Aruna Natarajan

Mar 2, 2024 | new.citizenmatters.in | Raghukumar Choodamani |Sandhya Bhat |Aruna Natarajan

Getting up early in the morning and picking up the Aavin milk packets delivered to our doorsteps or queuing up at milk booths are vignettes from everyday life that most long-time residents of Chennai have grown up with. But of late, the exercise of getting a regular supply of milk from the State-owned milk co-operative is riddled with obstacles. Many residents have been facing problems in renewing their monthly milk card subscriptions online.

Mar 2, 2024 | new.citizenmatters.in | Sandhya Bhat |Aruna Natarajan |Raghukumar Choodamani

Two major announcements were made in February 2024:Karnataka Assembly passed the BBMP Amendment Bill 2024. Bengaluru development/Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on X (twitter) hailed it as a taxpayer-friendly Bill. The amendment was projected to benefit around 13-15 lakh people in Bengaluru, including 5.51 lakh taxpayers, by reducing the penalty on property tax arrears by 50%.

Feb 26, 2024 | citizenmatters.in | Aruna Natarajan

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) budget for 2024-2025 was tabled before the council last week. The civic body’s focus in the budget this year is on enhancing physical infrastructure across schools, improving the soft skills of students, upgradation of facilities in health centres across the city and tackling issues with stray dogs and cattle. The Ward Development Fund for each councillor has also been hiked from Rs 40 lakh per year to Rs 45 lakh.

Oct 31, 2023 | chennai.citizenmatters.in | Aruna Natarajan |Raghukumar Choodamani

Our river beds are mined and mountains are being destroyed continuously to build new roads and restore the existing ones all over the country. Indiscriminate & excessive mining can lead to deforestation, soil erosion and water pollution. This can result in the destruction of habitats for wildlife, which can have serious ecological consequences in the long term. However, sustainability is an aspect that is not often considered when carrying out civic work in Chennai and across the country.

Oct 2, 2023 | chennai.citizenmatters.in | Aruna Natarajan

Chennaiites have had a spate of complaints about the state of the city in recent months. From the menace of stray cattle to poor roads, all avenues such as social media and the civic body’s official app are being used by residents to raise their grievances. However, they continue to be deprived of constitutionally mandated platforms in the form of Area Sabhas and Ward committees to put forth their complaints.