Civic

A worn out broom, an aluminium basket and a pair of gloves form the work kit of C Thenmozhi (name changed), a sanitation worker on Pantheon Road, Egmore. The state of her equipment speaks volumes about her challenges, as she toils on the littered, congested roads of Chennai. On this particular Wednesday night (Nov 28th), the swooshing of her broom is particularly dull and slow, and lacks its usual enthusiasm. “I don’t know if I will even have this job next month,” says Thenmozhi, one of the 8,246 contract sanitation workers in Chennai, assigned the task of keeping the city roads…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities A layer of dust covers every conceivable surface in houses in Samy Nagar in Tirusulam. The vehicles parked on the road have a thin film of grey over them. The drums used to store water have to be shut with heavy lids to prevent the dust from coming in. The curtains in the houses are always drawn tight, so as not to leave any room for passage of dust. But that blocks out the light too. The residents, particularly the women, are constantly dusting and cleaning their…

421 families displaced from Chintadripet Around 421 families living in Navalar Nedunchezhian Nagar along the Cooum river in Chintadripet were evacuated with the help of the police. The evacuation drive that is likely to continue till the end of this week is part of the Cooum river eco-restoration project. Residents of the settlement are worried about their children's education with just a few weeks left for the half yearly examination. Meanwhile, a resident of the area has moved the Madras High Court to restrain authorities from evacuation without providing alternative accommodation. Over 7,500 families living along the river have been…

Farmers march to Parliament with demands Around 35,000 farmers from all parts of the nation undertook a two-day march, the Kisan Mukti March, in the capital to highlight agrarian distress in the country and reiterate their demands. The farmers came from all parts of the country and united in protest against the inaction of the government in response to difficulties faced by them. Around 200 farmers unions and cooperatives participated in the march. The farmers camped overnight at Ram Lila Maidan before marching towards Parliament street. They were stopped by the Delhi Police a short distance from the Parliament. This…

This article is part of a special series: Air Quality in our Cities Chennai’s air pollution scene has progressed from moderate to poor, but despite the alarming data from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and private agencies, the focus on dust pollution, that has a strong connection with poor air quality, takes a back seat in the city.  According to a study conducted by Urban Emissions, dust contributes to 23% of the PM2.5 levels (particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometres or less) in Chennai. The study was conducted to represent the mix of pollutants in Chennai’s air, using…

Let us make it quite clear at the outset – we are delighted that the city has a metro rail service in operation, albeit a mere fraction of what ought to have been running by now. Those who use the facility profess to be quite happy with it – it saves time, the stations are clean and Chennai Metro Rail Limited has also organised some kind of last-mile connectivity by pressing into service local auto-rickshaws and taxicabs. But what is of worry, apart from the high fares, is the shoddy workmanship of the stations and the numerous technical glitches that…

It is called ‘Srinagar’s jewel’ or ‘jewel in the crown of Kashmir’ -- the Dal Lake, immortalised by literature as much as by countless popular movies and tourist chronicles. Sadly, today it has become a victim of political, social and economic neglect. Over the last thirty years, the lake has been deteriorating at a rapid rate. According to a reply submitted by the state government to the J&K High Court on September 18,  Rs 759 crores of rupees have been spent on the lake since the year 2002, but the plight of the lake continues to become poorer by the…

Rain brings relief, but not enough to combat water crisis The intermittent showers in the city since early this week, brought on by low pressure over the Bay of Bengal, came as relief for the water-starved city, but wasn't enough to tide over the situation. The overnight rains around the city reservoirs brought only minimal water flow into the reservoirs, which will meet only four days of supply to the city. Officials of the Water Resources Department said the combined storage of the reservoirs stood at 1,697 million cubic feet (mcft) against the capacity of 11,257 mcft on Thursday (November 22nd)…

Kolkata beats Delhi in pollution The past week saw Kolkata pip Delhi in air pollution with its Air Quality Index (AQI) readings on November 17 at a staggering 330 compared to Delhi’s 283. The monitor at Rabindra Bharati University (RBU) consistently clocked readings over 300. The increasing usage of diesel-powered vehicles is a reason for the high levels of pollution with close to 99% of commercial vehicles using diesel. This is bucking the national trend where diesel vehicles are on the decline. PM 2.5 is the most prominent pollutant in Kolkata according to a recent study by the Centre for…

In April 2017, two RTI activists sought to know building rules from the Pallavaram Municipality, after a Reliance Fresh outlet was opened in the ground floor of an apartment complex. Stating that the outlet is an illegality, the Public Information Officer (PIO) said the building rules imply the ground floor be dedicated for parking.  Soon after receiving this complaint, the activists started to receive threatening calls, naturally causing them to place suspicion on the PIO. At this point, they lodged a complaint with the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (TNSIC), the independent body that is mandated to conduct an inquiry…