Articles by News Desk

COVID cases rise in Mumbai Concerns over rising COVID cases in the state were raised at the cabinet meeting on May 26th. On May 25th, the number of positive cases in the state was at 2,175, from 618 cases on April 15th. A large portion of the rise is due to Mumbai, exactly 67.27%. Despite lower numbers than last year, and the city removing the mask mandate in April, the government is now urging citizens to maintain masking.  "We removed the restriction of wearing masks on April 2 and within a span of 15 days the cases have gone up. If cases continue…

BBMP gives more powers to zonal commissioners The BBMP on Wednesday issued a notification, signed by Chief Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, delegating more administrative and financial powers to its zonal commissioners. Zonal Commissioners had been appointed to BBMP's eight zones in April 2021 for better coordination during the pandemic. But they have had little control over administrative and financial matters. The departments of revenue, health, town planning, solid waste management, education, road infrastructure, horticulture, forest, animal husbandry and projects will be headed by their respective chiefs. But all other departments will henceforth be decentralised and will work under the zones. Housing…

Pillion riders fined for not wearing helmet in Chennai Around 2000 pillion riders were fined by the Chennai Traffic Police for failure to wear helmets. The Police issues a statement mandating helmets for pillions starting Monday, May 23. The east zone saw the highest number of bookings at 844. The city traffic police aim to continue checks until 100% compliance of pillion riders wearing helmets is achieved. Those without helmets were fined Rs 100 and issued challans.  The high number of fatalities from road accidents among pillion riders has been a key factor in the stringent implementation of this rule.…

35% of India’s population lives in big and small cities, and this number is expected to nearly double by the year 2050. These urban environments are increasingly characterised by high population density, ubiquitous and overwhelming concrete construction, inadequate water, sanitation and waste infrastructure, a general lack of green spaces and the commons as well as vanishing biodiversity.  Our existing patterns of urbanisation are also directly releasing greenhouse gases (GHG) into our environment; India’s construction sector alone contributes approximately 25% to our GHG emissions, according to the UNFCCC biennial report on India (2021).  Plus urban areas have been identified as high-risk…

Two migrant laborers drown Two migrant contractual labourers who were working for a BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) project near Bangalore University, drowned during heavy rains on Tuesday. The incident occurred when water from a drain flooded an underground pipeline they were working in. They had gone 20 feet inside the pipe for welding work. A probe is underway. Locals said that the roads were dug up for more than a year and no safety equipment or signboards were used. Source: Indian Express Read More: Bengaluru’s Labour Stands present a highly exploitative and informal hiring market Heavy rains…

Pre-monsoon showers to hit Mumbai next week After a gruelling few weeks of a heatwave, Mumbaikars can expect cooler temperatures post-May 21st. According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), rain and thunderstorms are expected in parts of Maharashtra, including South Maharashtra, Konkan, Marathwada, and Vidarbha.  “The exact date of the onset of the monsoon over Maharashtra can be predicted after the onset of the monsoon over the Kerala mainland. Until then, a variety of factors may influence or disturb the monsoon equatorial flow,” said an official from IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai. Monsoon is expected to hit Kerala by…

T Nagar Skywalk to be inaugurated in June A skywalk connecting Mambalam Railway Station to T Nagar Bus Stand will be inaugurated in June after a delay of one year. The project costing Rs 27 crore began in December 2020, and was supposed to be completed in 15 months. However, due to pending dues from contractors, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various design related interventions, the project was delayed.  The project comes under the Smart Cities Plan, and aims to reduce the congestion in Usman Road and Ranganathan Street, which sees a high footfall of more than 5000 passengers who use…

City records second-coldest day in May in past 50 years Thursday, May 12th, was the second-coldest day recorded in May in Bengaluru in the last 50 years. On The maximum temperature on the day was 23°C, way lesser than the normal of 34°C. The minimum temperature was 19.5°C. The coldest day in May in the last 50 years was on May 14th, 1972, when the maximum temperature stood at 22.2°C. A senior IMD official attributed the weather change to Cyclone Asani, adding that temperatures would rise again after May 14th. Source: Deccan Herald Hailstorm, heavy rainfall On Sunday, southern and…

Food and beverage stalls at MRTS stations The Southern Railways is all set to introduce food and beverage stalls across MRTS stations in Chennai. The move has been in limbo for many years due to stringent norms for setting up stalls at stations. When this was attempted previously, only two stalls came up, one at Thiruvanmiyur and Mandaveli each.The move to set up stalls will also improve the overall safety of the stations which currently have long, deserted platforms. The reason for few takers for the stalls is that the rules demand a fixed fee from the contractors who are…

BMC to launch 4 new initiatives for children studying in BMC schools On 11th May, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and its education department launched four new initiatives in their schools. The initiatives include awareness programs and workshops for diabetes, mental and dental health. They also include making infrastructural changes to the inside and outside of the schools to make access to them safe. The safe access to schools initiative was created as Mumbai Public Schools are usually located around areas where there is heavy traffic flow. It will cover introducing safer options for commuting to schools, and also childrens’…