Civic

Panel on Ennore gas leak directs CIL to pay compensation The seven-member technical committee constituted by the Tamil Nadu government to look into the ammonia gas leak in Ennore in Chennai has directed the Coromandel International Limited (CIL) to pay a fine of ₹5.92 crore to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). The panel confirmed that the leak that occurred on December 26 and affected many local people, was from an under-sea pipeline belonging to the fertiliser plant. The technical committee also recommended that the existing pipeline should be replaced by a new one that has automatic control and…

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Children need to sleep; schools to start at 9 am The Maharashtra Government has issued a government resolution (GR) making it compulsory for primary and pre-primary schools to open at 9:00 am or later from the upcoming academic year 2024-25. This is to allow the young children to sleep better and get adequate rest. The GR applies to schools of all boards without exception.  “Considering the changed lifestyles, various modern entertainment devices and a city life that continues with all kinds of noises till late in the night; children along with people at large are sleeping late. This is causing…

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Rapid urbanisation in many Indian cities highlights a widespread challenge — inadequate quality of life in public spaces, regardless of location or economic status. This is a common scenario experienced by most Indian cities today, irrespective of their geographical location, level of development and state of economic stability. The quality of life in the public realm is extremely poor. Reimagining city landscapes/commons Launched in 2021, The Urban Revamp Design Challenge aims to identify distinctive public spaces for redevelopment, fostering imaginative futures centred around inclusiveness, climate sustainability and community engagement. The Challenge facilitates collaboration among urban planners, designers, architects, local communities,…

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From a homemaker, who had little knowledge of the workings of the outside world to being triumphant in the Chennai urban local body polls — and managing her ward — B Sumathi, Councillor of Ward 77, has charted an eventful journey. "My husband was quite active in the party and also involved in social work. Since, this was a ward reserved for women from scheduled castes, I was given a seat to contest. To my surprise, I won by a margin of 6,847 votes," says Sumathi. Speaking about her tenure so far, she says, "Though I was scared initially, I…

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The highest ever budget for the richest civic body in the country, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was presented on 2nd February by the Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal. This was his fourth time presenting the budget and the second time presenting it in lieu of an elected body. The BMC is slated to spend Rs 59,954.75 crore for the city of Mumbai. The focus of the budget is the completion of massive infrastructure projects such as the Mumbai Coastal Road project and the Goregaon Mulund Link Road. The Municipal Commissioner has drawn particular attention to the focus of the…

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Turf club agrees to hand over 120 acres to BMC for a theme park For years this possibility has been discussed and debated but finally the iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse is set to have a theme park on its land. Out of 1718 members of the Royal Western India Turf Club, only 708 cast their vote in the extraordinary general meeting that was called for this purpose. “The proposal received 540 votes in favour and 168 against. In return, the BMC has offered to renew the turf club's lease until 2053 and provide concessions such as building new stables and assisting…

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Ennore protest against ammonia gas leak continues for more than a month More than a month has passed since the ammonia gas leak incident happened in Chennai's Ennore. The gas leak from the Coromandel International Limited (CIL) fertiliser plant led to the hospitalisation of over 50 people, while a couple of them had also undergone angioplasty surgery. Demanding the permanent closure of Coromandel, families from over 30 villages in and around Ennore have been protesting indefinitely since December 27. Following the gas leak incident, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which took up a suo motu case, has directed the Tamil…

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Kannada signboards issue deepens Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot sent back to the cabinet an ordinance on the use of 60% Kannada in commercial signboards. He advised the government to pass it through the Assembly. Traders have demanded that the deadline for implementation should be extended beyond February 28th. Meanwhile, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath said that the civic body has issued notices to 49,241 shops for not following the name board order. He said that only 16,813 shops have boards with 60% Kannada display. He asked zonal officials to take strict action if shops fail to implement…

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According to the recently released 2023 Bengaluru Crime Data, there is a significant gap between reported and detected crimes in the city.  In 2023, 12,627 cases of total crimes were reported, of which only 3,603 crimes were detected. This shows a gap of 71.48% between reported and detected cases. From 2022 to 2023, there seems to have been a 36% rise in crimes across the city, driven by various motives. However, sudden and grave provocation topped the list for motives. “We can never definitely say that crime has increased or decreased, because crime is always there, only the trend in…

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Six months ago, the Tambaram City Municipal Corporation carried out work on East Main Road and West Main Road in  Sri Prashanthi Colony, Madambakkam. In the past ten years, these roads were re-laid three times and each time, their heights increased considerably. The new roads came as a relief for residents only until the onset of the Northeast monsoon in 2023.  As the interior roads including the 2nd, 3rd and 4th cross streets of Sri Prashanthi Colony have not been re-laid, excess water runs down to these roads which now lie at a lower level compared to  the main roads.…

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