Civic

Hyderabad civic polls: TRS slips as BJP makes major gains The results of the much-hyped and keenly contested elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation were declared on Friday. The ruling party of the state, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), suffered a dent in performance with its secured wards going down from 99 to 55. The BJP made significant gains, raising its tally from 4 to 48. Despite being the single largest party, the TRS will need the support of other parties to retain the mayoral post as it falls well short of the 65-member mark. The voter turnout for the…

SWD project in south Chennai to start in two weeks In two weeks, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) will begin construction of the stormwater drain (SWD) network in south Chennai. The project is funded by the World Bank. The SWD network in north Chennai is likely to commence next year. A minimum sum of Rs 2,600 crore is likely to be used for developing the drains, eco-restoration of waterbodies and interlinking of tanks in Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Sholinganallur, Perungudi and Alandur zones. Residents have been up in arms against the proposed project. Several sections of ECR did not witness…

HC directs holding BBMP polls without delay The High Court of Karnataka directed the State Election Commission to hold elections to the 198 wards in the BBMP with speed and efficiency. Towards this, the SEC should publish the election programme within a maximum period of six weeks from the date of publication of the final reservation notification, it said. The court directed that the final notification on caste-based reservation for the 198 wards (based on the draft notification issued in September) be published within a month. By this order, the ruling party's amendment to increase the number of wards in…

 The silvery reflection of moonlight on the waterway, lined on both sides with shops and havelis, gave the stretch its name—Chandni Chowk. That was 17th century Shahjanabad, the city built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The water has long receded, but the name remains.   Today’s Chandni Chowk is a far cry from what it had been before the pandemic struck. The few intrepid citizens who ventured to that heritage street in recent weeks were pleasantly surprised and totally thrilled by what they saw. Vloggers, particularly, had a field time capturing the bustling 17th century market in Old Delhi in its Kejriwal-times avatar. Chandni Chowk…

Hyderabad has been in a tizzy ever since the sudden call for civic polls on December 1, 2020, followed by ballot counting on December 4th and if required, repolling on December 3rd.  The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is in charge of the civic administration and infrastructure of Hyderabad, which is the 6th most populous urban agglomeration in India and spanning an area of 650 sq km. The GHMC elections are generally held once in every five years. This time around, they have been advanced by two months, causing strong ripples in some sections of the political parties in the…

Indira Canteen contractors not paid for seven months Contractors of 198 Indira Canteens, including mobile canteens, find it difficult to operate as the BBMP has not paid their bills for more than seven months. The contractors include Chef Talk Food and Hospitality Services Pvt Ltd, Rewards, and Adamya Chetana. Udaykumar of Rewards used to operate 88 canteens, but is now managing 50, according to the new tenders which came into effect on August 1. The government subsidy (for three meals per day) was earlier Rs 37, but has been reduced to Rs 30.3 (Rs 9.8 for breakfast and Rs 10.25…

Cyclone Nivar ravages city Cyclone Nivar made landfall near Puducherry on November 25th. It brought heavy rain and strong winds to Chennai. Ram Nagar in Velachery, parts of Madipakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Pulianthope and KK Nagar are some of the localities that witnessed severe inundation as a result of the cyclone. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner G Prakash stated that high tide was one of the reasons behind inundation in the city. While Chennai’s flat gradient reduces the speed of water draining, the high tide makes it difficult to pump out water from areas with water stagnation.  The commissioner further added that…

Farmers reach Delhi The farmers from Punjab, protesting against the Centre's controversial farm laws, reached Delhi on 27th November. After more than five hours of confrontation between the police and farmers, the former were instructed to let the farmers in. The "Delhi Chalo" protests are being organized by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee and various other outfits of Bharatiya Kisan Union. The farmers planned to reach Delhi through five highways connecting the national capital. In Haryana, the police authorities used water canons and tear gas to disperse the farmers but failed to do so. The farmers in retaliation broke…

This article is part of our special series Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change in Tier II cities supported by Climate Trends. Climate change is not a new phenomena for the Himalayan State of Uttarakhand. In fact, the Indian Himalayan Region, comprising all the mountain states/UTs of India, has been at the forefront of climate change. Increased human activities, like unplanned construction, rampant tourism, increased waste generation, unsustainable transportation and more are resulting in rapid deterioration of the Himalayan landscape. The ambitious 900 km Char Dham all-weather highway project is the new addition to this list.  The “Char Dham project is…

Cyclone Nivar is the first cyclonic storm to hit Tamil Nadu since the devastating Cyclone Gaja in 2018. The cyclone is expected to cause heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds. The cyclone is set to make landfall between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around midnight of November 25th (and early 26th). The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that the wind speed of Cyclone Nivar will be at 100-120 kilometre per hour (KMPH), gusting up to 140 KMPH in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Tiruvarur districts. The tentative path of the cyclone set to make landfall between 25th and 26th. Pic:…