Articles by News Desk

Air quality in all 15 locations sampled from across the city between May and July 2019 was unhealthy, with levels of PM 2.5 in the worst affected areas nearly three times the national standard of 60 ug/m3, according to a study released by Healthy Energy Initiative and Doctors for Clean Air-Tamil Nadu. The widespread nature of pollution and the fact that the samples were taken in summer highlights how the current pollution crisis is neither an isolated nor a seasonal incident. The study analysed 24-hour air samples for PM 2.5 and a host of heavy metals. The densely populated areas…

Chennai Corporation bags award for social innovation Chennai Corporation was bestowed with an award recognizing its social innovation initiatives. The award was for accelerating the transition towards a sustainable city through projects like Namma Chennai App and smart classrooms and was given by Governance Now, a public policy organization. Source: The Hindu Chennai Police launches "Thozhi" to counsel victims of child sex abuse 70 police women personnel have been assigned the role of  counsellors to child victims of sexual assault. The scheme known as "Thozhi" was launched by the city police commissioner A K Viswanathan. The 70 policewomen will be…

BBMP to take over all city lakes except three  All lakes in the city except Bellandur, Varthur, and Veerasandra will be handed over to the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), according to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is also the Bengaluru Development Minister. Also, 628 acre of lake land that has been encroached, would be cleared. Bellandur and Varthur lakes are under the BDA (Bangalore Development Authority), and Veerasandra lake is with the BMRCL (Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd). Currently, 169 out of 200 lakes in Bengaluru are under the BBMP. It will now take over 38 more lakes.…

Karnataka’s Dalit organisations, Farmer groups, Women’s rights organisations, Human rights organisations and several groups have come together under one forum, called ‘People for Peace and Justice” , “Shanthi Mattu Nyaayakkaagi Naavu” in order to work for peace and justice in the light of the Ayodhya verdict. This is an event calling people of all faiths and groups, to join hands to spread a message of peace. That whatever may be the Ayodhya verdict, let us work for peace. Those dissatisfied may approach courts for legal remedies, but let us not violate peace. Joint Forum Launched to maintain peace and fight…

The Bangalore Literature Festival, Bengaluru city’s flagship literary event, is all set for a spectacular 2019 eighth edition on November 9th and 10th in the breezy green lawns of Hotel LaLiT Ashok in Kumara Krupa High Grounds, Bengaluru.  The two-day event will feature a host of distinguished speakers, authors and artistes including thespian and National Award-winning actor Pankaj Kapur; former CEO of McKinsey and co-founder of the Indian School of Business Rajat Gupta; Historian and author of Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past Vikram Sampath; inaugural winner of the Restless Books Prize for Temporary People Deepak Unnikrishnan; renowned mythologist, writer…

Rains don't fill up "rejuvenated" lakes Though BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has restored as many as 75 out of the 150 lakes under its purview, most of these remain dry in spite of heavy rains. BBMP officials admitted that lakes cannot depend solely on rainwater. Sewage inflow coupled with the absence of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in the rejuvenated lakes, garbage dumping in the lake bed etc have led to further deterioration of lakes. BBMP officials said that lack of coordination among government agencies and paucity of funds also hampered rejuvenation efforts. Most rejuvenated lakes are now dry except…

A smoke-filled Chennai yet again this Diwali Though there have been contrasting reports from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), by all accounts, air quality levels post Diwali were poor. Pollution levels at several locations in the city went up on Deepavali, with concentrations of PM2.5 crossing 400 micrograms/cubic metre at Manali, Velachery and Alandur. However, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB) data from five locations shows a completing contrasting picture. The city Corporation collected a total of 22.58 tonnes of cracker waste on Saturday and Sunday across all 15 zones, of…

Chennai saw 543 registered cases of dengue till October, the highest across all districts in Tamil Nadu in this calendar year. The civic body has promised to undertake more preventive measures such as fumigation and conduct awareness drives to educate citizens on dos and don’ts, to arrest the spread of dengue. Citizens in their individual capacity can be prepared to prevent the spread of the disease by undertaking certain preemptive measures.  Here are a few key pointers from the Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital on how dengue spreads, the symptoms, course of treatment and what you can do to avoid…

Yesterday, BBMP Special Commissioner Randeep Dev said on Twitter, that all engineers have been instructed to strictly comply with the methodology for filling potholes. BBMP had specified the nine-step methodology for filling potholes last December, following High Court's orders in PIL No 42927/2015. Dev said that BBMP is also insisting on geo-tagged photos of potholes before and after patching, to ensure transparency and accountability. According to Dev, following is the methodology for pothole patching/repair that BBMP engineers have to adhere to. Step 1: Place traffic control devices Place traffic cones, flags, flagman to guide and control the traffic movement Step…

Over 800 'NimBus'es to ply on priority lane ‘NimBus’ or Nimma Bus is the new brand name the BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) has conferred on buses that would operate in the priority lane on Outer Ring Road. These buses will ply between Silk Board and Baiyappanahalli. ‘Commute better’ would be the tagline of the buses. Complete operations of the NimBus fleet would start on November 1. A BMTC official said that ORR buses will have NimBus stickers for the benefit of passengers. The stickers will be sported by 830 buses, majority of them the 500 series buses. The Corporation…