Civic

  BBMP plans property tax hike BBMP may hike property tax rates anywhere between 15 to 30 percent this financial year. This plan comes soon after a power tariff hike and a proposed water tariff hike in the city. S P Hemalatha, Chairperson of the BBMP Standing Committee on Taxation and Finance, said that the last property tax revision was three years back, in 2016. She said that BBMP was facing a fund deficit of over Rs 1200 crore, and hence they decided to hike property tax which was the Palike's main revenue source. As per the Karnataka Municipal Corporations…

The midday sun reflects sharply off the shiny red surface of the brand new bus that is on its way from Koyambedu to Kelambakkam. The new-look bus is part of the 300-strong addition to the MTC’s fleet in a phased manner. Half of the new buses commissioned that are operational now traverse the routes in the Old Mahabalipuram Road stretch that is not yet connected by the suburban train network or the metro rail and relies heavily on buses for connectivity. “The new buses were very necessary. The upgrade has made the rides more comfortable. This was long overdue as…

25 schools in Chennai and suburbs unrecognized Over 5900 schools in the state including 25 schools in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts are being run without No-Objection-Certificate (NOC) and recognition of the school education department. The department had asked all private schools to upload details of recognition on the EMIS portal, and according to the details received, 5902 schools in the state have not renewed the recognition. Parents have been advised to look up the school education department website to know the recognition status. Source: New Indian Express City to get 500 mld till November despite the impending water crisis The…

Work begins on Vellara Jn-Pottery Town Metro line Work on the 5.63-km underground Metro stretch from Vellara Junction to Pottery Town began on May 30th. L&T had been awarded the project, worth Rs 2628 crore, to build the tunnel and stations along this stretch. The company has 42 months to complete the project. The stretch is part of the Gottigere-Nagavara line of Metro. The iconic Fatima Bakery and Hotel Tom's, as well as a portion of the All Saints Church, will be demolished for the project in spite of protests by citizens. Work on the stretch is expected to worsen…

Relief for Chennaites as tanker lorries call off strike The already water-starved city had a shock when the private water tanker lorries called for a strike from May 27, following the crackdown on tankers tapping groundwater from the city’s outskirts.  The Tamil Nadu Private Water Tanker Lorry Owners’ Association has now decided to postpone the strike after talks with the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department. The 4500 private tankers draw water from the farmlands in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. Taking advantage of the acute water crisis, the association is also putting pressure on the government to grant them permanent…

When the Tamil Nadu government proposed to restore Avadi’s Paruthipattu Lake in 2016, the suburban residents rejoiced. The Public Works Department (PWD)-owned lake, spanning 87.03 acres was to be restored in a sustainable manner, at an expenditure of Rs 28 crore. Unfortunately, the work has been a curse, leading to untreated sewage water from 3,500 houses around flowing straight into the water body. The plan was to convert the Lake into an eco-park, much like the one at Chetpet, with boating facilities, a children’s park and walking track. It was expected that the water body would spring back to life…

North Chennai has long faced neglect from the political establishment in the state as well as the centre, with development in terms of infrastructure and basic amenities found wanting in the predominantly working class areas that comprise the constituency. North Chennai Parliamentary constituency comprises six assembly constituencies:Royapuram, Kolathur, Thiruvottiyur, Perambur, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar, Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar. A total of 23 candidates contested from various political parties and as independents from Chennai North which has a total of 14,87,461 voters. The constituency went to polls on April 18, 2019 in the second phase of the 17th Lok Sabha elections. North…

Dr K Jayakumar of Congress defeated the incumbent and two-time MP P Venugopal of the ADMK. The other challenger in the fray was Makkal Needhi Maiam’s M Logarangan. Thiruvallur shares its border with Andhra Pradesh and has a  sizeable Telugu population in the constituency. With a mix of urban and rural localities, Thiruvallur has an average literacy rate of 83 percent. Thiruvallur Parliamentary constituency is comprised of six assembly constituencies — Madhavaram, Poonamallee, Avadi, Ponneri, Gummidipoondi and Thiruvallur. Thiruvallur was carved out as a separate constituency in 2008 after delimitation. A total of 20 candidates are contesting from various political…

  BWSSB: There's enough water, don't panic The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) says there is enough water available in reservoirs for Bengaluru, and hence there is no need to panic. The city's water sources now are the Krishna Raja Sagar dam and the Kabini river. These can service the city with drinking water till June end, says BWSSB. In a recent drought advisory to six states including Karnataka, the central government had warned that water shortage in the dams has dropped to critical levels. While areas served by BWSSB have got more or less regular supply this…

Aggrieved residents of OMR have come together to write to the Chief Minister to address the water and sanitation issues faced by close to 400,000 families that reside in the area. The 100 or so resident welfare associations in the area that have come together under the banner of Federation of OMR Resident Associations (FOMRRA) called for immediate action by the Chief Minister. The move has been prompted by the recent and frequent strikes by private water tankers which are the primary source of water for the residents. A strike by the private tankers association that was due to take…