From a young age, I have had a passion for service. In 1983, I started as a volunteer for the residents’ welfare association in Ashok Nagar, where I live. The streets were plagued with problems relating to power supply.
As a student, I took up the issue with the chairman of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board in 1985 on behalf of the association, and the problem was solved permanently. Also, as the area did not have piped water supply, residents faced a drinking water problem. Here again, I worked with Metrowater and got the connection. Borewells were sunk in the streets by Metrowater. Later, when the water supply was provided, interconnection was done to serve the streets better. The street pipes were lowered and the water flow improved. As an assistant secretary, I ensured the conservancy operations on the streets were carried out regularly by the Corporation of Chennai. The next work was setting right the worn-out storm water drain network. On behalf of the association, I approached the Corporation and got storm water drains laid on 8th and 9th Avenues in Ashok Nagar.
From there, I graduated to taking up larger issues.
My first major success was retrieving a land meant for a park. I filed a public interest litigation in 2005 and the next year, the court ordered the creation of a park.
In 2007. I started an organisation called Citizens’ Guardians with a few like-minded people. .
The police department denied us the right to conduct a peaceful public meeting on the road on March 14, 2009 to highlight the problems experienced by commuters and the perils of implementing the one way traffic system in Ashok Nagar.
A writ petition was filed in the Madras High Court and permission was granted to conduct the meeting.
( Ravichandran is a long-time resident of Ashok Nagar and a social activist. He is also the founder chairman of Citizens’ Guardians, which takes up issues of public interest.)
