madurai corporation

Tamil Nadu legislative assembly pro-tem speaker M V Karuppiah fulfilled a religious vow by floating in an agricultural well for 30 minutes, holding the TVK flag. He had promised to perform this 'jala pradakshinam' if C Joseph Vijay became chief minister.

Chennai faces a dilemma between commercialized, ticketed parks and free, natural green spaces. Public funds are used for expensive makeovers of existing parks into paid attractions, while essential inner-city green areas are lost to development. The government's Urban Greening Policy aims for ecological equity, but population pressure questions its implementation.