City: Chennai

In 1958, Fathima Ahamath's father, the late A.K.A. Abdul Samad, who led the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) for 25 years, began his political career as the ward councillor of Harbour (erstwhile ward 60) of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). "I am proud to carry my father's legacy," she says. "I have taken up this job with a commitment to make a change." Fathima entered the world of politics at the age of 25. Even though she had her inhibitions about her new career, her father and partner provided much-needed reassurance. "They wanted me to break the glass ceiling and…

Fatal accidents and accident deaths drop by 11.84% and 11.52% respectively in Chennai There were 499 fatal road accidents and 507 deaths in 2022 in Chennai, a drop in numbers from the past year. According to Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal, a team of experts zeroed in on accident hotspots by identifying areas with three to five accidents within a span of half a kilometre. The team also studied the reasons for accidents and considered mitigation strategies. As per the strategies being implemented, roads are being improved at a cost of Rs. 1 crore in Chennai. Since most road accidents happen…

Gone are the days we paid in cash for every other purchase. With the increasing use of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions, almost all shops ranging from roadside stalls to big supermarkets tend to facilitate UPI payments. As much as it seems to have made our lives easier, there has been an increasing trend of scams related to UPI payments and digital transactions in Chennai and across the country. A recent study shows that the country has around 35 crore transacting users across various digital platforms, including e-commerce, shopping, travel and hospitality. The number is set to hit 70 crore…

The POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, was enacted in 2012. The Act aims to protect children under the age of 18 from offences of child sexual abuse and sexual harassment committed by adults. Despite the protections offered by this Act, cases registered under POCSO in Chennai have been on the rise as per the National Crime Records Bureau. Every other day there are news items of harrowing instances of child abuse. In many cases, the offenders turn out to be family members or staff at the school. Those entrusted with the welfare of children abuse the trust placed…

In an interview with a traffic policewoman in Chennai, we asked her how she manages trips to the washroom when on traffic duty. She said that used the toilets in hospitals or educational institutions near the junction she was posted at, but did not mention public toilets. The Greater Chennai Corporation has toilets in 943 locations with 7590 toilets, all free to use. There is a common notion among many that these toilets are not clean and fit for use. We visited a few of Greater Chennai Corporation's public and community toilets across Chennai in the last week of December…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “அதிகரித்து  வரும் பெட்ரோல் விலை, எலக்ட்ரிக் பைக்கை வாங்க தூண்டியது: என்கிறார் சென்னையில் வசிக்கும் வி ஆகாஷ். இவர் ஏதர் 450X எலக்ட்ரிக் பைக் உபயோக்கிறார்.  இதே காரணத்தை பகிரும் எஸ் கௌஷிக், ஹீரோ எலக்ட்ரிக் ஆப்டிமா HX பைக்கை உபோயக்கிறார். “புதிதாக முயற்சி செய்ய வேண்டும் என நினைத்தேன்.மேலும் இதற்கான மானியம் இதன் விலையை கட்டுப்படியாக்கியது. கடந்த வருடம் நான் இந்த பைக்கை வாங்கிய போது ₹40,000 முதல் ₹45,000 வரை தள்ளுபடி கிடைத்தது.” என்றார். EV வண்டியை வாங்கும் பலர் பெட்ரோல் உயர்வே உந்துதலாக அமைந்ததாக கூறுகின்றனர். “பராமரிப்பு செலவு இல்லை. முறையாக பராமரித்தால் பெட்ரோல் வண்டி போல் அடிக்கடி செர்வீஸ் செய்ய வேண்டியதில்லை, எனக் கூறும் ஆகாஷ், இதில் உள்ல கூகிள் மேப் கூடுதல் பயனளிப்பதாக கூறுகிறார். எலக்ட்ரிக் பைக்கிற்கு மாற சேமிப்பு ஒரு பெரும் காரணமாக உள்ளதால், இதன் பயன்பாட்டை…

The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) has begun the process of holding public consultations welcoming views from residents on the draft Third Master Plan for Chennai. The consultations are meant to be a participatory exercise which provides a platform for residents to offer suggestions and share grievances. However, my experience attending a recent consultation has revealed many gaps in the process that would prevent effective representation of the views of the residents.  Announcement by CMDA on public consultations across Chennai. Pic: CMDA/Twitter Issues with CMDA’s public consultation I attended the public consultation organised by the CMDA at Hotel Sri Valli…

One of the recurring themes in the life of a journalist is looking at a story done by another publication and kicking yourself for not having thought of the idea yourself. So, to sign off for the year, I’d like to highlight the stories that our reporters did on Chennai in 2022 that I hope made someone else think, “I wish I’d written that!” These stories also happen to be the ones that illustrate what we do best - platforming voices drowned out by the daily discourse, unpacking urban policy and highlighting actions that bring about collective change. Life in the…

Picture Mount Road on a Sunday morning over 150 years ago. There is a flurry of activity as horse-drawn carriages take the British to and from Fort St. George across the city. Some of the structures that dotted their paths then still stand in Chennai. Unfortunately, many historic buildings and landmarks in the city suffer from neglect and lack of maintenance. Low levels of interest and awareness among the general public about these structures also lead to little to no demands for action to protect them. But the increasing number of heritage walks that showcase the city's long and storied…

Going over the stories I had worked on over the past year has been a bittersweet experience. While I was happy to be able to write on important issues, the pain of the people I encountered over the course of writing these stories is one I will carry with me for a long time to come. The thing about large cities like Chennai is how many people's struggles are invisibilised, and their lives relegated to the margins. Some of the stories that I penned endeavoured to spotlight the people who have fallen through the cracks in the system. Here is…