Civic

Azaan row Bengaluru City Police has seized microphones from many religious establishments, on the charge that they defied court orders on noise pollution. The police have booked cases and will monitor the prescribed decibel levels. Notices had been issued to 301 shrines, including temples, churches and mosques, with strictures to stick to KSPCB (Karnataka State Pollution Control Board) guidelines. Many right-wing Hindu organisations had launched drives against azaan in mosques, vowing to counter it by playing Hanuman Chalisa and bhajans through loudspeakers. The Imam of Jamia Masjid, one of Bengaluru's largest mosques, said they have installed a decibel meter to…

Chennai Corporation zones to increase to 22 The 15 zones in the city demarcating Greater Chennai area will be increased to 22 zones in order to align with the assembly constituency boundaries. According to the Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation, Gangadeep Singh Bedi, the aim of increasing the number of zones is to ensure that civic issues be addressed faster and in a uniform manner. In addition, the move aims to boost political representation in different areas. According to Bedi, since zones span over a large area, it has been challenging for city officials to address civic issues uniformly.…

BBMP presents Rs 10,480 cr budget The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) released its budget copies to reporters late on Thursday night without prior notice, probably to avoid taking questions and clearing doubts. BBMP has projected for 2022-23 a total revenue collection of Rs 10,484 crore from various sources, including property tax, state and central government grants. It hopes to collect Rs 3,680 cr from property tax and cesses. The expenditure is estimated to be Rs 10,480 crore, higher than the budget of the last financial year. The budget document accounted for a positive opening balance of Rs 5.58 crore.…

Property tax set to increase in Chennai The state government has ordered local bodies to revise property tax following the recommendations of a committee appointed to study the issues. As a result, property tax in Chennai could be set to rise by up to 150%. The notification for the same was issued by the Municipal Administration Secretary. The committee's recommendations for Chennai include that the taxes in core areas be hiked by between 50% to 150%. The tax rates in the suburbs merged with the Chennai Corporation in 2011 is set to be hiked between 50% to 100%. Commercial buildings…

Wearing masks no longer mandatory in Mumbai On March 31st, Mumbai saw 42 news COVID cases and no casualties. The gradual decline in cases led the state executive comm to ease all COVID restrictions in Maharashtra. The state government has relaxed all curbs and checking for vaccination and social distancing will stop. Wearing masks is now voluntary and no longer a finable offence. For districts that still have a high number of cases and low vaccination rates, stricter curbs may be implemented as they do not meet the criteria to relax all restrictions. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has…

When I moved to my current apartment building in Kandivali in January 2018, I noticed a couple of malnourished dogs in the neighbourhood. I started cooking food to feed them and nurture them back to health. Soon after, I was tending to 12 dogs from the initial 2. As of 2022, I’ve been tending to 62 dogs and 9 cats every day, and during the COVID lockdown at least 75 dogs came to me since their original territories - restaurants, food stalls - were all shut. Now that things are back to normal, most of them have returned. I have…

Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city and its suburbs. One of the richest municipal corporations in Asia, its budget is bigger than some of the smaller states in India. For 2022, the civic budget is Rs 45949.21, a 17.70% jump from the previous year. With such a large budget and population to cater to, we must be aware of how our tax money is spent and communicate our expectations to the municipal corporation. Active citizen participation is the foundation of democracy.  Read more: Understanding Mumbai’s municipal corporation Why a…

Mumbai is rife with markers of its colonial past. One building emblematic of the British architecture, which we frequently come upon in South Bombay, is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) building.  In 2021, this building was opened to the public for the first time in over a century, inviting the public to explore where the city is run from. We are guided through the building's architectural history and the foundation of the municipal corporation through a tour held every weekend by the heritage foundation Khaki Tours, in collaboration with the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).  Built in 1893, the building was designed…

Changes in door-to-door waste collection system proposed The door-to-door waste collection system may undergo drastic changes. BBMP may deploy one garbage contractor for every three wards, instead of one per ward. The Palike may also increase the garbage contract period for a minimum of three years, and introduce four-wheel tippers that are mostly electric or CNG-enabled. There will be no separate vehicles for collecting wet and dry waste; instead, each tipper will have separate compartments for wet and dry waste. The proposed changes will be discussed in the next board meeting of the BSWM (Bengaluru Solid Waste Management) Ltd. Once…

Chennai experienced its hottest day of the year this week On Tuesday 22nd March, Chennai residents experienced high humidity and searing heat.  The weather stations in Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam recorded a maximum temperature of 37.6 degree Celsius and 38 degree Celsius respectively, around 4 degree Celsius above average for the day. According to experts from the Meteorological Department, the extreme heat has been triggered by the Westerlies and Northwesterlies from the land. In addition, there was a deep depression that crossed Myanmar, which could have contributed to the heat. Sea breeze was also obstructed on Tuesday by a trough that prevailed in…