Articles by News Desk

COVID-19 updates: 345 GCC staff infected, commandos deployed to curb violations, 5 arrested for issuing fake e-pass On June 26th, a whopping 3645 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, while 1,358 people were discharged and 46 deaths were recorded. Chennai alone accounted for 1,956 cases, according to the health bulletin. Infographic of total COVID-positive cases in Chennai as on June 27. Pic: GCC/Twitter Among the front line workers from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), 345 staff, including officials, have tested positive and around 50 are back to work. This includes around 120 sanitary workers, among whom 10-15 have…

As lakes dry in Mumbai, city stares at water shortage crisis Mumbai gets it water supply from seven lakes and dams which are apparently drying up. The catchment areas of these lakes and dams have not registered any increase in the water stock, even as the first month (June) of the monsoon season is about to end. However, the municipality has urged people to remain calm and not panic. It has also made clear that there will be no water cuts in the city. The total storage capacity of all the seven lakes is about 14.47 lakh litres. At present,…

Students from across educational institutions in the country have sent a comprehensive letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) condemning the passing of the EIA Notification 2020, which, in its current form, they perceive as destructive for the ecology and the people of India. In an initiative spearheaded by an environmental group of Ashoka University (headed by Anjali Dalmia, 20, from Pune), these youth (aged 17-28) have requested that it be deferred, rewritten as per recommendations by experts, and released once health and survival are not a critical issue. Following is the complete draft of the…

COVID-19: Lockdown 6.0, 288 checkpoints to check vehicles, discharge summary not being given to patients On June 19th, the state saw 2115 new persons test positive for COVID-19; Chennai accounts for 1322 of these new patients. An undersecretary at Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and a police Inspector in Chennai succumbed to the disease this week.  Infographic of total COCID-19 positive cases in Chennai as on June 20. Pic: GCC/Twitter In a bid to bring down the severity of COVID-19 cases, Chennai and three neighbouring districts have been locked down for 12 days till 30th June. Meat stalls and slaughterhouses will remain…

People in Hyderabad flout mask rules, complains GHMC Citizens of Hyderabad have complained against those who are openly flouting norms regarding wear of masks in public places. At several locations, it was observed that people were not wearing masks at all. It was also found that people having masks were not using it properly. Residents from Gachibowli, Sri Ram Nagar (Kondapur), MLA Colony and Banjara have reached out to the officials of GHMC for taking action against those who are not obeying the rule. The civic agencies have urged people to cooperate with the authorities. The police have also been penalizing…

COVID-19 cases cross 1000 mark in Bengaluru With 94 new COVID cases reported on June 20, Bengaluru became the third district in Karnataka to have over 1000 cases. As of Saturday, the city had 1076 cases and 61 deaths. It has had 319 containment zones overall, of which 279 are currently active. Tracking the source of infection has been a challenge in many cases. Another concern is that more police personnel are testing positive for COVID. As on Saturday, 39 personnel had tested positive and two had died. Bengaluru still has the lowest COVID burden among cities with population of…

COVID-19: Radhakrishnan takes charge as health secretary, no lockdown extension in Chennai, 40 patients booked for violating home quarantine In a recent development, Dr J Radhakrishnan has been reappointed as the State Health Secretary, replacing Dr Beela Rajesh. The order passed on June 12th added that Dr Radhakrishnan will continue to serve as the Commissioner of Revenue Administration until further orders, and Dr Beela Rajesh will head the Department of Commercial Taxes and Registration department as Secretary. The state witnessed a massive spike of 1,933 COVID cases on June 12th with 1,479 of the cases in Chennai, according to the…

Spurt in COVID deaths Although Bengaluru has a recovery rate of 51.4% with respect to COVID-19 patients, its death rate of 3.95% is the highest among districts in Karnataka. In comparison, the State's average death rate is 1.15%. The number of deaths has shot up in Bengaluru since June 1. According to the State health bulletin, of 581 positive cases in Bengaluru as on June 11, 23 have died. Of them, 13 died in June alone. Doctors say that the deaths are due to late reporting and referral by other hospitals, apart from severe co-morbidities. The deaths are expected to…

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has recommended holistic planning for pedestrian friendly market spaces in various cities and municipal areas in the country in consultation with stake holders. The advisory issued by Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to all states/cities/municipal corporations has also suggested the million plus cities to select at least three market places for pedestrianisation & non-million plus cities to select at least one market area for pedestrianisation in market places. The following steps have been suggested for adopting pedestrianisation in market places 1. Selection of Market Location – Million Plus…

World's first semi high-speed rail corridor got approved by Railway board and Maharashtra government The world's first semi high-speed corridor over broad gauge, which will allow trains to run at a speed up to 250 kmph between Pune and Nashik, has been given a green signal by the Railway Board and Maharashtra government. The detailed project report for the high-speed rail corridor was completed by the state-run Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MRIDC) in February. Pune and Nashik are two of the fastest-growing cities in the state and collectively account for 18% of the population of the state and…