Precautions against HMPV across Indian cities
In Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Rajkot civil hospitals, isolation wards have been created as precautionary measures against the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV). Just a day earlier, the State government revealed that a two-month-old boy had been admitted with the infection. In Mumbai too, a six-month-old was admitted to a hospital after testing positive for the virus. A respiratory virus infection was reported in Bengaluru too. Sources said that HMPV affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts and is a risk to all vulnerable groups, including young children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems.
The Health Ministry added that it is monitoring the situation through available channels and has requested the World Health Organization (WHO) to share updates. The number of laboratories testing for such cases is planned to increase, while the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will track the trends throughout the year.
In Telangana, the State issued a list of dos and don’ts, including washing hands regularly with soap or alcohol-based sanitisers, avoiding crowded places and keeping a safe distance.
Source: Business Standard, India Today, Live Mint
Ire over Bengaluru’s bus fare hikes
On January 2, a cabinet decision was taken to hike bus ticket fares in Karnataka. Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy pointed out that the reason was the rising expenditure on fuel, staff and other costs after the Shakti scheme launched on June 11, 2023, offering free bus travel for women.
As of January 2, 2025, an estimated 363 crore women have benefitted through the scheme. The daily passenger count has surged by 25% across all RTCs. The transport department has inducted 4,304 buses, with the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) getting the highest share of 1,510 buses. The price hike was fuelled by the rising expenditure on fuel, staff and other operational costs, due to the growing demand for bus travel. However, the ticket fares have not been revised for the last five years.
Meanwhile, the hikes drew sharp protests from opposition parties, who argued that it would burden commuters, especially men while giving free bus rides for women.
Source: Indian Express, The Times of India
Read more: Does the Chennai Bus app improve urban mobility? This survey finds out
Record rise in demand for office space
In 2024, the demand for office space shot up in eight major cities to a record high of 19%, more than even the earlier rise during the pre-COVID 2019 period, according to Knight Frank. Total office space absorption was an impressive 719 lakh square feet. The pandemic pushed down the demand for office space in 2020 and 2021.
Real estate consultant Knight Frank India attributed it to the national economic resilience, sustained GDP growth, robust domestic consumption and its increasing prominence in the global economic landscape. It added that the demand highlighted the confidence of global and domestic businesses in India’s thriving business.
However, the eight major office markets saw a 6% annual decline in fresh supply of workspaces, even as the demand hit an all-time high, according to Cushman & Wakefield. New supply of office space was 451.5 lakh square feet in 2024, as against 477.9 lakh sq ft in the preceding year. It went down in Delhi-NCR, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, but it jumped in Mumbai and rose marginally in Bengaluru.
Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM); engineering and manufacturing; and Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sectors are the major drivers of office space demand in India.
Source: Business Standard
Regional Meteorological Centre to expand network
Under ‘Mission Mausam’, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai, the hub for weather services in southern States and two Union Territories, aims to expand its observation network.
It is part of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which completes 150 years on January 15.
Sources said that the RMC plans to install wind profilers at various spots, including Kozhikode, RMC Chennai, Amaravati, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. It would use radio or sound waves to identify wind speed and direction at different elevations.
It will also add four radiosonde stations and pilot balloon observatories in various cities such as Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Salem and Kanyakumari, for upper air observations. Two radars will be added in Salem and Kanyakumari.
Source: The Hindu
Housing sales rise in eight cities
In 2024, housing sales rose 7% in eight major cities, reaching a 12-year high at 350,613 units, according to Knight Frank. The demand rose and the mortgage rates as well as economic growth was strong and stable.
According to sources, the housing market attracted a strong demand for homes priced between Rs 2-5 crore each. Hyderabad and Pune reached an all-time high and Mumbai recorded a 13-year peak.
Source: Business Standard
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]
I want to meet and share my experience with BBMP officials in respect of their drive to collect 8 years tax arrears (from FY 2016-17 to 2023-24) from Bangalore tax payers. The exercise started towards end of 2023 by issuing show cause/demand notices simultaneously without following the appropriate legal procedures which caused the public lot of difficulties