Articles by News Desk

City reels under post-rain distress Since June 1st, the city has received 1,032 mm of rainfall against the average of 661mm. The slums in Munnekollal, Brookfield, Palyam, Whitefield, and BEML Layout have been severely affected. Even four days after heavy rains, the migrant labour colony in Munnekolal was still flooded, without any means to prepare food or sleep. Those who live in tents alleged that they had received little help from the government and were being provided food, water and other necessary items through NGOs and other CSR initiatives only. Some migrant workers in Whitefield said that work and daily wages had stopped…

A new bridge to reduce travel time in Mumbai A new bridge, to be built over Mahim Causeway, will run between Fishermen Colony in Mahim and the Western Express Highway (WEH). It will pass from Dadar to Mahim via the Bandra end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link under the Coastal Road project. The bridge will have two arms, 512 metres and 319 metres. Currently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has floated tenders for engineering, procurement and construction of the bridge. The last date for bidding is September 20th. Source: The Indian Express Fall in suburban train traffic since pandemic The Central…

Last year India witnessed the highest number of deaths by suicide — 1.64 lakh. And, these are only the reported deaths!  The stigma that is associated with suicide makes it even worse. As a result, large number of incidents remain unreported in our country. It may not be an exaggeration to say that the figure above presents an incomplete picture. As per the latest NCRB report, daily wage labourers continue to be the most vulnerable population to suicide. Suicide rates among housewives and students are also on the rise. The COVID pandemic has further aggravated the situation for people across…

Schools under Greater Chennai Corporation to be revamped ICT for teacher development, infrastructure, classrooms and school management systems will be revamped in 80 schools run by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). The timeline for the project is six months. Around Rs. 174.91 crore has been allocated for revamping the schools under the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain (CITIIS) and Singara Chennai 2.0.  The revamping includes a greater focus on homework, remedial sessions and weekly tests.  Additionally, GCC plans to build 3600 classrooms and get 4000 more dual desks for the schools. GCC has already bought 10,000 dual desks…

Yellow alert, second wettest August The meteorological department has issued an yellow alert for the city, as more rains are predicted for the coming days. This year the city experienced the second wettest August, as the city observatory of the IMD (India Meteorological Department) recorded 369.9 mm of rainfall, second only to 1998's recording of 387.1 mm. Traffic got crippled on ORR (Outer Ring Road) due to Savalakere lake overflowing. About two to three feet of water on the ORR from Silk Board junction to Bellandur, Marathahalli and Sarjapura Road stopped two-wheeler riders. Hundreds of employees working in and around…

Over 79 lakh voters in draft list The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) and State Election Commission published a draft voters’ list recording 79,08,394 voters, with 41,09,496 male, 37,97,497 female and 1,401 transgenders. S Basavaraj, Commissioner of Karnataka State Election Commission, said citizens can review, make corrections and file objections before September 2nd. The list for the BBMP election, 2022 was published on www.bbmp.gov.in. About 5.20 lakh new voters have been added. Source: The Indian Express, The New Indian Express, Deccan Herald Contractors complain of graft in BBMP The KSCA (Karnataka State Contractors’ Association) has levelled allegations over the demand for…

Garbage dump at BKC school gets cleared after two years A mountain of garbage had begun to pile up over the past two years in a plot right next to Ascend International School, in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), which began to get cleared up on August 24th. The garbage pile posed serious health concerns for children and raised a stench during monsoons. “We have already fined the land owner ₹10,000 under the corporation’s Swachhta Abhiyan. The owner has been asked to find the source of this garbage, and ensure that the land remains clean henceforth,” said a BMC official from the H-East ward.…

GCC to create 28 new playgrounds In a welcome move, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has planned to construct 28 new playgrounds with several amenities across the city. It would be made free for the public. A sum of Rs 29.4 crore has been allotted to construct the playgrounds.  Ten of these playgrounds will come up in the first phase of the project. In a bid to make it more accessible for people from the economically-weaker sections, the GCC has planned to set up these grounds near Urban Habitat Development Board colonies. As a pilot, a playground has been created near the KP…

Stepping into the 76th year of Independence, India now has 75 wetlands that have got the coveted Ramsar site tag. After a gap of 20 years, Tamil Nadu has got the Ramsar tag for 13 wetlands across the State in 2022. This makes Tamil Nadu the State with the highest number of Ramsar sites in India.  Pallikaranai marshland in Chennai has become the first wetland in the city to get the Ramsar tag. What is a Ramsar site? A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, also known as "The Convention…

I-Day rush on BMTC On Independence Day, Namma Metro recorded the highest-ever ridership of 8.25 lakh, mainly due to the ‘freedom march’ organised by the Congress, as well as the visitors of the Lalbagh flower show. BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited) officials said that 4.02 lakh passengers travelled on the Green Line connecting Nagasandra in the northwest to Silk Institute in the southwest; 2.05 lakh on the Purple Line linking Baiyappanahalli in the east with Kengeri in the southwest and over 1.65 lakh using the interchange station at Majestic. BMRCL ran close to 170 trips on Monday, which was more…