Articles by News Desk

Rising cases of dengue in the city With the onset of monsoon, it is not only the bad roads that have been cause for worry but health woes too. Chennai has been recording a steady rise in the number of dengue cases. According to Health Minister Vijayabhaskar the government has already set up fever clinics at government hospitals that function round the clock. Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and the Institute of Child Health have 8 dengue cases each under treatment. The directorate of public health has recorded a spike in fever cases in the districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur…

On Saturday, October 27th, the city will be witness to yet another human chain, organised this time by the disgruntled citizens of Bellandur, one of the largest wards of Bengaluru with a tax collection of Rs 220 crore. The residents of the ward seek to highlight their issues and put forth their demands to make Bellandur livable. Residents point to the serious discrepancy of funds and infrastructure for the ward by all standards. As per the BBMP Budgetary expenditure (Source: Janaagraha), Bellandur (27 sq km) has got an allocation of Rs 6-7 crore in the annual budget. Considering the parameters…

ITO skywalk re-ignites Delhi-Centre tussle The latest battle ground between the Union government and Delhi is the newly inaugurated 400-metre ITO skywalk in Central Delhi. The skywalk was opened to the public by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri last week. In his inaugural address he accused the Delhi state government for delaying the project by stalling the 20% contribution from the state for the project for over a year. The Rs 54.84-crore project was conceptualised as one that would be completed with 80% funding from the centre and the remaining from the state. The Delhi government in turn has accused…

Swine Flu in Karnataka: 86 cases recorded in BBMP limits this year As many as 542 cases of Swine Flu have been registered so far in Karnataka and eight people had died, between January 2018 to October 17 2018. The toll continues to rise.  86 people were tested positive in BBMP limits, of which 54 cases were recorded in Bengaluru Urban, by the state's Health and Family Welfare Department. Most of the deceased patients were treated at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) between August and October. The latest death reported is of a 58 year-old man from Bengaluru south…

Delhi ups ante on anti-pollution drive An emissions study by the Pune-based System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting Research (SAFAR) under the ministry of earth sciences (MoES) has identified vehicles and industries as the biggest contributors to particulate matter (PM) 2.5 emissions in Delhi-NCR. Before the report was officially out, the Delhi government has already started a crackdown on unfit and polluting vehicles in Delhi, due to the onset of winter and impending Diwali festivities, to curb air pollution. Over 300 vehicles have come under the Transport Department's scanner, for polluting emissions and  lack of emission  certificates. As many as…

More water for Chennai residents Chennaites have reason to rejoice. The water table in 8 out of 15 zones have seen a slight rise  by 0.68m. While areas of Madhavaram, Ambattur, Annangar, Teynampet, Valsaravakkam, Adyar, Perungudi and Sholinganallur has seen increase,  North Chennai areas like Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Tondiarpet, Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have seen decrease in ground water levels. Meanwhile, the city’s water department has identified 13 lakes and 5 quarries to augment water supply. A special team has been formed at the Metro Water board which will work with PWD and institutions like IIT-M and Anna University…

Bengaluru creates record with 33.4 tonnes of plastic collected in one day Last week, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) with support of NGOs working in the field of environmental conservation such as Go Native, Namma Nimma Cycle Foundation, United Way Bengaluru, and Let’s Be The Change hosted a Plog Run to mark Gandhi Jayanti. People who participated in the event jogged while collecting plastic on the way. A report in IB Times says 7000 people participated from 50 locations across the city.  33.4 tonnes of plastic waste was collected, and 10 lakh plastic bottles were recovered. This was a history, surpassing the previous Guinness…

Chennai roads may be dug up during the rains Telecom operators are reported to have received permission to dig up about 2000 km of the city's roads, just a few weeks ahead of the Northeast monsoon. The Chennai Corporation is also reportedly relaying 4000 roads at this time. Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has forecast 12 per cent surplus rainfall in the coming monsoons, which is likely to commence by October 8th, two weeks in advance of its scheduled arrival. Citizens are worried about flooding and safety of commute during the coming monsoon months, given that a short but intense…

Farmers lead Kisan Kranti Yatra to Delhi Around 70,000 farmers from across the country embarked on a yatra to make their demands heard by the central government. The Kisan Kranti Yatra was flagged off on September 23rd and saw farmers raising their voices in several demands, including an increase in minimum support price and loan waiver. They wanted to highlight the general agrarian distress that is prevalent in the country. The farmers however met with police action, with reports of lathi charge and tear gas at the Delhi-UP border as they neared the capital. There was widespread condemnation of the attempt to muzzle the…

Karnataka first state to pass Good Samaritan Bill The Karnataka Good Samaritan and Medical Professional (Protection and Regulation during Emergency Situations) Bill 2016 has finally got President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent for implementation in the state. Home ministry officials confirmed the news to the media on Sunday. The act relieves citizens who act as ‘Good Samaritans’ during road-accidents, providing timely help to victims, from all legal obligations including appearances at police stations or courts. Bystanders to accidents don’t need to produce identity proof at the hospital and can withhold consent to act as witnesses, thus preventing harassment for the good deed…