In Focus | Citizen Matters, Chennai

Decline in new HIV+ cases, but road to AIDS prevention still fraught with challenges

November 29, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

The good news, first: New HIV cases recorded in Chennai have steadily decreased over the past six years. The bad news: Taking intervention efforts to the ones who need it the most remains very difficult. As we approach World AIDS Day, a look at the scenario in the city.

What can Chennai learn from London and Singapore to improve its public transport?

November 28, 2019 ITDP India

Cities like London and Singapore with sophisticated city-wide transportation systems can provide valuable lessons for Chennai as the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA) becomes functional, having received the nod of the Tamil Nadu government earlier this year.

Consumer rights education for students in Chennai: A lost battle?

October 18, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

With the deletion of the only chapter dealing with consumer rights in the revised Class 10 syllabus, students have lost an effective channel of education on the subject. Consumer clubs in educational institutions are also on the decline.

RTI data reveals that only 34% of Chennai roads are flood proof!

September 30, 2019 Ranga Prasad

A robust storm water drain network is the need of the hour for Chennai to prevent floods similar to that of 2015. But only 1894 km out of the total 5500 km of roads in the city were networked with storm water drains as of October 2018.

Climate Strike comes to India — three things to keep in mind

September 28, 2019 Satarupa Sen Bhattacharya

Over the last one week, thousands of Indian students and youth across India, inspired by the Global Climate Strike organised by ‘Fridays for Future’, came together to demand immediate action to mitigate local and global climate risks. What should be the way forward?

சென்னையில் ஸ்மார்ட் பைக்கை உபயோகிப்பது எப்படி?

September 20, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

For our Tamil readers: A translated version of our article on the details of Chennai’s smart bike fleet, its overall performance so far and locations of the docking stations

Adyar river restoration: More than Rs 2500 crore sanctioned, but dumping continues

September 12, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Even as the state has sanctioned thousands of crores for restoration of the Adyar river, and the nodal agency CRRT continues its efforts in the face of many challenges, rampant encroachment and illegal disposal of waste leaves the river in poor shape. Will it ever regain its lost glory?

Why water scarcity never ceases to haunt the women of Chennai

September 11, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

Intermittent rains in Chennai may have eased the situation but water continues to be a scarce resource. And across the city, regardless of social class, women invariably bear the brunt and are expected to make arrangements to quench the family’s thirst.

Why MTC ridership in Chennai fell by 20 crores in a year

August 31, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

The drop in ridership for MTC buses — the number of rides taken by bus across all trips — over the last two years has been quite drastic. What is pushing commuters away from buses and what can the MTC do about it?

Citizens in the dark as Corporation and CMDA ignore zoning laws at will

August 26, 2019 Laasya Shekhar

How can a residential locality be changed to allow operations of banks, restaurants or other commercial establishments? CMDA and Chennai Corporation are far from transparent on the rules, while residents watch haplessly, often entirely unaware of plans till the damage has been done.

How ‘smart city’ Chennai can be more resilient to disasters such as 2015 floods

August 24, 2019 Varun Sukumar

Technology in many ways forms the base for a smart city. With the 2015 floods exposing the city’s inability to deal with heavy rains and flooding, the smart city mission should address the gaps and build resilience through use of digital infrastructure.

On the fast track: Will the proposed Bus Rapid Transit System help Chennai?

August 16, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

The proposed BRTS corridors will cover seven key sections of the city including GST Road, OMR, Koyambedu, Thoraipakkam and Chromepet, running along a stretch of 120 km. But how will it really impact commuters in the city?