City: Chennai

Zone snapshot Wards: 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 Polling stations: 505 Population: 611680 (2013) 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: Improper road laying leading to excess flooding in settlements and houses. In Vetri Nagar in Kolathur, manholes were covered up in the road laying process. Many incomplete development projects. For example work on Stephenson Bridge across Otteri Nullah is still ongoing. Residents are wading through drainage water stagnating on the road daily. Water logging during the rainy season especially…

Toxic foam caused by sewage flow into Marina Beach On Sunday, 8th February, snow-like foam appeared along Marina Beach from Napier Bridge to Kannagi Statue. People could be seen playing with the foam and going into the water. Researchers have pointed out that the foam is actually caused by toxic algal blooms when there is  free flow of sewage into water bodies. According to a report carried out by National Coastal Research Center, toxic algal blooms have appeared eight times in India over the last eight years or so.  In the case of Marina, researchers trace the sewage from the…

“I’m 94 years and six months old,” emphasises Kamakshi Subramaniyan, who is busy preparing for her election campaign. Yes, the nonagenarian has filed her nominations for the upcoming local body polls for the post of corporation councillor. She will be contesting from ward 174, comprised of Besant Nagar and Adyar areas of Chennai. Known fondly as Kamakshi paati among the locals of Chennai, she is also the co-founder of SPARK, a civic forum, started in 2012 with the aim of helping the citizens of the city to tackle civic problems. SPARK helps Chennaiites by guiding them in approaching the right…

In continuation to the charter of demands submitted to the MLA candidates before the Assembly Elections held last year we, the  members of Community Welfare Brigade, are submitting the following Charter of Demands to all the potential candidates who are participating in the Corporation Elections in 2022 on behalf of the Residents of Ward 71 in Zone 6. As a citizen engagement group we would like to build a clean, safe and secure model neighbourhood community. On civic infrastructure and encroachments The traffic density on Perambur High Road, Madhavaram High Road and Paper Mills Road has increased significantly over the…

Over the past  few years, especially after the December 2015 floods, we have seen varying figures  on the number of lakes being restored in the Chennai Metropolitan Area. Greater Chennai Corporation, through the Chennai Smart Cities Limited has a goal of restoring  210 lakes, working with NGOs and other civic organisations who are also working on lake restoration independently. Much of these restoration efforts are volunteer-driven and typically involve clean ups, erecting fences and creating spaces for birds. Some restoration efforts also involve removal of encroachments, desilting, and reviving connecting channels.  As of June 2021, around 180 water bodies under…

Translated by Sandhya Raju சைக்கிள் ஓட்டும் பழக்கம் சமீப காலமாக அதிகரித்துள்ளது. கொரோனா தொற்று காலத்தில் மேலும் பலரை ஊக்கப்படுத்தியுள்ளது. சைக்கிள் ஓட்டுனர்களுக்கு பாதுகாப்பை உறுதிப்படுத்த, பிரத்யேக சைக்கிள் ஓட்டும் பாதைகள் நகரின் சில பகுதிகளில் சோதனை முறையில் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளன. இது எதிர்காலத்திற்கு உதவும் என்றாலும், சைக்கிள் ஓட்டுதலை பரவலாக ஊக்கப்படுத்த மேலும் பல நடவடிக்கைகள் தேவை. ECR-இல் சைக்கிள் பாதை மகிச்சியான தெருக்களுக்கான பரிந்துரை - தெருக்களில் தேவயற்ற நடவடிக்களுகு தடை - சைக்கிள் ஓட்டுனர்களிடமிருந்து பெறப்பட்ட இந்த கோரிக்கைகள் வெற்றிக்கரமாக பெசன்ட் நகரில் அமல்படுத்தப்பட்டது. ECR-இல் சைக்கிள் பாதை அமைக்க இது உந்துதலாக அமைந்ததா என தெரியவில்லை, ஆனால் காவல்துறையிடமிருந்து இதற்காக அழைப்பு வந்த்து. இந்த சிந்தனையை முன்னெடுத்து, சென்னையில் சைக்கிள் ஓட்டுதலை ஆணையர் சங்கர் ஊக்கப்படுத்துகிறார். சைக்கிள் ரோந்து படை மூலம் மேலும் இதை ஊக்கப்படுத்த திட்டமிட்டுள்ளார். காவல்துறை மற்றும் பொதுமக்களை சைக்கிள் ஓட்ட மேலும்…

Urban local body poll preparations underway Preparations are underway for the urban local body polls that are set to take place on February 19th. Counting for the same will happen on February 22nd. The Greater Chennai Corporation is working with the Chennai Police to identify sensitive polling booths and beef up security. A total of 1243 sensitive polling booths across 200 wards has been identified. Proceedings from these booths will be live streamed on the day of the elections. Additional monitoring will be carried out by banking staff roped in for this purpose. A total of 18000 police personnel will…

It would be an understatement to say that humans are dependent on their electronic gadgets or devices. In this day and age of work from home and e-learning, where the pandemic has ensured that individuals and families spend most of their time within the four walls of their homes, it is safe to say that we’re all hooked on to some or the other electronic appliance, one way or the other. However, the question remains as to what happens to these electronic or electrical devices once their shelf lives are over? That is, when they have been reduced to 'e-waste'?…

Last year, Chennai experienced intense rains and flooding yet again, bringing the city to a standstill for days. Excess flooding in the city has been associated with poor planning and urban development projects over the years. Rapid urbanisation in erstwhile agricultural lands and wetlands, and increased concretisation have altered the natural flow of rainwater. This is what has often led to debilitating floods.  Existing infrastructure to manage flooding has been criticised by city dwellers and environmentalists for incomplete construction, lack of topographic study before implementation, and lack of linking drains to natural channels.  A growing concern is the fact that…

After over a decade, elections to the council of the Greater Chennai Corporation have been announced. As the city authorities waited for the dates to be announced, work to resurface the pothole-ridden roads of Chennai was taken up in different parts of the city. This starts with milling, a process in which a portion of the surface on the top of the road is removed with the help of a milling machine before it is resurfaced in accordance with the guidelines specified by the High Court of Madras. Given our bad experience in the past, members of the local residents’…