A strike by sanitation workers in Delhi over the non-payment of salaries is now joined by staff of schools and hospitals run by the civic bodies. The strike has virtually crippled the national capital since January 27. As Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP which rules the capital's civic bodies are fling accusations at each other, the crisis is mounting.
It's not just Delhi. For the last 7 days, Mumbai has been reeling under a massive fire at the Deonar dumping ground that has led to the worst kind of smog; choking the nearby residents and forcing them to leave their homes. Travel a little farther south and Bangalore seems all too familiar with these crises, be it waste management, air pollution or road safety. What is happening to our big cities? Why are they collapsing so alarmingly?