October 21, 2023

Good morning. Every Saturday, we publish the results of polls from feature stories that were published the past week. We also give a brief overview of the topics that were discussed.

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🗳️ POLL RESULTS – Week 147

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🗓️ THE WEEK THAT WAS

Can a tunnel road network decongest Bengaluru?

Daily | 16 October 2023

To tackle Bengaluru’s infamous traffic, the state’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has picked up a project out of a sci-fi movie challenging perhaps even Elon Musk’s ‘The Boring Company’ with an ambitious world’s largest underground tunnel road network. Can this be the cure for the city’s traffic? Or would it be another bottomless void for taxpayer money adding only to the repertoire of Bengaluru-related stand-up cliched jokes? Read more on this here.

Is a Truth Commission feasible in India?

Daily | 17 October 2023

India has had recurrent episodes of massive human rights violations and large-scale violent conflicts, replete with killings, disappearances, sexual violence, and property destruction. Yet there have been several episodes where the perpetrators have not been held accountable and the victims’ struggles went unacknowledged in the ambiguous process of justice. Can then, a ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’ (TRC) which has shown success in several instances globally, bring respite to the nation’s fractured soul? We discuss it here.

Was the Teesta-3 project doomed from the beginning?

Daily | 18 October 2023

In the early hours of October 4, the Teesta Urja dam in Sikkim was washed away by a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). However, prior to its construction, the Teesta Urja hydro-power project was touted to be an engineering feat that would be amongst the strongest in the world. This claim, unfortunately, turned out to be a cruel joke which jeopardized human life and caused immeasurable loss of property. We unpack this here.

Is India ready to host the 2036 Olympics?

Daily | 19 October 2023

India has its own Olympic dreams. Not just winning medals but also hosting. Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally declared India’s interest in hosting the games at the opening ceremony of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) annual summit. He used terms like “an age-old dream” and “leave no stone unturned in our efforts”. The question is, is India primed to host such an event? Find the debate here.

Can BluSmart break the Ola-Uber duopoly?

Daily | 20 October 2023

The (relatively) new kid on the block wants to shake things up with its all-electric vehicle fleet. With recent funding successes and being obviously environmentally conscious, can the company successfully take on the two incumbent juggernauts? More on this story here.