City: Chennai

On January 6th, the state of Tamil Nadu recorded a total of 6,983 new positive cases of COVID-19. Out of these, 3,759 cases, which is around 54%, were recorded in the state capital of Chennai, which has been contributing to the most number of COVID cases in the state, followed by the districts of Chengalpattu and Coimbatore. Expectedly, people are now questioning whether we are now in the middle of the third COVID wave that the city had been fearing. Just about a month ago, on December 6 2021, Chennai recorded just 128 new positive cases, with the total number of…

I remember being on the school bus, on the way to school and looking out the window on the final stretch to see a large and empty ground. I did not concern myself with its origin, assuming that it was a wasteland. Then, one day, I noticed some activity taking place on this wasteland. I could not make out what was happening. Till one day, a great change took place: the land was suddenly blue with water! This ‘great change’ did not take place in a day, of course; the project that transformed the land and restored the original water…

The last days of 2021 saw the city’s famed Marina Beach become accessible for all for a short period of time with a temporary pathway. Promises have been made to make such public spaces more inclusive in 2022. Here is a look at how the past year has been for the disability rights movement and what we would like to see for the city going forward. The effect of the pandemic The pandemic really brought to fore some of the things that disabled people have been requesting as reasonable accommodations, such as work from home and teleconferencing. If a person…

COVID-19 cases on the uptick in Chennai COVID cases in the city doubled  between the 29th and 30th of December. Chennai saw 397 new cases on the 30th. The Union government has urged the State government to amp up the number of daily tests and ensure strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.  Clusters of cases have emerged across the city, with two active clusters - at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and on Ashok Nagar 19th Street. Containment measures have been initiated with the street cordoned off after many positive tests. The civic body has set up three COVID care…

As 2021 drew to a close, Chennai appeared to be reliving the dominant highlights of the year that just passed us by – rains and COVID-19 (in its new manifestation through the Omicron variant). Just as Chennai was recovering from the extreme rainfall that lashed the city in November, the city was taken by surprise as another very heavy spell of rain on December 30th brought it to a standstill. On the other hand, the city is also witnessing a rise in COVID cases yet again, with 397 cases being reported on December 30th alone. The Government of Tamil Nadu…

The whirlwind that was 2021 has left us with many takeaways for how Chennai can be governed better and why citizens must play an active role in it. The city received record rainfall and an almost unwelcome deja vu of the 2015 floods. It goes into the new year without an elected local government, the sixth year in running. With  the promise of local body elections around the corner and some exciting developments in terms of urban projects, we step into 2022.  On the pandemic and Singara Chennai 2.0 Chennai, like the rest of the country, was badly hit by…

Translated by Sandhya Raju அக்டோபர் 2017 ஆம் ஆண்டு, 22 வயதான நரேன் பரத்வாஜ் கேளம்பாக்கத்தில் உள்ள இந்துஸ்தான் கல்லூரி அருகே இரவு 8 மணியளவில் நடந்து சென்று கொண்டிருந்தபோது, ​​பைக்கில் வந்த இருவர் அவரது போனை பறித்துச் சென்றனர். கொள்ளையடிக்கும் முன்பே அந்த இடத்தில், காவல்துறை இருந்து, அவர்களை பிடிப்பதை கற்பனை செய்து பாருங்கள். இது ஒன்றும் திரைக்கதை அமைப்பு அல்ல, உண்மையிலேயே இது சாத்தியப்படக்கூடும் என சமீபத்தில் வெளிவந்த கிரிமினாலஜி ஆய்வு தெரிவிக்கிறது. சென்னையில் நடக்கும் குற்றங்கள் மற்றும் வழிப்பறி சம்பவங்கள் குறித்து ஆய்வு செய்து வரும் ஆய்வாளர்கள், அடுத்த குற்றத்தின் இடத்தை கணிக்க முடிந்தால், குற்றவாளிகளை அந்த இடத்திலேயே கைது செய்ய முடியும் என கூறுகின்றனர் - அதிர்ஷ்டத்தாலோ ஜோதிட கணிப்பாலோ அல்ல, குற்ற செயல் வடிவமைப்பு வைத்து இது சாத்தியம். மே 2021 இல், சென்னையில் நடந்த குற்றவியல் முறைகளை ஆராய்ந்த பின்னர், ‘சென்னை…

While it feels like everything in the past two years has been overshadowed by the spectre of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a city we need to look at our shortcomings and resolve to pull up our socks in the new year. So here’s CAG’s wishlist for Chennai for 2022. Managing the city’s water and water bodies Many moons ago, Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) was made mandatory and for a while it was implemented well. Chennai reaped the rewards of this effort. Since then though, we have let it slide and are again facing grave water shortage. Widespread and proper implementation of…

Fresh cases of Omicron in Chennai Chennai’s tally of persons infected with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus has shot up in the past week. The city has currently identified 26 persons infected by the Omicron variant as of December 23rd. The number of fresh cases of the omicron variant across the state rose to 34 as 33 persons tested positive for the virus on a single day. All those who have been infected are under strict quarantine. Their condition has been deemed to be stable. All international arrivals continue to be tested in the airport upon their entry. The…

Very often the mention of residents' associations, or RWAs, conjures up images of members of an apartment community and a rigidly structured set-up involving various office bearers. But the R K Nagar Residents’ Association (R K Nagarra), comprised of representative groups from 12 streets, is experimenting with an ever-evolving model, engaging residents from individual houses and apartment complexes in the area. Formation of R K Nagar Residents’ Association  In the evolution of RK Nagar Residents' Association so far, we have covered almost 12 streets. The idea was also to create a healthy competition between the streets as they engaged in…