Chennai: From breathing fresh air into a defunct A/C bus shelter to ensuring barrier free pavement for pedestrians, the impact of DC stories are well-documented.
The city’s first A/C bus shelter constructed by the St. Thomas Mount Cantonment Board was gathering dust and unused by the public due to non-maintenance.
Passengers were forced to stand in the sweltering heat as a result of the shelters being kept under lock by the Board. Soon after DC published a report on the state of affairs, the board rectified the problems but not before opening the shelter once again.
Similarly, a model pavement plan thought up by the Greater Chennai Corporation for Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar road residents in Adyar was under threat. After the local body designed a barrier free and continuous pavement that would benefit the differently abled as well, callousness on the part of officials led to haphazard execution.
With DC’s coverage and the local residents’ relentless pursuit of the issue, the dream was realised and today Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar has a pavement that is literally unparalleled in the city. Gokulam Colony residents, who were struggling to get an encroachment removed for the better part of 25 years, could not force the authorities to act despite a court ruling in their favour. A report published in DC, along with a picture of the hut encroaching on a road, was immediately followed up by the Corporation authorities and promptly removed.
