Greater Chennai Corporation

Mosquito breeding sites identified by GCC The Greater Chennai Corporation has located sites where there is extensive mosquito breeding in the city. The civic body has tagged 1500 such sites across the city. The sites include commercial buildings and spots that are under construction. The exercise has been underway since August. Thiruvottiyur zone has the highest number of mosquito breeding sites, followed by Manali.  Mosquito breeding and the onset of monsoon have caused a spike in Dengue cases in the city with the current tally for the year at 493. The civic body has undertaken several mosquito control measures in…

Every time the rainy season brings its share of thundershowers and gusty winds, Roshni Pillai, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur is wary of taking her three-year-old out of the house. Last year, the little girl caught a respiratory infection during the monsoons, which took a while to resolve. "Children are vulnerable to seasonal infections, especially during the monsoons and we are being careful so that the severe cough and runny nose do not come back," says Roshni. With the onset of the rainy season, diseases tend to surge, creating health concerns for residents. Meanwhile, Chennai's public health system is also gearing…

GCC to work with NGOs for stray dog census The Greater Chennai Corporation is planning to work with various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to carry out the census of stray dogs in Chennai. The census will be part of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme that will ensure that all strays in the city are sterilised. A comprehensive policy for the census, vaccination and sterilisation of strays will also be evolved by the civic body.  The meeting of the civic body officials also flagged the issue of the city having only two NGOs which have been authorised to carry out sterilisations.…

Kasimedu fishing harbour to be modernised Funds worth Rs 98 crore have been sanctioned by the union government for the modernisation of the Kasimedu fishing harbour. The total cost of the modernisation project is Rs 127 crore. The remaining funds will be contributed by the Fishing Harbour Management Committee (FHMG). The project is expected to be carried out in six phases, with the deadline in 2025. Work on the first phase will begin shortly. Plans for the upgrade include the construction of a fish handling complex, boar repair facility, cold storage facility, improved drinking water facilities and proper waste management. …

New biogas plants to be operational next year Chennai will get more biogas plants across various zones by February 2024. The plants will be established at the direction of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Currently, there are two biogas plants operational at Chetpet and Madhavaram. These plants generate 6 tonnes of biogas per day through the processing of waste. New biogas plants are expected to come up in Manali, Shollinganallur and Koyambedu. These plants will have a processing capacity of 500, 200 and 200 tonnes of waste respectively. Around 30% of the city’s waste is expected to be processed by all…

Srivatsan Shankar, a photographer based in Chennai, was diagnosed with hearing loss at the age of six. Shankar faces many challenges in navigating daily life in Chennai, right from understanding announcements at railway stations to the use of opaque structures rather than glass in many spaces which impedes his ability to lip-read or receive visual cues. At “Design for All," an event that highlighted the imperative of creating a more inclusive and accessible Chennai, many such personal experiences and anecdotes came to the fore. The participants, who were architects and advocates within the Chennai community of people with disabilities, expressed…

Chennai has long grappled with the daunting challenges of managing its waste effectively. Over the years, the city has experienced substantial population growth, rapid urban development, and increased industrialisation. These factors have culminated in a significant upsurge in the volume of waste generated on a daily basis. In response to these mounting challenges, Chennai initiated a transformative shift to confront challenges in its approaches to waste collection, sorting, and management. The introduction of a decentralised waste management system and the subsequent changes to the waste landscape in the city bear taking a closer look. Decentralised waste management system in Chennai…

Stale meat found in Chennai eateries In a crackdown by the officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) around 400 kgs of meat was confiscated from restaurants and eateries. The inspection was carried out in and around the Koyambedu area on push-carts and eateries. Officials found a range of violations such as improper storage of food, stale food, and rotten meat such as mutton, chicken, beef, pork and fish being used to make food. The inspection follow on the heels of multiple reports of illness for patrons due to the poor quality of food being served…

The current administration has undertaken several infrastructure development activities across Chennai over the last few years. Roads have been resurfaced and stormwater drains (SWDs) have been constructed during this time. The members of the Perambur Neighborhood Development Forum have been engaging closely with the local authorities and contractors to monitor the quality of the civic work carried out in Chennai and ensure that they are up to prescribed standards. Our observations in this time have been that the civic body and the contractors have failed to properly adhere to processes when it comes to several works including the laying of roads.…

Elevated corridor to come up on Mount Road The State Highways department has invited bids for the construction of an elevated corridor above the metro tunnel on Mount Road. The elevated corridor will be 3.2 km long and have four lanes and the width of the flyover will be 34m. Footpaths measuring 2m will be present on both sides.  The flyover will allow vehicles to drive up to a speed of 80 km/ph and cut travel time between Teynampet and Saidapet to under 10 minutes. The budget for the project is Rs 525 crore.  The project will commence after clearance…