May 18, 2020
Raj Cherubal, CEO of Chennai Smart City Limited, talks to host Pavan Srinath and Ravichandar about his life as an outsider, now working in an executive role within government. Raj Cherubal is the first Smart City CEO who is not from the Government services. Raj shares what they have been able to accomplish so far, and situates the smart city programme within the larger governance system of a metropolitan city like Chennai.
Chennai Smart City Limited is a Special Purpose Vehicle or SPV that was set up to house all the smart city initiatives in the city. Before Raj’s appointment as its CEO in 2017, he was the director of projects at Chennai City Connect. With a background in physics and nuclear engineering, Raj has been actively involved in civic projects in Chennai and in Indian civil society for over a decade. His past stints include key positions at the Centre for Civil Society and Janaagraha.
Ranjan Kamath is a filmmaker and a theatre practitioner, and at the end of the episode, do listen to Ranjan reading his poem, ‘Alone …or Lonely?’
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