Civic

Heavy rains breach lake, flood homes in north Bengaluru Heavy rains breached the corner bund of Doddabidarakallu lake, leading to overflow and inundation of about 500 houses, early on Thursday morning. Residents of Bhavani Nagar, Annapurneshwari Layout, Anandappa Layout and Muneshwara Layout were horrified as water levels rose up to almost six feet. Power cuts worsened the situation, leaving residents groping in the dark for their belongings. The lake bund was breached at about 2 am, as it received a huge volume of water from a stormwater drain (SWD) upstream. Police came to the spot at about 3 am with…

Thanks to Mahabalipuram summit, it is advantage Koneri tank From the elaborate arrangements to the traffic diversion, Modi-Xi summit has been the talking point for many Chennaites. The area around Mahabalipuram has been getting a facelift, and a significant one is the hitherto neglected Koneri tank now sports a new look. Spread over 7 acres, it is the largest waterbody in Mahabalipuram and was once a source of drinking water for residents. Residents of the locality and volunteers from the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) restored the lake, which had a thick cover of Karuvelam or Prosopis juliflora and was used as…

The city is all set to provide passage to the Chinese President Xi Jinping who is heading to the temple town of Mahabalipuram, roughly 60kms away from Chennai, for his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi (the PM is expected to fly into Mahabalipuram). In order to make the city ‘presentable’,  Greater Chennai Corporation has taken up a series of beautification activities along the route to Mahabalipuram. Multiple pockets have been spruced up by repairing roads, painting the road dividers, cleaning and recolouring the barricades and in some places, covering up the ugly patches.  Various departments of the City administration…

Ramasamy (name changed) refused to change the proposed date of marriage of his second daughter when his first born in the US expressed inability to attend her sister’s marriage. He had fixed a marriage hall belonging to a superstar, six months before D-Day and had paid the entire rent of several lakhs as advance -- which was non-refundable.  This is the plight of many who believe in conducting traditional wedding ceremonies in halls in Chennai. Says Sindhu Vijayakumar, a senior media professional in Chennai, “People are paying in lakhs to hire just four walls and a limited parking space.  The cost…

Dengue outbreak in north Chennai Over 350 cases of dengue were reported in the city in September, with a particular spike in areas like Royapuram and Tondiarpet in north Chennai. Officially, the highest number of cases -- 25 --were reported in Tondiarpet. However, the government has been criticised for under-reporting dengue cases and classifying many such as undiagnosed fevers. Officials attribute the rise in incidence to intermittent episodes of rain in the city, but inadequate garbage clearance and gaps in civic infrastructure in the densely populated regions of northern Chennai have also had a role to play. However, health officials…

Govt considers zonal committees in B'luru State government is considering promoting zonal meetings at BBMP, to further decentralise the powers of BBMP Commissioner. The zonal committee will involve special commissioners, engineer-in-chief, ward officials, officials from all civic agencies, MLAs, nominated representatives from citizen groups, and ward committee members of the respective zones. As per a draft brought out by the government, the committee should clear proposals and works in the zone, before these are sent to the BBMP Council for approval. The draft also recommends including the committees in finalising the zonal budget for 2020. As per a recent government…

Daan Utsav, one of the largest volunteer driven philanthropic initiatives across the country is back this week between October 2 - 8. With events, drives and activities helmed by NGOs, individuals and corporate houses, the week-long effort brings together people from all walks and provides an opportunity to improve the lives of the less fortunate.  Chennai will see a variety of activities as part of Daan Utsav, where citizens can contribute their time through volunteering or provide financial support for various causes. Gift a meal No Food Waste, an NGO working to address the twin issues of hunger and food…

A month after it launched the Adopt-a-Street initiative, BBMP has received 35 applications. “Of these, around 17 applications from various RWAs and corporate companies are serious. They are willing to sign an MoU with us and take the initiative forward,” says Randeep Dev, BBMP Additional Commissioner (Solid Waste Management). Adopt-a-Street is a voluntary service initiative under which citizens and corporate houses can adopt specific streets, and maintain them regularly to ensure visual cleanliness. Launched on August 25th, the programme is supported by The Ugly Indian (TUI), an anonymous group of volunteers working for cleaner streets. Dev says BBMP will shortlist…

Are you a Chennaiite negotiating the busy roads of the city almost daily? Have you noticed the sidewalks being dug up on your way to Anna library or EA Mall or Chennai Central in recent times? Did you wonder why these roads are being dug up all of a sudden throughout the city?  Of floods and droughts Chennai has seen the worst of nature's fury several times in the recent past, with the frequency of floods and droughts having increased drastically. Post the historic floods in 2015, Cyclone Vardah devastated the city once again in 2016. However, as the monsoon…