City: Chennai

Translated by Aruna Natarajan "வெப்பமான நாட்களில் MTC பேருந்துக்காக காத்திருக்கவேண்டிய அவகாசம் என்னை ஆட்டோவைப் பயன்படுத்தத் தூண்டுகிறது" என்கிறார் எம் பிரியங்கா. “கே.கே.நகரில் இருந்து மயிலாப்பூரில் உள்ள எனது அலுவலகத்திற்கு செல்ல 12ஜி பேருந்தில் செல்கிறேன். நான் பஸ் ஏறும் இடத்தில் கே.கே.நகர் முனுசாமி சாலையில் பஸ் நிழற்குடை இல்லை. நிறுத்தத்தைச் சுற்றியுள்ள மரங்கள் வெட்டப்பட்டன. அவை மீண்டும் நடப்படவில்லை. பேருந்துகளுக்கான காத்திருப்பு வெயிலால் மிகவும் கடினமாக உள்ளதால் நான் ஆட்டோக்களை பயன்படுத்துகிறேன்." மாநில அரசு பெண்களுக்கு பேருந்து போக்குவரத்து இலவசமாக்கப்பட்டதனால் MTC பேருந்தில் பயணிக்க பிரியங்கா பணம் ஏதும் கொடுக்கத் தேவையில்லை. இருப்பினும், அவள் இப்போது போக்குவரத்துக்கு ஒரு நாளைக்கு 500 ரூபாய் செலவு செய்யும் நிலை உள்ளது. "எனது வருமானத்தில் மூன்றில் ஒரு பங்கு பயணத்திற்காக செலவிடப்படுகிறது," என்று அவர் கூறுகிறார். சென்னையின் பொதுப் போக்குவரத்து மற்றும் அது தொடர்பான உள்கட்டமைப்பு ஆகியவை வெப்பநிலை கடுமையாக இருக்கும்போது அல்லது மழை அதிகமாக பயணிகள் பயன்படுத்த…

Kodambakkam’s bustling food scene and shopping are experiences enjoyed by visitors. But long-time residents of the area have found that this has led to an increase in encroachments, affecting our quality of life. Since a large part of the locality has turned mixed-use, with commercial establishments coexisting with residences, encroachments have become a common issue in the area. Residents have banded together to raise the matter with the Greater Chennai Corporation to make the locality more livable and navigable. But the many years of working on this issue have shown that with a lack of proper will on the part…

As Ramanan S tears down a political wall poster from the compound wall of his house in Chennai’s Tiruvottriyur he frustratedly says, “This has turned to a huge menace now. It is clearly written here not to paste posters and I wonder why people keep doing this.” He has had to remove wall posters despite painting his wall with a ‘stick no bills’ sign, He points out that the number of posters from the ruling party has increased over time that the party cadres in the locality not only stick them on the public walls but also stick them on…

As Chennai attempts to decentralise its waste management system and looks to reduce the quantum of waste that is landfilled, facilities that handle wet and dry waste play a key role in the process. Any lapse in the functioning of the Micro Composting Centres (MCC) in handling wet waste and the Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) in processing dry waste would defeat the purpose of decentralisation. "After we collect the segregated waste, we deposit the dry waste in the Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) or Resource Recovery Centres (RRC). Plastic, paper, thermocol, clothes, old mattresses and pillows and even coconut shells are…

New health and wellness centres to be launched in Chennai Around 140 health and wellness centres will be opened in different zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in June. They will function from 8 am to 12 pm and from 4 pm to 8 pm. According to the officials of the civic body, the urban primary health centres will be linked to the health and wellness centres in Chennai. Prior to the opening of the centres, 140 staff nurses, 140 medical officers, 140 health inspectors and 140 support staff have been appointed. GCC hopes to see a footfall of…

Like many suburban areas of Chennai, Chitlapakkam has seen tremendous growth but the civic amenities and services have failed to keep up with the needs of the people. Residents of the area have banded together to fight for their rights and ensure that they are able to enjoy a better quality of life.  It is because of the spirit of the residents that the connectivity in the area has improved in recent times. Our campaign has brought back the S3 minibus to Chitlapakkam, along with the introduction of another minibus, the S100.  Buoyed by this success, residents have begun to…

In 2000, as many as 96 families who had been homeless and residing on footpaths in and around Chintadripet were provided with a new lease of life under the Permanent Shelter Scheme of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). But two decades on, the families residing in the Ritchie Street Home for Homeless Cooperative Housing Society find themselves in varying degrees of debt and uninhabitable living conditions.  What were the promises made to the families on resettlement? Where did the project fail? Debt owed by families in Ritchie Street housing The 96 resettled families were provided with one-room flats…

The Chennai Metropolitan Area has seen rapid growth in recent decades. Industries have been clustered in various areas in the neighbouring districts of Chengalpet, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur. For those who live in these regions and are employed here, connectivity to Chennai is a major hassle that has not been comprehensively addressed. The hardships faced by those commuting to and from Chennai to Gummidipoondi are examples of this.  With many industries, a SIPCOT complex and upcoming industrial parks, Gummidipoondi sees many commuting to the region for work. But poor rail connectivity is a problem that forces them to spend more time…

Many students from across the country move to Chennai to pursue their higher education as it is a sought-after destination. But data show that Tamil Nadu has the third-highest number of student suicides in India. This makes a focus on the mental health of students in higher educational institutions of Chennai and elsewhere paramount. What are some of the common triggers that impact the mental health of the students? Are there systems to address the mental health issues of the students in Chennai? How efficient are they? To address these broad questions in detail, Citizen Matters organised a panel discussion…

CMRL launches WhatsApp e-ticket service in Chennai On March 17, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) launched the service to book e-tickets through WhatsApp in Chennai. According to the news reports, the commuters, have to send a message saying 'Hi' to the number 8300086000. Commuters will then find a provision to choose the origin and destination stations, following which they will be directed to the payment gateway. The commuters will also get a discount of 20% while booking tickets through WhatsApp. As soon as the payment is done, a QR code ticket will be generated and sent to them. One…