City Buzz: COVID-control in Mumbai, Bhopal | Mask rules flouted in Hyderabad and Ludhiana | Nagpur police crack down on illegal silencers… and more

Cities are struggling to implement norms on masks and social distancing. Catch updates on this and other key urban highlights from the week that passed.

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 people for flouting the rules.

Source: The Times of India

Nagpur Traffic police cracks down on noise making two-wheelers

Two-wheeler drivers in Nagpur who have modified their vehicles to amplify the noise they create are facing heavy backlash from Nagpur Traffic Police. The police instead of fining the riders is now replacing such noise-making silencers with original and lawful ones. Earlier, police used to fine Rs 1000 for creating noise, but now they are having these silencers replaced by mechanics with the costs being borne by the rider only.

Police officials say that the act of making any change to the original vehicle without the permission of authorities is illegal. Also, the sound of firecrackers created by some of these silencers, is an act of nuisance for fellow travelers on the road and senior citizens. It amounts to a crime under the Motor Vehicles Rules.

Each zone has been directed to seize such vehicles. The drive was initiated on 18 June and police ended up detaining 46 motor bikes that day. On June 19th alone, 87 bullet motor bikes were detained.

Source: The Times of India

Bhopal Municipal Corporation to adopt ward wise approach to contain COVID-19

After a meeting with top AIIMS official, the Bhopal district administration has decided to adopt a strategy focusing on ward wise management of the pandemic.

Out of total 85 wards in the city, eight wards have more than 20 active cases. There are 12 wards with more than ten active cases at the moment. As per an internal assessment by the Health Department, one unchecked infected person can go on to infect at least ten more persons.

So far, Bhopal and Indore stand as two most infected cities in the state of Madhya Pradesh, but the state machinery is happy that they haven’t reached the state of cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

Source: The Times of India

Ludhiana collects Rs 40 lakh in fines for public spitting and non-usage of masks

More than Rs 2 lakh for open spitting, more than Rs 37 lakh for not wearing masks and around Rs 1000 for violating home quarantine have been collected by the Ludhiana police from the citizens for the abovementioned violations of rule. In addition, penalties of more than Rs 20000 have been collected from residents for violating social distancing norms in the city. The police authorities also revealed that most of the violators belonged to the age group of 18 to 40 years.

Source: Hindustan Times

Some parts of Mumbai might witness total lockdown

Police authorities in North Mumbai have enforced a total lockdown in order to contain the spread of the infection. BMC has also proposed the same for some other parts of the city like Borivli, Dahisar and Kandivli. The municipal authority has thought of implementing a localized version of the lockdown in the wards of the above-mentioned locations.

The police authorities have reviewed the preparations along with BMC. If such lockdown is implemented, essential shops too will be closed in the locality.

Source: The Times of India

KMC invites global tender for water plant at Dhapa

A water plant at a cost of Rs 130 crore has been proposed by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) at Jaihind Water Works at Dhapa. The plant is expected to solve the water crisis in the regions neighbouring the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. The plant is also expected to give 20 million gallons of filtered water every day.

Presently, the Jaihind Water Works produces 30 million gallons of filtered water every day. Residents living in the areas near the bypass still depend largely on groundwater extraction for their purposes.

According to the officials of KMC, it will take at least two years for the plant to be operational.

Source: The Times of India

Compiled by Rishabh Shrivastava

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Broken roads, uncleared garbage: In Pune’s Ramtekdi, businesses await basic civic services 

Businesses in the industrial hub pay lakhs in taxes, yet they lack civic infrastructure, despite multiple complaints to the Pune Corporation.

Businesses in Ramtekdi Industrial Estate are expected to manufacture, employ and attract customers, but the basic infrastructure around them tells another story.  The industrial estate in Hadapsar is home to small and medium manufacturing units, including businesses supplying Indian companies and exporting overseas. For our unit on Lane 1, getting to work means navigating a road broken into deep craters that fill with stagnant water during the monsoon season. Trucks carrying goods, workers on two-wheelers and visitors to the factory, all have to negotiate the same stretch. The state of the approach has become a problem for the business itself.…

Similar Story

Fix building violations, traffic and waste issues: BECC Citizens’ Manifesto

As Bengaluru anticipates its first GBA election, Bengaluru East City Corporation’s residents raise concerns over civic and infrastructure issues.

Bengaluru has been without elected corporators for over six years. While the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) replaced the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) formally last year on September 2nd, elections to the new GBA have been stalled. Citing logistical challenges from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), authorities received a Supreme Court extension to hold elections by December 31st. The restructured GBA, expanding from 198 wards to five corporations across 369 wards, faces continuing gaps in solving various ward-level issues — such as solid waste management and traffic problems, poor execution of civic works and funding issues. People believe the…