City News – Page 24 – Citizen Matters, Chennai

Sewage lorries polluting Chennai lakes, drains with impunity

July 5, 2017 Balaji Srinivasan

Private sewage lorries illegally dump the entire raw sewage water that they collect from various residential complexes on to open fields, lake beds and storm water drains, while both CMWSSB and police look the other way.

Can Buckingham Canal acquire new meaning for Chennaites?

July 3, 2017 Bhavani Prabhakar

Why is the Buckingham Canal so critical for Chennai’s ecosystem? Can it be revived from its present sorry state to serve a new purpose for the city and its residents? Bhavani Prabhakar interviews a research team exploring these issues and more.

Photo essay: Chennai Trekking Club organises 8th Chennai Coastal Cleanup

June 20, 2017 Peter Van Geit

The huge awareness drive saw 4600 volunteers participating and removing 32 tonnes of garbage from 20 km of Chennai’s shoreline between Lighthouse and Uthandi.

Shrunk to less than half, Chitlapakkam Lake cries out for action

June 14, 2017 Bhavani Prabhakar

A lake that once spanned 83.89 acre is now just 33.95 acre, thanks to rampant encroachment. Added to that is the problem of dumping and contamination. Bhavani Prabhakar presents a stark look at the state of Chitlapakkam Lake today.

Chennai kids organise book sales with a difference

June 12, 2017 Mallika Kumar

A group of seven schoolkids in Chennai come together to raise funds to help underprivileged children with books, school stationery and other things that would support their academic journey.

MP visit revives hopes for people’s gym in Marundeeswarar Nagar

June 10, 2017 Geeta Padmanabhan

MP Jayavardhan assures Marundeeswarar Nagar youth that he will arrange for new equipment for the MGR-era gym that has served generations of the slum population in the area.

ஆரோக்கிய வாழ்வும் , கழிப்பறையின் அவசியமும்

June 8, 2017 Visalakshi Palaniappan

Chennai’s ranking in this year’s Swacch Survekshan is a dismal 235 out of 434. For the city to literally ‘clean up’ its act, there has to be a concerted effort to build more toilets, encourage their use and stop open defecation.

Will Chennai Smart City Limited bring a new dawn for the city?

June 6, 2017 Mahesh Kumar S T

CSCL, formed to execute the Chennai Smart City Mission, has both area-specific and pan-city projects on its immediate agenda. Mahesh Kumar S T provides an overview of the CSCL mission and the potential challenges on its path.

Chennai event highlights we aren’t doing enough against tobacco use

June 5, 2017 Ranga Prasad

Workshop to mark the observance of World No Tobacco Day aimed to sensitize and empower youngsters falling prey to tobacco addiction.

Project Masoom: Creating awareness about child sexual abuse

June 2, 2017 Vidya Ragu

Breaking the silence around child sexual abuse and teaching students, parents and teachers how to prevent it – that is the main objective of the Project Masoom sessions. You, too, could be a part of it!

The panel: from left, Sandhya Ravishankar (journalist), Suresh Veeraraghavan (General Secretary of PUCL), Dr Rajendra Singh (the water man of India) and Piyush Manush (an Environmentalist) Pic: Bhavani P

Negligence of traditional methods led to water scarcity, says expert

May 29, 2017 Bhavani Prabhakar

A panel discussion on how to make Tamilnadu drought-free threw light on many prevailing water-related issues.

Dark streets, uncleared garbage: Here’s how you can get civic officials to hear you

May 12, 2017 K Adithyan

Citizens’ group Naam Virumbum Thamizhagam seeks redress for local problems by registering online complaints on the Chennai Corporation website. Their experience carries useful insights for all Chennaiites.