Bhavani Prabhakar | | Citizen Matters, Chennai

கோவிட் 19: அடுக்கு மாடி குடியிருப்புகள் செய்ய வேண்டியவை என்ன?

March 27, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

What can apartments do to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep residents safe? Here are some useful tips and instructions.

Covid-19 lockdown: Small businesses in Chennai feel the pinch

March 24, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

Small vendors, eateries and travel agents take a hit as the city stares at lockdown to deal with the coronavirus crisis

What’s stopping Chennai government schools from catching up with Corporation schools?

March 18, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

Locked toilets, inadequate teachers and missing infrastructure. Not uncommon when you visit government schools in Chennai. On the contrary, several schools in Chennai run by the GCC are doing very well, and the difference can be seen in the enthusiasm of students. What’s the reason for such disparity?

The rarely discussed problem that’s putting government hospitals in Chennai in a fix

March 6, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

Many of Chennai’s government hospitals find themselves under pressure, as their mortuaries fill up with unclaimed dead bodies, waiting to be identified. What causes the problem and how can one find humane solutions to it?

Syringes, casts by the waterfront: Chennai flouts biomedical waste disposal rules

March 3, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

Indiscriminate dumping of biomedical waste — especially around waterbodies and in landfills — is rampant and activists in the city are gravely concerned about its implications. What are the rules being violated and why are authorities unable to control this?

How the traditional launderers of Chennai are coping in the age of the washing machine

February 24, 2020 Bhavani Prabhakar

Around 50 families of the Dhobi Khana Housing Board in Purasaiwakkam continue in the traditional laundry business –manually washing, drying and ironing clothes. But do they get enough business in the age of gadgets? How do they cope in the face of water shortages? And what does the future hold?

A Champion of Hygiene transforms the cancer block in Royapettah General Hospital

May 17, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

An ordinary citizen becomes a champion of chanGe and helps improve hygiene levels of Royapettah GH’s cancer block, bringing down infection levels and helping the hospital provide

Regular lifeguards, watch towers a crying need at the Marina

April 3, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

Given the length and nature of the coastline, Marina Beach should have a number of watchtowers, rescue boats and other precautionary measures in place. What it currently has is just an ill-equipped police patrol and occasionally, fishermen volunteering as lifeguards.

All that you wanted to know about switching from ration book to PDS Smart Card

March 31, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

From how and where to get your Smart Card, how to link it to Aadhaar, or how to change your details in the card — this guide will answer all your questions about the modern alternative to your ration book.

100, 101 or 1091: What to expect when you dial a helpline in Chennai

March 26, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

100 for police, 1091 for women, 1098 for Childline… recent experiences in Chennai show that users of a particular mobile service were unable to reach the city’s emergency helplines. So, how do these services work? And how prompt would help realistically be?

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.

World champion on a mission: Chennai student Kowshik Palanisamy wants to revive Silambam in city

March 6, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

Meet Kowshik Palanisamy, an engineering student at the College of Engineering Guindy, who recently won the World Silambam Championship in China as he talks about his journey, his passion and his desire to make Silambam more popular.

RA Puram biogas plant revived, powers Amma canteen

March 2, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

The newly restored biogas plant in Ward 173 produces 6-7 kilos of gas per day. The fuel produced currently is used by the Amma canteen located in the same premises, which has brought down its LPG usage from 24 to 16 cylinders!

TASMAC vs residents: Proposed Chromepet shop stirs up protests

February 28, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

State excise authorities have been trying every means to keep the TASMAC cash registers ringing. Downgrading roads. Relocating shops to residential areas. Citizens meanwhile continue the long fight.

What Chennai could learn from cycle-sharing in IIT Madras

February 21, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

IIT-M students have 600 bicycles on campus provided by Zoomcar, Ola and others, which they share during the day. The initial experience and hiccups may hold important lessons for a city trying to replicate the model on a larger scale.

Countless ways to go green in Chennai

February 13, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

Want a sustainable lifestyle, but wondering how to? Thankfully, in Chennai there are a number of people and initiatives who can help facilitate that in part, through their products and services, as the recent Reciprocity Fest showcased.

Manhole in lake shows all that’s wrong with sewage management in Chennai

February 8, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

That most of Chennai’s water bodies are contaminated by sewage is common knowledge, but what exactly is lacking in the sewerage management infrastructure that makes this possible?

Is the building you are standing in now, fire-safe?

January 24, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services has a detailed set of norms that buildings of different types and usage should comply with, in order to ensure fire safety and disaster preparedness. Is Chennai aware?

Inside Anna Nagar’s K4 police station that’s #5 in the country!

January 15, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

A noticeable fall in crime and violence in the locality, speedy and efficient disposal of cases and impressive infrastructure, there is a lot that makes the K4 police station deserving of the rank and accolades it has received.

How a Chennai initiative is helping differently-abled people acquire economic independence

January 12, 2018 Bhavani Prabhakar

It’s a ‘fair’ with a difference. Kasim Basith’s initiative, ‘We Are Your Voice’ organises an annual job fair for persons with disability and has successfully placed many of them in reputed organisations.