Civic

Translated by Sandhya Raju மரத்திலான சமையல் உபகரணங்கள், பேப்பர் மற்றும் துணியிலான பைகள், ஸ்டீல் பாத்திரங்கள் ஆகியவை பிளாஸ்டிக்கு மாற்றாக வலம் வரத் தொடங்கிவிட்டன. வணிகர்கள், உணவு விடுதிகள், மக்கள் என சென்னையில் எந்த மூலையில் பார்த்தாலும் அனைத்து தரப்பினரும் படிப்படியாக சுற்றுச்சூழலுக்கு உகந்த பொருட்களுக்கு மாறத் தொடங்கிவிட்டனர். வணிகர்களை பொருத்த வரை, மாற்றத்தை ஏற்றுக் கொள்ள பல்வேறு கலவையான ஒரு வித குழப்பமான சூழலே நிலவுகிறது. அடையாறு ஆனந்த பவன், ஃபசோஸ், ப்லாக் பாக்ஸ் போன்ற பிரபலமான நிறுவனங்கள் இந்த தடையை ஏற்று உடனடியாக துணி, காகித பை, அட்டை டப்பா, மர கரண்டி என மாறினாலும் சில நிறுவனங்கள் மாற்றத்திற்கு இன்னும் முழுதாக தயாராகவில்லை என்பது தான் நிதர்சனம். மாற்றம் இந்த தடை சிறு மற்றும் நடுத்தர நிறுவனங்களில் பணி புரிபவர்களுக்கு ஆபத்தாக முடியவில்லை. ஆனால் உற்பத்தி நிறுவனங்கள் அதிலும் காகித உற்பத்தி நிறுவனங்கள் நிறையவே வரத்…

The third part of this series on Steel flyover took us to the office of Naresh Narasimhan who was one of the principal architects of the Steel Flyover Beda movement which saw people from the city form a human chain from Chalukya Circle to Mehkri Circle on October 16 in 2016. A noted architect from the city, Narasimhan was quick to point out to me as we set up the camera: “I am not against flyovers, but against long ones which exceed a kilometre.” As the camera rolled, he got down to the nuts and bolts of this argument. “We…

Our first conversation with Vijayan Menon from Citizen Action Forum about the proposed steel flyover had raised a very valid point about the context of the project. Why was it only about getting to the airport? What about the people who live in the vicinity of the major choke points - Hebbal, Mekhri Circle etc? What did they want? So we sat down with the President of Hebbal Sarovar Layout Resident Welfare Association, Vijay Kumar Saya to find out about the local sentiment. A resident of North Bengaluru, the elderly man has lived and worked in the area for the…

Badminton seems to be attracting a fair bit of attention in Chennai these days. While the Chennai Smashers have gained popularity in the Premier Badminton League, players like S Sankar Muthusamy are putting Tamil Nadu's name upfront in the world badminton arena. Last October, Sankar Muthusamy became the first player from Tamil Nadu to bag a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Junior Championship, in the Boys Singles U-15 category. “He is also the first player from the state to have won the national singles. Sankar's achievements have been an inspiration for many to pursue the sport. More people have…

Ever since the smart city project commenced in T Nagar, the area has been in the limelight. Organisations such as The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) have been working closely with Chennai Corporation and Chennai Smart City Limited, to understand the challenges  particular to the locality, and propose sustainable mobility interventions. In an interview with Citizen Matters Chennai, Aswathy Dilip, Senior Programme Manager at ITDP India talks about the Smart City projects and how they have the potential to propel T Nagar on to the league of international cities and neighbourhoods. Ashwathy leads the Complete Streets strategy, policy and project…

Delhi civic bodies fined for pollution The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has fined three of Delhi's civic bodies Rs 1 Crore each for failure to comply with norms pertaining to pollution, including the inaction on burning of waste in the open, dumping of garbage and functioning of illegal plastic industries in residential areas. The East, South and North Delhi Municipal Corporations have come under fire for the increased pollution. The CPCB imposed a fine of Rs 1 Crore each as compensation for damage caused to the environment. The civic bodies are expected to pay the fine before January 31st.…

Aavin plans buy back of milk sachets With the single use plastic ban being implemented widely and in earnest, several establishments have already moved to eco-friendly alternatives. Though milk was exempted from the ban list, Aavin has taken proactive initiatives, among which is a plan to buy back the used milk covers through its offices. Aavin distributes close to 40 lakh milk packets in the city. Among other initiatives, Aavin switched over to stainless steel tumblers and ceramic cups to serve hot milk at its parlours. It will also replace the plastic straws that come with its flavoured milk cartons with…

In 2016, the Government of Karnataka cancelled the proposed Steel Flyover starting from Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal. The project was touted as a measure to ease traffic to the International Airport. However following citizen protests and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order, the government shelved those plans. Come 2019, the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, G Parameshwara reopened the debate, when he said the government was reconsidering the project. The steel flyover project brought forward the citizen activism in the city which many credit for the scrapping of the project by the government. While a large part of the public…

Every year, the Chennai Book Fair comes to town right on the heels of the Chennai Music Season, but clearly the Book Fair has a much larger appeal. This year, in its 42nd year, it has returned to the sprawling grounds of YMCA Nandanam. The newspapers reported that earlier this week, the Book Fair saw a record 8 lakh visitors on a single day! Over the course of 17 days, the fair expects over 2 million visitors. The organisers, Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI) have gone to great lengths to ensure that visitors have a good time.…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities A Arumugam lives on Raman Street in Manali. For years, he has not only been fighting respiratory and skin problems himself, but also seen his neighbours do the same. “The entire street has at least one person from each house who is sick at any given point of time,” says Arumugam. Lives in this North Chennai neighbourhood are lived in the shadows of the petrochemical and fertilizer industries in the area, with pollution from these industries causing several health issues for the residents. In and around the industrial units…