City: Chennai

Better societies lead to better economies, said Dr Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Minister of Information Technology and Digital Services for Tamil Nadu. He was speaking at the India Civic Summit 2026, organised by Oorvani Foundation at IITM Research Park in Chennai, on February 14th.  "The notion of a life with dignity should be the basis for social equity," he said, adding that citizens must not have to struggle for basic needs like drinking water, toilets, or hygiene. Rapid urbanisation has led to a model where announcements happen, but planning takes time, resulting in large-scale projects where execution may suffer, the minister said.…

As commercial development along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) has surged, reliable public transport has become essential. Yet, daily commuters, labourers, office workers, college and school students, and Resident Welfare Association (RWA) staff continue to grapple with limited access to Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses. For many, reaching bus stops on the main road is a daunting task, especially since interior localities remain underserved and private operators like share autos rarely venture into these areas. The absence of adequate bus stops and the restricted MTC service forces residents into long, difficult journeys. The worst-affected by this lack of last-mile connectivity are…

The chimneys of the NTECL Vallur Thermal Power Station, billowing smoke, loom over Kuruvimedu in Ponneri, Thiruvallur near Chennai. Wedged between the plant and its sprawling 300-acre ash pond, the hamlet lies under a blanket of kari (coal) and sambal (ash), coating its narrow streets, colourful homes, and trees. Kuruvimedu is hard to find on Google maps, just as its namesake bird. The main road leading to this place is flanked by factories and industrial complexes, its surface riddled with potholes that make every journey dangerous for motorists.  Home to mangroves, networks of canals, and fields, Kuruvimedu once buzzed with…

Across Pallikaranai marshland, migratory birds can be spotted, searching for forage and water. Yet the wetland they depend on has steadily depleted. As Chennai has grown in an amoeba-like manner, ebbing with the promise of ‘development,’ the marsh has borne the brunt. In the 1990s, the marsh covered 2,450 hectares, nearly 70% of its original size. Today, barely 500 hectares remain. In recent years, the marshland has often entered public discourse. In September 2025, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), acting on an order from the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal, halted planning permission for development within the Pallikaranai…

A collective of active citizens, non-governmental organisations, sustainable transport experts, and other stakeholders has called for strengthening the public transport network in Tamil Nadu's cities, making it accessible to all and creating low-emission zones across urban centres. The Sustainable Mobility Network (SMN), a coalition of over 30 civil society organisations across India, has released the 'Tamil Nadu Urban Mobility Charter 2031', a comprehensive roadmap urging political parties and governments to put sustainable mobility at the heart of the state’s development agenda. The Charter was shaped through a multi-stakeholder roundtable convened by ITDP India, Citizen consumer and civic Action Group (CAG),…

Street vending represents a unique form of business in which the vendor's day begins and ends on the street. Vendors typically toil from dawn until late at night, often for 12 to 14 hours a day, yet many continue to remain economically vulnerable. Poor economic conditions prevailing between 1980 and 2010 forced a large number of individuals to drop out of school, compelling them to take up street vending of various goods as a means of survival. Today, India is home to nearly 10 million street vendors, accounting for about 15 per cent of urban informal employment. Recognising their contribution…

Commuters passing through Ambattur Industrial Estate inevitably find a layer of dust coating their vehicles, faces, and hands. For Lalitha*, a domestic worker employed at a high-rise apartment near Padi flyover’s Saravana Stores, the last two weeks of December have been especially unbearable. "Dust, dust, dust everywhere," she says, coughing through a persistent cold. At 6 pm, when the rush hour begins, it takes her nearly 30 minutes by bus to cover the 5 km journey home. The ride to the Dunlop area is punctuated by pollution, blaring horns, and endless traffic snarls. “It should take 15 minutes usually, but…

செங்கல்பட்டு மாவட்டம், திருப்போரூர் மற்றும் திருக்கழுக்குன்றம் வட்டங்களுக்குட்பட்ட வருவாய் கிராமங்களில், இயற்கையாக அமைந்துள்ள கழுவேலி, உப்பங்கழி நீர்நிலையில், புதிய குடிநீர் நீர்த்தேக்கம் அமைக்க CRZ அனுமதி வழங்கியுள்ளது மாநில கடற்கரை ஒழுங்குமுறை மண்டல ஆணையம். இத்திட்டத்தின் முதல் கட்டத்தில் நெம்மேலி, கிருஷ்ணகாரனை, தண்டலம், பட்டிபுலம், திருப்போரூர், மாமல்லபுரம், சலுவான்குப்பம், பையனூர் ஆகிய வருவாய் கிராமங்களுக்குட்பட்ட 4375 ஏக்கர் பரப்பளவில் வருவாய்த்துறை, நீர்வளத்துறைக்குச் சொந்தமான இடங்களில் நீர்த்தேக்கம் அமைக்கத் திட்டமிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. 1.655TMC கொள்ளளவு கொண்ட இந்நீர்த்தேக்கம் மேற்கூறிய கிராமங்களைச் சேர்ந்த 50 ஆயிரத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட மக்களின் குடிநீர்த் தேவையைப் பூர்த்தி செய்யும் எனவும் அருகாமை கிராமங்களின் வெள்ள பாதிப்பைக் குறைக்கும் எனவும் அரசுத் தரப்பில் கூறப்படுகிறது. Map showing components of the Kovalam reservoir. Pic courtesy: Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department. இத்திட்டத்திற்கான விண்ணப்பத்தை 17.11.2025 அன்று  தொழில் நுட்ப  வல்லுநர் குழு பரிசீலித்தது. 20.11.2025 அன்று  மாநில கடற்கரை  மண்டல ஆணையம் விண்ணப்பத்தைை பரிசீலித்து CRZ அனுமதிக்கு பரிந்துரைக்கிறது.…

As sweater weather arrives, winter brings purple December flowers, fresh Ooty carrots with slivers of roots, and crisp Kashmiri apples to Chennai’s Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex (KWMC). Much before dawn, workers unload crates of seasonal produce, and retailers vie for the best prices at Asia’s biggest market place for perishable goods. For the last 15 years, Murugan*, a parking personnel at the flower market's gate, has witnessed the coming and going of seasons, flowers, customers, and trucks. Most of all, he has seen the cityscape change with the addition of flyovers, bridges, cars, and metro construction. This December, a combination…

For over two decades, residents along Chennai's Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) have been fed a steady diet of promises about piped water supply. From desalination plants to reservoirs, successive governments have announced grand projects that would finally quench the IT corridor's thirst. Yet, as of January 2026, OMR residents are still struggling with inadequate piped water and are forced to rely on expensive private tankers or depleted groundwater that grows more brackish each year. The original promise It began with hope. In July 2004, the then Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, announced central government support for a desalination plant near Chennai.…