As we in Deccan Chronicle Chennai step into our eighth year relishing the seven eventful years gone by, we enjoyed looking back at hundreds of our special stories to select the best seven which left an indelible mark on the minds of the readers, loosened the red tape and drove authorities to take action.
With changing times and growing awareness, we trust Chennaiites would continue enjoy reading our stories which have always touched a chord.
1Our phone-tapping story rang alarm bells in the corridors of power. The tapped conversation between the chief secretary and DVAC chief of that tenure opened a can of worms on illegal tapping by the police.
2The expose on tsunami-hit women victims selling their kidneys tugged at the heartstrings of people. The government’s rehabilitation efforts were questioned.
3. Another scoop unmasked the true face of a consultant at a football club in Kerala - our correspondents found him to be a paedophile convicted in Belgium. The report made the Belgian flee India.
4. The report on the huge number of suicides in Tirupur shocked the state which quickly set up a committee to reach out to Tirupurites.
5. Close on the heels of shutting down Kingfisher Red, our story said business baron Vijay Mallya was set to sell his Formula One team — Force India. We said Sahara India Pariwar, a multi-business conglomerate founded by Subrata Roy, is believed to be in talks with Mallya. Our report was vindicated soon when the liquor baron and Subrata Roy appeared on the same dais to rename the team as Sahara Force India after Sahara acquired 42.5 per cent stake in the Formula One team.
6. Madras university found itself in a spot following an expose that 130 UG students from top city colleges who failed in semester exams got ‘pass’ certificate’. A probe was ordered, a university employee was suspended and examination reforms ball set in motion.
7. Bustling Chennai’s dug up roads threw up a big story on a scam involving BSNL staff wherein underground, high-value optical fibre cables have been looted. The police is yet to take action despite complaints.