City: Chennai

Here is the tale of two roads from Kotturpuram. A once-quiet, leafy neighbourhood made up of six roads. I say once-quiet because we are seeing that the inexorable march of beauty parlours, co-working spaces and other commercial establishments can only be delayed by a vigilant community, not denied. So we have cars parked on all sides of our roads these days, by people who want to visit the shops and clinics on Gandhi Mandapam road, but of course, it is not their responsibility to see if their cars are blocking our access to the road. We, who have been living there…

15 railway stations in Chennai soon to get a facelift The Southern Railways has planned to revamp 15 railway stations in Chennai at the cost of Rs 251.97 crore under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. The stations that are to get the facelift includes, Guindy, Ambattur, Park, Gummidipoondi and Mambalam. The railway stations will have parking and foot-over-bridges in addition to improving the amenities like broader approach roads, installing CCTV cameras, lifts, escalators, waiting rooms, roof plazas, retail spaces and amenities for persons with disability. Source: The Times of India Read more: Facing a medical emergency in Chennai railway stations?…

"One of the first things I did as soon as I took charge as a Councillor was to ensure that the frontline workers in my ward were treated with respect. I gathered all the sanitary workers and the local officials in my ward and instructed that the frontline workers, especially the women who are often ill-treated, should be treated with respect. This includes gestures like providing them with a seat during a conversation," says Ambedvalavan (A) Kumarasamy, Councillor of Ward 73. Most of the people in Ward 73 are the people from the economically weaker section who are discriminated against…

Tamil Nadu generates a whopping Rs 44,000 crores in revenue from the Government owned TASMAC liquor stores every year. It is truly unfortunate that these shops have turned into a key source of revenue for the state as their adverse effect on the populace is not quantifiable. Making the entire situation even more unpalatable is the location of such shops across the state. Residential neighbourhoods which were once peaceful have seen great disruptions due to the presence of TASMAC shops.  One such area is in Perambur where three TASMAC shops operated within 100 mts, making the lives of residents increasingly…

Joseph and Mariyam lost their only daughter Nivi to a speeding car that hit her on OMR a couple of years ago.  "Road accidents due to speeding vehicles are prevalent in OMR and ECR. What we do not understand is why the government has not taken any measures to regulate speeding vehicles. How many more lives should we lose before we find a solution to the issue," asks Joseph. In a bid to address this problem, the Greater Chennai Traffic Police (GCTP) recently came up with a plan to enforce speed limits in Chennai. Speed radar guns will be used…

Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar is one of the most abused natural spaces within the city.  The beach was in pristine condition until the early 1980s, with sparkling sand with two prominent structures, the Karl Schmidt Memorial and the governor’s Guest house with terracotta tiled roof. It was a scenic beach with scattered Ipomea patches.   Uca crabs could be seen busy de-silting their burrows at the same time being vigilant about their safety from their predators and humans.  There would be three rolls of ropes, used for dragging the net, stacked neatly in a circular pattern by the well-disciplined fishers.…

Flyovers to be open at night in Chennai Flyovers across Chennai will be open overnight after a recent decision by the city’s Traffic Police. Previously, all flyovers were shut during the night time, forcing motorists to take longer routes to reach their destination.  The restriction on the use of flyovers during the night was put in place during the pandemic to reduce vehicular movement but had continue long after. The rationale behind its continuation was that it was seen as a move to curb erratic driving and overspeeding at night. With more offices remaining open overnight, there has been an…

Key roads in Ashok Nagar have been subject to floods in recent years whenever there have been severe cyclonic storms in the city. An outdated stormwater drain (SWD) network was one of the key reasons for the flooding and the misery that the residents faced. Having seen the impact of the urban floods, the residents of the area organised themselves into a Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) that has successfully managed to work with the civic body in creating infrastructure that will prevent future floods.  Read more: Perambur SWD construction: Sewage, exposed cables and other horrors Key roads in Ashok Nagar…

Translated by Aruna Natarajan ராமலிங்கம்* என்ற முதியவர், ஒரு ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை காலை மதுரையிலிருந்து சென்னைக்கு தனியாகப் பயணம் செய்து எழும்பூர் ரயில் நிலையத்தை அடைந்தார். மெட்ரோ ரெயிலில் செல்வதற்காக ஃபுட் ஓவர் பிரிட்ஜில் நடந்து சென்ற அவருக்கு திடீரென மாரடைப்பு ஏற்பட்டது. பொதுமக்கள் அவருக்கு உதவ 108 ஆம்புலன்ஸ் சேவையை டயல் செய்ய முயன்றபோது, ​​சென்னை எழும்பூர் ரயில் நிலையத்திலேயே மருத்துவ அவசர சிகிச்சைக்காக பிரத்யேகமாக ஸ்டேஷன் வளாகத்தில் ஒரு அவசர மருத்துவ மையம் உள்ளதை குறித்து பலருக்குத் தெரியாது. கூட்டத்தை கவனித்த ரயில்வே ஊழியர்கள், மையத்தில் இருந்த மருத்துவ ஊழியர்களுக்கு தகவல் தெரிவித்தனர். ஒரு பெண் மற்றும் ஒரு ஆண் செவிலியர் உடனடியாக அவசர உபகரணங்கள் மற்றும் பிற முதலுதவி பொருட்களுடன் சம்பவ இடத்திற்கு விரைந்தனர். சில நிமிட கார்டியோபுல்மோனரி ரெசசிட்டேஷன் (CPR)க்குப் பிறகு, ராமலிங்கம் நிலைபெற்றார். பின்னர் அவர் அவசர சிகிச்சை மையத்திற்கு மாற்றப்பட்டு, மேல் சிகிச்சைக்காக அருகில் உள்ள அரசு மருத்துவமனைக்கு கொண்டு…

Chennai’s Semmozhi Poonga, which experiences fluctuating fortunes based on who is in power at Fort St. George hosted a a short three-day flower show from June 3. To prepare the park for the event, funds have flowed in for beautification, including the laying of granite walkways. In recent days, a new park in Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, has been named Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi Park, after the former Chief Minister. The question that showpiece parks, some of which levy entry and photography charges, pose is this: can green commons in a populous and sprawling city be created only at high expenditure? Read more: In…