Articles by Shobana Radhakrishnan

Many students from across the country move to Chennai to pursue their higher education as it is a sought-after destination. But data show that Tamil Nadu has the third-highest number of student suicides in India. This makes a focus on the mental health of students in higher educational institutions of Chennai and elsewhere paramount. What are some of the common triggers that impact the mental health of the students? Are there systems to address the mental health issues of the students in Chennai? How efficient are they? To address these broad questions in detail, Citizen Matters organised a panel discussion…

Chennai has seen rapid expansion in recent decades. But essentials such as water supply and sewage connections have failed to materialise in many parts of the city despite demand from residents. This has forced residents to find alternatives such as procuring water from tankers and setting up their own Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). Many apartments on the outskirts of Chennai, mainly on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), have set up STPs to treat the sewage generated in the apartment complex. Since the building rules mandate sewage treatment plants at multi-storeyed apartments, the builders will usually set up an STP and…

Anyone who has visited a government office to obtain certificates or documents is aware of the daunting process it entails. With the aim to cut out long queues of disgruntled visitors, e-sevai centres were launched across the state in 2006 to provide IT enabled-services to the public. This came long before the formulation of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP). Despite the pioneering move, government-run e-sevai centres in Chennai face myriad issues that prevent their effective functioning.  Working of public and private e-sevai centres in Chennai According to the Tamil Nadu e-governance agency, around 92 different kinds of services are provided…

A 100 years ago, on May 1, Chennai observed May Day for the first time. A function was held in Marina Beach to mark the occasion. This was the first formal celebration of May Day in India. In the decades since, the living conditions of workers in the city has worsened and their rights have been eroded. Labour movements in Chennai have been raising their voice on behalf of the workers to ensure basic facilities and protections are granted to them. We speak with leaders of various labour movements in the city to understand what the workers of Chennai are…

Translated by Geetha Ganesh கடந்த சில தசாப்தங்களாக, வடசென்னை அதன் காற்று, நிலம் மற்றும் நீர் ஆகியவற்றை மாசுபடுத்துகிறது. வடசென்னையில் அதிகரித்து வரும் மாசுபாட்டிற்கு முக்கியக் காரணம் எண்ணூர்-மணலி பகுதியில் அரசுக்குச் சொந்தமான அனல் மின் நிலையம் உட்பட செயல்படும் முக்கியத் தொழில்கள்தான் என்று பல்வேறு அமைப்புகளின் ஆய்வுகள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன. மாசுபாடு வடசென்னையில் வசிக்கும் ஏராளமான மக்களின் வாழ்க்கையை பாதித்துள்ளது மற்றும் பலரின் வாழ்வாதாரத்தை சூறையாடியுள்ளது. மாசுபடுத்துபவர்கள் பொறுப்பேற்க வேண்டிய அதே வேளையில், தமிழ்நாடு மாசுக்கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரியமான (TNPCB) ஒழுங்குமுறை ஆணையத்தையும் பொறுப்பேற்கச் செய்வது சமமாக முக்கியமானது. மாசுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டை கடைபிடிக்காத தவறு செய்யும் தொழிற்சாலைகள்/ஏஜென்சிகளுக்கு காரணம் காட்டுதல், சட்ட நடவடிக்கை எடுப்பது மற்றும் மூடுவதற்கான வழிகாட்டுதல்கள், மின்சாரம் மற்றும் நீர் விநியோகத்தை நிறுத்துதல் போன்ற பல்வேறு நடவடிக்கைகளால் மாசுபாட்டைக் கட்டுப்படுத்தும் கடமை TNPCB க்கு ஒப்படைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சட்டங்கள், நிபந்தனைகள் மற்றும் தரநிலைகள். ஆனால் வடசென்னையின் நிலப்பரப்பில் ஆதிக்கம் செலுத்தும்…

Take a walk through any street in Chennai and you will find at least one wall filled with various posters announcing a new movie in the theatres, the obituary of a senior citizen in the locality and news of a political party meeting. What do posters say about life in the city? When do they cross the line from being informative to being a nuisance to the public? Posters as a source of knowledge Many in the city see posters as an eyesore. But that is not all that defines what posters add to the landscape of the city. "The…

"I came into politics to serve the public," says KV Thilagar, the Councillor of Ward 92 (Mogappair East) in Chennai. Thilagar's family has been in politics for generations. Even before becoming the elected representative, he has been helping the public address their grievances. "I have helped over 2,000 people in my area get their community certificates in the past. It has aided many youngsters in pursuing higher education," says Thilagar. He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) but made the decision to contest the urban local body elections as an independent candidate when the party decided to…

Take a drive along Keelkattalai to Kamatchi Memorial Hospital any time during the day, and you will see hundreds of water lorries parked on the radial road. This stretch, 80% of which falls under Kovilambakkam Panchayat and 20% within the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) limits, is a hub of illegal groundwater extraction — one of the root causes of Chennai’s water woes.As it happens, there are four or five legitimate water drawing points near the Keelkattalai lake, but the lorries do not use those points to extract water. “A black hose has been laid illegally,  2 to 3 km away…

The allegations of multiple instances of sexual harassment and abuse in Chennai's famed Kalakshetra highlights the need to look into mechanisms in place at educational institutions in Chennai to aid survivors and prevent the recurrence of such incidents. At present, the University Grants Commission (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of sexual harassment of women employees and Students in higher educational institutions) Regulations, 2015. mandate every educational institution to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to deal with the cases of sexual harassment of all women inside the campus. Unfortunately, many colleges in Chennai do not have a functioning ICC or take…

Over the past few decades, North Chennai has seen pollution taint its air, land and water. Studies by various organisations have shown that a key factor behind the rising pollution in North Chennai is the major industries that operate in the Ennore-Manali region, including the state-owned thermal power plant. Pollution has affected the lives of scores of residents in North Chennai and robbed many of their livelihoods. While the polluters should be held responsible, it is equally important to hold the regulator, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), accountable. The TNPCB has been entrusted with the duty to curb…