Civic

Life with animals offers a bit of peace in today’s fast-paced, individualised world, where we often feel there is no time for family, community and care. Pets often give us company in these increasingly isolating times. However, raising pets in a city like Chennai comes with its own difficulties, especially when you raise them in urban spaces, which can often be unkind and dangerous to animals.  Over time, Chennai has seen numerous initiatives that rescue, rehabilitate and take care of animals in the city. The most well-known initiative is Blue Cross, which mainly deals with abandoned, injured and sick animals.…

Anti-conversion Bill passed The Karnataka Legislative Council passed the 'anti-conversion Bill' in spite of loud opposition from parties such as Congress and JD (S). The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill was passed in the Assembly last December. But it had been pending as the ruling BJP was short of a majority then. The government promulgated an ordinance in May this year to give effect to it. Earlier, while tabling it in the Council, CM Basavaraj Bommai defended the Bill saying that it was not intended to target any community but to prevent illegal religious conversions.  Home…

Flood mitigation works pick up steam In the run-up to the rainy season in Chennai, Water Resources Department (WRD) has lined up flood mitigation works, especially in sensitive areas like the rivers of Cooum, Adyar and Kosasthalaiyar, apart from Buckingham Canal. The work includes expanding Adyar and Kosathalaiyar rivers, removing silt, and setting up drains and new pipe culverts. Those found occupying areas in and around the rivers are set to face eviction, confirmed WRD. Source: DT Next Read more: Chennai wetlands key to flood mitigation: Are we doing enough? Namakku Naame Thittam projects yet to get funds from Chennai…

March 10 2022, is the date that Priya, 16, and her mother Laxmi, 39, will remember for the rest of their lives. On that date, Priya's father Annadurai, 50, lost his life while working in Mumbai's Kandivali area. He was one of three men employed for manual scavenging, a practice that removes human excreta by hand from sewers or septic tanks. This work was supposed to pay each of them Rs 500. Annadurai was a sanitation worker under private contractors. He was hired for work at Kandivali along with his three friends - Rauf Syed, Krishnamurti and Ganpati. With no…

In August this year, an eight-year-old girl died by drowning in the swimming pool of an apartment complex in Ambattur. This is not an isolated incident. According to recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau, 9.3% of accidental deaths in India (36,362 deaths) were caused by drowning in 2021. Metropolitan cities like Chennai have many swimming pools, including those in apartment complexes. However, many of them do not comply with basic safety protocols, leading to accidental drownings. The role of the authorities at present is limited to granting permissions with the promise of conducting periodic checks. The onus of…

104 accident hotspots identified in Chennai Chennai police have identified 104 accident hotspots in the city. Ranked second in terms of fatalities due to road accidents, Chennai saw 5,034 accidents and 998 deaths last year as per the data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Commissioner of Police (CoP) Shankar Jiwal, who addressed the media persons on September 8th, said that a special task force, which might turn into a road safety authority, has been formed. The special task force constitutes officials from six departments including corporation officials, highway department engineers, traffic police personnel and IIT professors who will work…

City reels under post-rain distress Since June 1st, the city has received 1,032 mm of rainfall against the average of 661mm. The slums in Munnekollal, Brookfield, Palyam, Whitefield, and BEML Layout have been severely affected. Even four days after heavy rains, the migrant labour colony in Munnekolal was still flooded, without any means to prepare food or sleep. Those who live in tents alleged that they had received little help from the government and were being provided food, water and other necessary items through NGOs and other CSR initiatives only. Some migrant workers in Whitefield said that work and daily wages had stopped…

A new bridge to reduce travel time in Mumbai A new bridge, to be built over Mahim Causeway, will run between Fishermen Colony in Mahim and the Western Express Highway (WEH). It will pass from Dadar to Mahim via the Bandra end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link under the Coastal Road project. The bridge will have two arms, 512 metres and 319 metres. Currently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated tenders for engineering, procurement and construction of the bridge. The last date for bidding is September 20th. Source: The Indian Express Fall in suburban train traffic since pandemic The Central…

Stella Rathna has been a part of the District Women’s Wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and was actively involved in politics for 15 years before being elected councillor of Ward 128. She is a resident of Palavakkam and has been elected from a ward reserved for women. In an interview with Citizen Matters, she spoke about the key challenges in the ward with flood management and shared her vision for Chennai. Ward No 128   Name of Councillor: Stella Jasmine RathnaParty: DMK Age: 43Educational qualification: M.Com; LLBContact: 9445467128 Map of Ward 128. Source: Greater Chennai Corporation Primary goals for Ward 128…

Schools under Greater Chennai Corporation to be revamped ICT for teacher development, infrastructure, classrooms and school management systems will be revamped in 80 schools run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The timeline for the project is six months. Around Rs. 174.91 crore has been allocated for revamping the schools under the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) and Singara Chennai 2.0.  The revamping includes a greater focus on homework, remedial sessions and weekly tests.  Additionally, GCC plans to build 3600 classrooms and get 4000 more dual desks for the schools. GCC has already bought 10,000 dual desks…