S. Kasturi Rangan served at the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation for more than 30 years in different capacities. He retired as Public Relations Officer in 2004, going in for the voluntary retirement scheme.
“Since 2000, I was a member of Choolaimedu Exnora Innovator’s Club. As I was a government servant, I knew many officials and that helped me while having to knock on official doors to have any civic issue pertaining to our neighbourhood addressed. There have been many cases of officials helping us and I would like to draw attention to one of the them.
“In 2003, there was acute water crisis in Choolaimedu because of a deficit northeast monsoon. There was no water supply through the pipes of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. Then, Choolaimedu was under Area 5 of CMWSSB.
“Choolaimedu Exnora Innovator’s Club approached K. Jaganathan, Area Engineer, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. He did the needful by installing makeshift water tanks in various streets and also arranged for tankers.
“Jaganathan has also played a key role in solving another water issue in our colony. Until 2003, the western parts of Choolaimedu was receiving water from a CMWSSB distribution point located near Valluvarkottam in Nungambakkam. In this arrangement, the western parts of Choolaimedu were at the tail-end and therefore there wasn’t enough pressure and water supply was poor. Jaganathan made arrangements in such a way that the distribution point was shifted to Koyembedu after which the western parts of Choolaimedu became one of the first few localities in the line to receive water.”