Articles by News Desk

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…

London's Deputy Mayor inaugurates shared network of cities to handle air-pollution:  C40 Air Quality Network, a collective of 14 cities across the world, with Bengaluru and London leading the initiative, was officially launched on July 30.  Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara inaugurated the event to mark the beginning of a global discussion to tackle and share knowledge regarding the steps taken to handle air-pollution. The Deputy Mayor of London, Shirley Rodrigues, listed out measures she intends to implement in the British capital. Imposing toxicity charges on polluting vehicles, and adhering to UK and European air pollution limits are among the…

A series of articles around important topics affecting Bangaloreans. The food on our plate Pic courtesy: Wikimedia The series is an explainer on sources of our food and growing our own food. Many questions are answered here: What’s the source of our food? Where do our vegetables come from? What does the supply chain look like? Are they grown in safe environment? How are they transported? How does one know what is organic food? Why does one need organic food? What are the packaging norms? What challenges are being faced by big suppliers of food door delivery? What are the…

Karnataka government’s ambitious project of supplying treated water from Bengaluru to the arid districts surrounding Bengaluru ran into problem, when the Karnataka High Court directed the government to stop the pumping of treated water until further instructions. However experts say the idea of reusing treated water is a good one by itself, if proper processes can be put in place. But with protests by residents of the districts supported by their elected representatives growing louder by the day, will this project get killed even before the government attempts to make it work right? The idea of using treated water to…