City: Chennai

A year ago while I was looking into the spate of evictions in Chennai, I came across the heart-wrenching story of 115 families in Kannappar Thidal. Around 62 families, who were living on the streets near the Ripon building, were evicted in 2002 by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) as their presence was found to be an obstacle to the then-ongoing sporting events and developmental work in the nearby Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. These families were provided a temporary shelter in a building that was originally used to house load-men working in the nearby Southern Railways goods shed. They were promised…

Suggestions sought from survey of North Chennai The Rs 1000 crore Vada Chennai Valarchi Thittam will see development of various key infrastructure in North Chennai. Neglected areas in the region will soon get model school, sports facilities, amenities such as walking paths and cycling tracks and sprucing up of existing public spaces such as parks and playfields.  The project will be carried out by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), Tamil Nadu Urban Habitate Development Board (TNUHDB) and Department of Town and Country Planning. Read estate firm CBRE has been roped in to conduct surveys…

For the past 13 years, the residents of Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) have awaited piped water connections from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). Owing to the topography of the area, they do not have access to alternative sources of water like groundwater. This makes many of the residents of OMR completely reliant on private water suppliers. However, with rising costs and frequent threats of strikes by private tankers, residents have begun exploring solutions that reduce their dependence on external water suppliers. To this end, Central Park East, an apartment complex in Sholinganallur, has come up with…

“I was so happy when the bank sent the test amount of Rs 1. It means I have been selected for the scheme”, says Lakshmi V, a resident of NSC Bose Road, on being eligible to receive monthly cash assistance of Rs 1000 under the newly launched Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme. In the fiscal year 2023-2024, the Tamil Nadu government has taken a significant step towards women's empowerment with the launch of the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme. This initiative aims to extend the benefits of the State Government's Universal Basic Income Program to nearly one million women across…

Chennai Corporation to relay 61 roads The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is set to relay a total of 61 roads across the city. The roads have been chosen based on complaints received on social media about their poor state. The civic body has put together a comprehensive report based on photos shared on the poor condition of the roads since June this year. The work is expected to be carried out in the coming weeks and completed before the onset of the northeast monsoon. Some of the roads identified are in areas such as Mugalivakkam, Porur, Madhavaram and Madipakkam. The…

In a previous story, I highlighted how various streets of North Chennai have turned into an obstacle course for motorists due to road works. But bad roads are not the only issue that one faces in these parts. Blatant encroachment of footpaths has been a problem that continues to remain unaddressed. Pedestrians are treated as second-class citizens across the city. More so in areas where there are mixed-used zones where there are many commercial establishments. Many such streets are present where these shops and eateries have taken over footpaths, leaving pedestrians to jostle for space on the already poorly laid…

3233 buses. 633 distinct routes. Serving a ridership of 28 lakh commuters per day through the dedicated efforts of a workforce of 19,762 employees stationed at 31 depots across the city. That is a snapshot of Chennai’s bus network run by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, or MTC.  With able support and financial assistance, it could well prove to be the most efficient means of public transport in the city, but ask any commuter, do they really see it as the most comfortable, hassle-free mode of travel? The answers in the negative will perhaps outweigh the positive ones. Amulya, a frequent…

A study conducted by the Chennai-based NGO, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), on World Bank-financed housing projects in Chennai and across Tamil Nadu reveals that nearly four decades after the implementation of the project, a majority of the beneficiaries still await land titles and sale deeds that were promised to them. The study, titled 'Implementation of the World Bank-financed Housing Projects in Tamil Nadu and its Impact on the Deprived Urban Communities', has been compiled based on the existing information and updates available in various citizens’ reports and participatory assessments that were facilitated by IRCDUC…

Just a month ago, Madras University’s School of Sociology released a statement asking all of their postgraduate students to sign a form where they will agree to not participate in any political activities.  This request was in response to student's participation in various protests this summer, mostly to do with violence in Manipur, a BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and attacks on students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Once this statement was released, students refused to sign and agree to these conditions but felt limited in their options of speaking out against this action taken by the University. …

Civic body to revise company tax The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has plans to revise company tax by at least three times the present figures. The revision will come into effect in the second half of this fiscal year. This move has been made with a view to improving the civic body’s finances and revising tax rates that have remained unchanged over many years. Earlier the civic body had revised property tax rates in the city.  With the revision, companies that have an investment less than a lakh will now pay Rs 300 as company tax. Those with investments less…