Civic

Mumbai sees highest COVID-19 cases since July 26 Cases of COVID-19 have gradually increased in Mumbai since the festive season began with Ganesh Chaturthi. On Thursday, the number hit 5,317, the highest in the city since July 26. Officials from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s health department said they are anticipating a spike post-Dussehra as more people step out. However, officials said the rise in cases is not a cause for concern. They say the situation is under control since most of Mumbai’s population has taken at least one dose of the and nearly half have taken both doses. Source: The…

The residents of Srinivasa Nagar and Ram Nagar of Madipakkam area under the Greater Chennai Corporation have been denied basic civic amenities for several years. They have been living with the dangers associated with bad roads, open kutcha drains, absence of comprehensive storm water drain network covering all the streets, improper sewer systems and absence of quality water supply for nearly a decade now.   The common problems faced by close to 700 houses in the area have interconnected roots, mostly arising from the apathy and inefficiency of various civic agencies like GCC, CMWSSB, TNEB etc. that work in silos without…

Translated by Sandhya Raju செப்டம்பர் 12, 2021 அன்று பல்லாவரம்-துரைப்பாக்கம் சாலையில் அங்கீகாரமற்ற பதாகை சாய்ந்ததில் அவ்வழியாக தனது வாகனத்தில் சென்ற 23 வயது ஆர் சுபஸ்ரீ பலியாகி இரண்டாண்டுகள் கடந்து விட்டன. சென்னை உயர்நீதிமன்றம் அப்போதைய அதிமுக ஆட்சியை கடுமையாக சாடியது. இரண்டு ஆண்டுகள் பிறகு, ஓஎம்ஆர், ஜிஎஸ்டி, தாம்பரம், வேளாச்சேரி என பல பகுதிகளில் மீண்டும் விளம்பர பதாகைகள் சாலை நடுவிலும், நடை பாதைகளிலும் முளைத்திருப்பதை காண முடிகிறது. "இன்னும் எத்தனை லிட்டர் இரத்தத்தை சாலைகள் பார்க்க வேண்டும் என விரும்புகிறீர்கள்?" என கடுமையான கேள்வியை உயர்நீதி மன்றம் அப்போது எழுப்பியது. அங்கீகாரமற்ற பதாகைகள், பானர்களை நீக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுக்குமாறு பல முறை கூறியுள்ளது எங்களுக்கு அலுத்து விட்டது எனவும் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தது. வாகன ஓட்டிகள், பாதசாரிகளுக்கு இடையூறு ஏற்படுத்தும் வகையில் அரசியல் கட்சிகள் பதாகைகள் வைக்கக்கூடாது என டிசம்பர் 2018 அன்று ஏற்கனவே அறிவுறுத்தியிருந்தது. நகராட்சியும், காவல்…

50% fully vaccinated, over 10,000 refused jabs The BBMP crossed a milestone on October 5 by covering 50% its population with both doses of COVID vaccine. In Bengaluru Urban district, 58% have been fully vaccinated. But it is among the few districts in Karnataka to have covered half the population with both doses. Meanwhile, the BBMP learnt through a block-and-lane-level vaccination survey that about 10,000 people from 4,437 households have refused to get jabbed. They were identified from a survey of 76,373 households. Many from lower-income groups seemed to be afraid of side effects. The most number of unvaccinated households…

Monsoon preparedness works in the city The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has intensified its monsoon preparedness drive following rains lashing the city through the week. Officials have begun conducting inspections of stormwater drains across the city. Equipment necessary to pump out water in case of water logging is on standby with the civic body earmarking 807 pumps for this purpose. Earth movers have also been placed at river mouths in the city. Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi has also said that close to 92% of the city’s 696-km stormwater drains have been desilted in the runup to the monsoon. Despite these…

Colaba-Seepz Metro Will Be Tested at Marol-Maroshi Route By Next Year Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday, September 30th, announced trial runs of the Colaba-SEEPZ Metro rail line 3 in Mumbai that will be held underground at Marol-Maroshi, outside the Aarey green belt. "The trial runs for the Metro line 3 will be done underground at Marol-Maroshi, outside the Aarey area; later, the train will be run on the Colaba-SEEPZ line as well. After the trial runs, 31 such trains will run on the route" he said. He also instructed officials that not a single tree in Aarey should…

ICMR recommends phased opening of schools ICMR has recommended vaccinating children aged 12 and above as they face a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. In its latest set of recommendations, ICMR has suggested a phased opening of schools and implementation of multi-layered mitigation measures to ensure students' safety. An article published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, said that though children aged between one and 17 had similar susceptibility as adults to mild COVID-19 infection, the risk of severe disease and fatality in children remains low. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also released detailed guidelines…

Beautification work by Corporation Several beautification projects have been initiated in the city across localities by the Chennai Corporation. A new fountain at Marina beach has been completed and another such structure is under construction near the War Memorial and Egmore Railway Station. As part of the drive, several areas including the T Nagar pedestrian plaza will receive additional lighting. On the cards is also a facelift for parks across the city including the famous Maadi Poonga. A park with fountains is planned near Mint Flyover at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crores. Dynamic lighting has also been proposed for…

Schools, colleges to reopen from October 4 Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has issued strict guidelines for the city's schools which are set to open for Grade 8 - 12 on October 4. The guidelines included mandates such as contact sports are disallowed, all schools and colleges have to be connected with nearby Covid centres, follow one seat for one student policy, and have 50 students capacity per class. What the SOPs are missing, as some experts point out, is how underfunded civic schools will be supported by the BMC to carry out some of these procedures. According to a Citizen…

First electric bus unveiled Bengaluru’s first electric bus, nine-metre-long and non-AC, was unveiled by Transport Minister B Sriramulu. The bus can run 120 km on a single charge, and carry 33 passengers. The BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) had got the e-bus built by the Uttar Pradesh-based JBM Auto Limited.  This is the first of 90 electric buses to be inducted by BMTC by December. Each bus will cost Rs 90 lakh, of which about Rs 60 lakh is contributed by grants from the Smart Cities Mission. Over the next three years, the fleet might expand to 500. The first…