Articles by Aruna Natarajan

The National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill 2019 was passed by the Rajya Sabha last week and now awaits passage in the Lok Sabha, where it has been reintroduced with the changes based on recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, to which it had been earlier referred by the lower house. While the Health Minister described the Bill as an achievement of the government that will enable greater access to quality medical education and highly trained professionals, the medical fraternity clearly does not seem to subscribe to that, as evident from the widespread dissent and protests…

Chennaiites who have lived through the devastating floods of 2015 can attest to how the event and its aftermath has had a lasting impact on the city. The sudden and massive scale of the deluge saw scores dead and many lose their homes and possessions. Rebuilding from a catastrophe such as this is a long process that the residents come to grips with it over many years. Krupa Ge's evocative book Rivers Remember: #CHENNAIRAINS and The Story of a Manmade Flood delves into the various aspects of the fateful events that led to the lathe scale flooding. The book deconstructs…

The summer of 2019 was not kind to the residents of Chennai. Heatwaves through the last three months and acute water scarcity has made the lives of residents miserable and desperate for some relief through rains. But why is the summer becoming increasingly brutal with each passing year? Rising annual temperatures have been a concern across the globe, and various studies indicate that Chennai is no exception to this trend. The nature of urban spaces also contributes significantly to this increase in temperature. Construction activity, pollution and loss of green cover all play a role in the hotness of summer, thus…

A collective of citizen's groups, working for various causes in the city, has been trying to ensure greater citizen participation in local government. The provision for citizens' participation in urban governance is enshrined in the 74th amendment of the Constitution. The group is of the view that the necessary notifications must be brought into effect at the state-level to extend these rights to citizen in urban centres across Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, the avenue for citizens' participation is created by the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2010. This law allows citizens to raise their voice through forums such…

One of the pet peeves of residents in cities is the overnight digging up of freshly laid or previously serviceable roads for various utilities. The exercise almost always leaves the citizen frustrated as she suddenly wakes up to uneven roads, potholes and dangerously elevated pothole covers. Not only is a perfectly navigable road rendered dangerous and unusable, in many cases the people are unable to ever properly get these roads fixed. What can you do if this happens to your street? But before you come to that, it is important to know what the rules say. Permissions for road cuts  …

Long queues of women and men waiting for their turn at the tanker; schools forced to shut down due to water shortage; companies asking employees to work from home and even patients in hospitals bearing the brunt of water  shortage -- these are not scenes from any dystopian novel or movie. This is the reality Chennai is living today. The situation gets worse by the day as the city finds itself in the grip of another spell of widespread and acute water shortage. The scarcity of water has seen the city’s main reservoirs run dry. Borewells are depleted and the…

At a time when Chennai must make pressing choices for environmental conservation, some residents have set heartening examples to be emulated. In recognition of their efforts, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) have conferred them with Green Awards. The awards were presented by the Chief Minister to five Resident Welfare Associations in the city for their pioneering efforts in waste management, water and energy conservation and greening. The winners Sabari Terrace Sabari Terrace Apartment Owners Association was one of the five victorious RWAs. The residents here have a successful model of waste segregation, composting and rainwater harvesting. Harsha Koda,…

The midday sun reflects sharply off the shiny red surface of the brand new bus that is on its way from Koyambedu to Kelambakkam. The new-look bus is part of the 300-strong addition to the MTC’s fleet in a phased manner. Half of the new buses commissioned that are operational now traverse the routes in the Old Mahabalipuram Road stretch that is not yet connected by the suburban train network or the metro rail and relies heavily on buses for connectivity. “The new buses were very necessary. The upgrade has made the rides more comfortable. This was long overdue as…

North Chennai has long faced neglect from the political establishment in the state as well as the centre, with development in terms of infrastructure and basic amenities found wanting in the predominantly working class areas that comprise the constituency. North Chennai Parliamentary constituency comprises six assembly constituencies:Royapuram, Kolathur, Thiruvottiyur, Perambur, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar. A total of 23 candidates contested from various political parties and as independents from Chennai North which has a total of 14,87,461 voters. The constituency went to polls on April 18, 2019 in the second phase of the 17th Lok Sabha elections. North…

Dr K Jayakumar of Congress defeated the incumbent and two-time MP P Venugopal of the ADMK. The other challenger in the fray was Makkal Needhi Maiam’s M Logarangan. Thiruvallur shares its border with Andhra Pradesh and has a  sizeable Telugu population in the constituency. With a mix of urban and rural localities, Thiruvallur has an average literacy rate of 83 percent. Thiruvallur Parliamentary constituency is comprised of six assembly constituencies — Madhavaram, Poonamallee, Avadi, Ponneri, Gummidipoondi and Thiruvallur. Thiruvallur was carved out as a separate constituency in 2008 after delimitation. A total of 20 candidates are contesting from various political…