City Buzz: Metro boom in Chennai, Kochi | Chaos on New Year’s Day…and more

Other news: HYDRAA clarifies on demolitions, improvement in Delhi's education standards and BBMP starts pothole filling drive.

Ridership shoots up in Chennai, Kochi Metros

Chennai Metro Rail’s patronage increased by 1.41 crore in 2024, with 10.52 crore using it, compared to 9.11 crore in the previous year. The ridership is nearly one-third of the total 35.53 crore passengers using Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) services for more than nine years since June 29, 2015. While the ridership for CMRL to break even was 4.33 lakh per day in its initial three years since June 29, 2015, the Chennai Metro catered to only 2.8 crore till December 31, 2018.

Meanwhile, the Kochi Metro set a new monthly ridership record by the end of the year. In December, its ridership reached 32.35 lakh, with a monthly revenue of Rs 10.15 crore, compared to Rs 9.25 crore in 2023. It is also the nation’s first Metro Rail service with the most digital ticketing services. Due to its success, the Central government is consulting the body for services in 18 cities, including Ahmedabad, Sabarmati, Surat, Mangaluru, Goa, Guwahati, Ayodhya, Kollam, Kolkata, Patna, Prayagraj, Srinagar, Varanasi, Mumbai, Vasai, Lakshadweep, and Andamans.

Source: The New Indian Express

Traffic jams, accidents and litter on New Year’s Day

The capital city’s New Year celebrations saw traffic jams and overcrowding at Delhi’s Metro Rail stations, especially in popular areas like India Gate, Connaught Place, and religious hotspots. Crowds jostled at Kartavya Path. About 35 motorcycle riders were booked by the police under Operation Bullet Raja and 673 were detained under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act.

Fireworks lit up the skies at Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Srinagar to welcome the new year. There was dancing in the streets of Bhopal, Mumbai and Manali, while devotees thronged the Golden Temple at Amritsar.

In Chennai, seven died in road accidents, including five in the New Year celebrations. Multiple videos of the youth performing bike stunts went viral. The police seized 242 two-wheelers in the city.

Pune’s authorities extended the closing hours of pubs and hotels to 5 am. Bengaluru’s streets were littered with 15 tonnes of waste and had to be cleared by 70 civic workers from the revelry sites near MG Road, according to data shared by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML).

Source: The New Indian Express, ETVBharat, Times of India


Read more: Marina Ropeway: Can we prioritise the basics instead?


New schools, varsities enhanced Delhi’s education: CM

A new academic block at Jhilmil Colony’s Government Girls Senior Secondary School (GBSSS) was inaugurated on January 3rd. It comprises 46 rooms, of which 25 will be dedicated to classrooms and six to labs. Classes in Commerce, Arts, and Science streams will be offered.

Delhi government school
The newly-inaugurated block at the government school in Delhi. Pic: X.com/AAP ka Mehta.

At the event, Chief Minister Atishi mentioned that in the past decade, the number of seats at Delhi University has doubled, from 83,600 to 1,55,000, because of more seats and new universities. They include the Delhi Sports University, Delhi Teachers’ University, Indira Gandhi Technical University for Women and six new university campuses that have enhanced the standard of education. She remarked that students are getting placements in top companies like Toyota, Maruti, and Microsoft.

Source: The Times of India, Indian Express

Responding to backlash on social media over the demolition of illegal structures, the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) clarified that all due procedures were followed for the demolitions and accused unscrupulous land encroachers of spreading misinformation. According to HYDRAA, demolitions in Khajaguda Lake comply with Section 405 of the GHMC Act, meaning prior notice is not required if the structures are per a Supreme Court judgment from November 2024 regarding ‘bulldozer justice’.

Demolitions have been taken up on complaints from locals regarding water logging due to unchecked encroachments at Tautani Kunta and Bhagerathamma Cheruvu, Khajaguda. This year, HYDRAA is expected to outsource 203 managers and 767 assistants. They will aid in protecting water bodies, parks, open spaces in layouts, government lands and nalas right up to Outer Ring Road. They are also expected to identify unauthorised encroachments, enforce and protect lakes, and support disaster management and administration.

Source: The New Indian Express

BBMP begins pothole filling in Bengaluru

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has swung into action, fixing potholes and undertaking a quality check in Begur and Arekere. These areas are part of an IT corridor and link to Electronics City, which houses many business establishments and start-ups.

The BBMP’s engineering department is inspecting the bitumen and other aggregates, and the laying of tar on Vittasandra Main Road, which connects Begur, Brundavana Layout, and Mico Layout. This initiative appears to be in response to Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s complaints in November last year, criticising the authorities for the poor road conditions in the city. Consequently, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met with her, along with experts and other corporate representatives, and sought their cooperation in improving the infrastructure.

Source: The New Indian Express

[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]

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