Civic

Covid-19: TN reports 18 new cases, active total rises to 77 On Tuesday, 18 individuals in Tamil Nadu tested positive for COVID-19, contributing to a cumulative total of 77 active cases. Among the newly reported cases, Tiruvarur recorded nine, while Chennai documented five, Tiruvallur two, and Coimbatore and Villupuram each reported one case. A thorough examination of 230 samples took place across the state. As of the latest available data from Monday, Tamil Nadu's overall test positivity rate was registered at 2.3%. Source: The Hindu Rare venomous marine life surfaces at Chennai's Besant Nagar beach At Chennai's Besant Nagar beach,…

Located in the southwestern suburbs of Chennai, the neighbourhood of Chitlapakkam had been prone to flooding only five years ago. About 20 centimetres of rain would cause severe inundation of houses and it was under the threat of sheet flooding of more than five feet of water, which would remain stagnant for around a week. The dream of making this locality flood-free seemed distant at the time but has now become a reality. Every monsoon, Chitlapakkam would get inundated as the town is sandwiched between the flood plains of Selaiyur lake and Chitlapakkam lake surplus. As a volunteer of the…

Jayakumari* from Velachery recalls the horrific moments of December 5th, when floodwaters filled the streets adjacent to her house and the long power cut that ensued worsened her unhealed wounds from mosquito bites. A chronic diabetic, she has been advised by her doctor to stay indoors to prevent accidents and avoid aggravating her health condition. She dreads the rain, as the stagnant water brings in the mosquitoes. "I use a crutch to walk and because the electricity was out for 72 hours, I was just using my sari to fan my injured leg to ease the pain. The size of…

Ennore oil spill: NGT comes down heavily on government agencies Stating that the oil spill in the Ennore-Manali region in Chennai has adversely impacted the livelihoods of the fishing community, the Tamil Nadu government’s 20-member State of Oil Spill Crisis Management Group (SOS-CMG) directed the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) to undertake mitigation efforts on a war footing. Meanwhile, following the blame game between CPCL and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) over the oil spill in the Ennore-Manali region, the National Green Tribunal came down heavily on the government agencies and the oil company for the delayed response in…

Speed limits on major roads in fast-paced Mumbai   The Mumbai traffic police have declared speed limits on nine major roads of the city starting December 13th. The police said this was done to “prevent danger, obstruction and inconvenience to the public.” Some of these roads include, P.D Mello Road, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road ( 50 kmph), Haji Ali junction to Mahalaxmi Railway Station, Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and flyovers including Amar Mahal Flyover and Veer Jijamata Bhosale Flyover.  The police said this measure was initiated to avoid accidents caused by overspeeding.   After the traffic police announced this on X (Twitter), the…

Fire escape staircase for BBMP's head office The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to construct a fire escape staircase in the Annexure 3 building of its head office. In August this year, a fire incident occurred in the Quality and Control Depart­ment in Annexure 2 building, claiming the life of a BBMP chief engineer. For the last 13 years, the building has been without a fire exit staircase. The building houses about 20-25 departments, including health, education, and road infrastructure. The BBMP invited a short-term tender to build a staircase along with signboards, fire exit doors, air circulator,…

As Cyclone Michaung ripped through Chennai and surrounding areas, and news about localities getting inundated with heavy rainfall started coming in, and a few affected residents narrated their ordeal online. As the day wore on, there were many calls for rescue and relief from citizens stranded in waterlogged areas.   Meanwhile, a group of researchers from IIT Madras were doing their bit by giving real-time weather information on social media. They also urged people to record flood information in their localities on the chennaiwaterlogging.org portal. Their efforts seem to have paid off because as many as 1,200 users recorded the…

Chennai grapples with severe flooding, transportation disruptions and health concerns after cyclone The aftermath of Cyclone Michaung continues to severely impact Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, with incessant rainfall causing extensive flooding, waterlogging and power outages. The city's schools and colleges are closed. Relief efforts are underway, with the Indian Air Force air-dropping 2,300 kg of relief materials in flood-affected areas and the Southern Railway cancelling train services. The effects of the cyclone also include disruptions to operations in many industries in Chennai. The Tamil Nadu government and various organisations are actively engaged in relief work, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi…

Mumbai second to Delhi in crimes against women Gone are the days when Mumbai was considered the safest place for women, suggest the latest National Crime Records Bureau figures. Mumbai ranked next to Delhi, which continues to be the most unsafe/dangerous city for women, with 14158 crimes, Mumbai was second with 6176 crimes in 2022.   Figures indicate that crimes against women, as well as overall crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code have gone up since 2020.  Apart from cases of molestation, Mumbai also recorded serious offences such as sexual assault, murders and other violent crimes. The cases of sexual…

Maximum cybercrimes in the city In the first 11 months of this year, the IT capital reported 16,000 cybercrimes. The data from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) reported 15,779 cybercrimes, or 23.4% of the total crimes (67,446). Phishing, OTP frauds, extortion and sextortion were the most common of the 46 cybercrimes in the city. Every fourth crime happens online. An official policy to register every case has also contributed to the large numbers, said sources. The report followed the ‘Crime in India 2022’ document released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), as the city recorded 9,940 cases last year,…