Civic

Can you travel from Kodambakkam in South Chennai to Dasaprakash on Poonamallee High Road (E.V.R Periyar High Road) at just Rs. 14, throwing in a short hop on the Chennai Metro also? Surprisingly, this is what the ride costs. If you are anywhere in a radius of 500 to 800 metres of the Kodambakkam Suburban Rail Station, it is just a ten minute walk to get there. With a five rupee ticket, you reach Chennai Egmore, where there a convenient transit point to the Chennai Metro. Without really stepping out of the complex, you reach the Metro station, and swiping your card,…

Apartment ADDA is hosting an award ceremony The Rise High Awards for Management Committees across six categories for their outstanding initiatives - waste management, water management, initiatives outside the gate, domestic staff welfare, renewable energy and builder-association collaborations. The Rise High Awards are Apartment ADDA’s effort to celebrate management committees and residents, who volunteer their time and collaborate with vendors, local government etc. to implement outstanding initiatives. Such initiatives are result of deliberate planning, patient collaboration and diligent execution. Rise High Initiatives not only improve the community where the initiative is implemented, but also set an inspiring example for many…

Even as Bengaluru's waste generation has grown by 1,750% in 15 years, collection and management of the same have not kept pace. Meanwhile, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is planning a repeat of last year's trip to Singapore for many of its pourakarmikas in a few months, says Hari Shilpa, Assistant Commissioner of Administration, BBMP. They have issued notices to zonal level officers to send lists of potential candidates for the trip. Like last year, the four-day programme would probably include comprehensive sessions on safety gadgets and equipment, environment, beautification, the 50-year history of Singapore, water conservation, reuse and processing, collection…

A tiny kiosk on the congested DF Road in Mogappair bustles with customers on any week day. R Dakshinamurthy, the owner of the kiosk stall wears a smiling face, as he infuses tea leaves in the aluminum container and lets it brew for a few minutes. His happy face turns anxious whenever a police official walks towards the stall or passes by. Dakshinamurthy is an unauthorized vendor, who has been running the kiosk since three years ago, braving the constant threat of extortion from police and opposition from civil society. He is among the 27,050 vendors waiting for biometric cards…

The fourth edition of the Bangalore Business Literature Festival is back. It’s on 8 th September 2018 at WeWork Galaxy, Residency Road, Bengaluru, says a press note. The theme this year is ‘Future of Work & India’. 18 Top speakers will look beyond the impact of automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning on factors that will shape careers, business relevance, green jobs, entrepreneurship, and startups in India. It will also delve into how people and governments respond to technology-led massive disruptions to careers and societies. Also, in this state of uncertainty, it will focus on how and what professionals, entrepreneurs…

TN Smart – an app for real time flood alert Later this month, the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority will launch a real time web app that will provide flood alerts across the state for better response management. The app will collate data based on the information available about earlier disasters, and will predict the impact of weather forecast. It is expected to be ready before on the onset of North east monsoon. TN-SMART (Tamil Nadu - System for Multi-hazard potential impact Assessment and Emergency Response Tracking  initiative would be in line with World Meteorological Organisation’s Global Framework for…

Activists arrested across cities, thousands protest Raids across seven cities saw the arrest of prominent left-wing activists , accused of having linkages to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Police said that the arrests were made following a probe into the violence that took place during the meeting in Elgar Parishad on December 31,2017 during the commemoration of the efforts of the Mahar community in the battle of Bhima-Koregaon. Arrests were made in the early hours of Tuesday in Mumbai, Thane, Hyderabad, Ranchi, Delhi and Faridabad. The five arrested are activist and  writer P Varavara Rao from Hyderabad, lawyer…

Delhi gets common mobility card Delhiites can now use their metro smart cards to pay for rides in the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses and cluster buses. An agreement was reached between the Delhi government and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) that allows for the use of the metro smart card. Delhi joins a list of cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Amsterdam and London in providing a common mobility card across various modes of transportation. The scheme underwent several delays due to disagreements between the transport department and the office of the minister for transport but the card came…

Pillion riders must now wear helmets Under the provisions of the Motor Act 2015, both rider and pillion rider can be booked for not wearing a helmet, however the implementation of this Act has been far from strict. Last week, the TN State Government assured Madras High Court that an awareness drive will be launched through advertisements etc, and the Traffic Police has stated that it will take strict action against violators. It has been highlighted often in studies that not wearing a helmet is the cause of ⅓ fatalities in two-wheeler accidents in the state. The Government had made…

If you are an apartment or home owner in Chennai, you would most likely have received a form for self declaration of Property Tax, from the revenue office of Greater Chennai Corporation. Most home and apartment owners were caught unawares, not only by the requirement itself, as there has been no such form to fill in the past twenty years, but also by the deadline of August 31st to fill and submit it. Here is a quick explainer about the form and its connection with property tax. According to a senior official from Chennai Corporation, there are 12.65 lakh home and…