Articles by Raghukumar Choodamani

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has begun the process of holding public consultations welcoming views from residents on the draft Third Master Plan for Chennai. The consultations are meant to be a participatory exercise which provides a platform for residents to offer suggestions and share grievances. However, my experience attending a recent consultation has revealed many gaps in the process that would prevent effective representation of the views of the residents.  Announcement by CMDA on public consultations across Chennai. Pic: CMDA/Twitter Issues with CMDA’s public consultation I attended the public consultation organised by the CMDA at Hotel Sri Valli…

Over the last few decades, the number of private motor vehicles on the roads of Chennai has increased significantly. The increase in the number of vehicles only contributed towards promoting severe air pollution, which had to be controlled. With this in mind, a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate for motor vehicles was made a mandatory requirement as per the Regional Transport Office (RTO) Rules. The PUC certificate is an indicator that the emissions from the vehicles are within the permissible limit. When the PUC certification rule was first introduced, several centres were opened across the city of Chennai. Over the years…

The Greater Chennai Corporation has been working on stormwater drain (SWD) desilting and restoration work, along with the creation of new drains across the city, over the past six months. Building a stormwater drain network to cover the entire city can be a challenging task. The experience over the past months has established that regardless of the talent and knowledge of professionals involved in creating stormwater and flood management facilities, it is prudent to seek public input during the planning, design, maintenance and operation phases. With their knowledge of local practices and preferences, the public can bring to light issues…

With Chennai's many roads being dug up for various civic works, it becomes crucial for the several agencies carrying out such tasks to coordinate better. A look at some streets in Perambur lays bare the problems faced by residents when civic agencies do not bridge the gap in communication or carry out shoddy and unscientific work. Problems in Rajabhathar street Rajabhathar Street in Ward 71, Zone 6, Perambur was once a model street in our neighbourhood and had drawn the attention of the then state government and won several awards. Now, however, one can often see sewage overflowing onto the…

When the railway pedestrian subway at Perambur Loco Works was opened to the public we as residents were hopeful of it solving many issues. The size of the subway was also impressive and the fact that the work had been completed despite the pandemic was commendable. However, two years down the line, there have been many persistent issues around the subway that makes the experience of commuters quite an unhappy one. Broken tiles and inundation bother subway users Over the past year, pedestrians have raised complaints over the subway being inundated and not fit for use during rains. The subway gets…

The Perambur railway station is the second oldest railway station in the city after Royapuram. The ISO 9000 certified station sees a footfall of 80,000 passengers every day with close to 80 Express Trains stopping at the station. But users and commuters have over the years noticed glaring issues in amenities available at the station. Members of Perambur Neighborhood Development Forum & Community Welfare Brigade, a citizens welfare group comprising residents in the area, had an opportunity to visit the Perambur Railway Station to conduct an audit on the infrastructure and the passenger amenities on offer. After carefully reviewing all the…

As the summer intensifies across Chennai, the demand for water is also set to be on the rise. While some areas see residents rely on municipal water supply alone, others rely on purchasing from tankers or by digging or deepening borewell connections.  While residents use various means to meet their water needs, it is important to be aware of the proper procedure to follow while carrying out activities such as borewell digging or deepening. Callousness in this regard can not only affect the resident but also have an impact on the larger neighbourhood.  A recent incident in my neighbourhood has…

Translated by Sandhya Raju குற்றங்களை தடுக்கவும், கண்டுபிடிக்கவும் சிசிடிவி கேமராவின் அவசியத்தை பறைசாற்ற, நடிகர் விவேக் நடித்த மூன்றாம் கண் என்ற குறும்படத்தை நம்மில் எத்தனை பேர் ஞாபகம் வைத்திருக்கிறோம்? மூன்றாவது கண்- 2018-ம் ஆண்டு தொடக்கத்தில் அப்போதைய காவல்துறை ஆணையர் டாக்டர். ஏ.கே. விஸ்வனாதன் அவர்களால் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்ட திட்டம் ஆகும். இதன் பின்னர் நகரத்தில் பரவலாக சிசிடிவி கேமராக்கள் பொறுத்தப்பட்டன. பொது-தனியார் கூட்டமைப்பு மூலம் கடைக்காரர்கள், வணிகர்கள் மற்றும் குடியிருப்பு சங்கங்களை இணைத்து, நகரம் முழுவதும் கண்காணிப்பு கேமராக்களை பொருத்த சென்னை மாநகராட்சி நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொண்டது. ஒவ்வொரு 50 மீட்டர் இடைவெளியில் பொருத்தப்பட்ட சிசிடிவி கேமராவால் காவல் துறை கண்காணிப்பு அடுத்த கட்டத்திற்கு முன்னேறியது. குற்றங்களை கட்டுப்படுத்துவது, சட்டம் ஒழுங்கு பாதுகாப்பு, சாலை விதிமீறல்கள் என முக்கிய நடவடிக்கைகளை கையாளுவதில், சென்னையின் மூலைமுடக்குகளில் நிறுவப்பட்ட 2.5 லட்சத்திற்கும் மேலான கண்காணிப்பு கேமாரக்கள் உதவின. இதனால், பாதுகாப்பு மேம்பட்டு குற்ற…

How many of you remember Moondravathu Kan, the short film featuring comedy actor Vivek which was released to sensitise citizens about the importance of CCTV cameras in crime prevention and detection? Moondravathu Kan (3rd Eye) was actually a project  of the Greater Chennai City Police (GCP), introduced by the then Police Commissioner Dr. A.K. Vishwanathan sometime in early 2018, as part of which Chennai saw a significant increase in the number of CCTV cameras in the city. By forging a public-private partnership, GCP managed to get the shopkeepers, traders and several resident welfare associations to pitch in with their contributions…

In continuation to the charter of demands submitted to the MLA candidates before the Assembly Elections held last year we, the  members of Community Welfare Brigade, are submitting the following Charter of Demands to all the potential candidates who are participating in the Corporation Elections in 2022 on behalf of the Residents of Ward 71 in Zone 6. As a citizen engagement group we would like to build a clean, safe and secure model neighbourhood community. On civic infrastructure and encroachments The traffic density on Perambur High Road, Madhavaram High Road and Paper Mills Road has increased significantly over the…