Civic – Page 9 – Citizen Matters, Chennai

Chennai buzz: Protests over various issues, from Cauvery water to coastal zone management

April 7, 2018 Sandhya Raju

What was the city talking about this week? The Cauvery tribunal or the dilution in coastal zone regulation? Or was it the new drones from GCC? If you’ve missed any of it, never mind. Here’s the weekly news in a nutshell.

How a pond becomes a sewage dump: The Vannankuttai tale

April 6, 2018 Raghukumar Choodamani

Toilets by the shore, illegal sewage pipes draining into stormwater drains, debris dumped secretly — A citizen journalist’s trip to the Vannankuttai in GKM Colony reveals the sordid tale of how Chennai is losing its precious waterbodies.

How proactive citizens stalled shoddy pavement work in Besant Nagar

April 3, 2018 Meenakshi Ramesh

Large stretches of pavement were dug up and young trees uprooted by the GCC between Theosophical Society and Olcott School to make way for bicycle lanes. Citizens put up strong resistance and have forced authorities to rethink the project.

Chennai buzz: Water crisis, MTC woes and smart city proposals

March 31, 2018 Sandhya Raju

Never miss what’s important to you and your city. Watch this space every weekend for a round up of the week’s key news from different sources, all of which impacts you, the Chennai citizen.

Chennai budget raises many questions, but whom should we ask?

March 28, 2018 Mahesh Kumar S T

For the second year in a row, a bare-bones statement of accounts was passed through a secretive exercise. While the figures themselves raise many questions, more alarming is the fact that there is no elected body of representatives for citizens to approach.

Saidapet apartment shows Chennai why it pays to recycle grey water

March 22, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

One, it recharges ground water reserves at minimum additional cost and helps you cut down on tanker supply. Secondly, it reduces the burden on the city’s insufficient septage management system, thus saving the lakes and rivers. Here’s how.

Kapaleecharam volunteers hope for a litter-free Mylapore temple festival

March 21, 2018 Ganga Sridhar

As Mylapore prepares to celebrate the annual Panguni Thiruvizha, conscious citizen volunteers band together yet again to send out strong messages to the public, requesting them to avoid food wastage and dispose of garbage responsibly.

How can you help in the making of a clean, waste-free Chennai?

March 14, 2018 Sabina Narayan

You can play a big role in making Chennai just like one of those clean, beautiful global cities you visit or watch on TV. It doesn’t take much; just put the trash in the right place, says a long-time crusader.

Why Chennai should cheer Madras HC order on Chitlapakkam roads

March 13, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

In response to a PIL filed by a Chitlapakkam resident activist, the court directed the Town Panchayat to mandate milling while relaying roads. This applies to the entire state of Tamil Nadu, including the Greater Chennai Corporation.

Three novel ways in which Chennai is changing the discourse on water

March 12, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

Art exhibitions, lake festivals, safaris and citizen engagement in the commons along water bodies — Chennaiites are coming together to raise awareness about water management and conservation in different ways.

Missing! Our city’s Corporation

February 16, 2018 V Sriram

It has been well over a year since the city has had an elected municipal Council to handle civic issues and it is still uncertain when elections to the Greater Chennai Corporation will be held.

What the Urur Olcott Kuppam Vizha promotes, beyond art

February 15, 2018 Laasya Shekhar

The Vizha is widely hailed as an event that is taking arts to everyone, but it is also commendable in its efforts to go zero-waste, thus spreading an important message on sustainability.