Articles by Laasya Shekhar

Kerala’s devastating floods in August set off alarm bells in Tamil Nadu. Municipal Administration minister S P Velumani chaired a state-level flood prevention review meeting on August 21st, around one-and-half months before the expected commencement of the north east monsoon in the first week of October. A slew of infrastructural projects were flagged off as part of monsoon preparatory work, including the desilting of storm water drains at a cost of Rs 20 crore and clearing of encroachments in water bodies. Preparatory work for the monsoon is usually taken up only a few weeks before the onset of the season,…

A tiny kiosk on the congested DF Road in Mogappair bustles with customers on any week day. R Dakshinamurthy, the owner of the kiosk stall wears a smiling face, as he infuses tea leaves in the aluminum container and lets it brew for a few minutes. His happy face turns anxious whenever a police official walks towards the stall or passes by. Dakshinamurthy is an unauthorized vendor, who has been running the kiosk since three years ago, braving the constant threat of extortion from police and opposition from civil society. He is among the 27,050 vendors waiting for biometric cards…

உறுப்பு தானத்தில் முன்னோடியாக திகழ்கிறது நம் தமிழ்நாடு. இங்கு தான் அதிகமாக உறுப்பு தானம் செய்பவர்கள் உள்ளனர். மருத்துவமனைகள், தன்னார்வ தொண்டு நிறுவனங்களின் கூட்டு முயற்சி மற்றும் மக்களின் விருப்பம் ஆகியவை இதற்கு காரணிகளாக இருக்கலாம். இருப்பினும் நம்மில் பலருக்கு உறுப்பு தானம் பற்றிய பல விஷயங்கள் தெரியாமல் தான் உள்ளது. இதுவே உறுப்பு தானத்திற்காக காத்திருக்க வேண்டிய அவகாசத்தை அதிகரிக்க செய்கிறது. ஒவ்வொரு வருடமும் உறுப்பு கிடைக்காததால் கிட்டதிட்ட ஐந்து லட்சம் பேர் இறந்து போவதாக என்டிடிவி-ஃபார்டிஸ் மோர் டூ கிவ் விழிப்புணர்வு பிரச்சாரம் கூறுகிறது. பல்வேறு தவறான புரிதல் காரணமாக உறுப்பு தானம் செய்வதில் மக்களுக்கு தயக்கம் இருப்பதையே இந்த பிரச்சாரம் உணர்த்துகிறது. மருத்துவர்கள் மற்றும் சுகாதார ஆர்வலர்களுடன் உரையாடியதிலிருந்து உறுப்பு தானம் குறித்த விளக்கமும், அது குறித்து பல சந்தேகங்களையும் இங்கே தெளிவு படுத்தியுள்ளோம். மேலும் ஏன் உறுப்பு தானம் செய்ய வேண்டும் என்ற முக்கிய கேள்விக்கான…

A whiff of fresh air greets visitors at Kasimedu beach. The relaxing sound of the waves hitting the groynes does a good job of soothing stressed or anxious minds. Even as early as 5 am, the wharf at the Kasimedu harbour bustles with activity: visitors (yes, there are visitors at that hour, trying out fishing ropes) try and snag a fish, youngsters click a round of selfies and men and women take a stroll. A few yards from the wharf is the market, where you can hear the shrill voices of fisherwomen tempting customers with a description of the fish varieties…

If you are an apartment or home owner in Chennai, you would most likely have received a form for self declaration of Property Tax, from the revenue office of Greater Chennai Corporation. Most home and apartment owners were caught unawares, not only by the requirement itself, as there has been no such form to fill in the past twenty years, but also by the deadline of August 31st to fill and submit it. Here is a quick explainer about the form and its connection with property tax. According to a senior official from Chennai Corporation, there are 12.65 lakh home and…

Tiruvottiyur and Padur, two localities in north and south Chennai respectively, with very different socio-cultural identities, are bound by one thing in common today, something they can truly take pride in.  Both these localities have been able to adhere to and implement the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016  to a large extent.  Private kitchens with neatly displayed posters guiding residents on how to segregate waste into biodegradable, recyclable and reject waste; like-minded enthusiasts campaigning on segregation, and conservancy workers meticulously insisting on segregated waste -- such sights and action are common in Tiruvottiyur and Padur, thanks to the willingness of the people…

The devastating floods in Kerala have ravaged life in the state, with 223 officially reported deaths and 10.28 lakh people stationed across 3274 relief camps, as shared by the state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The central government has described such unprecedented nature’s fury in the southern state as a ‘calamity of severe nature’. In what reaffirms faith in humanity, help has been pouring in from all quarters to god’s own country, and people have been pitching in to help the flood-stricken reconstruct their lives. Tamil Nadu shares the Mullaperiyar river with Kerala and has been a party to the century-long rivalry…

Tamil Nadu has been a frontrunner in organ donation. Call it the collective effort between hospitals and not-for-profit organisations or the willingness of people, the state has the highest number of organ donors in India. The fact remains though that a majority of citizens are still ignorant about many aspects of donation, leaving a wide gap between organ availability and patients waiting for transplants. The NDTV-Fortis More To Give campaign indicated that an approximate 5 lakh people across the nation die each year, due to non availability of organs. The number reiterates the need to acknowledge citizens who are hesitant…

9.45 acres. Three officials in charge and at least 1.5 lakh rupees of public money spent every month on this near-defunct institution. These details pertain to the only government beggar rehabilitation centre located at Melpakkam near Avadi that has had no inmates for more than three years now. There are three permanent officers who live at the Centre itself, besides 14 officers who work on deputation basis. Even if we ignore the salaries of deputed officers for the time being, who also work in leprosy homes in Tamil Nadu, the three officers are paid between 40,000 to 70,000 every month, as shared…

It has been close to a month since R Gopinath, a Class 8 student from the Corporation Higher Secondary School in Koyambedu returned from Washington D.C. but his face brightens up still as he speaks of his experience. Gopinath was one of the students selected by the Rotary Club, with which the US Consulate had tied up for this initiative, a branch of their two-year English Access Microscholarship programme. Eight students from Chennai’s Corporation schools were chosen for a trip to Washington D.C., based on an evaluation of their creativity and logical reasoning skills. Before taking the trip, the students…