Articles by News Desk

Chennai taps go dry already With major reservoirs supplying water to Chennai holding enough water only for the next four months, several pockets of Chennai are already seeing water cuts ahead of the severe shortfall that will arise this summer. Though December 2015 floods had filled up the lakes and reservoirs and increased the groundwater table, it has not helped much in salvaging the crisis. The north east monsoon which is the main source for the state was deficient by 62 percent last year. With acute heat waves already setting in, experts warn of a severe summer ahead and the…

Governor's behaviour at Press Meet sparks controversy Chennai has been witnessing an abundance of action week after week, though not all may have been reason to cheer. While the Cauvery protests and IPL grabbed the limelight a week ago, this week it was the State head, His Excellency Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who stirred up controversy over his allegedly objectionable behaviour. At a press meet that he called for, on an incident involving Madurai professor Nirmaladevi, he ended up inviting the wrath of the journalists for his uncalled for behaviour. “The incident took place when the 78-year-old Governor was about to…

Several hundred pourakarmikas gathered at the BBMP Head Office today to demand four months salary. The BBMP, which is the principal employer of these pourakarmikas decided to pay the workers directly from January 2018, and to rid the contract-system that was prevalent earlier. The biometric system that was put in place to identify the number of workers in the city, so that the BBMP can pay them directly has been ridden with discrepancies, thus creating a situation where powrakarmikas who turn up for work every day were marked absent and had their salaries cut. The State Government and BBMP also…

Cities relive cash-crunch crisis as ATMs run dry In an unpleasant reminder of the demonetization days, ATMs across Indian cities and towns reported running out of cash, creating panic among the citizenry. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh appeared to be the worst affected, though reports and social media posts came in from all corners of the country. The government attributed the shortage to a sudden spike in demand over the last three months amid regional elections (or the run up to it) in several states. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the "temporary shortage" in…

After a meeting with the heads of various political parties, the District Election Officer, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad conducted a press meet to informed the media of nomination procedures for the upcoming election, on Monday, April 16, 2018. The filing of nominations for the polls will begin on 17th April, 11am onwards. Between 17th and 24th, nominations can be filed between 11am and 3pm. The Commissioner specified rules for the nomination process: not more than three vehicles and five people including the candidate can be present within 100m of the office of the RO. Nomination paper and the format for…

Action inside and outside Chepauk; CSK team and IPL fans disappointed with turn of things On an otherwise normal day, with the Chennai Super Kings staging a comeback, the city of Chennai would be bleeding yellow. But the day for which all cricket fanatics in the city had been waiting for, turned into an ugly battle ground with fringe groups staging demonstrations and calling for cancellation of the match. High drama was witnessed as some of the protestors shouting slogans for cancellation of the match in support of the Cauvery Management Board broke barricades. To control the situation, the police…

Public parks play a key role in recreation and health of citizens. For children growing up in fast developing, concretised urbanscapes, time spent in parks is their only respite from walls -- in their houses and schools and tuitions. It is a good thing for citizens, therefore, that renovation of parks gets a mention in almost all annual budgets of the Chennai Corporation. However, a visit to some of the public parks in the city will break your heart. On the ground, these parks are anything but child friendly, with most of the play equipment and accessories to engage children…

Each year, an MLA is given Rs 2 crore to spend on developmental works in his constituency. He/she can allocate the funds for government, community and health infrastructure, to create permanent solutions to the problems. This article gives an idea on how and what can the funds be spent on. ☛ Click here for full data set of works done/ sanctioned under N.A Haris’ MLA Local Area Development Funds. An MLA is given Rs 10 crore for spending on his constituency in five years. N.A. Haris’ accounts show an expenditure of Rs 9.34 crores in five years. He appears to have…

Supreme Court slams Delhi authorities over lapses in sealing case The top court of the country told civic authorities and the Delhi government that they might have to walk the Tughlaq way and shift capital if they continued to fail to prevent unauthorised constructions. SC made it clear that commercial establishments like restaurants and big showrooms cannot continue in residential areas in violation of the law as the authorities cannot put the lives of citizens of Delhi in danger. “Unauthorised constructions have a direct relation with rising pollution. Delhiites suffer from problems such as pollution, parking and lack of green…

Actor Revathi was the first speaker at the event. "It is the good deeds and good people around us who still keep our hopes intact for a better world," she began, drawing reference to all the negativity around us. "As a mother I feel there has been a drastic change, change for the good. It has given me the inquisitiveness to delve deep and question every happening. I feel the urge to leave behind the best for the young generation," added the actor. She insisted that the responsibility of transferring the knowledge that we gain in our lives and the goodness…