Articles by News Desk

Mumbai masterplan for roads Mumbai’s development authority has drafted a Rs 58,000 masterplan to build a network of ring roads that are supposed to connect all corners of the city by 2029, cutting travel time significantly.  Mumbai’s Ring Road masterplan prepared by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) outlines mega road connectivity across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) — from Vadodara, Gujarat border in the north to Alibaug in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra down South, and towards Navi Mumbai/Thane. It will set up a complex network of roads, flyovers, reclaimed coastal roads, bridges and underwater tunnels, planning to declutter and…

New scheme for electric vehicles to replace FAME A new scheme for EVs, called the PM Electric Drive Revolution In Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE), is all set to replace the erstwhile FAME scheme, that had been in effect for nine years till this March. The PM E-DRIVE scheme enjoys a central allocation of Rs 10,900 crore for a period of two years, which will subsidise electric two-wheelers, three wheelers, e-buses, electric trucks and hybrid ambulances. However, there is no mention of any subsidy for electric cars or personal hybrid vehicles. Source: The Economic Times Over 1000 e-buses for Bengaluru…

Heavy rains affect lives pan India Heavy rains made the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issue an orange alert in four states - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa on September 7. A yellow alert was earlier issued for Punjab, Delhi-NCR, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, western Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and northeastern India, Since August 25, there were at least 40 deaths and 55,000 displaced across 25 Gujarat districts. On September 3, the highest rainfall of 156 mm from 6 am to 6 pm was recorded in Valia, Bharuch. About 29 lost their lives in floods in Telangana. Heavy rains also hit parts of…

Rains batter Gujarat and Delhi The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Gujarat on August 26th because of heavy rains in the state. The rains are expected to continue till August 29th, with the IMD marking the state as a ‘flash flood risk’ zone. Baroda recorded 26 cm of rainfall, the highest in the state, from 8.30 am to 8.30 pm on the August 24. Ahmedabad recorded a rainfall of 10 cm, while the state average was 63.36 mm. Since August 24th, low-lying areas have experienced waterlogging, prompting the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to conduct rescue…

Civil society organisations and concerned citizens have united to protest the construction of a new airport in Parandur, in the outskirts of Chennai. The Rs 30,000-crore project is slated to come up in more than 5,000 acres of land, according to the State government. A majority of this land is agricultural and also includes many waterbodies. According to civic and environmental activists, if the construction of the greenfield airport in Parandur goes ahead as per plan, it will have significant ecological and social repercussions — loss of natural habitats, potential flooding and a loss of livelihood for communities dependent on…

Cops push back protestors of Badlapur rape case The police custody of a 23-year-old school janitor, arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two kindergarten girls in a school's toilet at Badlapur town was extended till August 26. A special investigation team (SIT) has registered an FIR against the school authorities, for not complying with the provisions of Section 19 of the POCSO Act. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has announced a Maharashtra bandh for August 24. Meanwhile, the police said that many WhatsApp groups were created and appeals to join the Badlapur railway station protest on August 20th were circulated. Protestors gathered…

National outrage over doctor's rape and murder The midnight hour on the eve of the 78th Independence Day saw massive protests by lakhs of people, demanding justice for a young Kolkata doctor, brutally raped and murdered in the state run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, while on duty, on August 9th. Demonstrations spread not just across the cities and towns of West Bengal, but also to Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Patna, Silchar and even global cities like Poland, Scotland, Munich, London, Leeds and Atlanta. There were slogans on reclaiming women's right to safety and security, and safety…

Huge urban waste leakage into water bodies Indian cities face the risk of being among the top global contributors of waste leakage, mostly untreated municipal solid waste, into aquatic environments. Researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis estimate that in 2020, municipal solid waste from India contributed to 10% of waste leakage to the world’s rivers. About 70% of the leakage is from urban areas, due to lack of regulations and implementation, low collection rates, high transportation costs and lack of diversified municipal solid waste technologies, explains the study. The paper suggests that a global treaty with standardised…

Heavy rains devastate hilly towns in Wayanad, HP More than 300 have been killed in the toll due to landslides in the hilly towns of Wayanad, Kerala. The rescue operations have entered the fourth day on August 2, with about 40 rescue teams combing the area, despite the heavy rains and challenging terrain. They include army personnel, Defence Security Corps (DSC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Forest and Fire and Rescue Service, swmming experts and volunteers, who are picking their way through the debris with rescue equipment, including earth movers, radar-based drones and sniffer dogs. Climate change and unscientific construction…

Budget highlights urban development Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget 2024-2025, presented on July 23rd, highlighted urban development among nine priorities. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban 2.0 central assistance of Rs 2.2 lakh crore over five years aimed to build one crore additional houses, she said. She also agreed to give an interest subsidy to loans at affordable rates, enable policies and regulations for efficient and transparent rental housing markets with enhanced availability. The PMAY-U will come to an end on December 31st, for which a provision of Rs. 30,170.61 crore has been made. She said the government would work with…