City: Chennai

Today more than half of Chennai has been dug up for the laying of new stormwater drains (SWD) network to ensure that the city doesn’t get flooded again. But the problem doesn’t end with just laying the drains but in ensuring that they actually serve the purpose for which they are being laid. The Raja Street RWA and Poonga View RWA stepped up to monitor the Mandaveli SWD work thereby avoiding issues around flooding at the time when the rains arrive. Yearly auditing process of Mandaveli SWD Clean entry points for the water on the roads to enter them, proper…

The construction of an elevated rail line on a 5-kilometre stretch between Velachery and St Thomas Mount began in 2000, as part of the Mass Rapid Transit System’s (MRTS) extension project in Chennai. While the MRTS lines between Beach to Mylapore and Mylapore to Velachery have been operational for many years, the line between Velachery and St Thomas Mount that passes through Puzhudhivakkam and Adambakkam has been delayed forever. The primary reason for the delay was litigation related to the land acquisition of a 500-metre stretch between Jeeva Nagar and St Thomas Mount. With the litigation ending nearly a year…

Residents need street vendors in Chennai, to buy fruits, vegetables, and even small ornaments or jewellery. The latter need residents to buy their wares because that's how they make both ends meet. On the face of it, residents and vendors share a symbiotic relationship in Chennai. But conflicts between these two groups seem to erode their relationship, undermining the chance of peaceful co-existence and creating a contentious issue out of street vending in principle.  Vendors claim that evictions could affect their livelihoods. Residents claim that the latter occupy footpaths and improperly dump waste, among other issues.  Citizen Matters organised a panel…

4,200 special buses to be operated for Diwali weekend Since more than 10 lakh people are expected to leave Chennai over the weekend to celebrate Diwali in their hometowns, Transport Minister SS Sivasankar has said that 4,200 special buses would be operated to ensure hassle-free travel. This is in addition to the regular bus operations from Koyambedu, Tambaram, KK Nagar and Poonamallee. While over 1 lakh people have booked online tickets in government buses so far, 2.2 lakh people have booked tickets to travel in trains from Egmore and Central Railway Stations. Further, one lakh people are expected to take…

All of Chennai is in different stages of 'dug-up' due to stormwater drain (SWD) work across the city. Residents have faced various inconveniences over the course of the work such as traffic jams, blocked roads, limited access to entryways and safety hazards. Despite this, there has been widespread cooperation for the work, as most residents recognise the importance of completion of the work to prevent flooding. But the alarming pace of tree felling in K K Nagar to make way for it has made residents concerned. Unwitting victims of SWD work A consequence of the work happening across the city…

A 51-year-old conservancy worker, S Sekar from Perumbakkam in Chennai, died of electrocution in July this year. The incident happened in Venkateshwara Nagar in Velachery when the worker came in contact with a high-tension underground cable while clearing garbage. The cable, which is supposed to be buried deep underneath the ground, was found to be much closer to the surface, leading to his unfortunate demise. And this is just one of many tragedies that the city has seen, arising from exposed electricity cables. According to a news report, as many as 97 people have died of electrocution between January and…

Be it golu dolls in Mylapore, tasty street food in Sowcarpet or knick knacks in Pondy Bazaar, whatever your need, the street vendors of Chennai have got you covered. However, the relationship between the city, its residents and street vendors has not always been harmonious. On one hand, street vendors are wary of evictions and unhappy with the little protection they have in the eyes of the law. Read more: Chennai Corporation plans polls for street vendor committees, but how fair will they be? On the other, we have residents of various localities across the city who have over the…

If someone from the city were playing Pictionary, and they had to guess from a drawing of floods or inundation, they would probably guess "Chennai" and be right. Flooding and Chennai have become synonymous with each other. No wonder the civic body is hurrying up with storm water drain (SWD) work in Chennai. Will SWDs be the panacea for urban floods? "No city in the world can rule out inundation [due to rains]. However, it will be much lesser than before in Chennai," says Gagandeep Singh Bedi, the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation, when questioned if the current monsoon…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “எனக்கு ஒரு வீடு வேண்டும்,” என்கிறார் ஒன்பதாம் வகுப்பு படிக்கும் தனஸ்ரீ. “கதவு வைத்த கழிப்பறை, கால் நீட்டி தூங்கக்கூடிய அளவிலான ஒரு அறை மற்றும் ஒரு சமையலறை,” என மேலும் அவரது விருப்பத்தை கூறுகிறார். இது அவர் கனவு மட்டும் இல்லை, கண்ணப்பர் திடலில் உள்ள நூற்றுக்கணக்கான குடும்பங்களின் விருப்பமும் ஆகும். இவர்கள் இருபது ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் ரிப்பன் மாளிகை அருகில் உள்ள தெருக்களிலிருந்து வெளியேற்றப்பட்டவர்கள். ஆக்கிரமிப்பு, நீதிமன்ற ஆணை, வளர்ச்சி திட்டங்கள் என பல்வேறு காரணங்களை சுட்டிக்காட்டி, சென்னையில் ஆக்கிரமிப்பு அகற்றல் அமல்படுத்தப்படுகிறது. பல வருடங்களாக வசித்த இருப்பிடங்களை விட்டு சென்னையின் புறநகர் பகுதிகளில் இவர்கள் வசிக்கின்றனர். இந்த வெளியேற்றம் இவர்கள் வாழ்க்கையில் பல இன்னல்களை உருவாக்குகிறது, ஆனால் இதைப் பற்றி அதிகாரிகள் அதிகம் அக்கறை கொள்வதில்லை. Read more: Life beyond the murals in Chennai’s Kannagi Nagar நிறைவேற்றப்படாத…

Many Chennaiites are naturally anxious about what the revised electricity tariff would do to their EB bills. TANGEDCO raised the EB tariff on September 10, and the changes could mean the bi-monthly bill could see an increase by around 50%. Here are some tips and tricks to help you use electricity judiciously in Chennai, making your homes energy-efficient and keeping power bills reasonable. What is the hike in electricity tariff in Chennai? Current electricity tariff for Chennai's domestic households, post-revision. Source: TANGEDCO Although the initial 100 units remain free, the base rate has increased from Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 4.50,…