Reg. Letter to the CM

A revealing letter by the Editor to the Chief Minister on various issues faced at Fort St. George (MM, Vol. XXXVI, No. 4, June 1, 2026). Equally important are several other civic issues faced by the public at large that require the Chief Minister’s immediate attention.

Nadai Pathai Nadappadarkey – an empty slogan: This slogan remains meaningless unless the numerous obstacles faced by pedestrians are addressed. These include broken pavement slabs, abandoned cables, exposed junction boxes, the parking of two-wheelers and four-wheelers on footpaths, encroachments by roadside eateries and shops, and several other obstructions. Some residents have even raised portions of the pavement to provide level access to their homes, causing inconvenience and danger to the public. As a result, pedestrians are forced to walk on the roads, risking their lives. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has held that safe pedestrian pathways are a constitutional right.

No further destruction of the beach area: The proposal to construct an elevated pathway at Marina Beach is completely unnecessary. This idea should be buried once and for all. Let us preserve the natural beauty and ecological significance of the beach.

Growing stray dogs menace: The stray dog population on the roads has increased significantly, leading to a corresponding rise in dog bites and cases of rabies. Immediate and effective measures are required to address this public safety issue.

Nuisance caused by the concrete-mixer lorries: Giant concrete-mixer lorries begin operating as early as 5 AM, even on residential side roads, causing severe noise and dust pollution. These vehicles should carry out their operations only at construction sites and not on public roads. This practice should be strictly prohibited.

Removal of hoardings: Illegal hoardings should certainly be removed, but why stop there? Whether legal or illegal, any hoarding that collapses can cause serious injury or loss of life. Like many developed cities, our city should become completely free of hoardings.

Encroachment of footpaths by property owners: Some property owners have encroached upon public footpaths to ­create small home gardens, seemingly to prevent pedestrians from walking close to their compound walls. Such encroachments are illegal and an inconvenience to the public. All such obstructions should be removed without exception.

There may be several other areas of concern that also deserve attention. Let us work together to make Madras (Chennai) and Tamil Nadu model examples for others to follow.

N P Andavan
audconp@gmail.com

MM – A vital resource for heritage and tourism

We are a team of MBA (Tourism Management) students currently interning with IndiaTourism (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India).

We came across Madras Musings and felt compelled to reach out and express our sincere appreciation for your publication.

In its 36th year, the publication continues to serve as a valuable record that provides us with various insights into Chennai’s heritage, its history, civic life, culture, and environment. The article ‘Memories of Madras in the 1960s’, published in the May 1-15, 2026 issue, was a truly excellent read. What inspired us most about the article were the following:

  • The vivid descriptions of life on Khader Nawaz Khan Road in Nungambakkam.
  • The insights it helped us gain into the city’s relevance to heritage tourism.
  • The understanding it provided of the intangible heritage that heavily influences modern tourists.
  • The way it reveals how Chennai carries multiple layers of meaning for different communities.
  • This article helps remind us that a destination’s true value lies in its preserved memories, which directly support sustainable and responsible tourism development.

Thank you to the entire editorial team and your contributors for your decades of dedication to preserving the earliest chapters of Chennai’s history and keeping them accessible and alive.

Aarthi S, Swetha M
MBA (Tourism Management)
Interns, IndiaTourism (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India)
Anna University

Urgent Reforms Needed: Replacing Dangerous Firecracker Units with Industrial Clusters

May I congratulate you for publishing the article “Needed urgent reforms in fireworks industry, (MM, Vol. XXXVI, No. 2, May 1-15, 2026). The article is very important in the present scenario where most sections of the media, concerned government officials, and ministers give the impression that they view accidents in fireworks factories as inevitable.

There are reportedly 1,074 firecracker units in Sivakasi and the surrounding regions in Tamil Nadu, manufacturing more than 300 types of firecrackers. There are also reported to be around one lakh direct workers and hundreds of indirect workers depending on fireworks units in the region for their livelihood.

In the last few years, hundreds of accidents have occurred in these fireworks factories. In the years 2024 to 2026, more than 100 workers (both men and women) lost their lives, and several more suffered severe injuries, with some becoming physically crippled for life. Many of these accidents are so severe that the roofs of nearby houses too have been blown away.

Every time an accident takes place, the government announces some monetary compensation and sometimes orders an enquiry. The Green Tribunal also makes suggestions, but little change happens on the ground.

Most of the firecracker units in the Sivakasi and Virudhunagar regions lack the required level of automation, instrumentation, testing facilities, material handling equipment, and safety standards. Often, innocent labourers are asked to handle hazardous and explosive chemicals only with hand gloves and no adequate safety kits. Even the physical layouts of the units are not constructed with safety aspects in mind in most cases.

The only option is to insist that all fireworks units possess quality control laboratories adhering to ISO standards and implement facilities for large-scale automation and instrumentation for material handling. This will help avoid accidents and improve productivity. However, such requirements cannot be met by the present tiny and small-scale units.

What is required is for medium and large-scale firecracker units to be set up in Sivakasi and other regions for the production of firecrackers, complete with sufficient safety and automation measures. This means that several small and tiny units would have to be closed down. By doing so, the overall production of firecrackers would not decrease, as the demand would be met by large and medium units.

However, this would cause thousands of workers to lose their jobs and livelihood, which cannot be allowed. Under such circumstances, to keep the workers employed and enhance the economy of Sivakasi and the surrounding regions, the following suggestions can be implemented:

Relocate proposed auto clusters: Recently, the Tamil Nadu government announced that a cluster for the production of auto components would be set up in the Thoothukudi region. Further, a proposal has been announced to set up a large electric vehicle unit in Thoothukudi, calling for several crores of rupees in investment. There is, of course, a lot of scope for promoting auto component units considering the domestic and export markets. This auto cluster should instead be set up in the Sivakasi region, which is not far from Thoothukudi.

Establish a foundry cluster: There are a number of foundry units already operating successfully in the Coimbatore region. The foundry industry is highly growth-oriented, in tune with the economic and industrial growth of India. With the booming auto industry in Tamil Nadu, setting up a foundry cluster in the Sivakasi region would be a very appropriate idea, creating the much-needed capacity to meet the requirements of the auto and other industries.

Establish a garment cluster: There are a few thousand garment and hosiery units in the Tirupur region, employing around eight lakh workers (two lakh of whom reportedly hail from eastern India). It is reported that production is often hindered by a shortage of workers, affecting export performance. Developing garment cluster units in the Sivakasi region would be an ideal proposition, considering the steady growth and export market for garments.

By implementing the above measures, all fireworks unit workers who lose their jobs due to the closure of small and tiny units can be usefully employed in these new clusters. It is well-known that the people in the Sivakasi region are hardworking and quick learners, and they would contribute to the rapid growth of these clusters in the coming years. In short, implementing these suggestions would lead to a win-win situation for all concerned. The entire scheme can be implemented in a phased manner within a period of two years.

I have submitted these suggestions a number of times to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, the concerned state minister, and the Green Tribunal. Sadly, none of my letters have even been acknowledged.

N.S. Venkataraman
H 119, Flat 2A, Ramaniyam Samudra 33rd Cross Street
Besant Nagar, Chennai 600 090