City: Chennai

All of us would agree there is a growing need for last mile connectivity in our public transport system. With the introduction of the Metro Rail and expansion of MRTS, the idea of a multi modal transport system is definitely a welcome move. Given the popularity and  large scale acceptance for shared public transport systems worldwide, is this not the right time for the administration to introduce clear guidelines and a set of rules for the privately operated share autos ? Over the last several weeks diesel share autos which ply between Retteri and Perambur have been taking a detour from…

I moved to Chennai nine years ago, and right away I had the most wonderful opportunity to meet and make new friends - I volunteered for the very first DaanUtsav. In those years it was called The Joy of Giving Week, and I met people from all walks of life - business leaders, musicians, film stars, government officials, sportspersons, students, stay at home mothers, young entrepreneurs... as we went about trying to evangelise the idea of a nationwide festival of giving, in the week of Gandhi Jayanthi. DaanUtsav is now in its 10th year, and grown exponentially over the years,…

From being a much vaunted city of firsts, Chennai certainly appears to lag right behind everyone else when it comes to heritage conservation. The latest metro to steal a march over it is Kolkata, which is close to completing the restoration of two magnificent structures, both built in the colonial era. What is more, there are creative programmes in place for both the buildings, so that they are kept in continuous use. You just need to compare this with what is happening here in Chennai. Our city has sadly lost it on matters concerning heritage. The Currency Building in Kolkata,…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities A recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment ranked Chennai second, only behind Delhi, on emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, toxic pollutants, particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide due to urban commute. The average trip length of cars were found to be highest in Chennai. Low public transport ridership and growing population have been identified as the cause for poor showing, which is predicted to get worse if measures are not put in place to check vehicular emissions. The growing vehicular population in Chennai and Tamil…

42 km on average, a commute of 2 hours, and three buses. This is what a majority of children from the resettlement colonies in Chennai have to navigate to reach their schools. Everyday is a struggle, as they commute in overcrowded buses, where they are often barely able to get a foot on the footboard. It has been close to two years since 6310 families from 28 settlements alongside Cooum River were relocated to the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) houses in Gudapakkam (Thiruvallur district), All India Radio (Chennai) Navalur and Perumbakkam in Kancheepuram district. But their lives are yet…

With storage levels dipping,  Krishna water likely to ease Chennai’s thirst With water storage levels dipping at the city’s major reservoirs, it is a grim situatioin as it may only feed the city for a month. But the good news is that the city will start receiving 2 TMC of Krishna water anytime now.  As per the 1983 agreement between the two states, 12 tmcft water should be supplied to Chennai of which  8 tmcft should have come between July and October. Lack of adequate inflow in the waterbodies of Andhra Pradesh was cited for the delay in releasing water…

Despite a government order directing State Road Transport Offices (RTO) across India to issue Driving Licences to the hearing-impaired, and court orders to the effect, the ground reality seems to be the exact opposite. RTOs still follow age-old rules to grant (or not grant, in this case) an opportunity to obtain the learners' Licence (LLR) and eventually, a driver's licence to people with hearing challenges. At least that's what my recent experience has shown. RTO apathy I recently accompanied a hearing-impaired person to an RTO in Chennai, hoping for him to obtain a Learner's License (LLR). Here is a brief overview…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities M Karthik, Chennai-based software engineer was mighty pleased when he purchased his 350cc Royal Enfield Classic from a showroom in Anna Nagar. But his excitement was considerably muted when he found out that his make of vehicle was among the highest polluting two-wheelers available. Deeply environmentally conscious, Karthik says, “Had I known that my vehicle emits such a lot of greenhouse gases, I would have changed my decision.” But how would he know? Is there really a way for vehicle owners to gauge the emissions from the…

 போக்குவரத்து காவல் துறை Vs குடிமக்கள் : பொறுப்பு மற்றும் உரிமை சமீபத்தில் போக்குவரத்து காவல் அதிகாரி லஞ்சம் கேட்டு ஒரு இளைஞரை அடித்த சம்பவம் சமூக வலைத்தளத்தில் பரவலாக பகிரப்பட்டு அதன் தொடர்ச்சியாக காவல்துறை ஆணையர் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவரை சந்தித்து ஆறுதல் கூறியது அனைவரும் அறிந்ததே.   போக்குவரத்து அதிகாரிகளுக்கும் ஓட்டுனர்களுக்கும் நடக்கும் இது போல சம்பவங்கள் புதிதல்ல. இதற்கு முன் வலை பதிவில் உலா வந்த வீடியோ ஒன்று, தலைகவசம் அணியாததற்காக காவல் துறை ஒன்று நபரை அடித்து உதைத்த விதத்தை சுட்டி காட்டியது. இது போன்ற தருணத்தை எவ்வாறு எதிர்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்பதையும், நம் உரிமை மற்றும் பொறுப்பு ஆகியவற்றை அறிந்து கொள்வதன் மூலம் மேலும் இந்த நிகழ்வுகளை இனியும் நடக்காமல் தடுக்க முடியும். என்ன செய்ய வேண்டும்: சரியான அதிகாரியால் தான் நீங்கள் நிறுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளீர்களா என்பதை முதலில் அறிந்து கொள்ளுங்கள். அதிகாரிகள் சீருடையில் இருப்பதோடு அவர்களின் பெயர்…

37 Chennai areas listed as highly vulnerable to north east monsoon With the onset of the north east monsoon expected soon, the Tamil Nadu Government has identified 321 areas across 14 districts of the State as 'highly vulnerable', out of which 37 are in Chennai. Water stagnation in these areas are expected to be above 5 feet. Other districts with a concentration of highly vulnerable areas are Kancheepuram (84), the Nilgiris (68), Cuddalore (37), Thiruvallur (29), Kanyakumari (22) and Nagapattinam (21). According to the report cited above, there are 3,055 vulnerable locations in all in the 14 districts, out of which 306…