Articles by News Desk

Kerala floods: Red alert withdrawn, bus services restored, train and air operations resume partially As we write this, the floods in Kerala have abated to a large extent, but not before causing unprecedented devastation and a human crisis of mammoth proportions. The historic floods were caused by the highest ever rainfall recorded in a hundred years. The red alert has now been withdrawn in all districts, with heavy rainfall predicted only in small parts of three districts but the floods have left over 300 people dead and damages worth an estimated Rs 20000 crore. The state has begun to slowly limp…

B'luru ranked in 58th position on livability index Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri released the 'Ease of Living Index–2018’ on August 13th. Bengaluru was ranked in 58th place in the overall list, among 111 Indian cities surveyed, based on aggregated scores in four categories: institutional governance, social, economic and physical infrastructure. To ensure accurate reflection of the ease of living in Indian cities through this ranking, marks were awarded against 78 indicators in 15 sub-categories. Barring the category of open spaces, in which the former garden city fared reasonably well in 16th place, Bengaluru was at the bottom of the list…

Subject: Our objections to the redevelopment plan of the BDA Complex, Indiranagar, Bengaluru It has come to our notice through media reports that the BDA Complex in Indiranagar will soon undergo demolition and redevelopment. Tenders to this effect have been floated by BDA and that Maverick Holdings & Embassy Group have been identified as the private partners at a cost of Rs. 657crores. The redeveloped structure would apparently have two huge blocks, housing over 1000 car parks, 6,50,000 sqft. of retail and mall space and 3,50,000 sqft. of commercial office space with a total built up area of 14.95 lakh sq.…

Men in khaki sweat it out as sea of people bid an emotional farewell to Kalaignar With all roads leading to Rajaji Hall and the Marina, it was a sea of heads, as lakhs of people thronged to catch a last glimpse of Kalaignar.  As soon as news of DMK leader M Karunanidhi’s passing was confirmed, people started gathering at the Cauvery hospital and later at the residences of Kalaignar. It was an emotional outburst for many, and some of the crowd started venting their ire at the government’s decision on land allotment for the final resting place of the…

Pune on top in MoHUA Ease of Living Index; how livable is your city? Pune has emerged as the most livable city in India in a ranking of 111 cities, on the basis of the Ease of Living Index released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Three more cities in Maharashtra have made it to the top 10 in the list, namely Navi Mumbai, Greater Mumbai and Thane -- at places 2,3 and 6 respectively. The national capital of New Delhi was placed at a low 65 on the list. In June 2017, the Ministry of Housing and…

BDA and BBMP take steps to control Bellandur lake's froth The planned sluice gate began its final run on August 8 in Bellandur lake to block froth from entering the city's waterways, and irrigation tanks in Kolar. This was preceded by preliminary runs by BDA officials to determine the height of the gate, quantity of weeds, and froth to be removed.  The first test installation had taken place in July despite the expert committee (instated by the National Green Tribunal) not supporting the particular method of froth removal.The Rs 22 crore project that included works at Varthur Lake too was…

Photo Contest Dig out pictures from your personal archives, share it publicly on your Instagram , Facebook or Twitter  with a short anecdote describing the memory and just tag it with #MadrasAndhaNaal   #MadrasDay  #citizenmatters T&C: Photographs shared, must be from your personal collection, not a copyrighted image. Shortlisted entries will be shared on our website and social media. "This was the view from my house in the neighbourhood was once part of the Thiruvanmiyur temple land. The palmyra trees were the 'fence' making up the eastern periphery of IMPCOMS campus, which  was full of snakes. The empty land used to be…

"He will be missed, his extraordinary literary prowess, his political acumen, his satirical humour, his eloquent web of lyrical Tamil will all be missed.", says Aruna Subramaniam, a management consultant and active Chennai citizen, who remembers seeing Muthuvel Karunanidhi, or Kalaignar as he was called, with her uncle and his friends, on Marina beach in the days of 'less crowds, glittering sand, friendly sundal vendors, and the delicious Rita ice cream carts.' The sentiment is echoed by most Chennaiites of an older vintage today. The last of the titans is gone, and there is a deep sense of loss -…

Is Chennai ready to withstand the monsoon? The city experienced good showers last week, but the short spell left many Chennai roads dirty and water logged. That raises a pertinent question: Are we ready to face the monsoon, leave alone a flood-like situation? The storm water drain work is still incomplete in many parts of the city instilling fear of floods, especially in the suburbs of Chennai. Though the officials claim they are undertaking the work and will complete them before the onset of north east monsoon, there still is a long way to go. Meanwhile, the integrated stormwater drain…

Eight die in Mumbai suburban rail network every day! Data from the Government Railway Police has shown that a staggering 18000 people have died on Mumbai’s railway tracks over the last five years. However, the number of people who died daily on average was down to 8 in 2017, from 10 in 2013. Around 8 million people use Mumbai’s suburban rail network and the network has the highest passenger density in the world. Recent incidents such as the collapse of a foot over bridge and a near-stampede in a crowded station have led the public to question civic inaction in…