City: Chennai

Translated by Sandhya Raju தமிழகத்தில் இது வரை ஒருவருக்கு மட்டுமே தொற்று ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது எனும் நிலையில், நாட்டில் மற்ற மாநிலங்களை விட கரோனா பீதி சென்னையில் குறைவாகவே உள்ளது. ஆனால், இதற்காக நாம் அஜாக்கிரதையாக இருத்தல் கூடாது. தொற்று பரவாமல் இருக்க மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டுள்ள பல்வேறு முயற்சிகள் குறித்து அரசுத்துறையினர் சுற்றரிக்கையும், ஊடகத் தகவல்களையும் அளித்து வருகின்றனர். இம்மாத இறுதி வரை மாநிலத்தில் உள்ள அனைத்து ஆரம்பப் பள்ளி வகுப்புகளுக்கும் விடுப்பு அறிவித்து தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவு பிறப்பித்துள்ளது. இந்த நோயை பொருத்த வரை, தற்போது இந்தியா இராண்டாம் கட்டத்தில் உள்ளது.  பாதிக்கப்பட்ட பகுதிகளுக்கு பயணம் மேற்கொண்டவர்கள் அல்லது அவர்களுடன் தொடர்பில் உள்ளவர்களுக்கு மட்டும் தொற்று ஏற்படும் நிலையை இது குறிக்கிறது.  இந்திய மருத்துவ ஆராய்ச்சி கவுன்சில் படி, அடுத்த கட்டத்திற்கு இது செல்ல 30 நாட்கள் ஆகும், இதற்குள் இதை மேலும் பரவாமல் தடுக்க  இயலும். இதற்காக, அரசு, நிறுவனங்கள்,…

With only one Coronavirus positive reported in the state so far, alarm bells in Chennai have predictably been less shrill than in other cities of the country. However, there is no scope for complacence. Government departments have been issuing circulars and releases to the media, detailing the various precautionary measures taken by them to prevent the spread of the disease. In the most recent development, the Tamil Nadu government has announced closure of kindergarten classes in all districts till the end of March.  India is reportedly in Stage II of the disease outbreak, where transmission is said to be contained…

It's been one year since Phase 1 of Chennai Metro became operational over the entire stretch. While ridership numbers over the last five years have been reasonably  high, with more than 6 crores using the city's newest form of public transport (3.2 crore in 2019 alone), the Metro continues to be bogged down by some basic issues that have yet to be resolved. The original aim was to carry 7 lakh passengers per day, a target that the Metro will likely take years to hit and build capacity for. One of the primary challenges towards attaining higher ridership numbers will…

Walk past the pedestrian subway adjoining Chennai Central station on Wall Tax Road and you won’t be able to avoid the strong, pungent odor of urine. It appears pedestrians come here to relieve themselves more often than they use the subway to cross the road, according to the subway cleaning staff!    “It’s mostly the autowallahs waiting outside the station who urinate at the entrance of the subway. People only use this subway, when the traffic police stop them from crossing the road by putting up barricades,” said A Kasturi, a government-hired cleaner who also routinely picks up empty liquor bottles from…

The political establishment has been feeling lost ever since the High Court of Madras pronounced an outright ban on parties erecting digital banners and hoardings along the streets and roads of Chennai. And as is always the case, a minor adjustment when it comes to interpretation of the judgement will soon help in getting these public nuisances back. If the news agencies are to be believed, the Corporation of Chennai is of the view that the ban pertains only to political parties and not organisers of “marriages, birthdays and other social celebrations.” We are not sure if religious events are…

Chennai gets first confirmed COVID-19 case; quarantine facility to come up As the coronavirus scare grips the country, the State Health Department is preparing to convert the Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine, Tambaram, into an exclusive quarantine facility to admit persons with symptoms of coronavirus disease in Chennai. As of March 5th, 426 people were home quarantined in Chennai. Meanwhile the first confirmed case of Coronavirus disease in the city surfaced when a man with travel history to Oman tested positive. The patient has been isolated and kept for further treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital. All international passengers…

In the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Central, a corpse which was brought in seven months ago lies unclaimed even today; another such has been at the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH) since December 2019. These are not isolated cases. Major government hospitals in Chennai are struggling to tackle the pressure of unclaimed dead bodies in their mortuaries. "The situation is concerning because the unclaimed bodies are taking up the capacity of the mortuary. Our morgue has the capacity to hold 60 corpses," said a doctor at the Dean's office in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH).  The…

On a gruelling hot Monday afternoon, Abdul S wakes up from a nap on his rickshaw parked on the Wall Tax Road. A few yards away, the Chennai Central Railway Station is abuzz with passengers. As scores of people walk in and out of the station, Abdul observes them expectantly, and hopes that at least one person from the crowd will approach him for a ride. Abdul belongs to the dying community of rickshaw drivers who bring back memories of the good old days in the Madras that was. The present, however, hardly brings any cheer for them, as they…

Sivaraman*, (name changed) a conservancy worker, was on regular duty last month, collecting garbage in Chrompet. Just as he was handling some 'household waste' collected from a clinic in the locality, a syringe pricked his finger. "I could not bend my finger as it seemed to have been numbed by some traces of anaesthetic still present. I reported it to my head and the doctor from the clinic was warned. They were asked to dispose of bio-medical waste according to the rules,” the worker said. This, however, is not a one-off incident in Chennai. Improper disposal of bio-medical waste is…

Dressed in white and khaki attire, he lets the vehicles at the Anna Rotary junction (under the Gemini flyover) pass towards Nungambakkam. It is 1 pm on a weekday and the mercury level is high. Perspiration trickles down the forehead of the serious-faced traffic cop, who stops a two-wheeler and penalises the rider for not wearing a helmet. Meet C Palani,  a stern, dark-skinned, 48-year-old Traffic Sub-Inspector from the E3 Teynampet Police Station who has manned traffic at various spots over a 10-km stretch in Teynampet, a busy area that is in proximity to the AIADMK office and the Chief…