Over 200 Olive Ridley turtles die in Chennai
A high-level review meeting is scheduled for January 20 to discuss the alarming rise in the deaths of Olive Ridley turtles in Chennai. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to the Tamil Nadu fisheries and forest departments over the carcasses of the endangered species found on the city beaches.
Almost 40 Olive Ridley turtles perished on January 15, the highest number of deaths recorded on a single night between Marina and Neelankarai beaches. Ten more were found between Neelankarai and Kovalam on the same night.
By January 16, the Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network (SSTCN) recorded more than 200 turtle deaths in the Marina-Neelankarai stretch. From Neelankarai to Kovalam, Tree Foundation reported 171 turtle deaths, and from Semmancheri to Alamparai, another 123. The forest department said the majority of turtles died of drowning, as their lungs were filled with water. While nesting is abysmal, it is feared that the egg count would fall drastically this year.
Activists stressed the need to evolve a holistic and inclusive strategy to arrest the problem. They suggested that trawlers must use turtle excluder devices (TEDs), and the fishermen who save drowning turtles should be given a token cash reward for saving turtles.
Source: The Hindu, The New Indian Express
Read more: PM2.5 pollution: Why Bengaluru urgently needs hyperlocal air quality monitoring
WTE plant plan enrages Delhi’s Bawana residents
Residents of Bawana protested a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant plan, on a 15-acre site near a hazardous waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facility. They raised concerns over its environmental and health hazards, threatening to boycott the Assembly elections if the project takes off. Residents from over 15 nearby localities rued that it would worsen pollution, destroy trees, and pose severe health risks, including respiratory ailments and neurological disorders.
They are worried about toxic emissions, such as dioxins, furans and heavy metals, alleging mismanagement of ash and waste. They criticised the over-reliance on incineration, the cutting of mature trees and the state’s faulty waste management system. Officials clarified that the WTE plant would have pollution control systems, but locals refuted this claim saying that existing WTE plants emit dangerously high levels of pollutants.
Source: The New Indian Express, The Hindustan Times
BBMP revenue offices show no accountability: Upa Lokayukta
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) revenue offices show no order or accountability, says Upa Lokayukta Justice KN Phaneendra, after a surprise visit to four revenue offices in East Bengaluru on January 16th. He rues that their poor functioning has led to “disaster in the administration.”
These offices do not maintain the mandatory registers for attendance, movement, and cash. Even the attendance of two outsourced staff members is not in order, while the workers are missing. He added that there was no clarity about their employment and whether they were only drawing their salaries.
The Upa Lokayukta found that revenue officers are not even attempting to prevent unauthorised constructions. As there is no vigil on the functioning of Palike officials, they show low accountability. Lokayukta officials conducted raids on 12 locations, targeting offices of the BBMP and Assistant Revenue Officers (ARO). In a drive to cross-check complaints against BBMP officials, the Upa Lokayukta is making surprise visits. A report will be drafted and sent to the state government for disciplinary action against officials who fail their duty.
Source: The New Indian Express, Deccan Herald.
Three Indian cities among world’s slowest
Three Indian cities are among the top five slowest global cities, according to the Tom Tom Traffic Index 2024. Kolkata, where the average time to cover 10 km is 34 minutes and 33 seconds, overtook Bengaluru, to become the most congested in India. In Bengaluru, there was an increase of 50 seconds compared to 2023, but vehicle users took only 34 minutes and 10 seconds to cover the same distance.
Just behind, Pune ranked fourth internationally, with an average time of 33 minutes and 27 seconds to cover 10 km. The world’s slowest city was Barranquilla, Colombia, which recorded 35 minutes to cover 10.3 km. About 76% of the cities surveyed globally underwent a decrease in average speeds last year. London, which had been in the top spot in global and European rankings, came down to fifth place.
Traffic congestion in India is mainly due to the complex interplay of static and dynamic factors. The layout of roads, including highways, main roads, narrow streets, one-way lanes and complicated intersections, along with unforeseen factors disrupts traffic. Other congested cities included Hyderabad (32 minutes), Chennai (30 minutes), and Mumbai (29 minutes).
Source: The New Indian Express, The Times of India
Bengaluru ‘best’ for working women: Survey
The best city for working women is the IT hub, Bengaluru, emerging as better than Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune, according to a survey, ‘Top Cities for Women in India (TCWI)’. Conducted by Avtar Group, it ranked cities based on gender inclusivity, safety, infrastructure and employment opportunities.
Karnataka’s capital city was ranked higher in skilling and employment for women, caregiving support and infrastructure, vibrant economic environment, safety, governance and quality of life. The survey ranked the city as the most inclusive and supportive for female professionals. It won strong ratings in the Citizen Experience Score (CES). The study covered 120 countries, with Avtar speaking to 1,500 women in each city.
Source: The New Indian Express, The Times of India
[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]