Civic

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…

National Clean Air Program covering 102 cities launched The union government has launched a comprehensive programme to tackle the growing menace of air pollution in Indian cities through the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). The programme will cover 102 cities in total, with the aim to reduce the concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 levels by 20 to 30 percent by the year 2024. The overlay for the first two years is Rs 300 crore. The NCAP will cover cities that have shown air quality that is consistently poorer than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The programme will be brought…

Campaign for a smokeless Bhogi The celebration of the harvest festival brings with it a spike in air pollution across the city. The air quality index (AQI)  data from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board confirms the rise in particulate matter during this period. The Chennai Corporation has begun an awareness campaigns for a smokeless Bhogi. The campaign conducted by the TNPCB  and health department officials is aimed at sensitising residents, RWAs, students, etc on the hazards of burning certain items like rubber and plastics. The Environment department of the TN Government is also lending its weight to the campaign. The…