Civic

Complete lockdown from July 14 to 22 Bengaluru will go into complete lockdown from July 14 to 22 in the wake of surging COVID cases, state government announced on Saturday. The lockdown will be in effect in Bengaluru Urban and Rural districts from 8 pm on July 14 to 5 am on July 22. Essential services like hospitals and grocery shops will be allowed, along with scheduled exams. Detailed guidelines would be released on July 13, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa tweeted. On Saturday, Bengaluru reported a record 1,533 new cases, taking its overall COVID tally to 16,862. The city…

In an era of vanishing footpaths and widening carriageways, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has been introducing a host of initiatives prioritising pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users — giving these social heroes their due. From adopting a progressive policy that makes walking and cycling its priority in 2014, to rigorously implementing the policy through its Chennai Street Design Project and the Smart City Mission over the last five years, the city has been transforming itself from a car-centric to a people-friendly city. Scaling up the street transformation work in Chennai, the Greater Chennai Corporation launched the Chennai Mega Streets…

Citizen group opposes separate Pharma City for Hyderabad Citizens Against Pollution, a Hyderabad based rights group, has opposed the Telangana Government's move to establish a separate Hyderabad Pharma City. The group has claimed that the existing pharma city -- Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City at Parwada near Vizag -- is already responsible for causing severe pollution, negative impact on the local economy and destroying livelihoods. The organization, comprised of scientists, policy experts and activists, has claimed that the pharmaceutical city is responsible for polluting the water bodies. Thus having another pharma city along the same lines will be dangerous for the…

Daily COVID cases near 1000-mark On Friday, July 3, Bengaluru reported 994 cases of COVID-19. With this, the city overtook Kolkata in the total number of positive cases. The day before, on July 2, 889 cases had been reported. As of 2nd, Bengaluru topped the list of 30 districts in the state in terms of fresh cases reported, most cumulative deaths (100), and most active cases (5505). However, Padarayanapura, Shivajinagar and Hongasandra that seemed to be on the verge of community transmission until recently, now have zero positive cases. But these localities remain containment zones, as a preventive measure. Meanwhile,…

COVID-19: Walkie-talkie for healthcare workers, number of fever camps to be increased, PPEs dumped at Kodungaiyur On July 3rd, Chennai recorded 2,082 fresh COVID cases, taking the state’s total to 4,329 for the day. Meanwhile 2,357 recovered and 64 patients succumbed to the disease in the state on the same day. Infographic summary of COVID-19 cases in Chennai as on July 4. Pic: GCC/Twitter Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital has distributed 20 walkie-talkie devices and 20 mobile phones to healthcare providers in COVID wards for better communication. According to the hospital Dean Dr E Theranirajan, each floor will have a…

State involves private hospitals in COVID treatment As COVID cases increased sharply, the state government notified 20 big corporate healthcare institutions that run a chain of hospitals as DCHCs (Dedicated COVID-19 Health Care Centres) and CCCs (COVID-19 Care Centres). The corporate facilities were asked to identify one branch each, that can be converted into a dedicated facility. The identified branches are expected to have good medical facilities in terms of beds, high-flow nasal oxygen wards, ICUs and ventilators. If private hospitals don't comply with the rules, the state government might take them over based on the Disaster Management Act, said…

COVID-19 updates: 345 GCC staff infected, commandos deployed to curb violations, 5 arrested for issuing fake e-pass On June 26th, a whopping 3645 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the state, while 1,358 people were discharged and 46 deaths were recorded. Chennai alone accounted for 1,956 cases, according to the health bulletin. Infographic of total COVID-positive cases in Chennai as on June 27. Pic: GCC/Twitter Among the front line workers from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), 345 staff, including officials, have tested positive and around 50 are back to work. This includes around 120 sanitary workers, among whom 10-15 have…

As lakes dry in Mumbai, city stares at water shortage crisis Mumbai gets it water supply from seven lakes and dams which are apparently drying up. The catchment areas of these lakes and dams have not registered any increase in the water stock, even as the first month (June) of the monsoon season is about to end. However, the municipality has urged people to remain calm and not panic. It has also made clear that there will be no water cuts in the city. The total storage capacity of all the seven lakes is about 14.47 lakh litres. At present,…

COVID-19: Lockdown 6.0, 288 checkpoints to check vehicles, discharge summary not being given to patients On June 19th, the state saw 2115 new persons test positive for COVID-19; Chennai accounts for 1322 of these new patients. An undersecretary at Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and a police Inspector in Chennai succumbed to the disease this week.  Infographic of total COCID-19 positive cases in Chennai as on June 20. Pic: GCC/Twitter In a bid to bring down the severity of COVID-19 cases, Chennai and three neighbouring districts have been locked down for 12 days till 30th June. Meat stalls and slaughterhouses will remain…

People in Hyderabad flout mask rules, complains GHMC Citizens of Hyderabad have complained against those who are openly flouting norms regarding wear of masks in public places. At several locations, it was observed that people were not wearing masks at all. It was also found that people having masks were not using it properly. Residents from Gachibowli, Sri Ram Nagar (Kondapur), MLA Colony and Banjara have reached out to the officials of GHMC for taking action against those who are not obeying the rule. The civic agencies have urged people to cooperate with the authorities. The police have also been penalizing…