City: Chennai

"We used to get 1000-2000 kilograms of prawns and other fish in a day around 15 years ago. Now, we are able to catch only 150-200 kilograms of fish per day," says Raj Kamal, the coordinator of Save Pulicat Movement, an effort to protect the Pulicat wetlands, one of the oldest wetlands in Chennai. "When our wetlands were clean, we used to make even Rs. 50,000 a month. Now it is just a paltry sum. We are forced to pay this price because industries and other agents pollute our waters." Wetlands in Chennai provide more than just a living to…

Korattur canal in Chennai choked by encroachment Restaurants, tea stalls and car wash garages are encroaching the Korattur Canal that runs from Korattur to Puzhal along the Water Canal Road in Chennai. Activists complain that the encroachments and garbage have polluted the canal such that it cannot be seen anymore.  They have urged the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to join hands with the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) and restore the canal instead of constructing stormwater drains in the location.  However, Corporation officials state that the canal in Korattur is a temporary storage structure, and there is a necessity…

"I want a home,” says Dhanashree, a student of Class IX. “It should have a toilet with a door, at least one room spacious enough to stretch my legs and sleep and a kitchen of our own,” she adds. This is not just her dream but also that of hundreds of families in Kannappar Thidal who were evicted from the streets near Ripon Building two decades ago. Evictions in Chennai have become a common affair now with removal of encroachments, eminent domain claims, court orders and developmental projects being cited as reasons by various government bodies to carry out the…

Chennai’s high ranking in the annual National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data on road accidents has been a cause for concern in recent years. The city has seen over 5000 road accidents in 2021. It stands second behind Delhi in terms of road accident fatalities.  What makes Chennai’s roads so unsafe? Is it poor road design? Lack of adherence to traffic rules? Is poor enforcement also a factor in the increasing number of road accidents? Citizen Matters organised a tweet chat with experts who weighed in on why Chennai’s roads have turned into a death trap and what can be…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “தங்கள் வாழ்கை நிலை உயரவும் தன் குழந்தைகளுக்கு நல்ல கல்வி பெறவும், தமிழகத்தின் பல இடங்களிலிருந்து சென்னைக்கு பிழைப்பு தேடி வரும் மக்கள் வருகின்றனர். இவ்வாறு வரும் மக்கள், பெரும்பாலும் நதிக்கரை ஒரமாக தங்கள் இருப்பிடத்தை அமைத்துக் கொள்கின்றனர். திடீர் திடீரென இவர்கள் குடிசைகள் தீப்பற்றி எரிவதால், இந்த இடம் “திடீர் நகர்” என அழைக்கப் பெற்றது.” சைதாபேட்டை திடீர் நகரில் வசிக்கும் 60 வயது எஸ் கதிர்வேலன்.  ஆனால், ராஜா அண்ணாமலை புரத்தில் வசிக்கும் எல். விஜயா வேறொரு காரணத்தை முன் வைக்கிறார். “இங்குள்ள பெண்களின் அணிகலங்கள் திடீர் திடீரென காணாமல் போவதாலும், அடிக்கடி குடித்துவிட்டு இங்குள்ள மக்கள் தகராறில் ஈடுபடுவதாலும், இந்த பெயர் காரணம் இருக்கலாம் என கூறுகிறார்.” பெயர் காரணம் எதுவாக இருப்பினும் அங்கு நடக்கும் திடீர் சம்பவங்கள் இவர்கள் வாழ்க்கையை தீர்மானிப்பதாக உள்ளது. திடீர் நகர் சென்னையில் பல பகுதிகளில் இருந்தாலும்,…

Nobody wants 2022 to pull a 2015 on Chennai. Each monsoon since the infamous Chennai floods has been a reminder of the devastation that rains can cause to the city. Last year's rains were an eye-opener that the city's flood management still leaves a lot to be desired. The civic body is working frantically to complete the stormwater drain work in Chennai this year before the onset of the monsoon. Since March 2022, the Greater Chennai Corporation has been carrying out desilting existing stormwater drains and building new ones in areas with no drains or damaged ones. The question in…

Greater Chennai Corporation urges residents to pay property tax Only 6.88 lakh (52%) of the total 13 lakh assessees in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) limit have paid property tax for the first half of the financial year 2022-23. The deadline for remitting the tax without penalty is September 30th, beyond which the civic body would levy fines. A sum of around Rs 570 crore has been collected so far, with the civic body expecting a collection of Rs 650 crore by the end of the month. Notably, around 63% of those who have paid the taxes so far are…

Over the years, the water bodies in Chennai and across the state have been polluted and damaged due to many reasons including rapid urbanisation and encroachments. Time and again, the restoration work being carried out in these water bodies make it to the news. Often, the local bodies rope in Non-Governmental Organisations to oversee or carry out either the entire or some portions of the restoration work. This apart, many private companies also chip in with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to carry out restoration work. While the restoration work is carried out by different agencies at different places, there…

"The houses on that street must not complain of mosquito menace again. Spray mosquito repellents there," instructs Shanthi (aka) Yazhini, Councillor of Ward 135, to an employee as I enter her cabin on the first floor of the ward office in Ashok Nagar.  A portrait of Thol. Thirumavalavan, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi's (VCK) leader, hangs in a place of prominence in her office. "When I was a college student, I heard him passionately talk about uplifting the downtrodden. Inspired by that, I joined the party to serve people," says the 48-year-old councillor and lawyer. VCK chose her as the councillor candidate of…

In the sweltering Chennai summer heat, Amala endearingly helps her friend Pavithra who is fretting and nervous about riding a bicycle through the busiest roads of Arumbakkam. To add to her stress, the ordeal is unfolding at 9 pm, a time highly unusual for women to commute casually in Chennai. While Pavithra anxiously pedals, constantly shifting uncomfortably in her seat, with several eyes watching her every move, Amala and her friends join Pavithra in solidarity. They cheer her on, as she slowly and gradually adjusts her eyes to the dizzying traffic and steadies herself to a comfortable pace.  Cycling in…