Vegetable prices soar
Several factors have pushed up vegetable prices and inflation in cities. Extreme weather conditions and soaring temperatures resulted in a poor harvest this season, with some crops destroyed due to excess water accumulation in the fields. In addition, prices surged because of the ongoing wedding season. Retailers said that they did not bring many vegetables to the markets, because of concerns that they would suffer losses if consumer demand remained low.
Hence, prices of onions, tomatoes and potatoes, which are staples in every kitchen, shot up due to heavy floods and extreme heat. The wholesale prices of all three vegetables increased by 65.70% (tomato), 35.36% (onion) and 17.57% (potato) in just 30 days. However, the government claims that the situation is temporary and assures the prices will soon be controlled.
Tomato prices in Delhi surged to ₹90 per kg, as supplies have taken a hit due to the monsoons in many states. A wholesale vegetable vendor in Delhi said that the supply of tomatoes had decreased in the past week, because of crop damage and fewer trucks ferrying farm produce. Supplies have also been affected as tomatoes don’t have a long shelf life and rot quickly.
Source: The Times of India, moneycontrol.com, The Hindu, Hindustan Times
Read More: Monsoon ready? A checklist for Mumbai residents and neighbourhood
Heavy rains in Mumbai, northern India
Mumbai, Thane and other districts of Maharashtra are expected to witness moderate to heavy rain showers at least until July 13, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted. Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Nagpur, Wardha and Wasim have been put on yellow alert for most of the week, according to the IMD bulletin.
Heavy rains affected local train services and flight operations. Earlier, from the night of July 7, Mumbai was swept by torrential rains, leaving citizens reeling under waterlogged streets. It was the city’s wettest July day since 2019, with the IMD’s Santacruz station recording 268 mm of rain within 24 hours, of which the maximum rain (210 mm) was recorded in two hours.
A fire caused a short circuit death of a 72-year-old woman in Santacruz. On the evening of the 8th, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that all civic, government, and private schools and colleges will be closed.
BMC commissioner and administrator, Bhushan Gagarani, told residents to refrain from leaving their homes unless necessary. BMC put all its disaster management teams on high alert. Citizens were assured that they could contact the BMC’s disaster management cell on 1916 for assistance. Air India tweeted that the rains were affecting flight operations and many flights were cancelled. It offered full refund or one-time complimentary rescheduling for confirmed bookings on July 8 with some conditions.
The IMD has predicted heavy rains across India, bringing a cooling effect but also flooding Delhi and parts of Northeast, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Lucknow is on alert for rain.
Source: Business Standard, Deccan Herald, Indian Express, Livemint
Upgrades in weather forecast systems
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced that Delhi’s weather and rain forecast system will soon undergo a significant upgrade with the installation of 50 additional systems. Efforts will be made to make the forecast system people-friendly, ensure convenience and promote ease of living for people. It will help prevent the economic fall-out of unexpected weather changes.
In an effort to enhance the 17 Automatic Weather Forecast Centres, plans are underway to install initially 50 and later 100 systems, to bring them up to international standards. This upgrade is expected to provide specific, precise, and timely weather and rain forecasts to minimise inconvenience. Plans are afoot to install a high-performance computing (HPC) system with a capacity of 20 petaflops.
The upgrades are likely to happen not only in metro cities, but also in other cities and towns with a population of over one million. It will also be replicated in tier towns and other remote areas.
Source: cnbctv18.com, Business Standard
Just 41% of satellite town scheme completed
Six years after the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Satellite Towns (UIDSST) lapsed in March 2018, only 41.17%, or seven projects out of 17 sanctioned ones, have been completed. The scheme was launched in 2009.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), on July 9, shared the audit observations and reviewed the status of projects. The aim of the scheme was to provide basic infrastructure in satellite towns around mega cities, such as Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, to decentralise the burden on the metros, according to the principal director of audit (infrastructure), Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
Those related to solid waste management, sewage and drainage systems worth ₹ 631.07 crore were sanctioned between 2009 and 2012 in seven satellite towns — Vikarabad (near Hyderabad), Sanand (near Ahmedabad), Hoskote (near Bengaluru), Vasai-Virar (near Mumbai), Pilkhuwa and Sonepat (Delhi), and Sriperumbudur (near Chennai). But there has been slow progress, mainly due to poor monitoring by the ministry; delays in submission of fund utilisation certificates amounting to ₹63.3 crore by states; and lack of impact assessment studies.
The states had not informed the ministry about the use of sanctioned funds. The ministry had approved the scheme as a sub-component of the then United Progressive Alliance government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in 2009, with an outlay of ₹500 crore.
Source: The Print.in
Read More: How the upcoming Satellite Town Ring Road will affect lives and livelihoods around Bengaluru
Smart Cities Mission deadline extended
The deadline for the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) has been extended till March 2025, according to the Union Ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs. It is the second time that the mission deadline, which was earlier June 2024, has been pushed back.
It would enable cities to complete ongoing projects, as so far, they account for only about 10% of the projects. The ministry said that they have been getting multiple requests from states to extend the deadline. Although the projects were in an advanced stage of implementation, they got delayed due to on-ground conditions.
The ministry said that on July 3, 2024, the 100 cities completed 7,188 projects (90%), amounting to ₹1,44,237 crore. The balance 830 projects, amounting to ₹19,926 crore, are also in advanced stages of completion. The mission has an allocated budget of ₹48,000 crore for the 100 cities and has released Rs 46,585 crore, or 97% of the central government budget to the 100 cities. About 93% has been utilised so far. The cities have been told about the extension, but it would be without any additional cost beyond the approved allocation.
More than 8,000 multi-sectoral projects are being developed by the 100 cities amounting to around ₹1.6 lakh crore under the SCM.
Source: Business Standard, The Hindu
CPCB defends using green funds for road repair
The National Green Tribunal (NGT), while hearing a case on poor air quality in 53 cities, said it will decide whether the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) could use green funds (allocated to tackle air pollution) to take up road repair and paving. The CPCB had justified that green funds used for road repairs could reduce dust pollution.
The NGT bench said that if the CPCB diverts funds from the Environment Protection Charge (EPC) and Environment Compensation (EC), then other municipal bodies might seek parity. Earlier, the diversion of funds had been ruled as “gross misuse and serious financial irregularity.” But the NGT has now decided to take a call on the issue.
Source: Indian Express
Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar