As part of its initiative to reach out to readers and engage with the State in addressing issues affecting the lives of people in the city, The Hindu on Friday launched ‘Friends of Chennai’ – an online platform.
The initiative (www.friendsofchennai.com) was launched as a gift to Madras that is now Chennai on her 375th birthday. It is a non-commercial venture aimed at making an impact in ways that involve the people of the city.
The forum looks to build a network of citizens who want to talk about things that matter to residents. Being a social media initiative, readers can give a ‘shout out’ by uploading pictures, share their experiences, success stories and positive developments due to efforts taken by people to make the city a better place to live. Grievances about the city – garbage, traffic, erring auto or bus drivers, non existent pavements and power supply — can also be raised.
T.G. Vinay, deputy commissioner (revenue and finance), Chennai Corporation, while speaking of the days when he relied on The Hindu for preparing for the civil examinations, added that the civic body was regularly interacting with citizens.
“We not only have a helpline, but also ensure that we monitor action taken on complaints and cherish citizen interaction,” he said. Stressing the need for a website like Friends of Chennai, Mr. Vinay added that there should be some sort of medium by which complaints of the residents (registered on the site) reach the Corporation.
The Corporation had interacted with over 700 associations in the city earlier this year. “There should be a way to institutionalise the associations through the website,” Mr. Vinay said.
In his address, Mervin Alexander, postmaster general, Chennai City Region, called for a strong Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) movement. “An enlightened association can make a lot of difference,” he said. Citing Thiruvananthapuram as an example where RWAs engage regularly with civic authorities, he said something similar could be followed in the city. This, would help not just the postal department, but other departments as well, he said.
Rajiv Lochan, chief executive officer and managing director, Kasturi and Sons Limited, said the new initiative aimed to create a coalition of citizens. B.A. Kodandaraman, chairman and managing director, Viveks, distributed prizes to winners of The Hindu ’s Madras 375 contest.
