Hepzi Anthony | Citizen Matters, Mumbai

Co-existing with leopards in our backyard

September 18, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

During the COVID-19 lockdown, the reduced human movement encouraged animals to step out more comfortably prompting more leopard spotting, increasing man-animal conflicts

Mumbai’s big housing question: why do people refuse to vacate crumbling buildings?

September 7, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

Mumbai residents refuse to vacate crumbling buildings because they see little alternative in the country’s most expensive real estate market.

Mumbai’s coastlines are changing unrecognisably. Do we want that?

August 8, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

There are different views on how Mumbai’s Eastern Waterfront should be developed. But, what do Mumbaikars want?

Want to get on Mumbai’s local trains? You’d need a QR code.

July 29, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

From 30 July, entry to the Mumbai suburban rail network will be regulated by a QR-based Electronic-pass system. Many are unhappy with it.

How visual artists in Mumbai are reinventing themselves for a post-COVID world

July 16, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

Artists in Mumbai face the same challenges as their counterparts around the world. Even so, many are quietly absorbing, visualising and recreating the imagery sparked by the pandemic.

High risk, no rewards: What BEST workers get as they keep Mumbai running during COVID-19

July 7, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

After reporting eight deaths of staff members from COVID, BEST management stopped giving out numbers. A union leader puts the death toll at 74 and complains of unjust treatment.

Despite hundreds of crores spent on desilting, why Mumbai could still see flooding this monsoon

June 24, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

A BMC press note assures citizens of corrective action taken in 169 flood-prone spots and ongoing work at 43 spots, but what Mumbai really needs is sustained, hydrology-based water bodies management.

Why Shramik trains and other promises have brought little cheer to Mumbai’s migrant workers

May 5, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

Mumbai has an estimated 3 million migrant workers. Even if the railways ferry about 2400 people in two trains per day, it will take a couple of months to transport them back home.

Lack of safety gear, harsh working conditions and no support: Who will hear the voices of Mumbai’s nurses?

April 14, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

Over 90 health care workers, including nurses and doctors, have tested positive in Mumbai with an additional 150-200 nurses under quarantine. The United Nurses Association has moved the SC seeking mandatory protection kit for all health care workers in isolation wards.

Mumbai: Harsh measures taken, as coronavirus spreads to the slums

April 1, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

Mumbai’s health officials are working on a war footing to ensure containment of the virus by creating containment zones and sanitising entire localities besides extensive screening. But they face a humongous task.

Low-cost housing crunch in Mumbai: Is the state to blame?

February 28, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), the state’s nodal agency for public housing provision, is no longer able to build and sell houses at affordable rates. Many blame the tweaks in government policies that conveniently favour the corporate builders’ lobby.

Scant hope for ‘housing for all’ within Mumbai city

February 27, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

Lack of public housing for low and middle income families has left them with few options in the city. They are forced to move to the peripheries, which lack physical and social infrastructure. Meanwhile, of 193 affordable housing projects listed, only four, including three slum redevelopment projects, are planned for Mumbai city itself.

Will congestion pricing help Mumbaikars add an hour and a half to their day?

January 28, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

A year-long survey done in 2019 conducted by ITDP found that Mumbaikars spent an average of 85 minutes daily stuck in traffic. That also means an estimated productivity loss of over Rs 3600 crores per annum. Is congestion pricing the solution?

Mumbai’s housing conundrum: Unsold houses, sky-high prices

January 11, 2020 Hepzi Anthony

6.48 lakh houses remained unsold across India’s top seven cities in 2019, and Mumbai alone accounted for nearly a third of these. Yet scarcity of affordable housing pushes people further and further away from the city. What could explain this?

Heavy hearts, angry questions as Mumbai prepares to phase out double-decker buses

December 26, 2019 Hepzi Anthony

Running the iconic and popular double decker buses is economically unviable, says BEST. Activists, however, question the transport utility’s myopic approach and the wisdom of phasing out a service that holds such a special place in the hearts of Mumbaikars.