Civic

Toll for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link set at Rs 250 After much speculation over the amount of toll on the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, the state government has finalised the toll amount as Rs 250 per car one way. Earlier it was expected that a one-way journey, which cuts the travel time considerably between Navi Mumbai and south Mumbai, would cost as much as Rs 500. The 22-km long road, will connect Sewri in Mumbai and Chirale in Raigad and will have three exits. The longest sea bridge in India, it will reduce the travel time to 15 to 20…

Ennore gas leak: Residents demand closure of factory Residents of Ennore continued their protests against the Coromandel International Limited, after leakage of ammonia gas from the company's pipeline late night on December 26 left many people giddy and gasping for breath, while others fainted. While 52 residents from Periyakuppam, Chinnakuppam and surrounding villages were hospitalised, many have already evacuated from the area because of the strong smell and eye irritation. The fertiliser plant has temporarily downed shutters after a notice for closure was issued by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to suspend operations. However, residents from the affected…

Mumbai Trans Harbour Link opening on January 12th After being delayed at twice in the past year, the much awaited MTHL is all set to connect Mumbai and Navi Mumbai early next year. It is the longest sea bridge in the country at 21.8 km. It will connect Sewri in south Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai with a total of three exits. Reports said that an invitation had been sent to the Prime Minister and if all goes well, it will be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on January 12th. Considered to be an engineering marvel, the construction costs…

KSRTC ventures into logistics business Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC)-the state-owned transport utility-is stepping into the logistics sector, sensing a great business opportunity there, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy told Economic Times. The business started on December 10th, and 20 fully-equipped trucks were launched to enhance the non-ticket revenue of the corporation.  The KSRTC also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KMS Coach Builders Pvt. Ltd. for lending its cargo truck services on a rental basis for a period of two months. It has also entered into an agreement with S. M. Kannappa Automobiles (P) Ltd. for a…

Another year goes by and most of us, who are not directly affected, are watching the world in turmoil helplessly from a distance. Whether it is extreme violence and massacre of human rights in Gaza or the tepid COP 28 commitments for climate action. Closer home, there is a record number of suspensions of members of our parliament and passage of bills without debates, raising disturbing questions about India's democratic structures. And then in Mumbai, one has almost gotten used to the fact that the city has not had the municipal elections so as to expect our elected representatives to…

Mask up but no need to worry, say docs  Just as we were gearing up to celebrate Christmas and New Year, a new Covid variant called JN.1, has been reported. As of now Mumbai has the maximum number of cases in the state.  Chief minister Eknath Shinde informed that the decision to form a task force to manage isolation, medication and other requirements in case of increase in the cases, will be taken soon. He emphasised that people should reinforce “Covid Appropriate Behaviour” such as masking up and testing. Maharashtra has not imposed any restrictions as of now.   Doctors…

Bengaluru sees 30 COVID-19 cases in 2 days The state government has constituted a four-member cabinet sub-committee, headed by state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, to monitor the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. The other three ministers in the panel are Social Welfare Minister Dr H C Mahadevappa, Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil, and Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar. The state reported 24 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, according to the latest update from the Union Health Ministry. The total number of active cases has risen to 105.  Bengaluru restaurants are…

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…