City: Chennai

Children these days are active shoppers, both online and offline, but are we doing enough to make our youth aware of their rights as consumers? It does not appear so. The subject of consumer rights is given scant regard and any structured education on this subject is usually confined to students of commerce at the higher secondary school and college levels. In fact, a lesson on consumer protection for students of Class 10 has now been deleted, following a revision of syllabus in Tamil Nadu. “The lesson on the rights and responsibilities of consumers in civics was an essential guide…

Following complaints from several residents against revision of property tax by the Greater Chennai Corporation [GCC] for the period 2017-18, in addition to the general revision for the period 2018-19, the Motilal Street Residents' Welfare Association approached officials to ascertain the reasons for such selective revision for some properties. This revision of tax for the period 2017-18 was implemented along with the general revision for the period 2018-19. We were told that the revision for 2017-18 was on account of the change in the occupancy of the premises -- that is from owner to tenant. However, upon analysis of the…

Translated by Sandhya Raju கடந்த மாதம், நுங்கம்பாக்கத்தை சேர்ந்த சரிதா குமார் ஆன்லைன் மூலம் டிசைனர் புடவை ஒன்றை வாங்கினார். அதற்கான விலையாக பத்தாயிரம் ரூபாயை ஆன்லைனில் செலுத்தி ஒரு மாத காலம் புடவைக்காக காத்திருந்தார். ஆனால் ஆர்டர் செய்த புடவை மட்டும் வரவேயில்லை. சந்தேகம் ஏற்பட, அந்த கடையைப் பற்றி முகநூலில் மற்ற வாடிக்கையாளர்களின் அனுபவத்தை பற்றி படிக்கத்தொடங்கினார். அப்பொழுது தான் அந்த கடையின் முகவரியும், தொலைபேசியும் தவறானது என்பதை கண்டு அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தார். இந்த தேடலை முன்னதாக சரிதா செய்திருந்தால், தன் பணத்தை காப்பாற்றியிருப்பார். கவனக்குறைவு அல்லது அறியாமை காரணமாக, பெரும்பாலான வாடிக்கையாளர்கள் சரிதா சந்தித்தது போன்ற சூழ்நிலையில் சிக்கிக் கொள்கின்றனர்.  இது முக்கியமான ஒரு கேள்வியை நம்மிடையே எழுப்புகிறது: நுகர்வோரின் கடமைகள் என்ன? நீண்ட நாட்களாக வணிகத்தில் இருக்கும் ஒரு கடையைத் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கவும். பொருளை வாங்கும் முன்னர், தரம் மற்றும் விலை குறித்து முழுமையான தகவல்களை பெறுங்கள்.…

Change is a slow process and to implement it in cities on a large scale requires active citizen engagement and participation. Through a mix of traditional and non-traditional means, Alby John Varghese IAS, Regional Deputy Commissioner (South) has attempted to make inroads into the areas of waste management, rainwater harvesting and restoration of water bodies. In this exclusive interview, Alby John takes us through the various initiatives and challenges faced in implementing them.  How is the zero waste initiative picking up in the South region of Chennai?  If we look at the South as a region, there are five zones,…

Red Hills Reservoir is in the news again. As per news reports, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had accepted an application from the Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) to allocate around 54 acres of land in the Red Hills catchment area for the construction of a women’s entrepreneur zone. This land is designated as 'Redhills catchment area' in the Master Plan 2026; that is, no construction or development activity is allowed here. But once the project is approved, the land use will be changed to 'industrial'. The move has elicited criticism from citizens of Chennai, reeling as they are…

Thanks to Mahabalipuram summit, it is advantage Koneri tank From the elaborate arrangements to the traffic diversion, Modi-Xi summit has been the talking point for many Chennaites. The area around Mahabalipuram has been getting a facelift, and a significant one is the hitherto neglected Koneri tank now sports a new look. Spread over 7 acres, it is the largest waterbody in Mahabalipuram and was once a source of drinking water for residents. Residents of the locality and volunteers from the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) restored the lake, which had a thick cover of Karuvelam or Prosopis juliflora and was used as…

We have all grappled with the question of dipping into our provident fund contributions for various expenses. However, there are preconditions to be met and procedures to be followed in order to make a withdrawal. The processes and caveats to make withdrawals from your EPF account are detailed below. What is EPF? The question of providing for the future of industrial workers after their retirement or for their dependents, in the event of their premature death, engaged the attention of the Central Government for a long time. This resulted in schemes for instituting provident funds for industrial workers now commonly…

The city is all set to provide passage to the Chinese President Xi Jinping who is heading to the temple town of Mahabalipuram, roughly 60kms away from Chennai, for his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (the PM is expected to fly into Mahabalipuram). In order to make the city ‘presentable’,  Greater Chennai Corporation has taken up a series of beautification activities along the route to Mahabalipuram. Multiple pockets have been spruced up by repairing roads, painting the road dividers, cleaning and recolouring the barricades and in some places, covering up the ugly patches.  Various departments of the City administration…

Ramasamy (name changed) refused to change the proposed date of marriage of his second daughter when his first born in the US expressed inability to attend her sister’s marriage. He had fixed a marriage hall belonging to a superstar, six months before D-Day and had paid the entire rent of several lakhs as advance -- which was non-refundable.  This is the plight of many who believe in conducting traditional wedding ceremonies in halls in Chennai. Says Sindhu Vijayakumar, a senior media professional in Chennai, “People are paying in lakhs to hire just four walls and a limited parking space.  The cost…

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the Smart Cities Mission in 2015, which aims to execute ‘smart solutions’ that help develop cities in a people-friendly, sustainable way. Chennai Smart City Limited (CSCL) is the local arm of this initiative. It is also the organisation behind the upcoming pedestrian plaza at T-Nagar and other key projects. Below are excerpts from a chat with its CEO, Raj Cherubal. What is your vision of a Smart Chennai? The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has the concept of a liveability index, which basically focuses on improving the quality of life. Electronics,…