Civic

BDA to call global tenders for fresh Master Plan The BDA (Bangalore Development Authority) will begin to call global tenders for a fresh Master Plan for the city in a week. The new plan is expected to be ready by mid-2023. The previously drafted RMP (Revised Master Plan) 2031 was supposed to guide the city's development until 2031, but was scrapped by the BDA last year following objections from the public. A focus area for the new Master Plan 2031 would be to boost TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) along the city's transit corridors, especially along the Metro rail and the upcoming…

First ‘pod’ hotel at Mumbai Central railway station Indian railways’ first pod hotel was inaugurated at Mumbai Central station on Wednesday, November 17th, by Raosaheb Danve, minister of state of railways. The hotel is spread over 3000 square feet and is located on the first floor of the station building, with facilities such as 48 capsule-like rooms and separate pods for women and differently-abled persons. Affordable overnight accommodation is also available. For 12 hours, passengers will have to pay Rs 999, and Rs 1,999 for 24 hours.  Source: Hindustan Times Private hospital in Mumbai becomes first provide free COVID-19 vaccination …

Translated by Sandhya Raju 2015-ம் ஆண்டுக்கு பின், இது வரை கண்டிராத அளவு மழை கடந்த சில தினங்களுக்கு முன் சென்னையில் கொட்டித் தீர்த்தது. வடகிழக்கு பருவ மழைக்கு பின் வந்த இந்த அடர் மழையால் சென்னையின் பல பகுதிகள் தண்ணீரில் மிதந்தன. பல பகுதிகளில் வீடுகளுக்குள் தண்ணீர் புகுந்ததால், தாழ்வான பகுதிகளில் வசிக்கும் மக்கள் பாதுகாப்பான இடத்தில் தற்காலிகமாக தங்க வைக்கப்பட்டனர். நாட்டின் பல நகரங்களைப் போலவே, சென்னையில் ஏற்படும் வெள்ளத்திற்கு பல காரணங்கள் உள்ளன. இது சில ஆண்டுகளாக இன்னும் மோசம் அடைந்துள்ளது. இந்த பிரச்சனைகள் களையப்படவில்லை எனில், அடுத்த பத்து வருடங்களானாலும் வெள்ள பாதிப்பை தடுக்க முடியாது. நகர்ப்புற வெள்ளத்திற்கு வித்திடும் விரிவாக்கம் சென்னை மாநகராட்சிக்கு கீழ் வரும் நகர்ப்புற பகுதி, கடலை ஒட்டி அமைந்துள்ளது. முன்பு விவசாயப் பகுதியாக இருந்த சமயத்தில் அதற்காக பல ஆயிரம் ஆழமற்ற பெரிய ஏரிகள் அமைக்கப்பட்டன. சென்னையின் நிலப்பரப்பு…

Devotees bathe in Yamuna despite toxic foam To mark Chhath Puja on November 10th, hundreds of devotees stood in knee-deep waters of the Yamuna river that was heavily polluted with white toxic foam. Caused by pollutants from industries in New Delhi that dispose off their toxic waste into the river, the 1,336 km Yamuna is one of the world’s most polluted rivers, and provides more than half of New Delhi’s water. Three Yamuna Action Plans have done little so far to clean up the river. Ironically, union cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari announced just after the media splashed pics of people…

Chennai faces week of deluge and water logging Chennai faced above average rainfall in two intense spells this week, leaving most of the city water-logged. Many residents found themselves marooned when heavy rains lashed the city, with power supply being cut to prevent mishaps. The city saw 5.5 times more rainfall than is the norm for November in just a week, leaving civic agencies scrambling to run rescue and relief operations. Multiple agencies including Chennai Corporation, the Fire department, and state and national Disaster Response forces were deployed to rescue stranded individuals and those in distress and provide shelter and…

99% of Mumbai vaccinated at least once, according to BMC data Ninety-nine percent of Mumbai’s population has been vaccinated at least once, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) data. BMC said it administered 15.067 million vaccine doses (both doses) until November 10. This includes vaccine doses administered at all private, municipal, state and central government-operated vaccination centres since January 16 this year, when the vaccination drive began across the country. The city's eligible population is 9,236,500. “So far, a total of 9,204,950 beneficiaries have been given their first dose, of which 5,862,933 beneficiaries have received both their doses.” A BMC…

High COVID count in four wards Four BBMP wards - Koramangala, Hagadur, Bellandur and Begur - have high COVID counts, reporting around 25 cases a day. The reason is said to be the increased influx of migrants, who had not been tested properly at railway and bus stations, said a civic health official. BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said they are monitoring the situation in the four wards and are continuing surveillance and genome sequencing to check for any new strain. Of 286 cases reported in the state on Thursday, 169 were from Bengaluru Urban district. However, active case count in…

A tragedy awakens public authorities like none other. Vehicles screeching to a halt near potholes, more often than not, stay out of their earshot until a gruesome accident jolts them. And it was the unfortunate demise of a 32-year-old tech professional, Mohammed Yunus, near Little Mount on Anna Salai, that has put the spotlight back on potholes in Chennai — a problem that is often brushed aside as “mundane.”  The Highways Department swiftly carried out patchwork across the entire road following the incident. A senior engineer at the department, who wished anonymity, said that a complaint was filed with the police…

The recent spate of rains in Chennai has seen the city flooded in large parts. The current Chennai floods are all over social media now, stark in the photos of inundated streets and water logging in many homes, especially those on the ground floor. The chaos has evoked angry and anguished responses from residents. There has been a chorus of demands, asking why the city’s stormwater drain network was unable to handle the rains and how the city would hold up in the event of further downpours that are predicted. As part of a group of residents who suffered a…

On an average in a year, around 2000 house break-ins and thefts (HBT) take place in Mumbai. A high concentration of these crimes occur in North Central Mumbai, according to a report on the state of law and order in Mumbai in 2020 by the Praja Foundation. Detection for these is below 50%. Cases have seen a 30% decrease since 2015, but reporting of these cases has also seen a drop. Here are the steps you can take to report a home burglary: Immediate Steps On discovering a burglary, the first step is to inform the police. This can be…