Greater Chennai Corporation

"If I had been made a Ward Committee member, I would have pushed for relocation of the wine shop near my lane so that women can walk around safely after sunset," says Mallika, a daily wage worker from Nesapakkam, Ward 137 of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Unfortunately, she was unaware of when the councillor of her ward chose the Area Sabha Representatives or who the Ward Committee Member of her area was. "The councillor came during the local body election time. I do not recollect seeing him coming after that," she says. While it has been touted as a platform…

"Local ward councillors are the bridge between the public and the Corporation. They are responsible for the most basic amenities for a citizen to lead a comfortable life," says M. Mahesh Kumar, the Deputy Mayor of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). Chennai did not have an elected council for six years until the local body elections were held in 2022. "Previously, the officials looked after local governance. There would not have been a chance for the people and the officials to have approached each other about civic matters regularly. But, today, we have ward councillors chosen by the people. They…

Access to sanitation is a human right, according to the United Nations. But when we conducted a spot-check of some public toilets in Chennai, not all of them were accessible, safe and usable. While the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has made sure that the public toilets are free to use, many people do not yet have complete physical access to toilets or a safe and clean set-up to use with dignity. For instance, 128 families of around 400 people in Kannappar Thidal use the community toilet with four usable cubicles for women and six for men. Read more: Kannappar Thidal: Where residents continue their 20-year…

In an interview with a traffic policewoman in Chennai, we asked her how she manages trips to the washroom when on traffic duty. She said that used the toilets in hospitals or educational institutions near the junction she was posted at, but did not mention public toilets. The Greater Chennai Corporation has toilets in 943 locations with 7590 toilets, all free to use. There is a common notion among many that these toilets are not clean and fit for use. We visited a few of Greater Chennai Corporation's public and community toilets across Chennai in the last week of December…

Picture Mount Road on a Sunday morning over 150 years ago. There is a flurry of activity as horse-drawn carriages take the British to and from Fort St. George across the city. Some of the structures that dotted their paths then still stand in Chennai. Unfortunately, many historic buildings and landmarks in the city suffer from neglect and lack of maintenance. Low levels of interest and awareness among the general public about these structures also lead to little to no demands for action to protect them. But the increasing number of heritage walks that showcase the city's long and storied…

It is a balmy Wednesday morning. Having arranged the chairs in rows and set the required vaccines ready on a wooden table, Selvi G, the Urban Health Nurse (UHN) of Valasaravakkam Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Chennai, awaits mothers scheduled to come in for the immunisation of their children. As the first of them arrive, Selvi gives them a heads-up that it is only normal for the child to cry after the injection and there is nothing to panic about. She tells them not to rub the injected area and to administer the medicine which will be given to…

Recent discourse at the national level on stray dogs and the issues faced by residents has brought the spotlight on Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes in cities. ABC is an effective way to keep the population of stray dogs in check while also ensuring that harmful diseases like rabies are kept at bay. ABC procedures also help dogs to lead a longer and healthier life and reduce human-animal conflicts.  The ABC centres in Chennai are operated with the aim to regulate the street dog population by sterilising and vaccinating them. Rules that govern ABC Before we dive into how ABC centres work…

In his office inside a park in Ward 176, Councillor V Anandam sits with the residents and Assistant Engineer and makes plans on how he can be more accessible to people. "Let us put up your face and phone number on a flex board in different areas so that more people can reach out to you," suggests a resident. "Yes, that is a good idea," he says. "After the rains, all the 400 plus streets in our ward will have a board with my phone number for them to reach me easily. This will invite the people of Ward 176…

Learning outcomes in government schools have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. There has also been a record number of enrollments in government schools in the city due to the economic impact of COVID-19. To improve the prospects of students in government schools in Chennai, fluency in English has also been made a key focus, with English classes being piloted across government schools. A tailor-made programme for government school students to gain proficiency in the English language has also been launched by Citizens for Law and Democracy (CLAD). We currently operate in three schools in Chennai, reaching out to nearly…

It is difficult to imagine a couple of constantly-overflowing garbage bins standing near a transformer being a part of so much history. But the ones you see at the tri-junction in Thiruvanmiyus where Malaviya Avenue Third Street bifurcates into the left and right of Sivakamipuram First Street in Thiruvanmiyur dominate the conversation in these parts.  For nearly a decade, efforts have been made by tenacious residents to transform the area by moving street furniture and getting the necessary infrastructure in place to prevent flooding. During this time, there have been recurring issues with waste management in the streets. If only…