Articles by News Desk

KSNDMC warns of possible flooding in September Bengalureans felt the ripple effect of floods in Kodagu District (where a rainfall of 768mm left villages ravaged) on August 24, when the city received 43 mm of rainfall till 9 pm. Areas such as Malleswaram, Rajajinagar, Hebbal, Sadashivanagar, Kengeri, Adugodi and Mysore road received very heavy rainfall. Once the rain started, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) issued warnings by dispatching messages through their mobile application to certain key areas. The centre has forecast heavy rain in the immediate future, and has intimated the same to BBMP. Scientists warn that 80 mm…

Delhi gets common mobility card Delhiites can now use their metro smart cards to pay for rides in the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and cluster buses. An agreement was reached between the Delhi government and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that allows for the use of the metro smart card. Delhi joins a list of cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and London in providing a common mobility card across various modes of transportation. The scheme underwent several delays due to disagreements between the transport department and the office of the minister for transport but the card came…

Pillion riders must now wear helmets Under the provisions of the Motor Act 2015, both rider and pillion rider can be booked for not wearing a helmet, however the implementation of this Act has been far from strict. Last week, the TN State Government assured Madras High Court that an awareness drive will be launched through advertisements etc, and the Traffic Police has stated that it will take strict action against violators. It has been highlighted often in studies that not wearing a helmet is the cause of ⅓ fatalities in two-wheeler accidents in the state. The Government had made…

Flood-battered Kerala keeps Tamil Nadu on edge With parts of Kerala reeling under water, and some areas completely cut off from normalcy, several residents of Chennai could empathise with the neighbouring state, which is facing a catastrophic situation much like Chennai did in 2015. Voluntary organisations were quick to seek out help and organise relief supplies to affected people. With help coming from many quarters in the form of donations and relief materials, there is now fear for Tamil Nadu as well, as a majority of the dams in the state are full and have already started overflowing. Flood alert…

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…