Civic

City roads to be audited: Govt State government has decided to conduct a road maintenance audit in Bengaluru to fix responsibility on officials for poor road conditions. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday informed the State Legislative Council that a detailed audit of main, arterial and sub-arterial roads will be undertaken. Bommai added that administrative approval had been given in 2015-16 for spending Rs 20,060 crore on Bengaluru roads, but not a single road is free of potholes or cracks. Meanwhile, B R Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said that traffic-calming measures like rumblers and surface markers were…

NCRB Report 2020: India registers a crime rate of 56.5 per one lakh women   As per the NCRB (National Crime Record Bureau) report for 2020, the country has reported a crime rate of 56.5 per one lakh women, compared to 62.3 in 2019. Of these, more than 1.11 lakh cases related to "cruelty by husband or relatives" while more than 62,000 cases were kidnapping and abduction. The report also revealed a grim situation in terms of heinous crimes like rape and murder. The country reported an average of 80 murders and 77 rape cases daily, according to the report.…

City had most cybercrimes, second-highest murders in 2020 According to the ‘Crime in India-2020’ report by the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau), Bengaluru was the city with maximum number of murder cases in south India last year (179). Among all 19 metropolitan cities in the NCRB list, Bengaluru is second to Delhi, which reported 461 murders. The reasons for the murders spanned from petty quarrels to illicit relationships. Kamal Pant, Commissioner of Bengaluru City Police attributed the high number of cases to swelling population and unbridled growth of the city. Bengaluru also reported the highest rate of cybercrimes; of the…

Whole-genome lab inaugurated in Chennai In a bid to track vector-borne diseases and superbugs resistant to antibiotics, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin inaugurated a whole-genome sequencing lab at the state public health laboratory in Chennai.  The facility will also help detect SARS-CoV-2 variants. When the virus multiplies, the mutations get accumulated in the genetic code. While the treatment for all variants of COVID-19  has been the same, alterations in the genetic structure have the capability to hasten the spread of the virus.  Until now, the state has sent the samples to the Bengaluru-based Instem (a part of a…

NGT admits petition to stop Versova beach construction Environmentalist Zoru Bhatena's petition filed against renovation of Versova beach has been admitted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Bhatena claims the developmental work violates clearances issued under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) by Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). Versova beach is also an important nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles. A two-judge bench found merit in the petition and ordered the Public Works Department (PWD), MCZMA, the state environment impact assessment authority, the municipal corporation and the district collector to respond to the notices served. Source: Hindustan Times Read more:…

96.6% efficacy with one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, says ICMR One dose of COVID-19 vaccine ensures 96.6% efficiency in preventing death while a double dose ensures 97.5% efficiency against death, said ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava. Analysis of data collected between April 18th and August 15th showed that most deaths during the second wave occurred amongst the unvaccinated. Dr Bhargava also informed that protection against death is available for all age groups. Health ministry officials say pace of vaccination is steadily increasing. Average doses per day has increased from 20 lakh in May to 78 lakh in September with…

Festive rules revised On Thursday, many Ganesha Utsava Mandals held a protest with vehicle-mounted idols, at the BBMP head office. The BBMP’s order on just one public installation per ward was widely opposed. After outcry from pro-Hindu groups over restrictions in festivities, BBMP withdrew its guidelines and agreed to permit festivities over five days, not three as the police had advised earlier. Moreover, reversing the earlier ban, idols can now be immersed in some lakes where it’s customary. Only one public installation per ward is permitted, but temples and private religious institutions can install idols following COVID-appropriate behaviour. Organisers are…

Section 144 till September 19th Not more than five people will be allowed to gather at a place in Mumbai till September 19th. Mumbai Police imposed the order to curb Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. According to the new order, praying physically at public pandals has also been banned. However, the guidelines also state that for bringing home Ganesha idols and during their immersion, not more than 10 people will be allowed in public mandal processions and not more than five for household Ganpatis. Mandals falling in Covid-19 containment zones will have to make arrangements for immersion within pandal premises or postpone…

Corporation shortlists 10 themes for Singara Chennai 2.0 With residents’ welfare associations sharing suggestions to transform the city under the Singara Chennai 2.0 project, the civic body has shortlisted 10 themes for the broad changes in store.   The corporation will be allocated Rs 300 crore and the Metrowater Rs 200 crore for executing the project. While a draft of the vision  for the project has been prepared, a government order is awaited to go ahead with the work planned. Residents have sent in their suggestions for revamp under the following themes: heritage and culture, beautification, education, cleanliness, greenery, wellness, safety,…

This June, newspapers carried reports of an apartment resident in Mangaluru throwing newborn kittens out of her flat. Similarly, cat-adoption sites frequently report cases of kittens found in plastic bags in garbage heaps. Earlier, a common, but merciless, approach was to either ignore kittens or drop them in a faraway location. These incidents show people are largely unaware of how to handle stray cats and their litter. Success stories of win-win scenarios for both cats and humans are very rare. I was very impressed by an article in Citizen Matters last year, by Sumana Paul and Kalpita Mane, on how…