Civic

Bengaluru's drinking water highly polluted Most Bengalureans are consuming highly contaminated water due to pathogens in BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) supply, borewells and sumps, according to a study by the Ramaiah Advanced Testing Laboratory (RATL). Besides, heavy metals and toxic chemicals have contaminated groundwater, the study found. RATL analysed water samples from BWSSB taps, borewells and sumps from 100 residential areas for over a year. One-third of these samples showed traces of E. coli bacteria, which can lead to bloody diarrhoea and even kidney failure. All 80 samples collected from BWSSB taps showed some form of contamination…

Toll plazas on ECR and OMR to be FASTag-ged The state highways department is planning to introduce the NHAI's RFID-based FASTag in all the toll plazas, including OMR and ECR. With the rise in vehicle traffic along the IT corridor, authorities are planning to double the local tag lanes which can be later turned into FASTag lanes. The authorities are planning to issue RFID- based tags that can be fitted to the windshield of the vehicles, to ensure ease of traffic. Source: The Times of India 798 buildings along ECR unauthorized The posh Olive Beach bungalows along the Muttukadu coastline,…

October 11, 2019: Nida Shaikh, 25, died on the spot after she was run over by a truck. She was riding pillion with her cousin, and both fell off when the scooter hit a pothole causing her cousin to lose control of the vehicle. While her cousin was injured, Nida, a doctor, was crushed by the truck. October 13, 2019: Ramprasad Goswni, 56, died on the spot after a truck hit him as the driver was trying to dodge a pothole. It was in the same place where Nida Shaikh lost her life. October 29, 2019: Ranjendra Dongre, 42, was…

Nov 30 deadline for Kannada signboards The BBMP has extended the deadline for commercial establishments to ensure that 60 percent of their signage is in Kannada. Establishments now have till November 30th to comply with the rule. If they don't comply, their trade licences will be cancelled or not renewed. The previous deadline was November 1, Karnataka Rajyotsava Day. Businesses were asked to have signages with 60 percent lettering in Kannada while the remaining 40 percent could be in any other language. So far, more than 8500 establishments have complied with the rule, says Vijayendra, Chief Health Officer, BBMP. After…

Property tax revision put on hold Property owners in Chennai can continue to pay the old rates until further notification, as the Government has withheld the revision in property tax rates. It has also constituted a committee to examine representations from various quarters on the revised property tax rates. The four-member committee comprises the Principal Secretary to Government, Finance (Expenditure) Department, as its Chairman; Commissioner of Municipal Administration as its Member/Convener; Director of Town Panchayats and Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation as members. Source: The New Indian Express Madras HC directs Corporation to remove vehicles on pavements The Madras High…

“The roads of my colony have been damaged to such an extent due to rains that our friends avoid visiting us,” said Ajay Kumar, an engineering student, who lives in Meenakshi Planet Colony on Hoshangabad Road. “Many residents here have been injured in accidents because of the poor condition of roads. Last month my room-mate Satish ran onto a water-filled pothole and his bike got stuck. Luckily, he escaped with minor bruises”. It’s a story many of Bhopal’s residents narrate. Continuous rains in the state have destroyed crops and washed away roads and culverts in the city and on the…

The leaves of the chinar trees were still green, signalling winter was yet to arrive. The chinar trees normally signal winter and snow when its leaves turn yellow and start falling. The people, and the administration, were thus totally unprepared for any unseasonal weather vagaries. But on November 5th, the weatherman in Srinagar issued an alert—possibility of heavy rain and widespread snow on November 7th across the region. The prediction was right on the nose. As the clock struck 9 am on November 7th, the crisp morning air was covered with thick snowflakes and within just two hours, Srinagar witnessed…

For several years now, ordinary citizens across the country with no end to their woes around poor roads and potholes have taken creative routes and come up with the most innovative ideas to make their dissent heard. For instance, Bengaluru-based artiste Baadal Najundaswamy has, since 2014, been planting fake crocodiles, organizing non-commercial modeling-shoots or etching art around sunken or unattended manholes to attract government attention. In another instance, a truck driver ‘buried himself’ in a pothole, in September 2019 to protest against bad roads and potholes on ‘Greenland Chowkadi’, a service road adjacent to National Highway 27. The Rajkot-based man…

Traffic police notifies bus priority lane in ORR On Friday, the City Police Commissioner issued a notification prohibiting entry of other vehicles on the bus priority lane in ORR from Central Silk Board to Tin Factory and then towards Baiyyappanahalli. Only BMTC buses can use the lane, the notification said. Offenders will be booked under Section 177 of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. They'll have to pay a fine of Rs 500 for the first offence and Rs 1000 for every subsequent one, said B R Ravikante Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic). The police also plans to write to the…

Before you light that garbage, beware! As per revised Chennai Solid Waste Management Bylaws 2019, residents and shopkeepers found burning garbage in their own premises will have to pay a fine of ₹500 and ₹2,000 respectively.  Furthermore, any resident who dumps garbage in a public place and burns it will have to pay a fine of ₹1,000. The fine for those who dump construction debris in a public place will be ₹2,000-₹5,000. The bylaws also state that it shall be the responsibility of owners of pets to clean up excrement. The bylaws have also included user charges for solid waste…