ELECTIONS

It has been a little over two years since the urban local body in Bengaluru had an elected body of representatives. While cases pending in Supreme Court have been cited as a reason for the delaying the BBMP elections, the absence of elected corporators at the local level has meant that MLAs have been calling the shots even for local level initiatives. Reports have tracked how the role of ward committees is being chipped away leading to lack of accountability and eventually translating to citizens losing whatever little say they had in matters pertaining to urban service delivery and civic…

Municipal councillors in Mumbai are elected officials for a city’s municipal corporation. They play a critical role in the development and functioning of the city as the primary facilitator between citizens and the state government.   What does a councillor do within their constituency? Councillors in Mumbai execute various developmental procedures in their constituency through the Rs 1.5 crore per annum of local area development fund granted to their local ward by the Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC). A further Rs 60 lakhs of discretionary funds are allocated to every councillor to be spent on their constituency for work they deem as…

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.…

Chennai is all set to have local body polls for the first time since 2011. The city will elect 200 councillors who will then choose from amongst them a Mayoral candidate for indirect election. In what is a first for the city, the post of Mayor has been reserved for a woman candidate from the Scheduled Castes. The city also sees a 50% reservation of wards for women candidates, meaning half the elected councillors will be women. With the election all set to take place on the 19th, here is all you need to know to cast your vote in…

As Chennai gets set for local body polls for the first time since 2011, many issues faced by the city and how an elected council might offer long-awaited solutions for the same, warranted a discussion. On February 14 2022, Citizen Matters and Janaagraha Center for Citizenship and Democracy brought together a diverse panel of candidates in the fray in this election and prominent voices from civil society organisation to delve into the complexities of local governance and how Chennaiites can hold the elected representatives accountable. The panel was comprised of activist David Manohar of the corruption watchdog Arappor Iyakkam, Charu…