City: Chennai

Cities are drivers of economic growth in any country. They start attracting people as they develop economically. Cities also play an important support role in the development of the rural hinterland. In the past few decades, the Indian economy has grown rapidly which shows the high population growth in urban areas in India.  However, this rapid growth has not been managed very well and urban India is increasingly seeing problems such as, inadequate infrastructure for the growing population, poor service delivery, pollution, poor health care, housing, irregular elections and other issues that continue to impede cities across India from achieving…

இந்த நகரம், சுறு சுறுப்பாக இயங்கி கொண்டு இருக்கும் ஒரு குழந்தை! தினமும் இது ஓடி, ஆடி, விளையாடி  களைத்து வரும்! மீண்டும் காலையில் இதை புதிப்பித்து, அழகுசேர்த்து , சீர்படுத்தி  பள்ளி செல்லும் பிள்ளை போல அழகாக மாற்றுவது  தூய்மை பணியாளர்களே!  நமது பகுதிகளை சுத்தமாக வைத்துக்கொள்ள தூய்மை பணியாளர்கள் வகிக்கும் பங்கு என்பது ஒரு மகத்தான போற்றுதலுக்குரிய பெரும் பங்கு, அவர்கள் மிகவும் பாராட்டுதலுக்குரியவர்கள். குறிப்பாக இந்த கொரோனா காலகட்டத்தில் முன்கள  பணியாளர்களாக அவர்கள் செய்த, செய்து கொண்டு இருக்கின்ற சேவை, மிகவும் போற்றத்தக்கது! ஆனால் நம்மில் எத்தனைபேர் அவர்களை, அவர்களின் இன்றியமையாத பணியை, அங்கீகரிக்கிறோம்? திருக்குறள்:  ஒழுக்கத்து நீத்தார் பெருமை விழுப்பத்து வேண்டும் பனுவல் துணிவு.  மு.வரதராசன் விளக்கம்: ஒழுக்கத்தில் நிலைத்து நின்று பற்று விட்டவர்களின் பெருமையைச் சிறந்ததாக போற்றி கூறுவதே நூல்களின் துணிவாகும். சஞ்சீவி குமார், மேரி, எடிசன், பழனியம்மாள் ஆகிய  தூய்மை பணியாளர்களின் நேர்மையை போற்றி கூறுவதே இந்த கட்டுரையின் சிறப்பாகும். சமீபத்தில் சென்னை, புழலில் உள்ள தனியார் நிறுவனத்தில் தூய்மை…

Residents of slums decide to boycott civic polls Residents of slums in Perungudi and K.K. Nagar have decided to boycott the urban local body polls on Februrary 19th. Residents express a lack of faith in the elections and frustration with officials, as they have failed to bring any kind of effective civic amenities to their neighbourhoods. According to a member of the Kallukuttai Slum resident Welfare Association, residents have been living in the area for over 40 years. They have taken part in numerous elections, yet there has been no change. There are still no drains, drinking water facilities or…

Zone snapshot: Wards -  22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Population - 177148  (2013) Number of polling stations - 191 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Poor stormwater drain networks area persistent issue in the zone. The recent rain left many areas in the zone marooned after the release of water from the Redhills reservoir. Better, well-connected stormwater drain network would prevent water-logging.Basic civic amenities are not available for residents of the ward who do not have patta despite residing in…

Zone Snapshot Wards– 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Population– 99359 (2013) Polling Stations– 97 To locate your polling station – https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone – https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the Zone Poor bus connectivity is an issue in Manali. With the discontinuation of many small buses, the frequency and number of routes plying in the zone has reduced, leaving residents stranded. Lack of a proper sewage system is an issue in the zone. The underground network is incomplete and the residents see frequent overflowing of sewage. A properly connected sewage system is the need of the hour. The stormwater drain…

Zone snapshot Wards - 127. 128. 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142 Population – 704697 (2013) Number of polling stations – 613 To locate your polling station – https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone – https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Many parts of the zone such as T Nagar, Saidapet, West Mambalam, K.K. Nagar, Ashok Nagar have experienced extreme water logging during last year's rains. In Saidapet, residents cite the example of Thiruvalluvar Street, where water stagnated and rose as rains continued. In T Nagar, despite heavy investments and publicity around the Smart City Project in the area,…

Zone snapshot: Wards - 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200 Population - 74583 (2013) Number of polling stations - 209 To locate your polling station - https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone - https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Lack of piped drinking water and proper sewage connections is a huge issue in the zone. Residents are forced to buy water from tankers at exorbitant prices. While some apartment complexes have a sewage treatment plant, many use the services of sewage disposal tankers. The issue of water scarcity has not been addressed despite the expansion and growth…

Zone snapshot: Wards – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 Population – 3017485 (2013) Number of polling stations – 279 To locate your polling station – https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone – https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the zone: Industrial pollution is one of the major issues causing distress in the area; Indiscriminate discharge of industrial waste and effluents has caused health concerns such as respiratory diseases among the residents. Worries about protecting Ennore Creek have risen as a result of poor environmental monitoring. The residents are convinced that the Kattupalli port expansion project…

Zone Snapshot Wards– 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126 Population– 767873 (2013) Polling Stations– 624 To locate your polling station – https://tnsec.tn.nic.in/tn_election_urban2021/find_your_polling_station.php To locate your ward and zone – https://chennaicorporation.gov.in/gcc/citizen-details/location-service/find_zone.jsp Issues in the Zone The zone was heavily hit during last year's rains. Several roads in Alwarpet and Mandevalli were water-logged, with sewage and rainwater mixing in the process. Roads such as Habibullah Road and GN Chetty Road were among the worst affected. A common problem in the area during rains is that sewage lines get choked with excess rainwater.…