City: Chennai

“We don’t want to do this but it's not like we have a choice”, said Kannika* on having to use the playground near her home to relieve herself due to the lack of proper sanitation facilities in the vicinity in Doomingkuppam.  This is the reality for many who reside in the area despite having lived in the city for decades. The many rows of huts that dot the area opposite the scenic beach do not have proper toilets, forcing residents to defecate in the open. Doomingkuppam residents await toilets Doomingkuppam is home to many from the fishing community, with their…

Software engineer turned entrepreneur turned politician, Kiran Sharmilee has been elected councillor of Ward 107. Her foray into politics comes after a 4-year stint at HCL after which she set up a business along with her husband, who is also a politician. She got the opportunity to contest the local body polls held this year. Kiran Sharmilee hopes that her entry into politics, along with many more women who are part of the present council, will inspire other young leaders of the future. She feels that while earlier she had observed political developments from the sidelines, as a councillor she…

“In 2013, a woman called Geetha came to our studio. She thanked us profusely for making her life peaceful as her husband had stopped drinking because of the work of Anna Community Radio,” recalls Malliga Kaliappan, who has been an RJ at Anna FM for 22 years. "Geetha's husband had learnt about the ill-effects of alcohol consumption due to the anti-liquor awareness programmes we carried," added the RJ. Airing at 90.4 MHz, Anna FM is a social initiative taken up by the Educational and Multimedia Research Centre (EMRC) of Anna University since 2004. The community radio has touched the lives…

Drones on vigil in Marina after rising crimes To stem crime happening on the Marina in Chennai, drones are to fly across the beach from Light House to MGR Memorial for three hours in the mornings and evenings. Weekends will see the increased duration of surveillance due to more crowds frequenting the area.  Apart from this, the police will also employ facial recognition software (FRS) to inspect people sleeping on the beach. They have received intelligence that history-sheeters have been hiding on the beach and have committed robberies in the area. With three robbery cases in the last month on the beach,…

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of many public services and establishments over the past few years. Chennai's many public libraries were also among those institutions that have been affected by these changes. However, with the return of readers, there are some promising signs. Even as many libraries continue to suffer infrastructural neglect, determined staff and loyal patrons have kept the city's reading culture afloat even in the face of new challenges. There seems to be a sustained culture of visiting libraries in the city despite roadblocks. Pic: Aruna Natrajan Public libraries after COVID-19 hit In March 2020, when the first…

Koyambedu wholesale market has been a one-stop centre for perishable goods for many residents and retail traders across the city for nearly 25 years now. However, waste management in the market campus remains to be himalayan task despite changing times. “We come all the way from OMR road to buy the vegetables and fruits needed for a week. One major issue we have been witnessing is walking through the pathways in the market. Most of the time, the pathways are filled with waste from fresh vegetables and it becomes hard to navigate through the pathways during crowded times. At times…

Translated by Sandhya Raju “தமிழக அரசே தமிழக அரசே, சாக வேண்டுமா நாங்கள்? அப்போ தான் பார்ப்பாயா?” சென்னை குடி நீர் & கழிவு நீர் பெரு வாரியம் தலைமை அலுவலகத்தின் முன்பு தொடர்ந்து  10 நாட்கள் 1500 தற்காலிக தொழிலாளர்கள் எழுப்பிய கோஷம் இது. தனியார் ஒப்பந்தகாரர்களுக்கு ஒவுட்சோர்ஸ் முடிவை எதிர்த்தும் இவர்களின் கோரிக்கைகளை நிராகரிக்கப்பட்டதை எதிர்த்தும் இவர்கள் போராட்டம் நடத்தினர்.  கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளாக வேகமான வளர்ச்சியை சென்னை அடைந்தாலும், பல முக்கிய துறைகளில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட பணியிடங்கள் நிரப்பப்படாமல் அல்லது கணிசமாக குறைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. முக்கியமான அத்தியாவசிய பணிகளான திடக்கழிவு மேலாண்மை, குடி நீர் வினியோகம், சுகாதாரம், மின்வாரியம் என பல துறைகளில் தற்காலிக அல்லது ஒப்பந்த அடிப்படையில் பணிபுரிபவர்கள் பாதுகாப்பற்ற சூழலில் பணிபுரிகிறார்கள்.   சென்னை குடி நீர் வாரிய தற்காலிக பணியார்களின் போராட்டம் சரியான நேரத்தில் சாலையில் மண் அகற்றப்பட்டு, கழிவு நீர் அடைப்புகள் அகற்றப்பட்டு,குடி நீர்…

K Karthik, Councillor for Ward 7 has spent a decade in politics. He belongs to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). His foray into politics came after stints in corporate HR at firms such as Pepsico and the Murugappa Group. In 2011, Karthik became a full-time politician, following in the footsteps of his father K Kuppan. K Kuppan serves as MLA from Thiruvottiyur in the 14th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He contested unsuccessfully from the same constituency in the 2021 Assembly Elections. Citizen Matters caught up with Karthik in his office at Aniruth Park, a hotel he owns…

With catastrophic rains and severe drought having become a recurrent feature in the recent history of the city, it is time to take climate change and its effects seriously. Chennai needs a comprehensive climate action plan for a holistic approach to preparedness and mitigation. Cities like Mumbai taking the lead show the need for climate action now. While a state-level action plan has been prepared, what actions specific to Chennai could help combat the effects of climate change? Citizen Matters hosted a tweet chat with experts to understand what a climate action plan for Chennai could look like and what must…

Four metro water wokers die due to asphyxiation Four contract workers of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) have died in two different incidents over the past week, allegedly due to asphyxiation while cleaning septic tanks. On Tuesday, two workers, Nelson and Ravikumar who were involved in cleaning a septic tank in Madhavaram asphyxiated while at work. While Nelson was declared dead on arrival, Ravikumar died on Thursday without responding to the treatment. Meanwhile, two other workers, identified as D Dhakshinamurthy, 38, and P Periasamy, 38, of Pallikaranai died allegedly of asphyxiation while cleaning a septic tank located…