Survival Guide to Chennai

Chennai, on the South Eastern Coast of India in the State of Tamil Nadu, began as a trading post. A dry and semi-arid city, it has a population of about 5.5 million. In historical terms, it is a 'new' city, unlike Madurai, also in Tamil Nadu, which is medieval in its origins.

The metro is linked internationally, with direct flights from London, Frankfurt and Brussels in the West, Dubai and Muscat in the Middle East and Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in the East and Colombo in neighbouring Sri Lanka. Flights are operated by Lufthansa, British Airways, Air India, Gulf Air, Oman Air, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore International Airlines and Indian Airlines.

Most parts of India are connected to it by rail.

If Chennai enjoys the facility of air and sea links, it suffers from a combination of severe hot weather for much of the year, rising air pollution, deficit rainfall and poor civic infrastructure. If you rely on public transport, this place can be difficult.  Though the monopoly bus operator, MTC, claims to run about 2,200 buses, and there are four suburban rail lines, getting around town for a visitor invariably means hiring a yellow, noisy, three wheeled contraption that goes by the name of "autorickshaw".

Poor enforcement of rules has meant that tourists are routinely fleeced.  Typically, an autorickshaw has a fare meter that is "rigged" to show fares about 25 to 100 per cent higher than what is allowed. Don't bother complaining to the Police, because they are not very helpful.

There is one Metro rail line, the MRTS, connecting the Beach Station and the temple and shopping district of Mylapore and recently, the South Chennai suburbs of R.A.Puram, Kasturba Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur.

[Home] [How Composting Works] [Setting Up a Bin] [[Email]