Civic

Tetrapods relocated to Band Stand Coastal road construction at Haji Ali has led to the relocation of the iconic seafront tetrapods to Bandra’s Band Stand. But locals are not happy. Officials have claimed that the tetrapods would prevent erosion at Band Stand. However, architect Samarth Das says that the natural bedrock of Band Stand is already a barrier against erosion. Residents in the area say that BMC has dangerously dumped the rocks instead of laying them out in any planned way. Source: Times of India, Free Press Journal Read more: The case against Mumbai's Coastal Road project BMC stops walk-in…

BJP leaders target Muslims in COVID war room Police searched eight zonal COVID war rooms following allegations of a scam in the allotment of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients. Bengaluru South member of Parliament, Tejasvi Surya of the BJP, alleged that hospitals blocked beds in fake names to make money. He said that officials of the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) 'colluded' with private nursing homes and hospitals. The police are also investigating the hospitals that have been charged. However, emergency response in Bengaluru was hit following this. On Wednesday, a "raid" had been conducted by Surya and three MLAs…

The issue of whether domestic help (house helpers, cooks, drivers etc.) be allowed to continue working in flats during the lockdown has become quite a contentious subject over the last few days. Many apartment residents are complaining that it is putting them to a lot of inconvenience. Some people have even approached the police to take action against managing committees of apartment associations that have restricted entry to domestic help. In this backdrop, my views on this contentious issue are as follows: Every passing day, I am seeing more people dying around me, including in apartment complexes. The inconvenience of…

Supreme Court prohibits action against people appealing on social media for help The Supreme Court made it clear on April 30, 2021 that no state can register FIR or take any other action against people posting appeals for help on social media. The court further said that it was important to hear the voices of our citizens in distress and not clampdown on them. The apex court warned that it would see it as a contempt of court if any state engages in any such activity. Ever since the surge of COVID cases in the country, online forums have been…

COVID-19: Additional screening centres set-up, more oxygen beds added The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has set-up nine new triaging/screening centres in addition to the 12 existing centres. Besides the new facilities, a 24*7 screening facility is in the works at Kendriya Vidyalaya, near Island Grounds. This will ensure that residents, who develop severe symptoms during the night, get treatment on priority.  The government hospitals in Chennai have 2,545 oxygen beds and 3,129 non-oxygen beds earmarked for COVID-19 patients. Special coordinator for GCC, MA Siddique stated that more oxygen points will be added to the beds available at the Chennai Trade…

Vaccination drive halted; city out of doses A lack of vaccine availability has led to all 136 vaccination centres across Mumbai being declared shut until May 2nd. BMC received its last big stock of 1.58 lakh doses on Sunday night. It had then said the stock will last only till Wednesday. On Wednesday night, it received an additional 70,000 doses which too did not last for long. A person waiting in the queue outside NESCO centre on Thursday, April 29th, said that “No one picks up the helpline numbers. They are dead most of the time." Many residents have noted…

No to crematorium in landfill The BBMP’s proposal to create an ‘open crematorium’ at Mavallipura land-fill has angered many in the village and surrounding areas. Villagers have started a dharna at the landfill site, even as work started to create a temporary cremation ground for COVID victims for the next two months. On Wednesday afternoon, police and revenue officials visited the landfill site in Mavallipura, on the city outskirts, to inspect and start preparations. Clearly, appeals by villagers did not deter the site-visit. Activists of the Environment Support Group said that the Karnataka High Court has ordered the BBMP to…

Oxygen crisis: Delhi hospitals reach breaking point The national capital is struggling to cope with a rapidly increasing caseload and demand for oxygen even as oxygen shortage reaches critical levels. The city's top hospitals like Apollo, Max, Fortis, Ganga Ram etc. have all been issuing open appeals for ensuring continued supply of oxygen and help them save human lives.  In the meantime, 25 critical patients in Sir Ganga Ram hospital died due to lack of oxygen supply on April 23rd. The hospital has more than 700 patients admitted for COVID-19 treatment.  The Delhi government has planned to take a number…

Only 25% of beds vacant in the city On April 22nd, the city recorded the highest spike of 3,789 fresh COVID cases, 2572 discharges and 24 deaths. As on April 20th, only around 25% of COVID beds are vacant in tertiary hospitals in Chennai. Of the 4368 available beds in the five institutions (Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Stanley, Kilpauk Medical College & Hospital, Omandurar and Kings), 3239 beds are occupied and 1129 beds are vacant. The city is already feeling the stress of rising cases as most private hospitals are also at capacity based on the data from the government…

Lack of oxygen supply hits Mumbai Waiting periods for hospital beds, especially ICU, ventilator, and oxygen beds, have considerably lengthened in the city. According to BMC data, only 661 oxygen beds were vacant and they were vacated due to supply shortages. In order to meet high demands, the first ‘Oxygen Express’ has left for Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and will transport liquid medical oxygen for Maharashtra’s usage. Volunteer groups have also attempted to aid the cylinder crunch in Mumbai. Several mosques in Mumbra, Mira Road, Kalyan, and Bhiwandi are providing oxygen cylinders to the city’s hospitals. Source: Times of India, Hindustan…