City: Chennai

"Many people from villages across Tamil Nadu came to Chennai to make a living. They moved here with the hope of improving the standard of living for their families and providing good education to their children. These people, who migrated in small groups from rural parts, eventually settled along the banks of rivers or water bodies. They built small huts to reside. The huts were prone to catching fire suddenly at any time and so the area came to be called Thideer Nagar," says S Kathirvelan, a 60-year-old resident of Thideer Nagar in Saidapet. But L Vijaya, a resident of…

Stella Rathna has been a part of the District Women’s Wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and was actively involved in politics for 15 years before being elected councillor of Ward 128. She is a resident of Palavakkam and has been elected from a ward reserved for women. In an interview with Citizen Matters, she spoke about the key challenges in the ward with flood management and shared her vision for Chennai. Ward No 128   Name of Councillor: Stella Jasmine RathnaParty: DMK Age: 43Educational qualification: M.Com; LLBContact: 9445467128 Map of Ward 128. Source: Greater Chennai Corporation Primary goals for Ward 128…

Translated by Sandhya Raju விளிம்பு நிலை மற்றும் பொருளாதாரத்தில் பின் தங்கியுள்ள மக்கள், சிக்கலான சட்ட அமைப்பில் சிக்கிக்கொள்ளும்  நிலையை வெகுவாக வெளிக்கொணர்ந்தது ஜெய்பீம் திரைப்படம். செங்கனி என்ற கதாபாத்திரத்திற்கு ஆதரவாக சந்துரு என்ற வழக்கறிஞர் பணியாற்றினார்.    ஆனால், நிஜ வாழ்க்கையில்  இவர்களின் நிலை என்ன?   அரசு அங்கீகாரம் பெற்ற தமிழ்நாடு மாநில சட்ட சேவைகள் ஆணையம் அல்லது மாவட்ட சட்ட சேவைகள் ஆணையத்தில் உதவி பெற ஒவ்வொரு நபருக்கும் அரசியலைப்புப் படி உரிமை உள்ளது.  “இலவச சட்ட உதவி என்பது அரசு அளிக்கும் தொண்டு அல்ல. இது அனைத்து மக்களுக்கான  அடிப்படை உரிமை,” என்கிறார் சென்னை உயர்நீதி மன்றத்தின் வழக்கறிஞர் எஸ் ஜோதிலக்ஷ்மி, 2019-20 ல் இலவச சட்ட உதவி வழக்கறிஞராக இவர் நியமிக்கப்பட்டார்.  அரசு வழங்கும் சேவை குறித்து பலரருக்கு விழிப்புணர்வு இல்லை, என இந்தக் கட்டுரைக்காக நாம் சந்தித்த வழக்கறிஞர்கள் கூறினர்.  அதன் நோக்க பயனை…

A little girl came to the Thuli store looking for a bottle-green top to wear at the annual day function of her school. She found exactly what she was looking for in a matter of minutes, and free of cost. More importantly, she was able to save preowned clothing which would otherwise have found its way to a landfill. Every year, the fashion industries of the world produce 53 million tonnes of fibres, and less than 1% of it goes back to use, with more than 70% of fibres dumped in a landfill or incinerated. "Apart from filling up landfills,…

Schools under Greater Chennai Corporation to be revamped ICT for teacher development, infrastructure, classrooms and school management systems will be revamped in 80 schools run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The timeline for the project is six months. Around Rs. 174.91 crore has been allocated for revamping the schools under the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) and Singara Chennai 2.0.  The revamping includes a greater focus on homework, remedial sessions and weekly tests.  Additionally, GCC plans to build 3600 classrooms and get 4000 more dual desks for the schools. GCC has already bought 10,000 dual desks…

"Right to Education is a beacon of hope for us as we wish to see our children get educated," says Sita*, a daily wage worker. Her child has secured admission in a private matriculation school in Chennai on a seat reserved under the Right to Education, or RTE, Act. "We cannot afford the fees of private schools. I did not study, but I want to see my child educated, and climb up the ladder of life." The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE) is an Act of the Parliament of India…

Yuvan Aves is a nature-educator, naturalist, writer and activist based in Chennai. He is the Founder-Trustee of Palluyir Trust for Nature education and Research, and along with his team of young naturalists, conducts a number of immersive learning experiences for children and young adults. These include walks and workshops in various geographies and biodiversity areas in Chennai. This type of teaching and learning has been termed as ‘nature based learning (NBL)’, which Yuvan explains, is a self guided, real world learning experience. Yuvan's team makes a range of NBL material and curricula for Chennai schools to apply. In an interview…

"I used to crave street food as a teenager. I frequently had lunches and dinners from roadside vendors for more than 5 years," said Shruti, a resident of KK Nagar. A few years ago she suffered from food poisoning due to one such meal and had to miss her college semester exams. "That was when it hit me how unhealthy street food in Chennai could be." How does Chennai's street food scene fare on food safety and hygiene? What should you look out for the next time you decide to treat yourself to some scrumptious roadside chaat or bajjis on…

Pallikaranai marshland has become the first wetland in Chennai to get the Ramsar tag in July 2022. The award of the Ramsar tag is part of UNESCO's Ramsar Convention, which is an intergovernmental treaty aimed to conserve wetlands. India has been a party to the treaty since 1982. While this is welcome news, Pallikaranai has also seen a lot of damage over the years, despite being a "protected zone" as per the Tamil Nadu Forest Act. From 2,650 hectares, the wetland has shrunk to around 700 hectares, thanks to encroachments by government and private entities, garbage dumping, leakage of untreated…

GCC to create 28 new playgrounds In a welcome move, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has planned to construct 28 new playgrounds with several amenities across the city. It would be made free for the public. A sum of Rs 29.4 crore has been allotted to construct the playgrounds.  Ten of these playgrounds will come up in the first phase of the project. In a bid to make it more accessible for people from the economically-weaker sections, the GCC has planned to set up these grounds near Urban Habitat Development Board colonies. As a pilot, a playground has been created near the KP…