City: Chennai

As the Northeast monsoon intensifies in Tamil Nadu, the fishing community in Ennore has asked the State government to clear blockages and encroachments along the Kosasthalaiyar River and Ennore backwaters. In an open letter addressed to K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, Minister for Revenue, District Revenue Establishment, Deputy Collectors for Disaster Management and P Amudha, Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department, the fishers point out that these blockages are affecting the health of the Ennore wetlands and could cause flooding in Chennai, if not cleared. While the services of the fishers and fishing boats are called upon every monsoon for flood rescue,…

Chennai is home to countless apartment complexes, many of which are in dire need of redevelopment. While the city has seen a surge in new constructions, older buildings often require attention. So, what should you do if your apartment is showing its age and you are considering redevelopment? Two years after the Tamil Nadu Apartment Ownership (TNAO) Act of 2022 came into effect, the Tamil Nadu Housing and Urban Development Department introduced the TNAO Rules, 2024 recently, which include specific guidelines for redeveloping ageing apartment buildings. A little background on TNAO Rules, 2024 KP Subramanian, a retired Professor of Urban…

Visalakshi Kabilan, Councillor of Ward 180 in Chennai, has been a dedicated field worker long before her political debut. With her in-laws being long-time DMK members, she made good the opportunity when Ward 180 was declared a reserved ward for women, paving the way for her entry into local politics. She is keen on facilitating higher education opportunities for children in her ward, especially those from marginalised communities. Ward 180 in Chennai Name of the Councillor: Visalakshi Kabilan Age: 55 Party: DMK Education: B.Com Number: 9445467180 / 9176179311 Map of Ward 180 in Chennai. Pic Courtesy: GCC Read more: Councillor…

இந்திய விமானப்படையின் 92-வது ஆண்டுவிழா 6.10.2024 அன்று கொண்டாடப்பட்டது. இதனையொட்டி சென்னை மெரினா கடற்கரையில் காலை 11 மணி முதல் 1 மணிவரை இந்திய விமானப்படையின் பல்வேறு விமானங்கள் கலந்துகொண்டு சாகச நிகழ்வுகளை நடத்தின. இந்த  Airshow வை பார்வையிட மொத்தம் 13 லட்சம் பேர் கூடியதாகச் சொல்லப்படுகிறது. கடற்கரைக்குச் சென்றவர்களில் வெப்பம் மற்றும் கூட்ட நெரிசலின் காரணமாக இதுவரை 5 பேர் உயிரிழந்திருப்பதாகவும் 90க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சை பெற்று வருவதாகவும், 250க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் மயக்கமடைந்ததாகவும் செய்திகள் கூறுகின்றன. Read more: Why Chennai needs to put its ‘heat action plan’ to practice right away நேற்று (October 6) சென்னையில் 36°C வரை வெப்பநிலை இருக்கும் என சனிக்கிழமையே இந்திய வானிலை ஆய்வு மையம் எச்சரித்திருந்தது.  நேற்று (October 6) சென்னை நுங்கம்பாக்கத்தில் பதிவான அதிகபட்ச வெப்பநிலை 34.3 °C ஆகும். வெய்யிலின் தாக்கம் அதிகம் இருந்ததிற்கு முக்கிய காரணம் Wet…

An old-time resident of Perambur, 71-year-old K S Krishnan would never have imagined that he would be duped and robbed in his neighbourhood in broad daylight. A few weeks ago, Krishnan, a retired Central government employee, went to a temple in Thiruvanmiyur and was getting back home. When he got down from the bus and went to a nearby shop, a person claiming to be a police personnel waylaid him saying that he should be careful of his valuables and talked him into putting his gold chain and rings, which were around 3.5 sovereigns, in his pocket. The stranger said he…

It has been over two years since the State government notified the rules under the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act Rules, 2023, which establish regulations for the functioning of Area Sabhas and Ward Sabhas throughout the state. However, no information is available or being maintained in the public domain by any of the Urban Local Governments (ULGs) or the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) to track the functioning of these Area Sabhas. We at Voice of People, have repeatedly appealed for transparency by petitioning the State government.  Read more: Area Sabhas and Ward Committees: Power to…

Until a year ago, Selvi*, a 38-year-old from Tirunelveli, worked as a salesperson in a small textile shop in Chennai. "One of the male supervisors, who is related to the shop owner, would verbally abuse the women staff and misbehave with them. The instances of such abusive behaviour kept increasing. One day, I spoke up and told him it wasn't fair for him to act that way. He became furious and started verbally abusing me. It escalated into an ugly confrontation, and I was thrown out of my job," says Selvi. As the sole breadwinner of her family, Selvi struggled…

A report by the three-member Justice Hema Committee, established by the Kerala government in 2017 to examine the issues faced by women in Malayalam cinema, was released on August 19th. The report has sparked discussions about the sexual harassment experienced by women not only in the film industry but also in various workplaces. When the allegations of multiple instances of sexual harassment and abuse in Chennai’s famed Kalakshetra broke in 2023, we looked into the functioning of the Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) in Chennai's educational institutions. The roles and responsibilities of ICC apply to all organisations that have 10 or…

Dust from construction debris, damaged roads, major traffic congestion, and vehicles and machinery occupying footpaths. Pedestrians contend with all this and more on busy roads, where the Chennai Metro Rail work is ongoing. Spanning around 116 km across three different corridors and 118 stations, the Chennai Metro Rail’s Phase II is a major development project in the city. “Inconvenience today for a better tomorrow” — is a slogan displayed prominently in the Metro Rail construction zones. However, it is more than a mere inconvenience. Pedestrians put themselves at peril every day as they navigate dangers on the road because of…

A dump yard in Pammal, which was restored through bio-mining in 2020, has once again become a towering trash mountain. The real twist is that the Tambaram Corporation — the line agency tasked with managing waste — is responsible. When Pammal was a municipality, the dump yard was scientifically restored by treating the old waste and removing undigested organic matter, in a process called bio-mining. Once the locality was merged with Tambaram Corporation, the civic body started dumping about 150 tonnes of waste every day in Pammal’s Mahalakshmi Nagar (adjoining survey number where bio-mining was done) and the nearby Adyar…