City: Chennai

You travel on a road in Chennai. You notice smoke from other vehicles and a mound of unsegregated solid waste on the side of the road. Maybe you are in a hurry to reach your destination, and you may not process these scenes. But next time, take in those sights. They are polluting Chennai's soil with heavy metals. Heavy metals are those metals that have greater atomic weight in the periodic table of elements. Moreover, in higher quantities, these metals can become toxic. Examples of heavy metals include Lead, Cadmium and Mercury. Soil pollution due to heavy metals studied in…

Recent news has it that the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to take steps to counter the menace of posters in Chennai. A battle that our city has been fighting probably from the time when print became a possibility. The latest in the various rather ineffective measures our city fathers (and mothers) have decided upon is to levy a fine of Rs. 200 on those responsible, if the poster is on a wall, and Rs. 500 in case it is on a signboard, provided that a police complaint is made. It must have been quite clear to those who approved…

While most of Chennai roads were dug up for the construction of stormwater drains last year, many residents raised issues about the inconvenience caused during this period. The project highlighted the many problems that come with creating and maintaining civic infrastructure in residential neighbourhoods. An experience much closer to home has made me realise how some processes must be put in place to avoid suffering caused to the residence when civic agencies take up work. No notification of civic work Around two months ago, the space right outside my house in AGS Colony in Velachery was dug up for sewer…

"If I had been made a Ward Committee member, I would have pushed for relocation of the wine shop near my lane so that women can walk around safely after sunset," says Mallika, a daily wage worker from Nesapakkam, Ward 137 of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Unfortunately, she was unaware of when the councillor of her ward chose the Area Sabha Representatives or who the Ward Committee Member of her area was. "The councillor came during the local body election time. I do not recollect seeing him coming after that," she says. While it has been touted as a platform…

On the morning of January 31, a friend, Priya*, and I went to attend the public consultation for the ‘Pen Monument’ held at Kalaivanar Arangam. A group of us were attending the consultation, some in an official capacity and some as citizens who wanted to voice their thoughts on the issue. Little did we apprehend that this would lead to a long, traumatic experience for her, as some time into the consultation, she was sexually harassed by a group of men.If that wasn’t disturbing enough, she had to go through a seven-hour-long ordeal, just trying to lodge a police complaint…

Feasibility study for gas turbine stations in North Chennai TANGEDCO plans to conduct a feasibility study to install gas turbine power stations in North Chennai to produce 2000 megawatts of electricity. The natural gas pipeline set-up necessary already runs from Ennore to Thoothukudi. A detailed project report will be prepared based on the study. Clean energy production is on the agenda of TANGEDCO which will build gas-based plants at unused old thermal station buildings in Ennore. This move comes in the wake of the increasing cost of importing natural gas. At present, Basin Bridge has a gas turbine station which…

"Many years ago, I bought all of my computer parts from Ritchie street. It was my first ever PC. The market still fills me with nostalgia," says Gokoulane Ravi, a resident of Tambaram. Ritchie street area has been the go-to market for electronics for people not just in Chennai, but in other areas in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. For decades the shopkeepers have kept up with changes in technology and sourced the most in-demand goods. But competition with e-commerce websites and crackdowns from authorities is a looming threat to the business. History of Ritchie street "My father used to…

The rapid urbanisation of Chennai calls for a better plan for the city's growth. Master Plans play a crucial role in defining the direction of a city's growth. Chennai so far has seen two Master Plans. While the First Master Plan was intended to be in effect between 1976 and 2001, it lasted till August 2008. The Second Master Plan, which has been in effect since 2008, lasts till 2026. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), has started the visioning exercise for the preparation of the Third Master Plan which will span from 2026 to 2046 for Chennai and has…

Translated by Sandhya Raju பிற மீனவர்களோடு, ஜனவரி 9 அன்று, சங்கரும் கடலுக்கு சென்றார். கடலில் போடப்பட்ட வலையை எடுக்கையில், கால் தவறி தண்ணீருக்குள் அவர் விழுந்தார். அவரை உடனடியாக மற்ற மீனவர்கள் மீட்டனர். ஆனால் அவருக்கு காயங்கள் ஏற்பட்டன. கடலில் போட்ட வலையை எடுக்காமல், அவர்களால் படகை கரைக்கு திருப்ப முடியாது என்பதால், உடனடி சிகிச்சை அளிக்க வேண்டிய தருணத்தை கடந்தனர். பின்னர் 108 ஆம்புலன்ஸ் சேவையை அழைத்து அவருக்கு முதலுதவி கொடுக்கப்பட்டது. மேற்சிகிச்சைக்காக மருத்தவமனையில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட சங்கர், ஐந்து நாட்கள் பின் உயிரிழந்தார்.  கடலுக்குள் தினந்தோறும் செல்லும் மீனவர்கள் சந்திக்கும் சாதாரண அவசர நிலை இது,” என்கிறார், தென்னிந்திய மீனவர்கள் நலச்சங்க தலைவர் கே. பாரதி.  சென்னையில் பெரும்பாலன மீனவர்கள் கண்ணாடியிழை மீன்பிடி படகுகளை பயன்படுத்துகின்றனர். இவர்கள் 12 கடல் மைல் (22 கி.மீ) சுற்றளவுக்குள் பயணிக்கின்றனர்.  “சூழ்நிலையை பொருத்து கரையை அடைய சுமார் 3 முதல்…

As Chennai expands and develops at warp speed, it becomes vital to streamline growth. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has been organising public consultations across the Chennai Metropolitan Area to prepare the vision document for the Third Master Plan (2026-2046). What should be the focus of the Third Master Plan? How can we make public consultations more participatory? What do the people in Chennai want from it? Citizen Matters puts together a panel with six panellists to discuss these issues: CMDA Member Secretary Anshul Mishra, Town Planner K M Sadhanandh, Former Professor and Guest Faculty KP Subramanian of Anna…