Civic

This September 1st, revised penalties for traffic violations under the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, came into effect. Parliament had passed the law in July, at its budget session. The law has provisions for licensing cab aggregators, making contractors liable for faulty road design, changing license renewal rules, and so on. But what has caught the attention of citizens is the stringent penalties for road traffic violations. Citizens have taken to social media to voice their vexation on fines that add up to amounts they've never imagined paying. I was a bit taken aback by all the outrage about…

BBMP will fill potholes, but not count them The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is going to stop counting potholes, calling it an unscientific practice. M R Venkatesh, BBMP Engineer-in-chief, said that the civic body has asked engineers to fix potholes wherever they are found, without counting them. “We’ve stopped counting potholes because we’ve decided to make the city roads pothole-free,” he said. By July 18th, BBMP had listed 5630 potholes, and had filled about 2790. The remaining 2840 holes are yet to be filled. BBMP has decided to not set deadlines to fill potholes; instead, officials have been instructed…

Pallikaranai marsh among 4 other wetlands in the state to get priority tag The Central government, under its initiative of wetlands rehabilitation has given 4 wetlands including the Pallikaranai marsh  its priority tag. Accordingly, these wetlands cannot be developed without any further approvals and all encroachments, dumping of debris, waste and sewage should be stopped with immediate effect. The state government has also been asked to prepare an outline management plan for these wetlands, for the next 5 years, to be submitted within 3 months. Once the plan is approved, the state government can seek funds to manage these wetlands.…

“In your opinion, what is the most prevalent problem faced by the residents of your area?” three of us from the non-profit IT for Change, asked the youth of Old Baiyappanahalli a few months ago. It didn’t take long for the youth to unanimously respond – the traffic at the railway gate, which had been the bane of their existence. “It’s becoming impossible by the day!” they said in exasperation. Further discussions revealed that Baiyappanahalli road was underserved by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). This stretch connects Swami Vivekananda Road metro station (along Old Madras Road), to Maruti Seva…

The Cannanore Cycling Club along with the Kannur Sporting Club is organising a 'Bicycle Day' on Saturday, 28th September 2019 to promote cycling in the city. 'Experience Cycling on the streets of Kannur' is the theme of the event and all citizens including public officials, business owners, and students are encouraged to use cycles for commuting.  This vehicle free day is supported by the Kannur District Administration , Kannur District Police , Motor Vehicle Department -Kannur , District Tourism Promotion Council , Kannur Press club , North Malabar Chamber of commerce , Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi - Kannur, Indian Medical…

One of the older and more populous neighbourhoods, T Nagar is at the focus of several initiatives under the smart cities mission in the city, with many of smart city projects dedicated to its improvement. However, in a case of what is called missing the forest for the trees, a skywalk proposed to decongest the busy Ranganathan street may merely end up creating new infrastructure that most residents deem unnecessary. A  safety hazard in the making When one talks of encroachment of public places, T Nagar stands as a prime example. Ranganathan Street which is a 30-feet road, has been…

Chennai gets its first electric bus The first electric bus in the city was flagged off between Chennai Central and Tiruvanmiyur early this week. Built as per the specifications suggested by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the bus can run up to 200 km after swapping the battery every 40 km. The minimum fare is Rs 11 and the fare for end to end travel is fixed at Rs 25. The first bus was launched as part of the proposal to introduce two electric buses in Chennai. The Union government has sanctioned 525 electric buses for Tamil Nadu under…

For decades, buses have been the public transportation of choice in Chennai. But recent numbers indicate that this might be changing. With increase in fares, growth in number of private vehicles and alternative modes of transport, it's now a case of buses missing the people of Chennai. A report by the Ministry of Road Transport highlighted that in 2015-2016, MTC carried the highest number of passengers per bus per day at 1270. However, a variety of reasons has led to a steep drop in ridership in the city buses over time.  Bus ridership over time  The MTC has been one…

City to get air purifiers  About 500 air-purifying devices will be installed at various traffic-heavy junctions in the city, to reduce vehicular pollution. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the BBMP with the software firm aTechTron, which will begin to install the purifiers from the second week of September. About 100 air purifiers will be installed over three months in the first phase. The entire project will be completed within the next year-and-half. At more traffic-heavy junctions such as Silk Board, Marathahalli and Bellandur, more than one device will be installed. The devices are made with patented technology. They…

For Vineet Gautam, the tall deodar tree in the backyard of his heritage home Mayvilla, had become a threat to his life and property. A massive landslide caused by incessant rains had washed away 80-100 metres of common road in the vicinity of his 1928-built home, dangerously tilting the massive tree. Having spent a night of anxiety and fear in his home, Vineet moved his family to a safer location the next morning, and had to spend three days to convince the municipal corporation to cut down and remove the tree. Vineet Gautam was fortunate as the civic authorities responded…