City: Chennai

In the latter half of November 2017, as bulldozers razed some unauthorised religious structures that stood tall on Chitlapakkam Lake for years, hordes of curious onlookers gathered on the streets, pausing their daily chores. Led by senior IAS officer P Amudha, the Public Works Department demolished a few temples, a mosque and a church that residents have been emotionally and spiritually connected to, for decades. What warmed the officials’ hearts were the smiles on the faces of the people, many of whom lauded the speedy action. But, can we expect similar action in all the water bodies of Chennai? Religious…

It is said that circumstances define the course of one’s life. 15 years back Roja Sri, a young girl then, left Chidambaram for Chennai to get away from her father and step-mother who deprived her not only of her mother’s wealth, but also basic necessities such as food, shelter and clothing. But far from making her resentful and bitter, this made Roja Sri determined to dedicate her life to serving people, especially those who have no one to care for them. Today, the 34-year-old woman, popularly known as ‘Roja Amma’ is an example and inspiration as she has broken many…

Sitting in a corner of her rented room in Korrukupet, C Shanthi, a manual scavenger is restless. Shanthi is not certain how much longer she will have this house in Anandanayaki Nagar as her shelter. The 40-year-old woman has not paid her rent over the past two months. A widow, Shanthi has been working at the Chennai Central railway station for the past five years. Her job includes sweeping and often cleaning faeces off the platforms, thus saving passengers the ordeal of foul sights and stench. What she gets in return for taking up this unsavoury profession is appalling: irregular…

A day ahead of the crucial byelections, R K Nagar was buzzing with activity as the city police and personnel of the special task force oversaw security and other preparations. Tension has been palpable in the constituency amidst allegations of malpractice, in particular the distribution of money by political parties to win the assembly seat that fell vacant upon the demise of the former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. VoiceOfPeople, a group of concerned residents from all quarters of society, gathered at the Tondiarpet zonal office on Wednesday, a day after the political parties wound up their campaigning, as per the…

I was waiting with Radhika (name changed) for the guests to arrive. She is a 2nd year student studying at a city college. The women and young girls of Shollinganallur slum had invited a group of us to their homes and their community. An initiative by iVolunteer with whom I am associated, called Dine and Dialogue was kicked off, simply to encourage people who may not have otherwise met to mingle, chat and have a good time. An NGO, Centre for Women’s Development and Research (CWDR) has been working with these women in the area for two decades, mostly in…

Several months ago, as I travelled by suburban train passing under the Kodambakkam Road-Over-Bridge, I noticed something amiss about the footsteps on one side of the bridge. There were no handrails to prevent accidental fall from a height, a definite threat to users. Presuming that it was under construction, I kept a watch over it whenever I travelled by train. On the morning of October 23, 2016, I paid a visit to the bridge by road from my residence at West Mambalam, merely out of curiosity. Strangely, the bridge appeared to have been completed nicely with granite steps of good…

For our English readers: A few days ago, scores of dead fish washed up onto the beaches of Adyar, and it is believed that the contamination of sea water with untreated sewage, was the primary reason for this. Once your sewage leaves your house (if within the limits of Chennai Corporation) it is pumped to the nearest sewage treatment plant (STP), where it must be treated before the water is released into the Adyar and Cooum rivers, and Buckingham Canal. Where the drainage system does not exist, the sewage is collected in septic tanks, and transported by lorries to the…

Part 1 and Part 2 of our series on rainwater harvesting (RWH) exposed how the government as well as citizens have failed in making the most of a scheme that, if implemented well, could have set Chennai as a worthy example in water management. While negligence on the part of authorities has been a crucial factor, lack of awareness on RWH as a whole also plays a major role. There is a need to dispel the ignorance or misconceptions among residents, many of whom feel that the construction of RWH structures cost a bomb.   Experts who have worked on…

Not a civil servant. Not a Councillor. Not a full-time activist. Just another Chennaiite, like any of us. While most of his age prefer to spend time with family, go on vacations and concentrate on personal and professional goals, 50-year-old C R Balaji clicks pictures of badly laid roads and illegally dumped garbage during his commute to and from work and reports it to the appropriate government authorities. If you are a resident of Mylapore, you cannot miss this tall, middle-aged man going around on his bike taking pictures to highlight the various civic issues in the neighbourhood. And his…

As dusk descends over Thozhuvur village, 41 km from Chennai,  S Kasinathan, rests on a small chair in his thatched roof house. He coughs incessantly and curses his fate for being a burial ground worker. The 42-year-old man from this village in Thiruvallur district has just cremated a body and has had to inhale the smoke for hours. Kasinathan laughs sarcastically when asked why he was not wearing his safety gear. “I do not even get a monthly salary here, despite working as a ‘vettiyan’ (one who cremates and bury the dead) for over 15 years now. Asking for a…