wasted (defined by the World Health Organisation as ‘a recent and severe process of weight loss’).

There has been only 5.1 percent of decline in malnourishment from the year 2005-06 to 2015-16 among the children below 5 years in the state in the background of growing

population of the state. Since National nutrition policy of 1993, there has been no central policy implemented by the central government focusing on conditions of malnutrition. In 2010, Karnataka became the first state in the country to launch the ‘Karnataka Comprehensive Nutrition Mission’.

Ramesh Sivaram, secretary of The Forward Foundation said, “In India food waste includes three types of food – raw, cooked and uncooked.”

The quantity of food wastage is more than the other types of waste

because firstly, we don’t value food as a commodity, secondly, there is lack of awareness among people, thirdly, there is a trend of adopting western culture (American way of dumping) and there is laziness to make maximum utilization of resources, which makes the matter worse. He further adds,“There is a huge difference between urban waste and rural waste, the urban waste is complicated and everything cannot be decomposed, whereas in rural waste everything can be decomposed.”

Contd. on Pg. 4

Turn to Pg 3 for more.

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER

METRO

OCTOBER 25, 2016

Amid hustle, bustle and glamour, urban SC and ST women in rural Karnataka still unemployed spaces foster depression: Research

By Romita Majumdar romita.m@iijnm.org BENGALURU:The number of people suffering from mental illness is more prevalent in urban environments, and cities are not prepared for the crisis, say experts.

“While people in slums have to deal with lack of privacy, financial problems and noisy surroundings, the people from higher income groups are riddled by extreme levels of competition at work or studies and complete disengagement due to living in gated communities,” said Dr. A.Thiroomurthy of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience’s psychiatric social works department.

lenge in the future as cities see a flood of migrants.

According to a 2014 study by Biomedcentral, 63.31 per cent of participants in urban slums suffered from serious mental issues like depression and suicidal tendencies.

Dr. Thiroomurthy said the government has started a number of initiatives through its National Mental Health Program to ensure that people are sensitized about de-

socham) found that 42.5 per cent of corporate employees suffered from depression.

“Our organisation has a helpline number for distressed employees and also programmes for seeking psychological help when required.

But these are voluntary,” said Shashank Mathur of Fidelity Infrastructure Services. “I won’t know when I or my colleague actually needs help by simply looking at them as there is too much stigma around accepting these issues and also a great knowledge gap in identifying the problem.”

A young IT professional at Deloitte, Sagar Deshpande, said it is difficult staying away from home in cramped spaces and new cultures.

Companies have programmes, said Deshpande, but they are voluntary and a lot of people may not want to admit that they need help.

Dr.Thiroomurthy said that while every person has a 2 per cent chance of developing a mental health problem, “cities pose a number of unique challenges.”

According to a 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) report on India’s health profile, neuro-psychiatric disorders have become the sixth largest cause of premature death in the nation.

The same report also states that India has less than 0.05 psychiatrists per 10,000 population, with psychiatric beds being only 2.1 out of every 1,00,000 beds.

WHO estimates that mental health disorders account for nearly 12 per cent of the global disease burden.

With more than 32 per cent of India’s population living in urban areas, the nation faces a huge chal-

“When I return home from a long day at work, all I have is a congested room and noisy neighbours, there’s no peace,” said Deshpande.

Photo credit: Jindajamorn/Shutterstock.com

pression and know how to seek help. The problem is supervising the actual implementation of these programs.

According to a 2015 report by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Rs.753 crore was allocated for mental health welfare under the National Mental Health Programme, 11 crores of which is meant for monitoring and evaluation. Another 55.5 crore has been allocated for educational programs and providing mental health information systems. A 2015 study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (As-

“We had a helpline number where we could call if any one felt that they were in emotional or mental distress,” said Vikram Patare, a former MasterCard employee. “A counsellor on the other end would talk to the employees.”

Patare said there isn’t a sensitization program for the employees.

The Assocham report also stated that most corporate employees complain of lack of exercise (57 per cent) and sleep, (38.5 per cent).

Heat Beat: Temperature rise in the city

By Aishwarya iyer aishwarya.i@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Temperatures in the city are higher this October than the same time in previous years due to unfavourable raining conditions, say meteorologists.

According to the city’s Meteorological (MeT) department, recorded temperatures in the last few years for October were around 29-degrees Celsius; but this year, temperatures are exceeding 31 degrees.

Even though the difference in temperature is modest, the slight increase should produce more rain, said Sundar Metri, MeT director.

