Articles by Aruna Natarajan

Chennai saw the inauguration of the first of its kind Gender and Policy Lab on April 1. The Lab will work with the civic body, transport agencies and other organs of the government to create a ‘safer and gender-inclusive city’.  The inauguration was attended by the Mayor of Chennai Corporation, R Priya, Commissioner of Chennai Corporation, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Commissioner of Police, Shankar Jiwal, representatives from the World Bank, officials from various departments of the civic body and transport agencies and members of various non-profit and civil society organizations. The Gender and Policy Lab has been formed as part of…

Chennai has seen catastrophic floods that have inundated the city over the past few years. The city is also grappling with increasing temperatures in the summer months. With each passing year, the impact of climate change only seems to get more pronounced and ominous for the city. And a recent report from the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) has predicted what exactly the city could face on the climate front over the next approximately 30 years. CSTEP, of course, is not the only one. Warning bells have been sounded by various reports that predict rise in temperatures…

The lack of enough accessible public toilets has long been an issue in Chennai. Lessons from the pandemic and the emphasis on hygiene has made clean toilets all the more important for the city’s many residents. Recycle Bin, an NGO, has multiple ideas to make Chennai’s public toilets accessible and clean, in addition to a larger toilet masterplan at the policy level. Citizen Matters spoke to Ganga Dileep C, Founder-CEO and Principal Architect and Urban Designer at Recycle Bin on the various programmes in place and the possible roadmap for change for Chennai public toilets.  What does Recycle Bin do?…

Zone snapshot: Wards -  22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Population - 177148  (2013) Number of polling stations - 191 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Poor stormwater drain networks area persistent issue in the zone. The recent rain left many areas in the zone marooned after the release of water from the Redhills reservoir. Better, well-connected stormwater drain network would prevent water-logging.Basic civic amenities are not available for residents of the ward who do not have patta despite residing in…

Zone snapshot: Wards - 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200 Population - 74583 (2013) Number of polling stations - 209 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Lack of piped drinking water and proper sewage connections is a huge issue in the zone. Residents are forced to buy water from tankers at exorbitant prices. While some apartment complexes have a sewage treatment plant, many use the services of sewage disposal tankers. The issue of water scarcity has not been addressed despite the expansion and growth…

As Chennai gets set for local body polls for the first time since 2011, many issues faced by the city and how an elected council might offer long-awaited solutions for the same, warranted a discussion. On February 14 2022, Citizen Matters and Janaagraha Center for Citizenship and Democracy brought together a diverse panel of candidates in the fray in this election and prominent voices from civil society organisation to delve into the complexities of local governance and how Chennaiites can hold the elected representatives accountable. The panel was comprised of activist David Manohar of the corruption watchdog Arappor Iyakkam, Charu…

Zone snapshot: Wards - 168, 169, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191 Population - 322728 (2013) Number of polling stations - 279 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Poor civic amenities in many slums in the zone are a persistent issue. Residents of Kallukuttai slum have decided to boycott the civic polls on account of not having basic facilities despite living in the area for nearly four decades. They demand better roads, drainage facilities and solutions to water shortage in the summer months. Many roads…

Zone snapshot Wards -170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182 Population - 490767 (2013) Number of polling stations - 471 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Traffic congestion at Madhya Kailash Junction is a key issue that affects commuters. Those looking to travel to the airport or southern parts of the city face long hours of commute during peak hours in the area due to traffic jams. Overflowing sewage and old sewage pipes are an issue in Adyar. The old pipes leak…

Wards -156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167 Population - 239382 (2013) Number of polling stations - 200 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Recent spell of rains left areas under Manapakkam and Mugalivakkam inundated for days. Residents were forced to stay indoors for close to two days as the water-logging did not recede in many parts. A lack of proper stormwater drains coverage across the zone has been cited as the reason for the flooding. Traffic issues are frequent at the MIOT…