Shobha Surin

"The Mall View: Cities, Workers and the Crisis of Citizenship." @CitiesQuestion has curated an excellent set of articles for #MayDay. Sharing my lead article for this edition. questionofcities.org/the-mall-view-…

(3/6) These rising movements reflect the same pressures: stagnant wages, rising inflation, and incomes that fail to keep pace with the cost of living.

(2/6) Similar, protests have also surfaced in places like Surat, Haldwani, and industrial towns across Haryana, including Manesar, Ghaziabad and Faridabad.

(1/2) Last month, news of workers’ protests in #Noida and #Gurgaon made big headlines. Striking workers were agitating against long hours and low wages that barely covered their rent and basic needs.

Pune citizens protesting against massacre of 529 trees for road widening at University Road. Many of the trees are more than century old. @navalMH @ameetgsingh @AUThackeray @Pankajamunde @AnneAnish @ChaitanyaKet @DefenceBrat

What happens when sewage flows unchecked and trees fall in the name of “revival”? Pollution levels remain high in the #Godavari River, with nearly 1,500 trees already cut for the project. Read the full essay by Naitri Kale. #Nashik #riverfrontmodels questionofcities.org/copy-paste-riv…

Who shapes the future of a river; planners or people who live with it? In #Nashik, fragmented governance and limited public consultation leave the #Godavari caught between engineering and ecological restoration. Read the full story by Naitri Kale. questionofcities.org/copy-paste-riv…

When rivers are polluted and forests fall silent, money won’t save us 🌿 A beautiful peepal tree marked for felling for RFD project in Balewadi #Pune 700 riparian trees marked here. Work going on in full swing at the bank. #SaveTrees #biodiversity @PMCPune @moefcc @MahaForest

Can a copy-paste riverfront model work for a river like the #Godavari River? In #Nashik, the ₹2,800 crore Namami Goda project follows the #Sabarmati template, prioritising real estate and beautification over ecology. Read the full by Naitri Kale. questionofcities.org/copy-paste-riv…

Thank you for the strong response to our Call for Papers on the built environment in cities! We’ve received a wide range of abstracts and ideas, and are currently reviewing them. You will hear from us soon.

We did public audit of Delhi's bus stops and findings are shocking. the audit by @ptf_delhi covered 231 bus stops in 10 districts and found that 40% of them don't have seating, 9 out of 10 have no ramp, 8 out of 10 have no pedestrian crossing, and two-third have no lighting. In a city facing extreme heat, 17% of bus stops don’t even have a roof. Here are some of the other main findings: - 20% do not have name board - 43% do not have route information - 99% have no drinking water facility nearby (the same is true for public toilets) - Only 3% have both lighting and CCTV together - 1 in 6 bus stops are 'High Risk' with no preparedness for summer heat

Last year, I wrote about how India’s forests were disappearing - not on paper, but on the ground. The connection to increasing heat is hard to ignore: as forest cover shrinks, natural cooling weakens, making extreme heatwaves even more intense. dialogue.earth/en/forests/ind…

The arrogance of humans to cut down trees and think air conditioners will cool us

ग्रेट निकोबार प्रोजेक्ट हमारे भविष्य पर हमला है !

“The problem with the Great Nicobar Island Development Project (GNIDP) is no longer missing information but wilful disregard.” deccanherald.com/india/andaman-…

What grudge do these people have against trees? At the Pune Mayor’s bungalow, branches have been chopped off so brutally that only trunks remain. Officials have no explanation for why these trees were cut — and that ignorance is even more alarming. In peak summer, the bungalow’s green cover has vanished, leaving it barren and lifeless. Video courtesy @brizpatil #Pune #Environment #TreeCutting

Do attend the next KnOT this Thursday to listen to @sumitakale talk about the curious case of the BB road on #Vetaltekdi Understand why PMC is so keen on building this 300 cr road, even when their own studies show that 2k trees will be cut, groundwater will be seriously impacted while very little reduction will be seen on Law College road traffic. (Hint - the desperation to build this road has very little to do with traffic 😉)

Why are communities resisting the #Musi riverfront project? From displacement concerns to the absence of a Detailed Project Report, opposition is growing on the ground, writes @shobhasurin questionofcities.org/musi-riverfron…

A single project linking the Ken & Betwa rivers will submerge 4,000+ hectares of forest & cost an estimated 2.3 million trees inside a tiger reserve. This is how India is building in a warming world, writes @iyerkavi article-14.com/post/amid-a-re…