City: Chennai

Chennai is among the first few cities to get selected under the Smart City Mission programme in 2016. As many as 48 projects under different categories were taken up under the scheme. With only a couple of projects left to be completed, isn't Chennai supposed to look 'smart' now? The much-hyped Central government scheme, launched in 2014, was envisioned to build core infrastructure and evolve 'smart' solutions that would make cities more livable and sustainable. But, a decade since, the reality on the ground may be a little different. While some of the facilities provided under these projects are under-utilised,…

As the first phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections concluded on April 19th, Tamil Nadu recorded a voter turnout of 69.46 % with the three constituencies in Chennai — Chennai North, Chennai South and Chennai Central — having an overall voter percentage of 55.94% according to the Chief Electoral Officer in Tamil Nadu. Many people voiced their disappointment at the apparent lack of enthusiasm among voters in the city to exercise their franchise. The numbers are lower compared to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and 2014, when the voter percentages were 72.47% and 73.74% respectively. Often, after the…

Cities in India are set to host half of the population by 2030, driving the country's ‘growth’ and ‘development’. Urbanisation is now being seen as a key focus area of public policy and ‘solution’ to ‘development needs’ of our country. However, this rapid urbanisation has brought numerous challenges, particularly for the urban poor, working class, and informal workers who struggle to access housing, livelihoods, and basic rights like water, healthcare, and education. Despite contributing significantly to cities, their rights have often been ignored and violated until now. Over the past year, community groups, workers’ collectives, and people's movements with decades-long…

High voter turnout in all three constituencies of Chennai The three constituencies in the city were among those that recorded the lowest turnout of voters in the State as the first phase of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections drew to a close on Friday evening. The three constituencies within Chennai district — Chennai North, Chennai Central and Chennai South, recorded a voter turnout of 60.1%, 54.3% and 53.9% respectively. The overall voter turnout in Tamil Nadu was 69.46%, according to the Election Commission, Tamil Nadu. The voter turnout in the city was lower this Lok Sabha election compared to the…

In North Chennai’s Vyasarpadi, candidates from different political parties contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections are on the last leg of their campaign around the neighbourhood. This is an oft-repeated tradition among politicians, especially in working-class localities, where they offer guarantees like electricity, water, monthly financial assistance, free buses, job opportunities and more, promised through government schemes.  In Vyasarpadi, like many other parts of the city, while everyone votes every year, the reasons for the consistent participation are not necessarily rooted in in-depth political knowledge about candidates. The incentives promised by politicians are important for overall development of the community, but…

As the Lok Sabha 2024 election is underway, political parties have released their election manifestos. What do the parties promise for us urban residents? How do they plan to make our cities sustainable and liveable? Why cities matter In 2022, approximately a third of the total population in India lived in cities. The trend shows an increase in urbanisation by more than 4% over the last decade, which means that people have moved away from rural areas to find work and make a living in the cities. The demographic dividend of India is significant, with 65% of its population being…

The 2024 Parliamentary Elections saw over 600 million voters choose 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. Find out more about your elected representative, their promises and how you can hold them accountable over the next five years! Meet your new MPs! Chennai Chennai North - Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy Chennai Central - Dayanidhi Maran Chennai South - Thamizhachi Thangapandian Bengaluru Bangalore North Bangalore Central Bangalore South Bangalore Rural Mumbai Mumbai North - Piyush Goyal Mumbai South - Arvind Sawant Mumbai North East - Sanjay Dina Patil Mumbai North West - Ravindra Waikar Mumbai North Central - Varsha Gaikwad Mumbai South…

Are you a resident of Ramapuram or Alandur, who thinks your ward comes under the Chennai South Parliamentary Constituency? Well, you are wrong! Knowing the boundaries of the Parliamentary constituencies is important because some of the wards that fall in Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) limits belong to the suburban parts of Chennai when it comes to Parliamentary voting, which is entirely different when we consider the profile of the urban and suburban areas. There are 200 wards under 15 Zones in the GCC limit. However, some of the wards in GCC limits fall under the Thiruvallur and Sriperumbudur Parliamentary Constituencies.…

Being the commercial nerve centre of the city, Chennai Central constituency has a significant population of migrants. From Chennai Metro Water department to the state electricity board and the GST and central excise departments, crucial city, state and central government offices are located in Chennai Central. The constituency is also a hub of healthcare institutions, with more than a dozen prominent government hospitals such as Government Children Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Kilpauk Medical College Hospital located here.  Chennai Central comprises of six assembly constituencies — Villivakkam, Egmore, Harbour, Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni, Thousand Lights and Anna Nagar. Politically, the constituency…

As India gets ready to vote to decide who will represent the country in Parliament, Citizen Matters is speaking to elected representatives from Chennai, ahead of the Lok Sabha 2024 elections. As part of this series, we did an email interview with T Sumathy alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian, incumbent MP from Chennai South constituency. Thamizhachi has been given the ticket by her party DMK to contest from the same constituency in the 2024 polls. Chennai South and Thamizhachi Thangapandian Chennai South constituency comprises of Mylapore, Saidapet, Virugambakkam, Velachery, Sholinganallur and Thyagaraya Nagar. A poet, writer, educationist and theatre person, Thamizhachi is the daughter…