Civic

Tamil Nadu will be banning single use plastic and other biodegradables from January 2019. Not wishing to impose restrictions on unprepared citizens, the state government has given itself and its people a good six months before the ban kicks in and plans to conduct back-to-back campaigns over this period. From sensitising shopkeepers and consumers about switching to biodegradable bags to campaigning against plastic in schools, the civic body is leaving no stone unturned to ensure successful implementation.   But, how are the people of the city reacting to the prospect of doing away with single-use plastic altogether? Responses have been mixed…

16 traders lose licences for using disposable plastic At a council meeting held in July, BBMP had declared an ultimatum to traders who do not stop using disposable plastic material (cups, plates and spoons). Mayor Sampath Raj had chalked out a week's deadline for the shopkeepers to permanently shift to using eco-friendly materials instead, failing which the licences of establishments would be cancelled. True to their word, the corporation's health department cancelled 16 trading licences of shops in Avenue Road, Bommanahalli and Neelasandra. One and a half tonnes of plastic was recovered through the raids conducted over two days, along with…

Chennai is expanding at a dizzying pace. The number of residential units being built in the city is escalating every year, and so is the demand for water. The fact that more than 1800 new applications reach the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB)'s head office every month, points to the magnitude of the demand. However, a majority of the applicants, and indeed most citizens, are often confused or oblivious of the procedure to be followed and the documents to be furnished for a quick resolution of their application. As a result, most of them end up making…

How can cities as drivers and victims of climate change cope with its risks and become custodians of a livable environment? Chennai, having already been directly affected by the effects of climate change, especially needs to find answers to this question. EYES ON THE CANAL, an initiative focused on reimagining one of Chennai´s most important spatial and functional elements, the Buckingham Canal, has now floated an open call for ideas to raise awareness on the issue of climate change in urban areas and especially to propose visionary, but also feasible, solutions to improve the current situation alongside the canal.  How…

The Swacch Bharat ranking released last month has seen Chennai climb to rank 100, up from a lowly 235 the previous year. While there is some reason for cheer there, realities on the ground with regard to sanitation facilities in the city are far from promising. Chennai's lack of public toilets has been an issue that has plagued the city for many years.  With a burgeoning population, the facilities in existing toilets have also been found to be wanting. Couched in this larger issue is the oft neglected problem of absence of adequate public toilets for women in the city…

With truckers nationwide strike, veggie prices likely to shoot up Truck operators across the nation called for an indefinite strike against rising fuel cost, and calling for rationalising road toll plazas. Though the strike might not impact the supply of essential items like milk, water and medicine it is likely to affect the prices of vegetables. In Tamil Nadu it is estimated that around 4.5 lakh lorries would be off the road. Source: New Indian Express Key bus terminuses likely to be put to commercial use The MTC that has been financially strained with steady loss of commuters is likely…

In our deeply undemocratic traffic system, we need to call out how strong the automobile lobby is, how suppressed pedestrians are and how small is the resistance from pedestrians and public transport uses. Consider this: peaceful, democratic protesters are not allowed by a force-wielding police to come anywhere near Mantralaya. They are confined to a corner some 2 km away in Azad Maidan, in a corner, rendered invisible to the people. But axe-wielding men of the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) could easily dig up the footpath right in front of the state government headquarters, supposedly to protest the presence of…

One of the most pressing challenges faced by the Indian education system is to bridge the gap between the infrastructure and quality of education in a private school and that of a government school. While the government rethinks its model for public schools across the country, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and citizen groups have taken it upon themselves to bring about change. The Avasar Foundation, a Bengaluru-based NGO recently inaugurated a pre-primary school at the Seegehalli Government Higher Primary School located in Kadugodi, near Whitefield in Bengaluru. This pre-primary school has been built on the kindergarten model that is seen in…

Do our smart city projects come at the cost of green cover? Several trees have been cut in T Nagar to pave the way for road development under the Chennai Smart City projects. Greater Chennai Corporation is building a pedestrian plaza from Anna Salai to Bashyam Road near Panagal Park, covering a stretch of 1.45 km. Residents, traders and NGOs have criticized Chennai Corporation's lackadaisical attitude towards conservation of trees and allege that work for the plaza has started without any survey or census of trees in the area. Source: The Hindu | The Times of India Two new sewage treatment…

Supreme Court slams city governments, Delhi LG for urban crisis Referring in particular to the garbage woes in Delhi and the drainage mess in Mumbai, the top court of the country pulled up urban governments over their inaction and ineffectiveness to stem the growing crisis in Indian cities. A two-judge bench took strong exception to the fact that around 13 states and several Union Territories had not yet formulated their policy for solid waste management strategy, well beyond two years since the central Solid Waste Management Rules came into force in April 2016. 10 states and two union territories were…