City: Chennai

Armed with their mobile phones, notebooks and pens, a group of enthusiastic women walk along the lanes of a housing board colony early in the morning. They go door-to-door asking residents pertinent questions about safety, quality of basic amenities and housing infrastructure among other things. While they are generally received warmly, they occasionally encounter hostility, particularly from men. These women, who are community workers, conduct safety audits facilitated by the Information and Resource Centre for Deprived and Urban Communities (IRCDUC), a voluntary organisation focussed on housing for the poor. As residents of the resettlement site where the audit is taking…

Chennai is known for its love of sport and the city has produced many greats in cricket and tennis. But, we often forget the connection that North Chennai and areas like Vyasarpadi have to football, hockey and boxing.  There are many sporting legends from Vada Chennai, who have gone on to represent the country in the international arena. For many individuals in the area, their athletic skills provided opportunities for education and a better quality of life. Many athletes have secured jobs in various government departments and the Railways due to their involvement in sports. But of late, the sports…

அனல்மின் நிலையங்களின் சாம்பல் கழிவுகள், ஆற்றில் வெளியிடப்படும் சூடான நீர், எண்ணெய் நிறுவனங்களின் கழிவுகள் ஆகியவற்றால் பாதிப்படைந்துள்ள எண்ணூர் முதல் பழவேற்காடு வரையிலான மீனவ மக்களின் வாழ்வாதரத்தை மேலும் மோசமாக்கியுள்ளது ஒரு புதிய பிரச்சனை. செய்தி சேகரிப்பதற்காக 7 ஆண்டுகளுக்கும் மேலாக நான் கொசஸ்தலை ஆறு, முகத்துவாரம், பக்கிங்காம் பகுதிகளுக்குச் சென்று வந்துள்ளேன். அங்குள்ள மீனவர்களுக்கு முக்கியமான பிரச்சனையே அனல்மின் நிலையங்கள் மற்றும் தொழிற்சாலைகளின் கழிவுகளால் நீர்நிலைகள் பாதிக்கப்படுவதுதான். ஆனால், இந்த முறை முற்றிலும் வேறுபட்ட ஒரு பிரச்சனைக்காக அங்கு சென்றிருந்தேன். Read more: Oil spill in Chennai’s Manali area can cause irreparable damage to Ennore Creek wetland நாங்கள் படகில் சென்று கொண்டிருக்கையில் கொசஸ்தலை ஆற்றின் பெரும்பாலான பகுதிகளில் கட்டிடக் கழிவுகளை கொட்டி வைத்ததுபோல மேடு மேடாகத் தெரிந்தது என்னை ஆச்சர்யத்துக்கும் அதிர்ச்சிக்கும் ஆளாக்கியது. அப்போது என் படகிலிருந்த மீனவர் ஒருவர் அந்த மேட்டில்…

After 45-year-old Shanthi S was evicted from her home in Suryanagar and moved to the resettlement site in Perumbakkam, one of her biggest concerns was making ends meet after losing her job. A single parent with two children, Shanthi worked as a domestic help in and around Kotturpuram before being resettled. Travelling back to work was not an option as she couldn't leave her kids home alone all day. The loss of livelihood has been a significant issue for residents of resettlement sites like Shanthi since 2017. This problem is considered a primary cause of the rising incidents of domestic…

Water shortages in the Vyasarpadi neighbourhood of North Chennai have been a persistent issue. Most of the housing board settlements lack piped water connections. Residents must collect water from communal taps in the locality or from water tankers that periodically visit. Typically, it is the women who bear the responsibility of transporting the water to their homes. They are forced to carry many loads of water up many flights of stairs, sometimes having to carry it up to the 13th floor of their buildings. Read more: Chennai’s water woes worsen as reservoirs dry up and groundwater levels decline This strenuous…

Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar, fondly called Bessie, is known for its scenic beauty and bustling food stalls. The beach is also at the centre of a debate over environmental preservation and commercial activities.  As the number of visitors to the popular beach has increased over the years so have the restaurants, food trucks, and pushcart vendors along the promenade. The same is true for the food stalls within the beach area. This, combined with the lack of civic sense among beachgoers — particularly weekend visitors — has resulted in extensive littering of the beach premises. Read more: Construction debris…

Coming from a family of politicians, it was a natural decision for JK Manikandan, the councillor of Ward 186 in Chennai, to choose a career in politics. His father PA Jayachandran has been in the public domain for almost four decades and this paved the way for Manikandan's political journey. In 2006, when Ullagaram was a municipality, his father won as the President, while Manikandan became the Vice President. Back then, he was part of the AIADMK. After the death of the then AIADMK supremo, J Jayalalithaa, Manikandan joined DMK. He was given a ticket to contest in the urban…

Few things are more active than a WhatsApp group used by suburban residents in Chennai to lodge complaints. The group serves as a platform for residents to voice their problems, leading to debates and polls. Loud calls for action often rally the entire online community to react with a series of ‘thumbs-up’ emojis. However, it is rare for these proposed solutions to extend beyond the online realm, and even rarer for residents to take tangible steps towards implementing them. But, here is a group that went beyond registering complaints and solved a long-term traffic issue with collective activism, in Kumarasamy…

KP பார்க்கில் உள்ள 13 மாடி குடியிருப்பின் எட்டாவது மாடியில்  தனது வீட்டிலிருந்து வெளியே செல்ல புறப்பட்டார் ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). எப்போதும் போல மின் தூக்கியில் ஏறியவரை, உயிர் இல்லாத சடலமாகத்தான் மீட்கமுடிந்தது. ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). Pic: Sakthi Vel N ஆறாவது மற்றும் ஏழாவது மாடியினிடையில் மின்தூக்கி செயலிழந்துவிட்ட நிலையில், அவரை வெளியேற்ற முயற்சி செய்து கொண்டிருந்தபோது, கால் தவறி ஏழாவது மாடியில் இருந்து கீழே விழுந்து உயிரிழந்தார் கணேசன். இம்மரணம் சம்பவித்து ஒரு மாதமான நிலையில், அங்கிருந்து 3 கிமீ தொலைவில் அமைந்திருக்கும் TT பிளாக் குடியிருப்புவாசிகளுக்கு மிகுந்த அச்சத்தை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. “போன மாசம் KP பார்க் ல நடந்த சம்பவம் எங்களுக்கும் நடக்கணுமா? 13 மாடி கட்டடம் எங்களுக்கு எதுக்கு?” என்று கேட்கிறார்கள் அம்மக்கள். Read more: Chennai’s decades-long policy failure to address housing issues of the…

A drive on some of the roads in Ward 188 can be quite challenging, as many of them are in a state of disrepair or in various stages of construction. One of the reasons for the bad condition of roads here are the many development projects being executed simultaneously in major localities such as Madipakkam and Ram Nagar. These include work on stormwater drains, underground sewage lines and Metro Water connections. These projects are being put in place to mitigate flooding, a major concern in this part of the city, and to upgrade the area. Once a small village panchayat,…