“There are no suitable conditions for the northeast monsoon winds to set,” he said. “There is low air pressure in [the] east-central region of the Bay of Bengal which then continues till the southwest part of the bay. This low pressure is resulting in an unconducive situation for the monsoon winds to set.”

Metri points out that the flow of

monsoon winds in the direction of the city - essential for rainfall - is being obstructed due to multistorey, concrete buildings erected on the outskirts of the city. “Air pollution is the major contributor,” he said.

now in this month,” said Priyom Rajkhowa, a college student from Koramangala.

However, the Meteorological department records show that some places in Bangalore, such as Cubbon Park, Palace Road, Mahatma Gandhi Road, and the Indian Institute of Science’s campus are cooler by a degree or two from the rest of the city.

Professor J.Srinivasan, honorary professor at Divecha Centre for Climate Change at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), says, this year has been unusual in Bangalore.

“The rainfall in both SepPhoto credit: http://incrediblerajasthanholidays.blogspot.in/ tember and October has been well below normal.

Residents, too, are finding the ris- Hence, the maximum temperature is ing temperatures alarming. above normal. Cubbon Park and “I came to Bangalore in 2013. IISc are usually 2 or 3 degrees Even summers were cooler. Octo- below other areas of the city bebers were never so blazing and it cause they have less built-up area. used to rain. But in summers this In IIsc, the temperature can vary a year, the sales of air conditioners in- lot between areas near the road creased by 15-20 per cent from (where there are many buildings) what I read in newspapers. A similar and those well inside the campus kind of climate shift is taking place where there is more greenery.”

2

despite employment schemes

By Ilona Dam ilona.d@iijnm.org

BENGALURU: In spite of various schemes in place, Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women from rural Karnataka are still unable to get jobs in either rural or urban areas. The International Labour Organization in 2013 ranked India 11th from the bottom in the world in female labour-force participation.

According to Census 2011, a total of 54% rural women, each from the SC and ST categories, are unemployed in Karnataka. These include women who have migrated to urban spaces in search of job opportunities.

Mangala (30), an Economics graduate residing in Devagere, complains about the lack of job opportunities in both the rural and urban sectors. “In spite of the availability of so many self- employment schemes, I still wasn’t able to find work in my village and therefore I was left with the option of being forced to migrate. My situation in the city only got worse.”

Questions have also been raised on the quotas given to scheduled tribe and scheduled caste categorised in government jobs. Apurva Verma, (25) said, “Women are somehow not able to avail the benefit of the quotas. I’ve heard that the government is planning to increase the quote to over 50%. I don’t know how much it will benefit women.”

B.P Shailaja, Inspecting Assistant of the Department of Social Welfare, Bengaluru states that the cause for low employment among women holding government jobs is due to the majority of the vacancies filled by men therefore pushing off women sitting on the bench. In rural

Karnataka, SC, ST women in the rural areas are provided with a loan of Rs. four-five lakhs for setting up their own enterprises by the Department of Social Welfare. According to Shailaja, “women are inexperienced in business and hence aren’t able to channelize money in the right business. They are not able to make profits because of which they go bankrupt. Ultimately they are left without any job as they can’t afford to set up another business from scratch.” she says.

Diksha Tanwar (23) graduated from Bangalore University( batch 2013-14) with a post graduate degree in English Literature. It has been two years since and she still finds herself without work. She mentioned that if she doesn’t find a job soon, she might not be able to pay off the loans that her family has taken for her. Although education fees in any government college is a marginal amount for SC and ST classes, for instance the annual fees will be about RS. 8000 for any post graduate course in Bangalore University; there are some families, especially in rural Karnataka which cannot afford the minimum. Tanwar belongs to one such family.

Karnataka government has come up with various employment schemes for women in rural areas.

Some of them include, the Stree Shakti Udyogini scheme, which assists women, including those belonging to SC and ST in gaining self reliance through self employment.

Another such scheme is Navachetana which provides training to Sc and ST youth in hardware and IT sector, to be able to explore employment opportunities. However, in spite of these schemes, employment of ST, SC women hasn’t been affected much, as the data reveals.

BENGALURU

METRO Booming city, bursting decibels THE OBSERVER

3

TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER, 2016

By Shannon RidgeCourt shannon.c@iijnm.org BENGALURU: Richmond Circle is one of the noisiest junctions in the city. The average noise level recorded at the junction is 77dB. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) norms, Richmond Circle, which is located behind St. Joseph’s College, falls under the silence zone

102dB, there is a potential for pain in the ears (the noise of an ambulance siren is 90-95 dB). Noise pollution can cause high blood pressure, lack of concentration, stress, and sleep disruption.

