City: Chennai

"The Greater Chennai Corporation officials promised not to cut any trees in Gandhi Nagar when the work on stormwater drains commenced last year. They also assured us that they will transplant trees if needed. But soon after, they felled a neem tree and many saplings that were planted by the residents," says Meera Ravikumar, a resident of Gandhi Nagar. This is one of many instances of tree felling for infrastructure and development projects across Chennai.  Areas like K K Nagar, Shenoy Nagar, T Nagar, Adyar and Anna Nagar have seen tree felling for stormwater drain projects, laying of roads and…

In March 2023, a 55-year-old woman who rode pillion on her son’s bike was injured when the duo were chased by street dogs and attempted to escape from them. She passed away a week later. There have been reports of more injuries to individuals as a result of street dogs in Chennai in recent months.  Such incidents have prompted heated debates between those affected by street dogs in the city and animal welfare activists who seek better treatment of street and community dogs in Chennai.  Residents and activists have both pointed out failures in street dog management by the civic…

Take a walk through any street in Chennai and you will find at least one wall filled with various posters announcing a new movie in the theatres, the obituary of a senior citizen in the locality and news of a political party meeting. What do posters say about life in the city? When do they cross the line from being informative to being a nuisance to the public? Posters as a source of knowledge Many in the city see posters as an eyesore. But that is not all that defines what posters add to the landscape of the city. "The…

Tambaram’s transformation into a bustling suburb in the past few decades has been nothing short of remarkable. The creation of Tambaram Municipal Corporation has been a recent development that signals the growth of the area.  With the increase in population comes the need for better infrastructure, services and connectivity. Connectivity has been a hurdle that the suburb has yet to solve, with residents’ demands for more trains and buses a constant.  Recently, the residents saw success with Tambaram station becoming one of the stops for the Tejas Express, the semi-high-speed train running between Chennai and Madurai. This achievement was the…

Chennai Corporation to audit old buildings in Parry's Corner The Greater Chennai Corporation is to audit the stability of the buildings in Parry's Corner after a 70-year-old building in the area collapsed recently. A building on Armenian Street, which was under renovation, collapsed on April 19. The incident left four injured. As many as 280 personnel were deployed in the rescue operation and more than 30 trucks were used to clear the debris. Officials of the civic body stated that prior permission had not been accorded for carrying out the renovation of the building. Source: DT Next Expert Appraisal Committee…

"I came into politics to serve the public," says KV Thilagar, the Councillor of Ward 92 (Mogappair East) in Chennai. Thilagar's family has been in politics for generations. Even before becoming the elected representative, he has been helping the public address their grievances. "I have helped over 2,000 people in my area get their community certificates in the past. It has aided many youngsters in pursuing higher education," says Thilagar. He was a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) but made the decision to contest the urban local body elections as an independent candidate when the party decided to…

Picture a gathering of residents from your neighbourhood where you can put forth all your grievances about civic amenities and services directly to the officials in charge. Area Sabha meetings are platforms for just this and more.  More than 12 years since the first steps were taken to improve citizens’ participation in decision-making in urban local bodies, Chennai held its first Area Sabha meetings.  How did these meetings go? Were residents able to raise matters affecting daily life and find solutions?  We attended one such Area Sabha meeting to find out. Read more: Area Sabhas and Ward Committees: Power to…

Poor roads have been an inconvenience for Chennaiites across the city. An approach road to the arterial TH road, which was used extensively by residents and passers-by, was damaged in part by rains and in part by civic work in the area. As a result, residents were forced to use the road under extremely unsafe conditions for months on end. With some impetus from civic-minded members in the area, the efforts of the Ward Councillor and the cooperation of residents, the road was finally fixed. The key learning from this experience has been the need to develop a rapport with…

"How can I be encouraged to walk in Chennai if the roads do not have space for pedestrians?" 23-year-old Varsha Ganesh, a resident of KK Nagar asks. "I take share autos or my two-wheeler these days, even if I have to cover a short distance."  Varsha is not the only person to feel that way. "The situation is no different anywhere else in the city. Pedestrian safety has always been the last priority for the government," says Raghukumar Choodamani, a civic activist from Perambur. Last year, pedestrians suffered 35% of the total road fatalities in Chennai. A study identified Koyambedu,…

Take a drive along Keelkattalai to Kamatchi Memorial Hospital any time during the day, and you will see hundreds of water lorries parked on the radial road. This stretch, 80% of which falls under Kovilambakkam Panchayat and 20% within the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) limits, is a hub of illegal groundwater extraction — one of the root causes of Chennai’s water woes.As it happens, there are four or five legitimate water drawing points near the Keelkattalai lake, but the lorries do not use those points to extract water. “A black hose has been laid illegally,  2 to 3 km away…