City: Chennai

Translated by Sandhya Raju மரத்திலான சமையல் உபகரணங்கள், பேப்பர் மற்றும் துணியிலான பைகள், ஸ்டீல் பாத்திரங்கள் ஆகியவை பிளாஸ்டிக்கு மாற்றாக வலம் வரத் தொடங்கிவிட்டன. வணிகர்கள், உணவு விடுதிகள், மக்கள் என சென்னையில் எந்த மூலையில் பார்த்தாலும் அனைத்து தரப்பினரும் படிப்படியாக சுற்றுச்சூழலுக்கு உகந்த பொருட்களுக்கு மாறத் தொடங்கிவிட்டனர். வணிகர்களை பொருத்த வரை, மாற்றத்தை ஏற்றுக் கொள்ள பல்வேறு கலவையான ஒரு வித குழப்பமான சூழலே நிலவுகிறது. அடையாறு ஆனந்த பவன், ஃபசோஸ், ப்லாக் பாக்ஸ் போன்ற பிரபலமான நிறுவனங்கள் இந்த தடையை ஏற்று உடனடியாக துணி, காகித பை, அட்டை டப்பா, மர கரண்டி என மாறினாலும் சில நிறுவனங்கள் மாற்றத்திற்கு இன்னும் முழுதாக தயாராகவில்லை என்பது தான் நிதர்சனம். மாற்றம் இந்த தடை சிறு மற்றும் நடுத்தர நிறுவனங்களில் பணி புரிபவர்களுக்கு ஆபத்தாக முடியவில்லை. ஆனால் உற்பத்தி நிறுவனங்கள் அதிலும் காகித உற்பத்தி நிறுவனங்கள் நிறையவே வரத்…

Badminton seems to be attracting a fair bit of attention in Chennai these days. While the Chennai Smashers have gained popularity in the Premier Badminton League, players like S Sankar Muthusamy are putting Tamil Nadu's name upfront in the world badminton arena. Last October, Sankar Muthusamy became the first player from Tamil Nadu to bag a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Junior Championship, in the Boys Singles U-15 category. “He is also the first player from the state to have won the national singles. Sankar's achievements have been an inspiration for many to pursue the sport. More people have…

Ever since the smart city project commenced in T Nagar, the area has been in the limelight. Organisations such as The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) have been working closely with Chennai Corporation and Chennai Smart City Limited, to understand the challenges  particular to the locality, and propose sustainable mobility interventions. In an interview with Citizen Matters Chennai, Aswathy Dilip, Senior Programme Manager at ITDP India talks about the Smart City projects and how they have the potential to propel T Nagar on to the league of international cities and neighbourhoods. Ashwathy leads the Complete Streets strategy, policy and project…

Aavin plans buy back of milk sachets With the single use plastic ban being implemented widely and in earnest, several establishments have already moved to eco-friendly alternatives. Though milk was exempted from the ban list, Aavin has taken proactive initiatives, among which is a plan to buy back the used milk covers through its offices. Aavin distributes close to 40 lakh milk packets in the city. Among other initiatives, Aavin switched over to stainless steel tumblers and ceramic cups to serve hot milk at its parlours. It will also replace the plastic straws that come with its flavoured milk cartons with…

Every year, the Chennai Book Fair comes to town right on the heels of the Chennai Music Season, but clearly the Book Fair has a much larger appeal. This year, in its 42nd year, it has returned to the sprawling grounds of YMCA Nandanam. The newspapers reported that earlier this week, the Book Fair saw a record 8 lakh visitors on a single day! Over the course of 17 days, the fair expects over 2 million visitors. The organisers, Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) have gone to great lengths to ensure that visitors have a good time.…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities Chennai residents woke up to choking weather on Bhogi morning, as thick smog covered the skyline post the regular ritual of burning garbage, old furniture and tyres in the city. The air quality indicators, within permissible levels till 4 am in the morning, shot up to hazardous levels and remained severe till at least 9 am on Monday, January 14th. Already reeling under unabated industrial pollution, Ennore was among the worst hit areas during the Bhogi festival, as PM 2.5 levels here soared up to 640 µg/m3 between…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities A Arumugam lives on Raman Street in Manali. For years, he has not only been fighting respiratory and skin problems himself, but also seen his neighbours do the same. “The entire street has at least one person from each house who is sick at any given point of time,” says Arumugam. Lives in this North Chennai neighbourhood are lived in the shadows of the petrochemical and fertilizer industries in the area, with pollution from these industries causing several health issues for the residents. In and around the industrial units…

Campaign for a smokeless Bhogi The celebration of the harvest festival brings with it a spike in air pollution across the city. The air quality index (AQI)  data from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board confirms the rise in particulate matter during this period. The Chennai Corporation has begun an awareness campaigns for a smokeless Bhogi. The campaign conducted by the TNPCB  and health department officials is aimed at sensitising residents, RWAs, students, etc on the hazards of burning certain items like rubber and plastics. The Environment department of the TN Government is also lending its weight to the campaign. The…

The saga of transferring my late father-in-law’s car registration/title to my mother-in-law began on August 2, 2018. We had put together all the necessary documents after reviewing Wikiprocedure.com (not the RTO website) and speaking to other people who had gone through this process. The required documents included: The original RC book Form 31 Death certificate. Legal heir certificate issued by the Tahsildar’s office. Affidavits from the other legal heirs (my husband and his sister) that they had relinquished their rights in favour of the applicant (their mother) - these affidavits were on printed on stamp paper and notarized A copy…

Wooden cutlery, cloth and paper bags, steel containers to replace disposables. The implementation of the plastic ban is increasingly becoming visible in all quarters of life in Chennai, as traders, hoteliers and the general public are slowly taking to eco-friendly alternatives. When it comes to businesses, there have been mixed results, in terms of adherence to the ban on plastic. Big food brands such as Adyar Anand Bhavan, Fassos and The Black Box have switched to eco-friendly packaging material such as cloth bags, paper cartons and wooden spoons, while some are still to comply. The transition Close observation of the…