City: Chennai

K K Nagar cycle track, the first dedicated space for non-motorised transport (NMT) users in Chennai was laid three years ago. Today, the track is just a pothole-filled road with several encroachments. The 17.5-km stretch from Sardar Patel Road to Island Ground is a demarcated cycle lane. But the lane gets narrower as one progresses and is even missing at a few places, leaving cyclists with no choice but to disembark and walk their cycles. Greater Chennai Traffic Police has also set up a temporary pop-up cycling lane at Kamarajar Salai, meant to be operational for two hours every morning.…

MTC to be impacted by scrapping policy? The Central government has announced its old vehicle scrappage policy, according to which commercial vehicles that are over eight years should clear a fitness test and pay a green tax which is likely to be 10% to 25% of the road tax. This policy is applicable to government vehicles only. The state-owned Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) owns 3,100 buses of which one-third are over eight years old and have crossed the 10-lakh kilometre mark. It is stated that some of the old buses are not road-worthy as they meet with accidents frequently. The…

R Murugan (name changed), a nurse at the Royapettah Government Hospital, got his first dose of Covaxin at the drive held in the institution on January 16th. As a frontline worker, he was eligible to be vaccinated in the very first phase of the drive in Chennai. “Since I tend to COVID patients, it is important for me to take the vaccine and ensure that I do not pass on the viral infection to my family,” he adds.  Murugan is one of the 2,11,484 persons who got vaccinated in Tamil Nadu as of February 11th, according to data released by the…

The grass rustled suddenly about four feet from where I stood. I watched in surprise as a glistening, button-sized pink nose nudged aside the greenery on the marsh bund. Then the ball of rust-grey fur spotted me, shot out of the undergrowth, and scampered away. From a safe distance, the creature studied me and my fellow birding enthusiasts for a few seconds more, its fur glinting in the early morning sun. Was it a ruddy mongoose? I wondered. ­­­ The juxtaposition was unreal. We were standing on the busy 200 Feet Radial Road that cuts across the Pallikaranai marshland, Chennai’s…

Wearing a loose khaki shirt over a polyester saree, Shanthi D starts her auto on what promises to be yet another challenging day. She has been an auto driver for almost 16 years now. Shanthi started her career at a time when very few women had the courage to choose this path. Years have gone by, and while the number of women colleagues in the profession has increased, even now, she is greeted with amusement or shock by many. Strong and determined Women auto drivers in Chennai are a growing tribe. While their choices do reflect a degree of empowerment,…

On-street parking in 32 spots In a bid to streamline parking management, the civic body rolled out the on-street parking project in Chennai last week. The project has been in trial since 2019 in 32 places and was inaugurated formally in Anna Nagar, T. Nagar and Besant Nagar.  With this project, the civic body has collected Rs 1 lakh a day and has created 9,200 parking lots which can be booked with an application designed to allow users to find vacant spots.  Source: The Hindu | The Times of India Read more: Street parking to be charged soon in city:…

Meerasa’s story is one of displacement. The son of a boat maker and a resident of Dhonirevu (Karimanal island), one of many villages around the Pulicat lake, Meerasa and his parents were evicted from their home in 1985 during ISRO’s Sriharikota expansion. Meerasa now lives in Jameelabad and has worked in conservation since he graduated from school. But with industrial expansion around Pulicat lake threatening the land and the mangrove forests that surround them, Meerasa fears that history might be repeating itself. About 50 km north of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is Pulicat lake, the second largest brackish water ecosystem in…

On January 25th, Chennai appointed the country’s first Innovation Officer. 31-year-old engineer M P Azhagu Pandia Raja is all set to assume the role. Azhagu Pandia Raja spent five years with a software firm in the UK, before his urge to contribute to the nation brought him back to the country. He has since had a successful stint as an Indian Smart City Fellow, during which time he pioneered solutions around waste management and COVID response, working closely with the Chennai Corporation.  He credits the efforts of G Prakash, Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation and Meghanath Reddy, Deputy Commissioner, Revenue in…

Smart, enthusiastic and brave -- that’s how those who loved Pavithra (name changed) will always remember her. Pavithra had an army of friends. Always curious, she used to ask questions about everything under the sun. Bright, vivacious, energetic. Until a traumatic incident changed her life.  Four years ago, Pavithra was sexually assaulted by her neighbour -- a college-going student. The 13-year-old girl withdrew herself from the world. ‘Why did it happen to me?’ is the only question she asks her mother these days. “She used to be brave even as a child. The incident has shaken her so much that…

Translated by Sandhya Raju அண்ணாநகரில் வசிக்கும் ஈ செந்தில் அவர்களுக்கு தன் சிறு வயதில் டவர் பார்க் பற்றிய அனுபவம் இன்றும் பசுமையாய் இருக்கிறது. இன்றும் அண்ணாநகரில் வசிக்கும் இவர், பன்னிரெண்டு அடுக்கு கட்டிட டவர் பார்கில் ஏறி இந்த பகுதி முழுவதையும் காண்பது இளம் பருவத்தில் தொலைக்காட்சியை விட சிறந்த அனுபவம் என்கிறார். இவர் நோவா லைஃப் ஸ்பேஸ் பிரைவேட் லிமிடட் எனும் நிறுவனத்தின் நிர்வாக இயக்குனர் ஆவார். குழந்தைகள் டென்னிகாய்ட் விளையாடுவதும், முதியவர்கள் நாட்டு நடப்பை அலசுவதும், நண்பர்கள் ஒன்று கூடி அரட்டை அடிப்பதும், தம்பதிகள் சுவாரஸ்யமாக பொழுதை கழிப்பதும் என அண்ணாநகர் டவர் பார்க் எல்லோருக்குமான ஒரு புத்துணர்ச்சி இடமாக திகழ்கிறது. ஆனால், செந்திலை போல் அவருடைய மகன் இங்கு செல்ல ஆர்வம் காட்டுவதில்லை. சில வருடங்களுக்கு முன், இங்கே ஒரு தற்கொலை சம்பவம் நிகழ்ந்ததை அடுத்து, டவர் மூடியே உள்ளது. பூங்காவில் உள்ள பசுமையான…