Model Citizen: Advocate helps locals defend their rights through protests

V Ramanujam, an advocate and a resident of Chromepet, has brought numerous changes by organising various protests in his locality. Thousands of people have been benefitted due to his actions. He was acclaimed for his social work when he stood up against the corporate companies, who tried to lay a concrete road, encroaching a canal. “I took up the issue with the help of media. Later, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court. Due to the court’s intervention, the canal is being reclaimed now,” he said. When the ASI notified four wards comprising of Old Pallavaram and Keelkattalai as a heritage site, he filed a writ petition to fight for the affected residents. “In this matter, the dispute couldn’t be taken to the court as ASI was an independent authority who couldn’t be challenged. Therefore, I decided to file a writ petition and received a favorable verdict. Now, only 1,500 square feet of the total identified area has been notified as the ASI site,” he said. 

His contribution towards the society goes way back in 2001. “We experienced an acute shortage of water that year. Immediately, we took various measures and also pressed private tankers to supply water. We stored water in several tanks and averted a big water crisis,” he noted. He took part in various protests that led to laying of underground drainage pipelines, construction of MIT flyover and reduction of house taxes. “We are planning to take up three issues now – water crisis, garbage problem and bad roads in the locality. We wanted to create awareness among the people about the water crisis and put pressure on the government to initiate measures to resolve the water crisis.”