Civic

Elliot’s Beach in Besant Nagar, fondly called Bessie, is known for its scenic beauty and bustling food stalls. The beach is also at the centre of a debate over environmental preservation and commercial activities.  As the number of visitors to the popular beach has increased over the years so have the restaurants, food trucks, and pushcart vendors along the promenade. The same is true for the food stalls within the beach area. This, combined with the lack of civic sense among beachgoers — particularly weekend visitors — has resulted in extensive littering of the beach premises. Read more: Construction debris…

Coming from a family of politicians, it was a natural decision for JK Manikandan, the councillor of Ward 186 in Chennai, to choose a career in politics. His father PA Jayachandran has been in the public domain for almost four decades and this paved the way for Manikandan's political journey. In 2006, when Ullagaram was a municipality, his father won as the President, while Manikandan became the Vice President. Back then, he was part of the AIADMK. After the death of the then AIADMK supremo, J Jayalalithaa, Manikandan joined DMK. He was given a ticket to contest in the urban…

Heavy rains devastate hilly towns in Wayanad, HP More than 300 have been killed in the toll due to landslides in the hilly towns of Wayanad, Kerala. The rescue operations have entered the fourth day on August 2, with about 40 rescue teams combing the area, despite the heavy rains and challenging terrain. They include army personnel, Defence Security Corps (DSC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Forest and Fire and Rescue Service, swmming experts and volunteers, who are picking their way through the debris with rescue equipment, including earth movers, radar-based drones and sniffer dogs. Climate change and unscientific construction…

“Thubarahalli Extension Road consists of various apartment complexes and residential units with a total population of approximately 2,000+ residents currently. The number of residents is going to go up beyond 3,000 with newer housing projects coming up very soon. We are hereby communicating to provide you (with) a comprehensive representation of the various issues faced by our area residents, as well as suggestions for improvements that will help to enhance our living conditions and overall quality of life.” Thus begins an open letter, dated February 15, 2024, addressed to The Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister. It is…

KP பார்க்கில் உள்ள 13 மாடி குடியிருப்பின் எட்டாவது மாடியில்  தனது வீட்டிலிருந்து வெளியே செல்ல புறப்பட்டார் ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). எப்போதும் போல மின் தூக்கியில் ஏறியவரை, உயிர் இல்லாத சடலமாகத்தான் மீட்கமுடிந்தது. ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). Pic: Sakthi Vel N ஆறாவது மற்றும் ஏழாவது மாடியினிடையில் மின்தூக்கி செயலிழந்துவிட்ட நிலையில், அவரை வெளியேற்ற முயற்சி செய்து கொண்டிருந்தபோது, கால் தவறி ஏழாவது மாடியில் இருந்து கீழே விழுந்து உயிரிழந்தார் கணேசன். இம்மரணம் சம்பவித்து ஒரு மாதமான நிலையில், அங்கிருந்து 3 கிமீ தொலைவில் அமைந்திருக்கும் TT பிளாக் குடியிருப்புவாசிகளுக்கு மிகுந்த அச்சத்தை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. “போன மாசம் KP பார்க் ல நடந்த சம்பவம் எங்களுக்கும் நடக்கணுமா? 13 மாடி கட்டடம் எங்களுக்கு எதுக்கு?” என்று கேட்கிறார்கள் அம்மக்கள். Read more: Chennai’s decades-long policy failure to address housing issues of the…

A drive on some of the roads in Ward 188 can be quite challenging, as many of them are in a state of disrepair or in various stages of construction. One of the reasons for the bad condition of roads here are the many development projects being executed simultaneously in major localities such as Madipakkam and Ram Nagar. These include work on stormwater drains, underground sewage lines and Metro Water connections. These projects are being put in place to mitigate flooding, a major concern in this part of the city, and to upgrade the area. Once a small village panchayat,…

Budget highlights urban development Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2024-2025, presented on July 23rd, highlighted urban development among nine priorities. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 central assistance of Rs 2.2 lakh crore over five years aimed to build one crore additional houses, she said. She also agreed to give an interest subsidy to loans at affordable rates, enable policies and regulations for efficient and transparent rental housing markets with enhanced availability. The PMAY-U will come to an end on December 31st, for which a provision of Rs. 30,170.61 crore has been made. She said the government would work with…

A day before the 19th anniversary of the 26th July deluge, Mumbai recorded the second wettest July ever. Needless to say, the city also witnessed multiple incidents of waterlogging, flooding and disruption in train services and traffic snarls. Some of the explanations for the floods included record heavy rains, climate change, inadequate desilting of drains. There were protests on the ground and outrage on social media.   Incidentally, floods — its causes and solutions in Mumbai — have been studied since 2005, when the biggest and most damaging flood struck Mumbai and claimed 1094 lives after the city witnessed 944.2 mm…

For years, long-time residents of Chennai, who bought plots in a suburban township in Tharapakkam, had to endure many hardships before they could rightfully claim their land. However, they did not give up. And now, there is a glimmer of hope as the persistence of the landowners has borne fruit. The local panchayat has also agreed to extend support, so that they can build their dream homes. In 2006, EVP Housing Pvt Ltd released colour advertisements in newspapers and distributed flyers offering plots for sale in Tharapakkam. These plots would form a township known as the EVP Township, situated five…

South India's first double-deck flyover in Bengaluru South India's first double-decker flyover was inaugurated on July 17th in Bengaluru and is open for vehicular traffic. The 5.12 km signal-free flyover, built at a cost of Rs 449 crore, is located over the Central Silk Board junction that intersects the Outer Ring Road and Hosur Road, one of the busiest junctions battling traffic snarls. The double-deck consists of a Metro line on the upper deck while the lower deck is for vehicular traffic. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said it is a “historic” moment and the government might further build…