Some plastic items go off the banned list
As Government issues notification for ban of plastic items with effect from January 2019, it has also issued orders exempting a number of plastic items such as plastic bags that constitute or form an integral part of packaging, in which goods are sealed prior to use in manufacturing / processing units. The order issued by Environment and Forest Secretary Md Nasimuddin said no industry or person shall manufacture, store, supply, transport, sell or distribute throwaway plastics.
The exemptions include plastic carry bags manufactured exclusively to meet an export order at a plastic industry, which is located in an SEZ or an export-oriented zone. Plastic bags and sheets used in forestry and horticulture nurseries, plastic used for packaging milk and milk products, oil, medicine and medical equipment will fall outside the ban. Carry bags made from compostable plastic as per Indian standards, and bearing a label to that effect, may also be used.
Source: The Times of India
Perungudi wards resists waste segregation at source
The Greater Chennai Corporation had made source segregation of solid waste compulsory from last October. It has been ten months but none of the wards located in the vicinity of the Perungudi landfill have implemented the order. Proximity to the landfill is being cited as one of the primary reasons. Ward 195 which has the maximum population with 13,044 households among all nine wards in Zone 15 generates nearly 28 tonnes of waste every day, of which more than half is unsegregated waste.
Source: The New Indian Express
OMR Kelambakkam junction choked by poor traffic regulations
Encroachment by private vehicles and poor traffic management are causing a great deal of inconvenience for road users at the Kelambakkam junction. The junction connects OMR with ECR and GST Road. Officials estimate that around 10,000 vehicles pass by this junction between 8 am to 10 am and between 4 pm to 7 pm on weekdays. MTC operates around 400 services in that stretch. Highway sources anticipate a solution to this problem once the proposed six way Siruseri Mahabalipuram stretch is complete.
Source: The Times of India
Chennai Metro sets up vertical garden at Koyambedu Metro station
A total of 400 planted vases were installed on the pillar of Koyambedu Metro Station parking area. Over 1,250 plants have been planted in these vases. This vertical garden initiative comes with a complete drip irrigation system which ensures minimum water for all plants, thereby reducing wastage of water. These plants also absorb more carbon dioxide, thereby reducing air pollution and giving way to fresh air.
Source: News Today
Chennai Metro Water & Sewage Board builds new sewage well near Besant Nagar beach
A new sewage well has been built for the benefit of Urur and Olcott Kuppam residents. The facility has been constructed to enable those living nearby to divert their waste into the well, which will be pumped into the pumping station nearby. Nearly 600 families live in Urur Kuppam and in Olcott Kuppam, most of whom had been been letting their sewage into the sea. According to contractor and supervisor, Balasubramaniam, the construction of the new facility will help prevent that.
Source: News Today
