In Focus | Citizen Matters, Chennai

சென்னையில் போக்ஸோ வழக்குகள்: தாமதிக்கப்பட்ட நீதி மறுக்கப்பட்ட நீதியாகிறது

January 23, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Hundreds of POCSO cases have been languishing in Chennai courts due to lack of adequate infrastructure and procedural lapses. Read the tamil translation of our article detailing the issues in getting speedy justice in POCSO cases.

அழிவை நோக்கி மெல்ல செல்லும் கொரட்டூர் ஏரியை நம்மால் மீட்க முடியுமா?

January 21, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Water bodies across the city have suffered the impact of encroachment and discharge of sewage and effluents. The fate of Korattur Lake is no different. Read the Tamil translation of our article on the slow demise of this vital water body.

POCSO cases in Chennai: Where justice delayed is justice denied

January 16, 2020 Laasya Shekhar

Despite stringent laws on paper, justice in child sex abuse (CSA) cases is a far cry, suggests five-year-old data shared by Greater Chennai Police. What delays justice in these cases, and what are the long-term implications?

Chennai survey finds 65% food delivery personnel violated traffic rules

January 9, 2020 Ranga Prasad

A survey by NGO Satta Panchayat Iyakkam found food delivery personnel flagrantly violating traffic rules in order to be able to meet high targets and incentives.

Chennai seeks space for dissent amid restrictions on anti-CAA protests

December 21, 2019 Aruna Natarajan

A pro-CAA rally was allowed at the same venue where those opposing the law were denied permission to protest. This raises legitimate concerns over the increasing tendency to muffle voices of dissent in the city.

71 done, 139 in progress: Efforts to restore Chennai water bodies show promise

December 12, 2019 Nina Varghese

Out of 3,000 water bodies in Chennai city, 210 have already been taken up for restoration. The work entails desilting as well as removing water hyacinth and garbage in the water bodies. Here are more details about the same.

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.

Genre: In Focus