Chennai’s storm water drain work has become a major disruption for normal life in a big city. But it could well have been minimised or avoided. One striking feature of Chennai Metro Rail’s construction methods is the speed at which the concrete spans and pillars come up along the elevated...
Chennai’s swirling mass of two-wheelers and cars could technically make the Greater Chennai Corporation a wealthy civic body through parking fees, but the current realisation of revenues is only of the order of Rs.1.2 lakh a day, going up from a low Rs.80,000 after parking lots were “improved.”...
The recently released data for road accidents across India present the shocking picture of Tamil Nadu topping all States in the rise of traffic accidents in 2021 over the previous year, going up from 46,443 to 57,090. Chennai is the mega city that fares the worst on accidents and road safety....
Nearly two years before the COVID-19 pandemic laid low the travel and hospitality sectors, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry had zeroed in on 21 cities which needed a second airport, to meet the peaks of passenger travel and freight transport as the economy grew. For Chennai, in May 2018, the...
The Ramsar Convention recognition given to Pallikaranai marsh in Chennai has turned the focus on the economic value of Tamil Nadu’s 42,978 mapped wetlands, and the trends in degradation and encroachment of these water bodies that have an ecosystem value conservatively estimated to run into...
By making travel free for women on public buses, Tamil Nadu joined the league of several global cities that offer free public transport to a socially targeted group. After a prolonged phase of dropping bus ridership in a growing economy, when younger passengers shifted to two-wheelers, there is...
A comprehensive modelling-based forecast of India’s solar and wind power generation potential in medium and high emissions climate change scenarios indicates a fall in overall sun power over the landmass, and altered wind patterns that favour central and southeastern States including Tamil...
A recent unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha on pollution of groundwater by arsenic and heavy metals has brought renewed attention to an unseen public health enemy. The Jal Shakti Ministry’s answer to the House made headlines, as it showed toxic chemicals in groundwater in as many as 29...
The Tamil Nadu Rules on Ward Committees and Area Sabha, to be set up to empower citizens under the Municipal Corporation Acts for Chennai and other cities, fall severely short on transparency and democratisation norms, reinforcing the criticism that State governments are unwilling to give real...
The DMK government has set the ball rolling on enacting an upgraded Town and Country Planning law, one that fits the purpose of combatting climate change, environmental degradation, chaotic urbanisation, rent seeking and lack of redress mechanisms. Priorities for a new planning approach were...
