Articles by News Desk

The residents of Adarsh Palm Retreat and surrounding areas in Bellandur are staging a peaceful protest and forming a human chain on August 20th to highlight traffic congestion and pollution in and around their community. This is not the first time that the residents are staging a protest to highlight the pressing issues that have been neglected for long. From time to time the residents have gathered to demand for a livable Bellandur.  Traffic woes have plagued the residents of Bellandur ever since office buildings have taken over and surrounded them, hindering their access to the Outer Ring Road (ORR). It…

563 new dengue cases in four days The number of dengue cases in the city shot up by 12 percent over just four days, this week. From the start of 2019, till Sunday, 4443 cases had been recorded in the city. But by Wednesday, the number rose to 5006, said officials. That is, 563 new cases were registered in just four days. BBMP East zone is worst affected, with 1937 cases since January. Bengaluru South zone comes next with 786 cases, followed by Mahadevapura with 760 cases. Dasarahalli Zone has recorded the lowest number, with 116 cases. Among wards, Hoysalanagar…

September may finally see water crisis resolution With the Mettur dam fast filling up and discharge likely to increase in a few days, the Veeranam tank is expected to receive inflows in 10 days. Heavy rains in the adjoining states of Andhra and Karnataka have also brought respite to the water-starved city, creating a steady increase in the water levels at the reservoirs. Krishna water supply from the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh will help boost the storage in the city reservoirs. Chennai currently is managing with drinking water supply of 525 million litres on alternate days. The city is…

Flood alert in Bengaluru  On Friday, state government's Urban Development Department (UDD) issued a ‘flood alert’ to the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike). The department gave flood warnings in 80 localities across the city, especially low-lying areas. This includes major commercial centres like Manyata Techpark, Mantri Mall, Silk Board Junction, Yeshwantpur TTMC, JC Road and Koramangala 4th Block Global Village. The letter from UDD said that the latest forecast indicated heavy rainfall across Bengaluru. And hence BBMP should coordinate with other departments immediately, and alert officials about the likelihood of accidents. BBMP has identified 182 vulnerable spots in the city's…

Comply with helmet rule or shell out Rs.1000 as fine The city traffic police will soon start levying fines on two wheelers that violate the helmet rule, as per the Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill. To avoid confrontation with the public, the police have issued a warning to adhere to the rule or shell out Rs.1000 as fine (up 10x from the current fine of Rs 100).  The police have said that there needs to be an attitudinal shift in the mindset among the public, that safety is more important than convenience or fashion. According to the new rule, pillion riders must…

The third edition of India March for Science (IMFS) was held here in Bengaluru today. The march intended to celebrate science and promote scientific temper. It also championed robustly-funded, publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. Scientists, teachers, science communicators and science-loving public participated in the event. The march began at 10.15 am at Banappa Park. About 200 people participated, holding posters of quotes from various scientists, slogans on celebrating science, and handmade sketches of scientists. Prof V Shivram, Registrar at Bengaluru Central University, flagged off the march, calling for the spread of science to all parts…

Flood mitigation project gets central nod The Central government has given its nod for a comprehensive flood mitigation project and has recommended it to the World Bank for loan assistance. The project that is expected to take off in six months will help reduce the vulnerability of several localities to floods in different river basins, including lower Palar, Araniyar, and Kosasthalaiyar. Additional storage of nearly 4.76 thousand million cubic feet will also be created to cater to the drinking water needs of the city. Various structures, including check dams, recharge wells and sub-surface dykes, will be constructed in rivers as…

  Garbage crisis in city as dumpsite fills up The city seems to be slipping into a garbage crisis, as the Bellahalli quarry has filled up and there are no other options to dispose of the mounds of waste in the city. Due to sporadic rains, garbage piles are turning into breeding grounds for mosquito armies as well. This could add to the increasing cases of dengue and chikungunya in the city. Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun said that garbage could be dumped in the Bellahalli landfill for another month, but muddy roads were preventing garbage trucks from reaching the landfill. The…

Welcome relief as Chennai records excess rainfall After the longest ever dry spell experienced by the city, the southwest rains have brought in much-needed relief for the city over the last couple of months. According to reports, Chennai has also recorded excess rainfall of over 50% since June. Though the rainfall has been in short isolated spells, the few short and heavy spells in the city and suburbs have statistically resulted in excess rainfall this southwest monsoon. The Meteorological department has forecast more rains during the nights in the coming days. Weather experts have also predicted more rains in the…

BBMP to battle UDD move to allow ad hoardings The BBMP is gearing up to battle the Urban Development Department's (UDD) plan to allow advertisement hoardings in the city again. On July 15th, UDD had notified the draft BBMP Advertisement Rules, 2019, but BBMP officials say they were not consulted beforehand. The BBMP Council had decided to ban hoardings in the city about a year back. The UDD notification came just three days after the High Court stayed the BBMP's resolution to ban hoardings. UDD has also invited objections and suggestions on its draft notification. On Monday, the BBMP Council…