TRANSPARENT CHENNAI provides useful, easy-to-understand information about the city that can improve government accountability and empower residents who want to take action. It is housed at the Centre for Development Finance (CDF), Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR).

Our research focuses on creating information for change. Through geo-spatial analysis, data collection through RtIs, issue briefs, and reports we create data on and critically analyze a number of major issues that concern our city. Currently, we are focused on four key issues: electoral accountability, public sanitation, informal settlements, and road safety. We are also an open data initiative, with all our data, research and analyses publicly available through our website www.transparentchennai.com.

One of our focuses is collaborating with NGOs, students, concerned residents and citizen groups to create data about the city in an effort to effectively disseminate and activate our findings. We have in the recent past worked or are currently working with organizations ranging from well known institutions such as the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and the Madras Institute for Development Studies (MIDS), to smaller citizen groups and Resident Welfare Associations like Reclaim Our Beaches (ROB) and the Nanganallur Resident Welfare Association.

Invitation to participate in our newest initiative-

The Ward Accountability Experiment

We believe that the upcoming councilor elections provide a unique opportunity to plan a ward-based, citizen driven inter¬vention that will facilitate the creation of information for accountability in a ward and bring about better communication and dialogue between candidates for councilor and the public.

Many local problems are easily experienced, but are difficult to quantify and monitor. Problems like piles of garbage, waterlogging, and broken sidewalks remain in the realm of the informal; the government does not record them systematically, even though these are the problems that define our day-to-day lives. Different groups of residents also experience problems differently. Lack of public transportation and public toilets may affect low-income residents, but may never even appear to high-income residents as a problem. Likewise, the lack of adequate parking will not be an issue for those without private automobiles.

Transparent Chennai plans to leverage low-cost mapping and communication technology to create records of local needs and local problems in partnership with students and local citizens groups. Using internally developed mapping and survey methodologies, we plan to conduct audits that create information about the state of the pedestrian environment, the efficiency of the waste management system and the state of public sanitation in a particular ward. We also plan to use social media to elicit and record perspectives about local issues, communities, and histories that may not normally be given a voice during elections. Creating such information will provide a baseline of data against which performance of local elected representatives in addressing local issues can be measured, and create new avenues for communication between constituents and legislators.

Because we believe that better impact occurs with increased partnership and participation we are currently in the process of inviting academic institutions, NGOs,  citizen groups and students that share our passion for better local governance to partner with us and be a part of our ‘core groups,’ that will be responsible for the coordination and smooth completion of specific audits.

We invite students in the fields of Social Work, Humanities, Foundation, Journalism, Visual Communications and Human Rights to collaborate with us and participate in one of Chennai’s first Urban Governance Experiments.

Students and citizens that participate in our experiment will benefit in the following ways:

•    They will learn first hand about the issues facing their city.

•    They will gain valuable experience in the field through the application of academic knowledge in a real world experiment.

•    They will gain an understanding of geo-spatial analysis techniques as well as survey and audit methodologies.

•    They will gain increased understanding of new media techniques and applications, especially with regard to the potency of interactive online mapping and social media.

Timeline:

•    Orientation: One session in end August/first week September (dates to be decided) focusing on orientations, survey methods and the formation of the core groups.

•    Data Gathering: Five to Six full day mapping, audit and documenting sessions (print, video, audio) spearheaded by the core groups. These sessions will be held on most Saturdays and perhaps a few Sundays depending on preference.

•    Public Meeting: During the first week of October, a public meeting will be held in collaboration with the different institutions that took part. Core groups will present their work to the councilors and the public and provide a space where the councilors can interact with the public and students.

Please note this proposal is for the purpose of eliciting interest from concerned institutions. If interested, specific details regarding the Ward Accountability Experiment such as timeline, partnership, student benefits, relevance to course etc. can be obtained by contacting-

Siddharth Hande

Consultant Researcher, Transparent Chennai

Centre for Development Finance, IFMR

E: siddharth.hande@ifmr.ac.in

T: 9840295081

We look forward to working with you in the effort to hold our government more accountable.

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