City: Chennai

Retteri to supply water to Chennai Retteri's storage will be increased to 124 million cubic feet to cater to the rising water demand in Chennai. A sum of Rs. 44 crores is to be allotted for this work, said the Water Resources Minister in the State Assembly. Apart from this, the operations of Poondi, Chembarambakkam and Red Hills reservoirs would be automated at a cost of Rs. 32 crores. WRD has also planned to take up flood mitigation works in the Adyar basin, apart from desilting the canals in Kolapakkam, Manapakkam and Gerugambakkam, in the western part of Chennai. Source:…

Life in resettlement colonies in Chennai comes with myriad issues. Our wait for proper infrastructure, basic services, benefits and entitlements has been long and the fight has been hard. My life used to revolve around my house in the Perumbakkam resettlement area. Even though I taught children from Classes 1 to 5 to read and write Tamil in our Reading Club, I was still confined to my household and managing its affairs. But as Community Champion, now my life revolves around the entire resettlement area, where I work to make the lives of people here better. An experiential learning programme,…

A recent study found Chennai to be the top city for women in India. Chennai ranked first among metro cities with a million-plus population. The parameters that the ranking was based on included safety and ease of living for women. At the same time, crimes against women in Tamil Nadu have seen an increase by 40% in 2022 according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau. So, how easy is it to navigate life in Chennai as a woman? Is the city as safe and convenient as perception seems to suggest? What does freedom mean for the women of…

It has been seven years since the Central Pollution Control Board came up with the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016. But many conservancy workers like Ramesh* and Sivaraman* come across bio-medical waste in Chennai while handling municipal waste often. "There have been over 25 instances of illegal dumping of bio-medical waste in Chennai and its suburbs the last four years alone," says V Pugalvendhan, a social activist who has been tracking and reporting bio-medical waste disposal violations since 2019. Even in January 2023, there was an instance of bio-medical waste dumping in Adyar bund near Kolapakkam, which is a suburb…

Infrastructure has been a focus area in recent budgets of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), with allocations running into crores. But a quick look around us shows the broken state of many of these structures be it footpaths or play equipment in parks.  Fixing existing deficiencies in public infrastructure before the creation of new ones will prevent the cycle of neglect and decay. The civic body must take steps to ensure that the existing infrastructure is repaired and its upkeep regular.  Instead of taking the people living in the neighbourhoods into confidence, plans for future infrastructure are also being undertaken…

The 2023 GCC budget was presented by Chennai Mayor R Priya on March 27. Key announcements were made regarding traffic management, new projects on solid waste management and stormwater drains and education. Here is a roundup of some of the important projects proposed and the allocations made for the same by the civic body. Revamped traffic management strategy in GCC Budget To manage parking in the city, GCC plans to extend the on-street paid parking system under a PPP model to other zones. Currently, this model exists in zones 8, 9 and 10. A Parking and Traffic Management Committee is…

The Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) budget is expected to be tabled in the council meeting on March 27. The state of the finances of the civic body requires close scrutiny as the quality of daily life of Chennaiites is linked to how well the civic body can carry out its functions. Chennaiites part of active Residents' Welfare Associations and Civil Society Organisations share their expectations on what must feature in the city’s budget. On roads and stormwater drains in Chennai While residents are aware of the importance of stormwater drains for flood mitigation, many raise grievances about the impact of…

GCC issues guidelines for Area Sabhas in Chennai On March 23, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) issued guidelines for holding Area Sabhas across the 200 wards in Chennai. Each ward has 10 Area Sabha with the city having a total of 2,000 Area Sabhas. The guidelines were issued during the orientation conducted for the Area Sabha secretaries and Ward Committee secretaries. The meeting was presided by Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi. The functions of the Area Sabha secretaries and Ward Committee secretaries have been defined in the guidelines and the Councillors have also been directed to convene these meetings at…

A common sight across Chennai is garbage bins overflowing with unsegregated waste, with some of it pooling on the ground around the bins. The stench emanating from the bins is bound to make anyone gag. Not only are the sight and smell unpleasant, but they are also a recipe for health and environmental hazards. With this in mind, the residents of Valmiki Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur have been able to do away with large garbage bins that had been placed on the street.   The residents managed this feat with meticulous source segregation, constant dialogue with the community and ensuring that the…

“I board a share auto near my house in Virugambakkam to the metro station in Ashok Nagar to get to work every day. I use a share auto on my return as well,” says G Balakumar, a frequent share auto-user in Chennai. Over the years, share autos have become an integral means of first and last-mile connectivity for many in the city. They fill a necessary gap and bolster the use of public transport in the city by providing a reliable and cheap mode of transport. With a growing user base, it becomes necessary to bring in some form of…