Focus: the impact of a major new engineering project - the new bridge linking Vypin Island to the mainland at Ernakulum. Key learing objectives: to consider the genesis of the bridge and its impact; to assess the potential benefits of the project to the community but also the possible negative effects. Summary: Ajay begins his investigation in an internet cafe - internet services are rapidly expanding in urban areas of India and mobile phones are widely used. He visits the Port Authority on Willingdon Island to learn about the background to the bridge project. He travels to Vypin Island to assess the local feeling regarding the bridge and to meet a family whose home was demolished to make way for it. He considers a number of views about the bridge - including that of a local environmental campaigner. Story: 'The Kochi Kid' (part 1). Mary, Alice and Laxman decide to enter a competition in the city by raising awareness of an old banyan tree on Vypin Island which is threatened by an approach road to the new bridge. So they create a super-hero character called The Kochi Kid for their own internet comic.
Mrs Prasana's original house - prior to demolition
The scene in December 2003, on the approximate spot where Mrs Prasana's house once stood
Listen to an extract from the series
