Civic

“Thubarahalli Extension Road consists of various apartment complexes and residential units with a total population of approximately 2,000+ residents currently. The number of residents is going to go up beyond 3,000 with newer housing projects coming up very soon. We are hereby communicating to provide you (with) a comprehensive representation of the various issues faced by our area residents, as well as suggestions for improvements that will help to enhance our living conditions and overall quality of life.” Thus begins an open letter, dated February 15, 2024, addressed to The Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister. It is…

KP பார்க்கில் உள்ள 13 மாடி குடியிருப்பின் எட்டாவது மாடியில்  தனது வீட்டிலிருந்து வெளியே செல்ல புறப்பட்டார் ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). எப்போதும் போல மின் தூக்கியில் ஏறியவரை, உயிர் இல்லாத சடலமாகத்தான் மீட்கமுடிந்தது. ச. கணேசன் (வயது 52). Pic: Sakthi Vel N ஆறாவது மற்றும் ஏழாவது மாடியினிடையில் மின்தூக்கி செயலிழந்துவிட்ட நிலையில், அவரை வெளியேற்ற முயற்சி செய்து கொண்டிருந்தபோது, கால் தவறி ஏழாவது மாடியில் இருந்து கீழே விழுந்து உயிரிழந்தார் கணேசன். இம்மரணம் சம்பவித்து ஒரு மாதமான நிலையில், அங்கிருந்து 3 கிமீ தொலைவில் அமைந்திருக்கும் TT பிளாக் குடியிருப்புவாசிகளுக்கு மிகுந்த அச்சத்தை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. “போன மாசம் KP பார்க் ல நடந்த சம்பவம் எங்களுக்கும் நடக்கணுமா? 13 மாடி கட்டடம் எங்களுக்கு எதுக்கு?” என்று கேட்கிறார்கள் அம்மக்கள். Read more: Chennai’s decades-long policy failure to address housing issues of the…

A drive on some of the roads in Ward 188 can be quite challenging, as many of them are in a state of disrepair or in various stages of construction. One of the reasons for the bad condition of roads here are the many development projects being executed simultaneously in major localities such as Madipakkam and Ram Nagar. These include work on stormwater drains, underground sewage lines and Metro Water connections. These projects are being put in place to mitigate flooding, a major concern in this part of the city, and to upgrade the area. Once a small village panchayat,…

Budget highlights urban development Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2024-2025, presented on July 23rd, highlighted urban development among nine priorities. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 central assistance of Rs 2.2 lakh crore over five years aimed to build one crore additional houses, she said. She also agreed to give an interest subsidy to loans at affordable rates, enable policies and regulations for efficient and transparent rental housing markets with enhanced availability. The PMAY-U will come to an end on December 31st, for which a provision of Rs. 30,170.61 crore has been made. She said the government would work with…

A day before the 19th anniversary of the 26th July deluge, Mumbai recorded the second wettest July ever. Needless to say, the city also witnessed multiple incidents of waterlogging, flooding and disruption in train services and traffic snarls. Some of the explanations for the floods included record heavy rains, climate change, inadequate desilting of drains. There were protests on the ground and outrage on social media.   Incidentally, floods — its causes and solutions in Mumbai — have been studied since 2005, when the biggest and most damaging flood struck Mumbai and claimed 1094 lives after the city witnessed 944.2 mm…

For years, long-time residents of Chennai, who bought plots in a suburban township in Tharapakkam, had to endure many hardships before they could rightfully claim their land. However, they did not give up. And now, there is a glimmer of hope as the persistence of the landowners has borne fruit. The local panchayat has also agreed to extend support, so that they can build their dream homes. In 2006, EVP Housing Pvt Ltd released colour advertisements in newspapers and distributed flyers offering plots for sale in Tharapakkam. These plots would form a township known as the EVP Township, situated five…

South India's first double-deck flyover in Bengaluru South India's first double-decker flyover was inaugurated on July 17th in Bengaluru and is open for vehicular traffic. The 5.12 km signal-free flyover, built at a cost of Rs 449 crore, is located over the Central Silk Board junction that intersects the Outer Ring Road and Hosur Road, one of the busiest junctions battling traffic snarls. The double-deck consists of a Metro line on the upper deck while the lower deck is for vehicular traffic. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said it is a “historic” moment and the government might further build…

Source segregation of waste was a relatively new phenomenon in Chennai six years ago. Today, awareness and support of the process have only grown, but not without tireless citizen-led efforts. The Residents of Kasturba Nagar Association (ROKA) started its waste segregation programme in 2019, and improved their system, taking lessons from a neighbourhood initiative in Bengaluru. Now, other neighbourhoods in Chennai seek advice from ROKA on how to set up their own waste segregation systems. ROKA launched the ‘We Segregate’ programme in October 2023. The goal is to provide the systems and technology necessary to segregate waste in Kasturba Nagar…

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Horticulture Department started Hasiru Mitra (friend of parks/green spaces) in 2023 with two objectives: To maintain the city’s parks and to engage citizens as active stakeholders. “Hasiru Mitras work in collaboration with the BBMP officials and the contractors. They have to oversee the work of the contractors and check whether the officials are visiting the parks. If there are any issues, they bring it to our notice,” says Chandrasekhar MR, Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture.  Meanwhile, out of the approximately 1,237 parks maintained by the BBMP across eight zones in the city,…

Chennai was one of the first cities in India to get selected under the Smart City Mission. The objective of the ambitious Central Government programme was to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens; a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘smart’ solutions. But, the benefits of the programme for Chennai residents have been limited. While projects like the bicycle lanes and vertical gardens were a failure, the multi-level parking scheme remains underutilised. In April this year, when we spoke to a few experts on the Smart City projects implemented…