Citizen Matters

Citizen Matters

Citizen Matters is a digital news platform that focuses on public issues, community life, and cultural topics in Indian cities. It aims to inspire citizens to participate actively in their local affairs. At present, there are two editions available: one for Bengaluru and another for Chennai. This publication is produced by Oorvani Media, an independent media organization established by local residents Subramaniam Vincent and Meera K. The journalism at Citizen Matters is backed by the Oorvani Foundation, a non-profit trust created to maintain a community-supported and independent media landscape.

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Articles

  • 2 weeks ago | citizenmatters.in | Shobana Radhakrishnan

    Encroachments on Chennai lakes often begin with the construction of religious structures, such as temples. Unless citizens take collective action, such encroachments are likely to persist. This is a key lesson from the citizen-led initiative by the Federation of Sunnambu Kulathur Residents Welfare Association to protect Narayanapuram Lake. For years, Narayanapuram Lake has faced encroachments, with four temples and a church gradually expanding into its area.

  • 3 weeks ago | citizenmatters.in | Laasya Shekhar

    Every afternoon, Nanda Kumar makes a difficult choice. He parks his bike outside his home in Chennai and suspends work, losing up to ₹800 a day. The 27-year-old Ola and Uber rider isn’t on a break for leisure, though. A brutal heatwave and a recent heat stroke that landed him in the hospital for two days cost him over ₹10,000 in medical bills and lost wages. Since then, he has been forced to stay off the roads during the afternoon hours. “I can’t ride between 12 and 4 pm in the summer months.

  • 3 weeks ago | citizenmatters.in | Shobana Radhakrishnan

    Muthulakshmi*, a sanitary worker contracted with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), begins her day at 4 am, travelling from her home in Kodungaiyur to South Chennai. After street cleaning, she and her co-workers use battery-operated vehicles (BOV) to collect household waste. Few families practise waste segregation, leaving sanitary workers like Muthulakshmi to sort mixed waste themselves. Despite BOVs having separate bins, the process is time-consuming.

  • 1 month ago | citizenmatters.in | Shobana Radhakrishnan

    Chennai recorded the highest temperature of 42.7 degrees Celsius on May 17 last year, marking the hottest day of summer so far. According to a study by Heat Watch, titled Struck by Heat: A News Analysis of Heat Stroke Deaths in India in 2024, 733 deaths due to heatstroke were reported across 17 states in India between March and June. This year, the sweltering conditions have returned early.

  • 1 month ago | citizenmatters.in | Shobana Radhakrishnan

    In urban areas, an unmistakable, overpowering stench often signals the presence of a waste processing facility in a neighbourhood. The foul odour emanating from these sites has long been a major concern for residents and civic authorities. It is also purportedly one of the main reasons behind the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) recent decision to shut down 168 Micro Composting Centres (MCC) and 88 Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) across the city.