Articles by News Desk

Before you light that garbage, beware! As per revised Chennai Solid Waste Management Bylaws 2019, residents and shopkeepers found burning garbage in their own premises will have to pay a fine of ₹500 and ₹2,000 respectively.  Furthermore, any resident who dumps garbage in a public place and burns it will have to pay a fine of ₹1,000. The fine for those who dump construction debris in a public place will be ₹2,000-₹5,000. The bylaws also state that it shall be the responsibility of owners of pets to clean up excrement. The bylaws have also included user charges for solid waste…

‘Lasya’ is a series aimed at bringing Indian art forms and artists to the fore. It is established in the fond memory of “Ganga” who was an artist par excellence with more than 100 paintings to her credit. This will be the first chapter of Lasya with an exhibition of her creations. The day will also see three diverse artists share their talents and experiences. All are welcome to join and immerse Lasya! Ganga Srinivasan, after exploring so much in the art field, firmly believed that art as a whole is an exclusive field that requires greater amount of talent,…

Metro train services will be suspended between RV Road and Yelachenahalli stations from 5 am of 14th November (Thursday) to the whole of 17th November (Sunday). BMRCL is launching viaduct superstructures on the span across the operational Green Line, south of RV Road. This work is part of developing RV Road Metro station as an interchange between the Green Line and the upcoming Electronic City Metro Corridor. The suspension is to facilitate new Metro line construction works to Bommasandra. Normal train services between Nagasandra and Yelachenahalli will be resumed from 5 am of 18 November (Monday). BMTC services available between…

Air quality in all 15 locations sampled from across the city between May and July 2019 was unhealthy, with levels of PM 2.5 in the worst affected areas nearly three times the national standard of 60 ug/m3, according to a study released by Healthy Energy Initiative and Doctors for Clean Air-Tamil Nadu. The widespread nature of pollution and the fact that the samples were taken in summer highlights how the current pollution crisis is neither an isolated nor a seasonal incident. The study analysed 24-hour air samples for PM 2.5 and a host of heavy metals. The densely populated areas…

Chennai Corporation bags award for social innovation Chennai Corporation was bestowed with an award recognizing its social innovation initiatives. The award was for accelerating the transition towards a sustainable city through projects like Namma Chennai App and smart classrooms and was given by Governance Now, a public policy organization. Source: The Hindu Chennai Police launches "Thozhi" to counsel victims of child sex abuse 70 police women personnel have been assigned the role of  counsellors to child victims of sexual assault. The scheme known as "Thozhi" was launched by the city police commissioner A K Viswanathan. The 70 policewomen will be…

BBMP to take over all city lakes except three  All lakes in the city except Bellandur, Varthur, and Veerasandra will be handed over to the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), according to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister. Also, 628 acre of lake land that has been encroached, would be cleared. Bellandur and Varthur lakes are under the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority), and Veerasandra lake is with the BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd). Currently, 169 out of 200 lakes in Bengaluru are under the BBMP. It will now take over 38 more lakes.…

Karnataka’s Dalit organisations, Farmer groups, Women’s rights organisations, Human rights organisations and several groups have come together under one forum, called ‘People for Peace and Justice” , “Shanthi Mattu Nyaayakkaagi Naavu” in order to work for peace and justice in the light of the Ayodhya verdict. This is an event calling people of all faiths and groups, to join hands to spread a message of peace. That whatever may be the Ayodhya verdict, let us work for peace. Those dissatisfied may approach courts for legal remedies, but let us not violate peace. Joint Forum Launched to maintain peace and fight…

The Bangalore Literature Festival, Bengaluru city’s flagship literary event, is all set for a spectacular 2019 eighth edition on November 9th and 10th in the breezy green lawns of Hotel LaLiT Ashok in Kumara Krupa High Grounds, Bengaluru.  The two-day event will feature a host of distinguished speakers, authors and artistes including thespian and National Award-winning actor Pankaj Kapur; former CEO of McKinsey and co-founder of the Indian School of Business Rajat Gupta; Historian and author of Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past Vikram Sampath; inaugural winner of the Restless Books Prize for Temporary People Deepak Unnikrishnan; renowned mythologist, writer…

Rains don't fill up "rejuvenated" lakes Though BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has restored as many as 75 out of the 150 lakes under its purview, most of these remain dry in spite of heavy rains. BBMP officials admitted that lakes cannot depend solely on rainwater. Sewage inflow coupled with the absence of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the rejuvenated lakes, garbage dumping in the lake bed etc have led to further deterioration of lakes. BBMP officials said that lack of coordination among government agencies and paucity of funds also hampered rejuvenation efforts. Most rejuvenated lakes are now dry except…

A smoke-filled Chennai yet again this Diwali Though there have been contrasting reports from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), by all accounts, air quality levels post Diwali were poor. Pollution levels at several locations in the city went up on Deepavali, with concentrations of PM2.5 crossing 400 micrograms/cubic metre at Manali, Velachery and Alandur. However, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB) data from five locations shows a completing contrasting picture. The city Corporation collected a total of 22.58 tonnes of cracker waste on Saturday and Sunday across all 15 zones, of…