Civic

The traffic on Akurli road, Kandivali, is not news. It is the main access road to all of Kandivali East, beginning at Kandivali railway station. From there, it passes Growel’s mall, cuts through the Western Express Highway (WEH), going on to Hanuman Nagar, Lokhandwala, Damu Nagar and Gautam Nagar, stopping only at the green expanse of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).  Despite the heavy traffic it has to carry, the road is just 90 feet wide. Shops and parked vehicles on either side further squeeze it, and many lanes intersect it linking the areas along the way.  Complaints have been…

Rains leave two dead and parts of the city waterlogged With the onset of the northeast monsoon on October 29th, Chennai has been experiencing heavy rains. The city was issued an orange alert. The downpour over the course of the week resulted in the deaths of two people. A 52-year-old autorickshaw driver, Devendran, was fatally electrocuted in Vyasarpadi on October 31st after he touched the pole of a pandal erected in front of a house, where rainwater had stagnated. Shanthi K, a 45-year-old resident of Pulianthope died after a concrete slab collapsed on her on November 1st. There has been…

Air quality dips in city; Andheri in 'poor' category Mumbai’s air quality deteriorated on Monday and fell under the 'moderate' category on with Air Quality Index at 149, according to System of Air Quality Forecast and Research (SAFAR). It remained in moderate zone until Thursday, as the city recorded an AQI of 152. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe', while the AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, between 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’ and between 101 and 200 is ‘moderate’. Within the city, on Thursday, the data showed Worli’s AQI…

Rs 5.20 lakh cr MOUs signed at Global Investors Meet On the inaugural Wednesday (November 2nd) of the three-day Invest Karnataka 2022 – Global Investors Meet, the government signed MOUs (memorandums of understanding) worth Rs 5.20 lakh crore, while many industry leaders assured further investment. Seven companies invested Rs 2.9 lakh crore in the ‘Manufacturing – Green Hydrogen and Derivatives’ sector. MoUs worth Rs 25,024 crore were signed with six companies in the core manufacturing sectors such as mining, iron, steel and cement, while MoUs worth Rs 22,906 crore were signed with nine companies under the e-mobility, aerospace and defence…

Frequent floods are becoming common in many cities - including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Pune. These damage private properties and lead to economic losses. However, the typical response by city administrations is very disappointing: They merely point fingers at encroachment of drains and make some perfunctory token efforts to clear that encroachment, often selectively. After a couple of weeks, the matter is forgotten, and the flooding is repeated in the next spell. As a result, this crisis visits us every year. This gives politicians a chance to exploit these floods for their own benefit. On the other hand, the city…

Mumbai should aspire to host the Olympics games in 2036, and working towards being Olympics ready will ensure Mumbai gets good infrastructure by creating jobs and helping the local economy. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been selecting a different city to host the Olympic games every four years since the first modern games were held in Athens in 1896. India should compete for the bid and nominate Mumbai as the host for the Olympics games 2036. The crucial chance to make that happen will be in 2023 when the IOC meets in Mumbai. I am a volunteer for Mumbai March, an…

Egmore railway station to get a makeover Under the Prime Minister's Gati Shakti-National Master Plan for Multi-modal Connectivity, the Egmore railway station will be revamped to international standards. DEC Infrastructure and Projects is the contractor who will take up the redevelopment project. The project will take a year and a half, and will cost Rs 734 crore. The second-biggest station in Chennai will have various amenities like lounges, food courts and multi-level car parking spaces among other things. The platform of the station will also be redone. Since the station is a heritage structure, the work will proceed after a…

Section 144 in force from Nov 1st to 15th in Mumbai The Mumbai Police has issued several prohibitory orders, including Section 144, for the city between November 1st and 15th. As per the orders, gatherings of five or more people, processions, protests, loud speakers, bands, firecrackers, etc have been banned. Exhibiting or publishing any material leading to danger, governmental or moral trouble is also outlawed. The display and possession of weapons, arms and ammunition is also banned under a separate order from November 3rd to December 2nd. The restrictions are in response to information about the disturbance of peace, law…

Statue of Prosperity to be unveiled The 108-feet bronze statue of Kempegowda, the founder of Bengaluru, will be unveiled at the Bengaluru International Airport, Devanahalli, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11th. It will be called the 'Statue of Prosperity' to symbolise the progress of the city under the vision of its founder, Kempegowda. On October 21th, as part of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Campaign, vehicles were flagged off from Vidhan Soudha’s grand steps to collect sacred soil and water from the 31 districts of the state. The sacred soil and water will be integrated with the Kempegowda Theme Park…

Flooded buildings and inundated neighbourhoods have become more commonplace in the last few years. In addition, residents have to deal with seepage, weakening foundations, damp basements and soil damage, not to mention potholed roads and footpaths.  With climate change, rainfall is only going to get more intense. How do we fix rain-related problems and prevent further issues in our homes, apartment complexes and layouts? What issues are you facing? What do you need to know to get the problem solved? Citizen Matters, Bengaluru will host a panel of experts to address your questions and doubts on November 4th (Friday), 6…