Articles by News Desk

Cyclone Amphan leaves a trail of destruction in Kolkata Kolkata woke up to scenes of destruction on May 21st as over 5,000 trees, hundreds of lamp posts and several traffic signals were uprooted by winds at 130 kmph raging through the city, as Cyclone Amphan hit large parts of coastal Bengal. A large part of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport was flooded while 1 hangar was damaged and another two were destroyed. As electric poles collapsed, CESC Ltd. disconnected power supply in a majority of areas in the city, plunging the city into darkness. Telephone lines were snapped, broadband…

Migrant labourers suffer as BIEC shuts down Since Monday night, over 3,000 migrant labourers walked to BIEC (Bangalore International Exhibition Centre) but were not allowed in. Instead, they were made to board buses and dropped off back to the areas they had come from. Most buses were packed and did not follow the norms of mandatory sanitisers or the limit of 30 passengers per vehicle. K V Sharath Chandra, IGP, Central Range, said BIEC was meant to be a temporary shelter for those walking to their hometowns in north India, but that more people were coming in, thinking they'd be…

COVID-19: Volunteers deployed in slums, Stanley Hospital docs contract COVID, trains from Chennai cancelled On May 22nd, Tamil Nadu recorded 786 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 14,753, according to the state health bulletin. Chennai continues to be the hotspot in the state, as 569 cases out of the 786 belong to the city. There are 5,461 active cases in Chennai, while 3,791 patients have recovered; 66 succumbed to the disease. Cracking down on violators who do not wear masks when they step out, the city police is levying a fine of Rs 500. Zone-wise list of COVID-19 cases…

As we approach the relaxation of lockdown, traffic and people on the roads is bound to increase, even as we continue to battle the pandemic. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) can be very effective in helping the Greater Chennai Corporation, as the civic body continues its measures to create awareness and enforce social distancing in the near future. Here are some salient points for RWAs from a note issued by a senior GCC official. Awareness Awareness material will be handed over to RWAs by GCC.Do paste where it will be visible to the publicDo share the digital messages widely.Do NOT spread…

With lockdown relaxations, BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) and KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) have just resumed services. Following is a press release from BMTC on how their bus services will be run in the present circumstances. In view of providing safe and convenient transport facility, and to create a sense of trust among passengers by ensuring required cleanliness and hygiene in buses, the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has planned to operate buses as per the guidelines of the central and state governments. Service availability Initially, operations will be resumed on high-density routes in Bengaluru city except in…

COVID-19 updates: Police dept prohibits gatherings, GCC focusses on slums; Tasmac to remain shut in city, and more... On May 15th, Tamil Nadu recorded 385 new COVID-positive patients, taking the total number of cases to 10108, according to Tamil Nadu Health Department’s bulletin. Of 385, 309 patients are from Chennai.  COVID-19 status in Chennai as of May 15. Pic: GCC/Twitter In a bid to contain the spread of the virus, A K Viswanathan, Chennai Police Commissioner, has promulgated Section 41 of the Tamil Nadu City Police Act that prohibits all gatherings, processions, fasts, demonstrations and human chains within Chennai limits…

Special train passengers protest quarantine There was chaos as about 140 passengers who arrived in the first special train from New Delhi refused to check themselves into quarantine facilities in hotels. Many insisted that they should be allowed to self-quarantine at home, but officials refused. After a few hours, all passengers barring 19 agreed to the terms. The remaining 19 were sent back in the Bengaluru-Delhi train that left on Thursday. In all, 507 passengers opted for institutional quarantine of whom 203 availed free government facilities. The rest are in hotels identified by the BBMP, for which the passengers agreed…

COVID-19: Lockdown rules relaxed, Hospitals run out of beds, Koyambedu market shifted to Thirumazhisai, Madras HC’s ruling on Tasmac In a recent update, the State government has relaxed the lockdown in Tamil Nadu (effective from Monday). According to the order, saloons, spas and beauty parlours will continue to remain closed. The following are the instructions given by the government for the localities falling under Greater Chennai Police limits and non-containment zones. ServicesGreater Chennai Police limits (operation timings)Non-containment zones and rest of TN (operation timings)Private establishments10.30 am to 6 pm (with 33% workforce)10 am and 7 pm Vegetable shops and grocery…

Train services for migrants restarted, KSRTC services stopped On Thursday, state government gave directions to restart train services, following criticism of its earlier decision to cancel trains. On Tuesday, after a meeting with the representatives of the CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India) Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said that the COVID situation was in control and hence economic activities had to be resumed. Trains were stopped to prevent migrant labourers from travelling back. With this, hundreds of migrant labourers from North Indian states began to walk towards their hometowns. Following public outrage against this, government then…

Public transport systems are essential services to provide mobility in cities. However, in the current COVID-19 situation public transport will pose a certain risk due to a large number of people in a confined space with limited ventilation, no access control to identify potentially sick persons and many common surfaces to touched such as ticket machines, handrails, doorknobs to name a few. Life in times of COVID-19 has changed drastically. The pandemic has brought many changes in the way we live our lives and the habits we form, and soon it will also change the way we travel. Crowded buses,…