Articles by News Desk

Kasimedu fishing harbour to be modernised Funds worth Rs 98 crore have been sanctioned by the union government for the modernisation of the Kasimedu fishing harbour. The total cost of the modernisation project is Rs 127 crore. The remaining funds will be contributed by the Fishing Harbour Management Committee (FHMG). The project is expected to be carried out in six phases, with the deadline in 2025. Work on the first phase will begin shortly. Plans for the upgrade include the construction of a fish handling complex, boar repair facility, cold storage facility, improved drinking water facilities and proper waste management. …

BMC takes steps to tackle rising air pollution As air pollution in the city worsens by the day, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has introduced new measures. The BMC has recently imposed a ban on the open burning of garbage. In a press conference, Guardian minister, Deepak Kesarkar, said that the BMC had issued notices to 6,000 construction sites, instructing them to install fogging machines and sprinklers to control air pollution. He also informed that the BMC is in the process of implementing waste segregation procedures at its two landfills in Deonar and Kanjurmarg, focusing on the extraction of pollutants…

Heavy metals in vegetables cross safe limits There is a high concentration of heavy metals in vegetables as farmers use wastewater to grow them, according to researchers from the Environment Management and Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), through a one-year study led by N Hema. Researchers tested 400 samples of 10 vegetables (brinjal, tomato, capsicum, beans, carrot, green chilly, onion, potato, spinach and coriander) and found contamination above the limits set by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The vegetables were from 20 stores, including five high-end supermarkets, five local markets, “organic stores” and Hopcoms. While the maximum permissible limit for…

122 trees to be cut for underground tunnels The State Board of Wildlife approved a proposal to cut 122 trees at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to build underground tunnels. These tunnels will connect Borivali and Thane in Mumbai. The project is a pet project of the chief minister Eknath Shinde and will require drilling 27 holes for which explosives will be used. The decision was taken at a meeting of the board chaired by forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday and was kept under wraps. The project has faced severe criticism from environmentalists. A government document said the underground…

New biogas plants to be operational next year Chennai will get more biogas plants across various zones by February 2024. The plants will be established at the direction of the Greater Chennai Corporation. Currently, there are two biogas plants operational at Chetpet and Madhavaram. These plants generate 6 tonnes of biogas per day through the processing of waste. New biogas plants are expected to come up in Manali, Shollinganallur and Koyambedu. These plants will have a processing capacity of 500, 200 and 200 tonnes of waste respectively. Around 30% of the city’s waste is expected to be processed by all…

Probe into fire accidents Mudpipe Cafe, a hookah bar, where a fire broke out on October 18th, was being run illegally as the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had given permission only for food catering, said Home Minister Dr G. Parameshwara. He added that as the BBMP had failed to verify the business, action would be initiated against the owner and officials.   Mudpipe Cafe is on the fourth floor of the KDP building in Koramangala. The fire force came within five minutes, but Prem Kumar, 29, a chef from Nepal, jumped from the fourth floor and was rushed to…

Stale meat found in Chennai eateries In a crackdown by the officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) around 400 kgs of meat was confiscated from restaurants and eateries. The inspection was carried out in and around the Koyambedu area on push-carts and eateries. Officials found a range of violations such as improper storage of food, stale food, and rotten meat such as mutton, chicken, beef, pork and fish being used to make food. The inspection follow on the heels of multiple reports of illness for patrons due to the poor quality of food being served…

“October Heat' in Mumbai raises health concerns Since the southwest monsoon left Mumbai on October 6, the city has experienced a swift return of hot weather, known as the 'October heat'. This has led to a surge in illnesses like viral fever, dehydration, and heat stroke due to temperature fluctuations. Civic, state and private hospitals have reported a surge in the number of people visiting outpatient departments in the past seven days. The India Meteorological Department recorded a high of 34.2°C on Thursday, three degrees above normal, raising concerns among doctors about the health effects of the heat. Source: Free…

Purple line, 37 feeder buses The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) operationalised the Baiyappanahalli-KR Puram and the Kengeri-Challaghatta sections of the entire Purple Line. Metro ridership rose to nearly 7 lakh on October 9th, the first day of the opening. The BMRCL said it is running 33 trainsets of six coaches each on the Purple Line that makes 180 trips a day. But the rush was so huge that the BMRCL had to run even Green Line trains on the Purple Line. With the fully operational Line, many commuters said that they preferred the metro to the use of personal…

That Mumbai is space-starved with one of the worst ratios of people to open spaces, is common knowledge. In this highly congested city, it is the public parks and grounds that offer respite to citizens, who often live in housing societies with little or no place for walks, or for children to run around. So, when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) came up with a proposal that some of these open spaces could be given to private players on temporary leases for upkeep, through an adoption scheme, citizens and civic activists have come together to oppose it. Activists have met…