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) Real Time Ambient Noise Monitoring Network infers that the noise limit in

Photo Credit: Sourced from KSPCB and CBCB statistics

category, where the day time noise level shouldn’t exceed 50 decibels (dB). Ironically, during non peak hours in Richmond Circle, the recorded noise pollution clocks a reading of 82.3dB. It is the centre of traffic activity as it is a junction of five major roads during peak and non-peak hours. A study titled ‘Noise pollution for vehicular traffic’ reports that Richmond Circle sees such heavy traffic due to its proximity to commercial establishments such as Vittal Mallya Hospital, Kanteerava Stadium and ITC Gardenia. The study further infers that vehicular noise is produced by the engine, horn, interaction between tyres and pavements, body and load rattles.

The combination of these contributes to 60% of the total noise pollution.

A traffic survey by TENMA 72860 (by Swan Environmental Pvt.Ltd) infers that when noise is above 4dB, it will affect the sleep patterns in human beings. At

commercial areas during the day is 65dB and is 55dB in the night. According to Mr. Lakshman, Chairman of the KSPCB, “Poor urban planning gives way for noise pollution.” He explains that the KSPCB has asked the Department of Environment and Ecology to direct the Transport Department to ban the movement of diesel and petrol vehicles that are more than 15 years old as it is these old engines that contribute the most to noise.

“I am forced to hear music that is playing from other cars and autos surrounding me. Being stranded at junctions and traffic signals, one can feel the heat of the engines running with its intensity rising.”

- Commuter

Commuter Saksham Chhabra says “There is continuous honking at traffic signals, even before the lights are meant to change. Commuters should turn off their vehicles to reduce noise at stops.” Another Commuter Kanishk Dhupad complains “I am forced to hear music that is playing from other cars and autos surrounding me. Being stranded at junctions and traffic signals, one can feel the heat of the engines running with its intensity rising.”

Mr. Lakshman mentioned that methods adopted by the KSPCB to curb noise pollution in the city are through increasing the number of traffic police on the roads to check on vehicle noise. “Vehicle horns must be checked by the agencies on a regular basis as many vehicles use decibel horns that are changed from the original ones. The words “SOUND OK HORN” on the back of the vehicles should be taken off immediately.” he said. He also stated that the KSPCB is placing big signboards indicating silence zones and developing effective noise barriers that would reduce the noise levels by 10-15 decibels. He mentioned “planting trees will reduce noise pollution. 200 feet width of dense vegetation can reduce noise by 10 decibels.”

Other areas with the highest levels of noise pollution ranging between 55dB to 82dB that breach the permissible limits are Domlur, Whitefield area, NIHMANS , R.V.C.E. Mysore Road, Teshanthpur, Church Street and Peenya Industrial Area.A traffic survey showed when the green light turns to red, the noise level decreases and stays constant before it increases when the amber to the green light transition is in process. The cause of this is due to the horns and revving up of the engine The KSPCB is working with Transport and Road Safety Department, Traffic Police and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and conducts regular sample surveys to check noise pollution.

Bengaluru drives into 2nd spot after Delhi with 65 lakh vehicles

By Prabhakar Kumar Thakur prabhakar.t@iijnm.org BENGALURU: With an average of 59,000 vehicles getting registered every month, the number of vehicles in the city crossed 65 lakhs in September, second only to Delhi in the country. According to the latest Transport Department data, the total number of registered vehicles in Bengaluru stands at 64.84 lakhs as of August 2016, compared to 57.75 lakhs reported the same time last year.

Two-wheelers continue to dominate the number of vehicles at 44.90 lakhs. The number of cars on Bangalore roads are 12,55,603, reports the transport data. The numbers do not include the vehicles that enter and exit the city or those purchased outside the city but used in the city.

Aside from cars and two-wheelers, there are 6.29 lakh vehicles used for transport purposes, including buses, trucks, taxies, light motor vehicles (lmv) for goods and lmv for passengers. In 2001-02, the city had just 15.6 lakh vehicles. This four-fold rise in the numbers suggests worse days ahead for city travellers’.

transport commissioner for administration, is responsible for the registration of vehicles. He said there are no plans to regulate registration so as to slow down the pace of increase in the number of vehicles.

“India is a democratic country and we can’t stop people from purchasing new vehicles,” said Kumara. Namma Metro, he said, is being extended to all parts of the city which will decongest the roads.

Sanjeev Dyamanavar, an expert on public transport, said the number of vehicles in the city has reached an alarming level. “It is certainly not a good sign for a smooth commute in the city. If things remain the same, we might encounter a situation where there will be no space on the roads. The population of Bangalore has increased significantly during the last decade and the size of middle class has expanded due to which people are increasingly buying motor bikes and cars,” said Dyamanavar.

