Archive for 2009

Sweccha, the American Center and Oxfam India invite all to celebrate the World Environment Day with music, trees and thoughts of saving the Planet! It is a unique endevaour towards celebrating creative, easy to use and unique green solutions to living! YAMUNOSTAV: with music, trees and thoughts of saving the Planet. Thursday, June 4, 2009... Full story

The International Tibet Support Network is coordinating Tibetans and Tibet supporters in remembering the Tiananmen Square massacre. In Delhi, this will mark the celebration of an endangered democracy. Ever since Delhi was brought to a standstill around the time of the Olympics Torch relay, Remembering the Tiananmen Square incident ... Full story

Development Alternatives, a non-profit organisation established in 1983 creating large scale sustainable livelihoods is organising a Capacity Building Series (2008- 09) for A Result Oriented Approach to Livelihood Projects India needs to generate at least 10 million new livelihood opportunities a year over the next 15 years to sustain its economy. Poverty is no longer a ... Full story

Circulating on the Internet: "Ten Reasons Why South Mumbai Did Not Vote" 10. Clashed with Salsa class 9. Election whites not drycleaned 8. No candidate a hottie 7. Tony Jethmalani contesting from suburbs. Sigh! 6. No valet parking at booth 5. Spotted servant in queue ahead of us 4. Driver not come 3. “Elections over dude, Obama won!" 2. No party tackling real issues, eg, reduce Gold Gym rates... 1. No home delivery! "Ten Reasons Why Delhi ... Full story

Even as the Govt. of NCT of Delhi's ban on burning of leaves is more than a year old now, leaf litter in different parts of Delhi continues to be burnt. And it is not just remote parks or residential apartments where this is happeing but also in academic and government institutes of international repute. The ban is being violated openly and leaves ... Full story

The YP Foundation (established as The Youth Parliament in 2002 with support from the India Habitat Centre and registered as The YP Foundation in 2007) is a volunteer based non-profit organization that is committed to developing the uninhibited expression of young people.  The primary objective is to support innovative ventures by young ... Full story

Some of most of the majestic trees in Delhi are all 70-80 (maybe more) years old and form a part of the natural heritage of the city. Each time there is a thunderstorm that brings with it strong winds (of which there have been plenty lately), some of these trees ... Full story

Your responses are what keeps this blog going, thank you for sharing. Continuing on the governance issues for urban slums in Delhi on how to justify providing water sanitation etc to the existing Jhuggi Jhompdi (JJ) slums?  ... Full story

The Yamuna Biodiversity Park (a joint venture between the University of Delhi and the Delhi Development Authority) invites all to celebrate the International Day for Biological Diversity at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Jharoda Majra (Near Wazirabad Village), 5 Km up-North of Delhi University (North Campus) Date: 22nd May, 2009 Time: 0930 am Venue: Yamuna Biodiversity Park... Full story

The urban governance projects initiated in the infrastructure sectors in Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai, over the past ten years are all based on the assumption that slum dwellers have basic unalienable human rights to clean drinking water, sanitation and environmental hygiene, especially in the slum community of the city. These rights are so basic and fundamental that, the elected representative and the government as right protector, is obligated to provide them. While the investment for capital assets like toilet blocks or stand posts and drainage lines are paid for by donor funding in Delhi NCR region over the decade. There is pressure on the city governments to meet the Operation and Maintenance (O and M) costs, of electricity used for pumping if any and minor repairs of taps and drains, through their own revenues. Alternately, another model proposed for O and M coverage, is through user charges, paid by the slum community that is serviced, over the life of the asset. One way to over come the resistance by the slum community to paying daily or monthly user charges is develop a sense of ownership by involving them right from the planning stage, though the construction to final usage and making all transactions including the financial ones open and transparent to the community through a participatory demand driven approach, by implementing bodies in this case the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC) or relevant Urban Local Bodies (ULB). This situation reminds me of an old Om Puri’s movie in which Full story