Latest news with #RiponBuildings
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Privatization protest: 900 sanitation workers in police custody released
Chennai: More than 900 sanitation workers were released from police custody on Thursday after being arrested. The action followed a 13-day protest by the workers in front of Ripon Buildings. Meanwhile, the union and conservancy workers filed a petition in court seeking permission to continue their protest at Rajarathinam Stadium. The workers held the protest against the privatization of solid waste management in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zones. They were arrested following a high court directive asking the police to shift them to designated protest venues. They were kept in 11 marriage halls and community centres at various locations, including Velachery, Madipakkam, and Kotturpuram. Their mobile phones were also confiscated. "The police arrested the workers and advocates from the protest site, and since they don't have their phones, we are unable to contact them. We went to distribute food to the protesters, but the police denied us entry. Even family members were not allowed to meet or contact the workers. About 150 workers were dropped off in the middle of the night without any transport options," said R Mohan of All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU). You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Gold Rates Today in Chennai | Silver Rates Today in Chennai The Madras high court order stated that the sanitation workers may protest only at designated spots. "We submitted a petition to the court seeking permission to allow them to protest at Rajarathinam Stadium until their demands are met by the state govt," Mohan added. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has assured the sanitation workers that if they return to duty by Aug 31, employment will mandatorily be provided to them. Although the zones have been privatized, job security will be maintained for the workers. After handing over operations to the private contractor, the employment structure has been streamlined to include more benefits for the sanitation workers. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Happy Independence Day wishes , messages , and quotes !
Time of India
10-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Talks fail, sanitary staff stir continues
Chennai: After parleys between state govt and protesting sanitary workers failed, 200 workers continued their sit-in for the 10th day outside Ripon Buildings. The number of people who abstained from work has dropped from 3,000 to 1,500 in five zones managed by Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and this has improved garbage clearance. Private operations by Chennai Enviro have begun in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, with GCC clearing 18,000 tonnes in three days. Residents in GCC-run zones back the move, citing chronic inefficiency, uncollected waste, zero segregation, and better results in south Chennai's six privatised zones. The govt held talks with the protestors multiple times, including on Sunday, but it did not yield results. HR&CE minister P K Sekarbabu, who led negotiations, said the workers shifted demands from opposing wage cuts to insisting on permanent jobs now. "How can the govt provide permanency when many are above 60," he told TOI. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai The issue, he said, concerns not just 1,500 protestors but 20 lakh residents in these zones. The govt, he added, has instructed the contractor to absorb those aged 60 on compassionate grounds. Sekarbabu said protestors have been allowed to agitate at Ripon Buildings despite being asked to shift to Rajarathinam Stadium or Sivananda Salai. "The govt has not used any force despite Ripon Buildings being a sensitive area. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Lana Green Is Retiring - Her Final Jewelry Pieces Are 80% Off Artisan Weekly Read More Undo This shows the govt is keen to ensure everyone gets a job with the contractor," he said. The protest gained political backing with DMK ally CPM's state secretary P Shanmugam and NTK leader Seeman joining in. Shanmugam said CPM would work with their unions, who are spearheading the stir, for a solution. Seeman warned that low wages would push private contractors to hire migrant workers, costing locals their jobs. GCC officials said concerns over wages dropping from 21,700 to 18,000 are being clarified. Parisutham Vedamuthu, project head of Chennai Enviros, said while take-home may be lower, the CTC with PF, ESIC, gratuity, and allowances will be 22,500, higher than current pay. "We have begun work in full flow." Privatisation is not new to Chennai. GCC earlier engaged Onyx, Ramky, and Urbaser for different zones. Now, after two decades of experiments and protests, it is firm on privatising the entire city. Residents from Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar said for past three days, waste clearance improved. "Earlier in zone 5, workers would play truant. They mark attendance, pay bribes to conservancy inspectors, fudge muster rolls, and skip work. This can't happen with private contractors," said R Avinash of Old Washermenpet. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Chennai chokes on garbage as 3K workers strike over privatisation
Key pockets of Chennai are reeling under the stench of overflowing dumpsters as 3,000-odd sanitary workers abstained from work for the fifth consecutive day against a 2,500 crore waste management privatization deal. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now About 300 workers continued demonstrations at Ripon Buildings. The lives of at least 45 lakh residents, nearly half of the city's population, were thrown into disarray as garbage piled up in Royapuram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, and Tondiarpet zones. These zones, which come under Greater Chennai Corporation's purview, generate more than 2,000 tonnes every day. So, around 10,000 tonnes of waste lie uncleared adjacent to roads, apartments, and vacant land parcels. Motorists on Perambur high road, Choolai main road, Shanthi Colony 4th Avenue, and Justice Rathnavel Pandian road were dodging overflowing waste spilling onto the roadsides. School students in Mannadi hopscotched their way through piles of garbage. Residents of apartments and gated communities in Mogappair, Nolambur, and Nungambakkam began dumping waste into nearby vacant stretches. Several roads in the chief minister's Kolathur constituency were affected too. Of the 4,000 workers in these zones, around 3,000 have abstained from work and at least 1,500 among them are taking turns to protest at Ripon Buildings. C Raghukumar of Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum said that after an impassioned plea, GCC deployed a woman worker to collect garbage from all households. Choolaimedu residents found that calls to the GCC's complaint helpline 1913 went unanswered. Advocate Sudha Ramalingam said no sanitary worker turned up at her Tamilar Street neighbourhood in Choolaimedu for three days. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now GCC has handed over Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zones to Chennai Enviro at a project cost of 2,300 crore. Chennai Enviro project head Parisutham Vedamuthu said that as per tenders, the company has time till October 20 to start work. "We plan to hire 4,500 staff, import tipper lorries, and procure battery-operated vehicles. Looking at the situation, we are mobilising manpower ward-wise. We are absorbing the protesters into work," he said. While GCC has shifted permanent staff to Ambattur zone, the contract workers have held protests over low wages and a lack of job security. The staff are paid Rs 700 a day, a wage fixed by the Chennai Collector, which adds up to 21,000 a month for a worker. The contractor, however, plans to offer 600 a day, totalling 18,600. But the CTC is higher as per GCC's project stipulations at 22,500 as the contractor has to offer provident fund, gratuity, ESIC, natural death and accidental death allowances, apart from welfare scheme supports in medical and labour. GCC has already floated tenders to privatize Anna Nagar and Tondiarpet zones, while Ambattur will be privatized in a year after all permanent staff retire. Several leaders from opposition parties, including former AIADMK minister D Jayakumar, met the protestors and spoke to them. Dismissing accusations by the opposition that workers were being 'mistreated', mayor R Priya said 10 zones had been privatized under the previous AIADMK govt, and the GCC was just completing the task now.