“The solution to this problem lies in a robust means of public transport,” he added. “Bengaluru does not have an efficient network of local trains like Mumbai or metro

Photo credit: Officechai.com

Kumar Abhinav, a 22-year-old student, was so frustrated by the number of cars on city streets and the traffic jams that he was forced to move closer to school to avoid hours in traffic. Now he walks. “The problem was more serious for me as I went to and returned from college during peak hours” said Abhinav.

His situation is not different from most city travellers who get stuck in a sea of vehicles every day.

Hemantha Kumara L., additional

trains like Delhi. It has BMTC buses but many of its buses are old and poorly maintained and they are also destined to get stuck in traffic jams in peak hours.”

Dyamanavar said if the city wants to change the current situation; the administration needs to improve BMTC bus service, complete Namma Metro project on time and also expand the local rail network in the city.

Commemorating the 95th birth anniversary of India’s iconic cartoonist : RK Laxman

The not so common man lives on in our hearts Photo credit: Webneel.com | “The Common Man” featured in many of RK Laxman’s cartoons

and is famous for his innocent satire and wide-eyed indifference to the political conspiracies. In 1988, the Indian Postal Services immortalised him on a postage stamp.

Statues of “The Common Man” stand in the Symbiosis Institute campus, Pune and Worli sea face, Mumbai. The cartoons belong to “You Said It” series in Times of India.

Photo credit: Webneel.com | Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Laxman continues to captivate our collective conscience as the man who spoke for the masses. His cartoons stand relevant years after their inception and the man himself continues to be remembered for his biting commentary on national affairs.Even the staunch censorship during the Emergency days couldn’t dampen this man’s creative spirit.He chronicled the hypocrisy and humour of Indian politics for 60 years. He was born on 24th October,1921 and passed away on 26th January, 2015.

BENGALURU

THE OBSERVER TUESDAY, 25 OCTOBER, 2016

4

UNWIND

‘The world is changing and is ready to accept us’

By Azmia Riaz azmia.r@iijnm.org

Growing up as Mallikarjun Swamy, Chandini knew from the age of six that she was a woman.

From occasionally stealing money to buy nail polish, she resorted to begging and sex work in her 20s.

Today, Chandini – who was born a male - is the president of the nonprofit Payana, which works to bring more members of the LGBT and those of sexual minorities into the mainstream.

Transgenders are confronted not only with social exclusion, but all manner of discrimination, including restricted, or lack of, access to employment, education and healthcare, according to the United Nations Development Plan.

The Weekly Observer spoke to Chandini about finding herself, the first time she wore a saree and living with dignity and respect.

WK: When did you realise that you

were different?

C: I grew up in a small village in Mysore. Ours was a small family and I was an only child. When I was 6 years old, I would always play the role of a girl when I played with the neighbourhood children. I would help my mother draw the ‘rangoli’ and did things that were considered feminine. I knew this. I didn’t think that it was anything special. When I grew a little older, I stole money from my grandfather to buy nail polish. When the shopkeeper told me that it was only for girls, I realised it for the first time.

I didn’t like what little boys were supposed to like.

other world together which was full of freedom. There was a cultural event in our hostel that year. Both of us decided to wear sarees. That day, everyone knew exactly what we were. We befriended people from the transgender community in the village. It was also the year that I first fell in love.

WK: Was it difficult growing up?

C: We were very poor, so my father kept me in a hostel. Here, I faced plenty of problems. I did not know who I was. The other boys saw the way I walked and the laughed at the tone of my voice. They would chastise me by using local insults for transgenders like ’75 paisa’ and ‘sanga.’ As I grew, they would sexually abuse me.

WK: When did you move into Bengaluru city?

C: At the age of 18, I tried committing suicide. The man I loved left me because he feared that society would not accept us. I had lost the will to live. It took me a year later to decide that I wanted to be independent. I had written a letter to my parents that I was leaving the state to become a theatre actor. I moved to Bengaluru and began begging. It wasn’t my childhood dream but I took to prostitution to make a living. I was always under the whip of constant teasing and abuse from the police and the community. Transgender individuals in the city have no choice but to resort to these professions for survival.

WK: How did you come to accept yourself?

C: In the sixth grade, I made a new friend from my village. We had a lot in common because he was just like me. It was like we discovered an-

WK: How did you begin social work?

C; I grew sick of living a life that felt worthless, one which had no light at the end of a dark tunnel. In 2002, an NGO called ‘Sangama’

was conducting a programme called “Hijda Habba”. The programme was distributing brochures among all transgender women. I enrolled myself to be part of the programme.

