Articles by News Desk

We have come to the end of probably the most tumultuous year in the collective history of our cities, a year that has changed almost everything as we knew it once. In healthcare, education and markets, in formal and informal spheres of work, in our festivities as well as the humdrum existence of regular life, COVID has left an impression that cannot be obliterated ever. Much as we want this pandemic to end, neither can we completely erase its impact, nor should we forget the lessons that this period holds for the future. As we look forward to new beginnings,…

User fee for garbage reversed The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) reversed its announcement of the levy of user fee for garbage collection. The fee was to come into effect from January 1, 2021. The move was reversed following opposition from many quarters in view of the pandemic. The civic body had stated that the residents would have to pay a user fee for garbage collection as mandated by the Solid Waste Management (2019) Act.  Charges for residential buildings having a built-up area of up to 500 sq. ft was Rs 10, from 501 to 1,200 sq. ft was Rs 25,…

COVID-19: New strain alert in India, states prepare After the news of the new COVID-19 strain spreading in the UK, the Government of India (GoI) has issued a new set of guidelines and protocol for tracing, testing and treating the patients infected with the virus. As per initial reports, however, several states are facing difficulty in tracing the UK returnees. Few travelers from the UK went missing and are untraceable in Uttar Pradesh. Some isolated incidents were also reported from Delhi. In the meantime, eleven UK returnees were reported positive in Goa. Positive cases were also found in Nagpur, Telangana,…

Infant seeks traffic-ban in Cubbon Park A five-month-old infant has petitioned the High Court seeking a ban on vehicular traffic in Cubbon Park. A division bench ordered notices to the state government and other respondents following the plea. Kian Medhi Kumar, represented by his father, M R Rakesh Prabal Kumar, cited a drastic reduction in air pollution during the lockdown, enforced between March 24 and May 20. The petition said that there was a reduction of suspended particulate matter and carbon monoxide level inside Cubbon Park during that period. The petition also cited a study by the Indian Instituteof Science's…

[This article was updated after an official order, with several changes to the original announcement, was issued by the Chief Secretary, Karnataka. The full text of the order can be found here] The Karnataka government has imposed a State-wide night curfew for eight days beginning December 24. The curfew will come into effect at 11 pm and last till 5 am on those days. The decision was taken in view of the new strain of Covid-19 virus, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced, a day after he had ruled out the possibility of night curfew. "In view of the new…

70% Indians not willing to take COVID-19 vaccine, finds study A study conducted by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, with more than 18000 people from 242 districts has revealed that almost 70% Indians are not interested in taking the COVID-19 vaccine shot. As per the study, in October, this number stood at 61%. Out of the total respondents, 66% were men and 34% were women. The study was conducted in two phases: the first phase from October 15th to 20th. while the second was from December 10th to 15th. The members of LocalCircles have said that the reason for…

COVID cases at IIT-M and Anna University go up As colleges reopened for a section of students, there has been a COVID-19 outbreak in one of the city's premier educational institutions. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras recorded 191 positive cases. The institution had to go under a localised lockdown and carry out extensive testing to prevent the spread. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) collected 6,344 samples from college students across the city for testing. Six students of Anna University, five students from Valasaravakkam zone, three from Sholinganallur, one each from Alandur and Perungudi have also tested positive for COVID-19.…

Over 90% infants malnourished In Bengaluru, a mere 7.4% children aged below two years receive adequate diet, says the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5). That leaves a staggering 92.6% infants under two, malnourished. The figures are worse than five years ago, when only 13.9% children were receiving proper nutrition. Bengaluru is one of 342 districts for which government released data. The survey says the percentage of total children aged 6-23 months receiving an adequate diet has fallen. Children under five years who are stunted are 31.3%, an increase from 28.1% in NFHS-4, while the number of underweight children has gone…

On November 30, the State Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for COVID-19 issued an advisory to Karnataka government, detailing the measures needed to contain the second wave of the pandemic in the state. According to the TAC, the second wave is expected in January-February. Following is an edited version of the advisory. Key measures to contain second wave: The 7-day average growth rate as well as Reproduction number (Ro) of COVID cases will be closely monitored at the district and state levels for early recognition of the second wave.An epidemic intelligence team shall support the state war room for early recognition…

The Bengaluru Bus Prayanikara Vedike has appealed to the government to constitute a joint legislative committee or a tripartite  committee of workers, transport corporations and state government to look into the issues facing road transport corporations in the State. The committee, in a press release issued Sunday, said that the government should take workers' demands and their welfare, with a  view of strengthening RTCs, into view. It should improve the accessibility and availability of the public service  for the benefit of common people.  The BBPV's appeal came in the wake of the state's road transport corporation employees -- including drivers,…