The Hindu
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chennai: The tale of Doveton Clock Tower
Of late, I have been researching the history of public clocks and clock towers in Chennai. And while I managed to gather material on most, the one that I consistently drew a blank on was the Doveton Clock Tower. Most sources on the internet have it that this was the first clock tower of the city (which is correct) but have given it a date of early 1900s, connecting it in one instance with the inauguration of Ripon Buildings. And as usual it was Karthik Bhatt who drew my attention as to why we may be off by a few decades. 'Look at how it is such an example of Art Deco,' he said. 'And if the first in that style in our city is the Oriental Insurance Building on Armenian Street dating to 1936 then this must have been constructed around that time and not earlier.' I wondered as to why this never had occurred to me before. Maybe you need to be a Gujarati chartered accountant whose family has settled in Tamil Nadu for over 300 years to think that way. Armed with that piece of irrefutable logic, I searched further and came up with some interesting information. The clock tower may have Doveton prefixed to it now but around 50 years ago, it was known as the Vepery Clock Tower, standing as it does on a triangle formed by Purasawalkam High Road and Jeremiah Road. The latter thoroughfare becomes Vepery Church Road and that was where Rao Saheb MC Madurai Pillai (1880-1934) lived. In fact, the triangular park on which the clock tower stands was very likely his land. Madurai Pillai made his fortune supplying manpower to the Kolar Gold Fields and was considered a leader of his community that had a large resident population in that mining town. A staunch Vaishnavite, he did much for temples in South India. He also worked for the uplift of members of his community and began schools in Kolar. The magazine Dravidian too was funded by him. In politics he owed affiliation to the Justice Party and also extended support to the Dalit leader, Rettamalai Srinivasan. His interest in civic matters saw him becoming a councilor of the Madras Corporation where he seems to have interested himself in his favourite topic – education. The triangular piece of land on which the clock tower now stands begins appearing in Corporation street records from the mid 1930s. In these, it is referred to as MC Madurai Pillai Garden Park though there is no mention of the clock tower itself. But from the fact that Sylvan, a hotel run by Madurai Pillai, was close by, we can assume that this land was donated either by him, or in his memory by his descendants, after his passing. And the clock tower seems to have then come up on it. Surprisingly, there is no record of the clock tower either at site or in Corporation records. The absence of any commemorative plaque or a foundation stone only adds to the mystery. It may well have been a private initiative that was later made over to the Corporation. Of course, standing proud with letters of gold are recent refurbishment plaques which somehow seem to have conveniently bypassed the memory of Madurai Pillai himself! The park too does not remember him by name. And no restoration seems to have paid any attention to the clock itself, which stopped working quite a while ago. We need to be thankful that the structure is still standing. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian)
New Indian Express
16-06-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Greater Chennai Corporation mulls appointing volunteers to oversee operations at ABC centres
CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has temporarily halted Animal Birth Control (ABC) surgeries for community dogs across all five of its centres over the past 15 days, said official sources. Going forward, the civic body is considering the appointment of animal welfare volunteers at the ABC centres to ensure better care. According to a series of discussions held since June 3, the GCC plans to recruit two trained volunteers in each ABC pound who will be tasked with monitoring the entire process here. Their responsibilities might include ensuring dogs are caught humanely using nets, documenting their place of capture to prevent relocation, and overseeing the availability and proper use of medical supplies such as blood testing solutions and medications, sources said. Volunteers will also verify if necessary pre-operative tests are conducted, monitor post-operative recovery, including proper medications for wound healing, ear-notching, and feeding of cooked food, and ensure that dogs are released back to their original locations once fully recovered. The suspension of ABC surgeries comes in the wake of a protest held on May 26 in front of the Ripon Buildings, where city-based animal activists had alleged that many dogs either died due to botched surgeries, succumbed to complications after being released back onto the streets, or went missing altogether, adding that some dogs that underwent ABC procedures in GCC pounds have unhealed surgical wounds and open sutures. In response, GCC Mayor R Priya assured immediate action.
