Articles by Shobana Radhakrishnan

During the inaugural speech of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, Chief Minister Stalin noted that of the 73 Indian grandmasters, 26 were from Tamil Nadu. “That means 36% of Indian grandmasters are from Tamil Nadu. It is a game of intelligence and mathematics and Chennai can be rightly called the chess capital of India,” he said. But while cricket and chess are held in high regard in the state, with the necessary conditions for success, a look at other sports in the city presents a sorry picture. The impact of COVID-19 and the absence of support has hampered…

The Tamil Nadu government increased property tax for all local bodies in the state earlier this April. This means that the residents of Chennai's core areas would have to pay at least 50% more than what they have been paying for over two decades. The Greater Chennai Corporation has as many as 13 lakh property tax assesses with an annual demand of Rs 800 crore. The revision came into effect from April 1, 2022 with an aim to increase the civic body's revenue generation capacity, which plays a critical role in providing better services and improving infrastructure. Here is an…

The public transport system in the city has seen a slew of developments in the past year ranging from the commencement of works for Phase 2 of the Chennai Metro project to free travel for women passengers in the ordinary buses of MTC. With the Metro’s presence in the city now close to a decade, how has the system integrated with the public transport landscape in the city? What are the issues that prevent more riders from taking to the Chennai Metro and is that likely to change with Phase 2? Is the bus system, which ferries more people, being…

The critically acclaimed movie Thappad evoked a wide range of responses to how the protagonist Amrita dealt with an instance of domestic violence, a slap by her husband in a social setting. While Amrita had the awareness to recognise the slap as domestic violence, the agency to decide for herself, financial support and a family who understood her decision, many women in Chennai, who face domestic violence, find themselves alone in this fight. The spate of crimes against women in cities like Chennai continues unabated. Now and then we read or hear of a new incident, more brazen, brutal and…

A lot has been happening with the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) of Chennai over the past year. The transport body has embraced technology for live tracking. The process of fleet expansion is also underway, along with the procurement of more e-buses. The 'free travel for women' scheme has been well-received and earned plaudits, in addition to increasing ridership among women. We present a round-up here of all such recent developments related to the city's most important mode of public commute, its bus service. Dedicated app and GPS tracking The much-awaited mobile application to track the movement of MTC buses in…

Many public services have moved towards contractualisation and casualisation of labour in the past few decades. The city has in recent years seen protests on this issue by workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the Special Purpose Vehicle(SPV) created for the metro rail project, has also grappled with issues around the engagement of contract workers.  What has the recruitment model followed by CMRL been? How has contractualisation affected services, if at all? What are the long-term implications of such a move? Long wait for…

Koyambedu wholesale market has been a one-stop centre for perishable goods for many residents and retail traders across the city for nearly 25 years now. However, waste management in the market campus remains to be himalayan task despite changing times. “We come all the way from OMR road to buy the vegetables and fruits needed for a week. One major issue we have been witnessing is walking through the pathways in the market. Most of the time, the pathways are filled with waste from fresh vegetables and it becomes hard to navigate through the pathways during crowded times. At times…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “தமிழக அரசே தமிழக அரசே, சாக வேண்டுமா நாங்கள்? அப்போ தான் பார்ப்பாயா?” சென்னை குடி நீர் & கழிவு நீர் பெரு வாரியம் தலைமை அலுவலகத்தின் முன்பு தொடர்ந்து  10 நாட்கள் 1500 தற்காலிக தொழிலாளர்கள் எழுப்பிய கோஷம் இது. தனியார் ஒப்பந்தகாரர்களுக்கு ஒவுட்சோர்ஸ் முடிவை எதிர்த்தும் இவர்களின் கோரிக்கைகளை நிராகரிக்கப்பட்டதை எதிர்த்தும் இவர்கள் போராட்டம் நடத்தினர்.  கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளாக வேகமான வளர்ச்சியை சென்னை அடைந்தாலும், பல முக்கிய துறைகளில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட பணியிடங்கள் நிரப்பப்படாமல் அல்லது கணிசமாக குறைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. முக்கியமான அத்தியாவசிய பணிகளான திடக்கழிவு மேலாண்மை, குடி நீர் வினியோகம், சுகாதாரம், மின்வாரியம் என பல துறைகளில் தற்காலிக அல்லது ஒப்பந்த அடிப்படையில் பணிபுரிபவர்கள் பாதுகாப்பற்ற சூழலில் பணிபுரிகிறார்கள்.   சென்னை குடி நீர் வாரிய தற்காலிக பணியார்களின் போராட்டம் சரியான நேரத்தில் சாலையில் மண் அகற்றப்பட்டு, கழிவு நீர் அடைப்புகள் அகற்றப்பட்டு,குடி நீர்…

Chennai's many parks provide much-needed green spaces in the city. They are abuzz with activity on most days, with many residents choosing the space to walk, work out, catch up with friends or spend some time outdoors. The city's 525 parks attract a wide cross-section of people and represent a microcosm of the surrounding areas. However, what is markedly rare is the use of the spaces provided by the parks for activities such as outreach and awareness campaigns and other programmes in public interest. NGOs and advocacy groups, which are best placed to host such events, have been facing some…

“Thamizhaga arase Thamizhaga arase, saga venduma nangal? Appo than paarpaya?” (Will the government of Tamil Nadu pay attention to our plight only when we die?) This was the chorus of around 1,500 temporary workers of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) that echoed at the entrance of the Board’s office for ten continuous days. The reason for the protest was the decision to outsource manpower through private contractors and overlook the demands of temporary workers engaged by the CMWSSB. Even as Chennai has grown in the past few decades, the sanctioned posts in many key departments remain vacant or have…