Articles by Bhavani Prabhakar

The ever-bustling Velachery Main Road in Chennai is deserted now, thanks to the impending imposition of Section 144 by the Tamil Nadu government. The coronavirus scare has led people to stay indoors and maintain social distance fearing contact transmission. In many parts of the city, shops are open only for a few hours and there is panic buying to stock up on essentials. There is an informal instruction issued by the cops to shut down supermarkets to limit crowding. In this scenario, have the small businesses in Chennai seen an increase in business yet? Sadly not. With lockdown in force,…

In a bid to test more people who may have possibly come in contact with COVID-19 patients, latest testing strategy laid out by the Indian Council of Medical Research is as follows:  1. All asymptomatic individuals who have undertaken international travel in the last 14 days:  - They should stay in home quarantine for 14 days.  - They should be tested only if they become symptomatic (fever, cough, difficulty in breathing)  - All family members living with a confirmed case should be home quarantined All symptomatic contacts of laboratory confirmed cases. 2. All symptomatic contacts of laboratory confirmed cases 3.…

As lunch hour breaks, there's palpable energy among the students of Chennai Primary School run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in Tondiarpet, as they gather to eat their protein-rich midday meal -- eggs and sambar rice. However, just a few kilometres away, the students in the Government Primary School at Ennore, are not as fortunate. Forget mid-day meals, the 32 children belonging to various classes of the government school do not even have enough room to sit according to class - they  are all accommodated in a single congested asbestos-sheeted classroom. The school in Tondiarpet has roped in NGOs…

While the Indian government has shared information on precautions and preventive measures to tackle the Covid virus pandemic, there are specific actions that communities with residents living close to each other can take. Here is an FAQ to address questions from apartments, paying guest accommodations, and group housing quarters: What care should security personnel and housekeeping staff take? For the safety of security personnel who interact with a large number of visitors, apartments should ensure they wear masks and have access to soap/water and sanitiser solutions. Public health officials advise that the elevator should be operated only by one security…

In the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Central, a corpse which was brought in seven months ago lies unclaimed even today; another such has been at the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) since December 2019. These are not isolated cases. Major government hospitals in Chennai are struggling to tackle the pressure of unclaimed dead bodies in their mortuaries. "The situation is concerning because the unclaimed bodies are taking up the capacity of the mortuary. Our morgue has the capacity to hold 60 corpses," said a doctor at the Dean's office in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).  The…

Sivaraman*, (name changed) a conservancy worker, was on regular duty last month, collecting garbage in Chrompet. Just as he was handling some 'household waste' collected from a clinic in the locality, a syringe pricked his finger. "I could not bend my finger as it seemed to have been numbed by some traces of anaesthetic still present. I reported it to my head and the doctor from the clinic was warned. They were asked to dispose of bio-medical waste according to the rules,” the worker said. This, however, is not a one-off incident in Chennai. Improper disposal of bio-medical waste is…

Splashes of water welcome you when you enter the rather silent Conran Smith Nagar, Purasaiwakkam. Follow the sharp whiff of detergent, and you will reach the grounds of the traditional washer community, who have been in the profession for over a century. As I enter the narrow lanes of the Dhobi Khana Housing Board, frothy streams of water  trickling down lead me to the maze of flogging stones with three compartments, blue drums and paraphernalia. It is only 5.10 am, but the men, women and children are already up for the day and will work till 1 pm. They make their…

Untidy wards, unsanitary washrooms and grimy surroundings — these may fit the common perception of government hospitals, but not the cancer block in Royapettah Government Hospital (GH). The 90,000 sq ft cancer block does not conform to the stereotypical image of any other government hospital in the city,  thanks to one man's obsession with hygiene. Meet Sekar Viswanathan, the founder of Viswajayam Foundation. Along with his team, Viswanathan has strived hard to bring about a fundamental change in the cancer block of Royapettah Government Hospital (GH). A business development manager by profession, the 53-year-old Viswanathan has been serving the needy…

With summer approaching, the beaches in Chennai are expected to have more visitors looking to beat the heat but sadly, given the state of safety measures in these beaches, the safe return of the visitor is entirely up to chance and personal precautions. The lack of adequate safeguards is serious cause for concern among citizens and NGOs alike. A recent case, in which a teen hockey player in Chennai drowned off the Marina, spurred the Madras High Court (MHC) into action. The court directed the state government to install watchtowers and station lifesaving boats on the beach to prevent any…

Maintaining the worn out ration book was anyway quite a task in every household. But it’s time to bid adieu to the age-old tradition. Smart cards are the digital version of ration booklets designed like an ATM card. Earlier this year, the Government of Tamil Nadu led by the Chief Minister, Edappadi K Palanisamy announced a move to issue smart cards in lieu of the existing ration cards. So far the government has issued 1,98,69,625 smart cards to ration card holders across the state whereas the total number of beneficiaries are calculated to be 6,70,65,374. Meanwhile, residents with old ration…