I wanted to work for my community; to have the power to effect change in society. My first job was to distribute condoms around the city for Rs. 2000. Later, I joined the Indian Social Institute for a training programme. I learnt about the law, human rights, sexuality and gender.

I decided I wanted to be a human rights activist. I also came out to my family. My mother accepted me immediately but my father was a hard nut to crack, though he did crack five years later and embraced me for who I truly was, WK: Do you believe that society will ever accept you?

C: Society has already accepted me.

I was too afraid of judgement to have known. People fear what they don’t understand. Today my entire village accepts me for who I am.

This is what inspired me to start Payana from the ground up. I want other transgender women to know what I have known. The world around us is changing and it is ready to accept and be open to us. I want the women who come to Payana to be able to live with dignity and respect.

Demystifying the Habitat III- New Urban Agenda

By Romita Majumdar romita.m@iijnm.org In a historic move last week, crafters of the New Urban Agenda: Habitat III, formally known as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Housing and Urban Development, announced that for the first time the agenda will engage not only national bodies but also state, village and other forms of local governments.

By incorporating inputs from the grassroots level, the agenda will be customising policy frameworks at various levels, according to the mandate established at the UN Habitat III conference last week in Quito, Ecuador.

“Good governance and the rule of law at the national and sub-national levels are essential for the achievement of those objectives, in order for us to move to a more sustainable model of urbanisation,”-Joan Carlos, UN Under-secretary General & Executive Director of UN Habitat III The New Urban Agenda, an active, non-binding document, aims to develop international commitment towards sustainable urbanization

Food wastage in city Contd. from Pg 1

Daily Dump, a for-profit organisation, arranges several awareness programmes with NGOs, about the importance of segregation. The sales and marketing expert, Siddharth believes that “It is the rise in consumerism, which has resulted in

Photo credit: Jindajamorn/Shutterstock.com

strategies. The goal of the conference, which is held every 20 years, was to create guidelines that will help nations to nurture rapid urbanization in a controlled manner.

Why is it important to India?

Well, among the largest urban systems in the world, with about 377 million people residing in urban areas, comprising about 31.16 per cent of the total population, Dr. N Chatterjee, secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and leader of the delegation to Habitat-III, said in a statement presented at the event.

With a contribution of 60 per cent to India’s economy, Indian cities are expected to see continued rapid growth, said Chatterjee. “It is estimated that the Indian urban popula-

tion would reach a level of about 40% or 583 million by 2030, adding in the process around 163.2 million people in its urban areas during the period 2015 to 2030,” he wrote.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation has set the following goals for the nation: • Inclusive growth: Reaching out to the urban poor via innovative financial arrangements like fixed municipal budgets for poor settlements, reserving land for low income groups, property rights and security of tenancy, etc.

• Improved quality of life: Increasing access to social justice and gender equity, reducing crime and increasing security.

• Economic growth and productivity: Introducing more

more food wastage in the city.”

“Moreover,” he said, “When it comes to segregation people are helpless in terms of infrastructure provided by the government.”

When food is wasted it leads to wastage of all the factors of production involved. Be it water, electricity or others.

Several concerned individuals

and organizations are trying their best to avoid wastage of leftover food. R B Sivakumara, a politician and a resident of Rajajinagar came up with ‘AsseraLoke’ 14 years ago to help the needy and stop wastage of food. The Forward Foundation discovered that out of 1027.45 kg of sample mixed waste, 617.6 kg accounted for food wastage.

power to local administrations, egovernance, community participation and public disclosure, higher speed of travel, better transport facilities and sustainable urban settlements.

• Improving quality of life: 100% sanitation and access to public utilities, etc.

• Sustainability and climate change: Higher usage of public transport, reduced energy consumption, disaster management plans and resuscitation of water bodies.

While cities globally occupy only 2 per cent of all land, 54.5 per cent of the world population is concentrated in urban areas as of 2016, according to Habitat III reports.

The global landscape is changing at an exponential rate, say experts.

Climate change, conflicts and economic necessities are forcing entire communities to migrate towards cities. As cities expand, urban administration tries to cope with the rising demand for facilities while the urban dwellers are facing an existential crisis.

With 60 per cent of all energy consumed, 70 per cent green house gases emitted and 70 per cent of all waste generated from cities today, Habitat III helps nations assess major challenges in terms of climate change, poverty, health, socio-economic and civic issues. It also serves as a platform for drawing guidelines to control the problem areas, disaster mitigation, economic growth and sustainable development plans.

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