City: Chennai

Those of you who have travelled by train from Chennai Central towards Arakkonam would have noticed a natural waterway which runs parallel to the railway track (northern side) between Vyasarpadi and Perambur Railway Stations. This canal is adjacent to a man made storm water drain and both discharge the flood waters into the Buckingham Canal during the monsoon.     Over the recent past we have noticed debris and garbage being dumped into this canal in bit and pieces. The property along the railway tracks belongs to the Indian Railways. Migrant workers have set up temporary shelters near the Vyasarpadi Railway…

All of us would agree there is a growing need for last mile connectivity in our public transport system. With the introduction of the Metro Rail and expansion of MRTS, the idea of a multi modal transport system is definitely a welcome move. Given the popularity and  large scale acceptance for shared public transport systems worldwide, is this not the right time for the administration to introduce clear guidelines and a set of rules for the privately operated share autos ? Over the last several weeks diesel share autos which ply between Retteri and Perambur have been taking a detour from…

A few days ago I was passing through Perambur Barracks Road (Chennai 600007) near the Sub Registrar's Office, when I happened to notice several manhole chambers (part of the storm water drain) encroaching upon the pavement on one side of the road. These were constructed in a way that caused obstructions to pedestrians at regular intervals. Because of this  the pedestrians had to either walk over the obstacles or in the middle of the road and it was a case of being stuck between the devil and the deep sea. Strange as it would seem, further chambers were being newly…

We have been living in Perambur, Chennai since 1975 and I recall having spent the early days of my life in a reasonably quiet and clean neighborhood. With economic development and urbanization the entire neighborhood has today transformed into a bustling area, with all sorts of problems. Individual houses have made way for new high rise apartments, gardens have been replaced with covered car parking, trees have been cut down to facilitate construction of roads, SWD’s and the foot paths are extensively encroached upon with transformers and power distribution pillars. Given the speed at which things are changing we neither…

We have been living in Perambur, Chennai since 1975 and I recall having spent the early days of my life in a reasonably quiet and clean neighborhood. With economic development and urbanization the entire neighborhood has today transformed into a bustling area, with all sorts of problems. Individual houses have made way for new high rise apartments, gardens have been replaced with covered car parking, trees have been cut down to facilitate construction of roads, SWD’s and the foot paths are extensively encroached upon with transformers and power distribution pillars. Given the speed at which things are changing we neither…

Pothole dynamics: Of risk and neglect It is a known fact that Chennai's roads are riddled with potholes, so much so that they no longer appear to be a major problem. Only a long time resident of the metropolis, who has walked and driven on the roads for years, would be aware of the inconvenience and risks.   Potholes are the result of callousness of Chennai Corporation officials. The substandard roads laid by the civic body allows stagnation and slow seepage of water into the soil. This results in wear and tear of the roads, forming potholes.   When the…

Pothole dynamics: Of risk and neglect It is a known fact that Chennai's roads are riddled with potholes, so much so that they no longer appear to be a major problem. Only a long time resident of the metropolis, who has walked and driven on the roads for years, would be aware of the inconvenience and risks.   Potholes are the result of callousness of Chennai Corporation officials. The substandard roads laid by the civic body allows stagnation and slow seepage of water into the soil. This results in wear and tear of the roads, forming potholes.   When the…

For my second blog, I would like to write about retro reflective sign boards.  The local administration during the erstwhile DMK regime had, in the final months of their tenure, decided to change the existing concrete street signs to  retro-reflective stainless steel sign boards. In the first phase in 2011,  over 1000 important roads across Chennai  sported these boards. Months later, there was a change in the administration, when the AIADMK came to power. They suspected corruption in the  retro reflective sign boards project, and decided to paint the sign boards on the walls of houses as illustrated in the…

For my second blog, I would like to write about retro reflective sign boards.  The local administration during the erstwhile DMK regime had, in the final months of their tenure, decided to change the existing concrete street signs to  retro-reflective stainless steel sign boards. In the first phase in 2011,  over 1000 important roads across Chennai  sported these boards. Months later, there was a change in the administration, when the AIADMK came to power. They suspected corruption in the  retro reflective sign boards project, and decided to paint the sign boards on the walls of houses as illustrated in the…

For my first post, I’ve decided to chronicle the three-year struggle to get Corporation of Chennai to provide a raised permanent concrete median opposite the Perambur Railway Station extending upto Adayar Ananda Bhavan, covering Venkatraman Canal Street and Perambur High Road intersection, similar to the median installed opposite to the Railway Kalyana Mandapam on Perambur High Road. In April 2015, residents from Perambur filed petitions with the Corporation of Chennai asking them to replace the existing median made up of concrete blocks. The centre median made up of concrete blocks had surfaced or carpeted with the level of road due…