Think India Foundation

'India Sitting on e-waste explosion'

BHUBANESWAR : India today sits on a huge mound of e-waste as annually an estimated 8,00,000 tonnes are generated giving a new dimension to the already difficult scenario of solid waste management in the country.

According to senior scientist of the Ministry of Environment and Forest Dr NLNS Prasad, as many as 65 cities, headed by Mumbai, contribute more than 60 per cent of the total e-waste generated in the country. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Watermarking data

The government has decided to put all water data about river flows and ground water in public domain

Towards transaprency: Water data can help empower stakeholders. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

In a bid to bring transparency in the water sector, the Centre has decided to put in the public domain all water data maintained by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Ground Water Board. The data, including river water levels, river discharge, siltation, reservoir levels, ground water levels and water quality, will be uploaded on the India-Water Resources Information System website. Earlier such data used to be made available only to the State governments. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Panel begins talks on norms for heritage precincts

AFTER reiterating the 2007 guidelines for Marine Drive precinct, Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) has initiated dialogue on the guidelines of other proposed heritage precincts in the city. The committee has scheduled a line of discussion on the guidelines prepared for Kotachiwadi, Bandra village, Matherpakhadi, Banganga and Fort precincts. Some of these guidelines have been awaiting scrutiny for over 10 years either from MHCC or the state Urban Development Department (UDD).

There are over 60 precincts between the island city and Borivali in western suburbs and Chembur in the eastern suburbs as listed in the proposed new heritage list. "As some precincts' guidelines have already been mapped and drafted, we will go through these first and scrutinise them after which we will look at drafting new guidelines for other precincts. The objective is to preserve the historic character of the neighbourhood," said MHCC chairman V Ranganathan. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Sachin Tendulkar horns in on urban noise pollution

Mumbai : Cricketer wants a cap of 10,000 honks to a car to keep decibels down.

Sachin Tendulkar has a cure-all for our ‘Horn OK Please’ conundrum: allot every car in Mumbai just 10,000 honks. Once this cap is reached, the driver will have to buy a new horn from the government, thus, making him/her think twice before honking repeatedly. 

This regulation would instantly tackle the problem of noise pollution on the streets. Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

Majority of Urban Indians are open to trying out food from different regions or cultures: Ipsos Study

MUMBAI - Global tastes are diverse and nowhere are that more prevalent than in the kitchens and dining rooms of urban Indian families. Indians are increasingly becoming global citizen and trotting the globe, they have good exposure to global cuisine, and it is no surprise that 57 per cent people are open to trying out food from different regions or cultures, according to the latest findings of a study conducted by Ipsos InnoQuest, a division of global research firm Ipsos.

Indian consumers indicated a wide array of interests, reflective of increased accessibility to food options from all over the world which are well stocked in large departmental stores that can be easily cooked at home as well as a broader acceptance of different types of food. Read more

Source : www.indiantelevision.com

‘Gender disparity in access to ICT a global phenomenon’

BANGALORE : Women are less likely to use the Internet than men in low income countries: U.S. official

Gender disparity in access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the opportunities they create are not common to the United States or India. These problems are shared by women in technology all over the world, said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Alyssa Ayres on Wednesday. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

India Plans Special Technology Zone in Bangalore

NEW DELHI—India's cabinet will examine a proposal Thursday for a special investment region in the southern state of Karnataka for information technology, two senior officials said.

The proposed hub in Bangalore is expected to attract investments of 1.06 trillion rupees ($19 billion) from high-tech companies, IT services firms and electronic hardware manufacturers by 2032, the officials, who didn't want to be identified, told The Wall Street Journal. Read more

Source : online.wsj.com

TN fast emerging a solar power destination

CHENNAI : With 7,162 MW of installed wind capacity, Tamil Nadu is the leader in wind power in the country. But in ‘solar’ the State ceded the leadership position to Gujarat, which has over a 1,000 MW. However, the growing solar project pipeline in Tamil Nadu suggests that the State is fast emerging as a solar destination too.

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With a project pipeline of over 700 MW, most of which could come within one year, the State is gearing up to becoming a close second to Gujarat. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

India's Wind-Power Target Is up in the Air

India Is Targeting a Fifth of Its Energy to Be Generated From Renewables By 2017, but It May Fall Short on a Lack of Incentives

India's ambitious push to increase the share of renewable energy in its total power generation portfolio to nearly one-fifth by 2017 largely on the back of wind power could falter due to slow progress in implementing policies to attract investment to the sector, according to industry officials.

Wind energy accounts for around 70% of India's renewable-energy generation, excluding large hydroelectric power projects. A government target of doubling renewable energy output to 55 gigawatts in the five years to March 2017 relies heavily on growth in the wind sector. Read more

Source : online.wsj.com

Textile park to come up at Kadechur

BANGALORE : Minister for Textiles, Ports and Inland Water Transports Baburao Chinchansur on Tuesday said that a textile park would be set up on a 1,000-acre plot at Kadechur in Yadgir district with an investment of Rs. 1,000 crore for which the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) had been asked to release land.

Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Chinchansur said that the park would be developed on an international model. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Mini-hydro projects still a major threat to Western Ghats

BANGALORE : Project planned in Puttur taluk could submerge over 1,800 hectares

The Kunthur/Panaja range reserve forests where rare medicinal plants, endemic evergreen trees and endangered fish find habitat, could be submerged if the project is implemented, according to a study.

The blanket ban on all new mini-hydro power projects in the Western Ghats, ordered three months ago by the Karnataka High Court and celebrated by environmentalists, may not, after all, be as all-encompassing as was intended.

A 24-MW hydro power project proposed for the Kumaradhara in Dakshina Kannada’s Puttur taluk could well become a reality as it was sanctioned on ‘private land’ prior to the High Court order. The hydel project, proposed by Kukke Hydro Powers Pvt. Ltd., could submerge 1,882 hectares of land, including agricultural fields and prime forests, according to a report commissioned by the Western Ghats Task Force in April. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Meet to discuss open market policy for sugar

BANGALORE : A two-day national-level conference of sugarcane growers will be organised on May 24 by the Farmers’ Association of Karnataka and Sugarcane Growers’ Association.

“The meet has been convened to discuss the open market policy for sugar decided by the government,” said Kuruburu Shanthakumar, president of the sugarcane growers’ association. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

No clear reason in the Kudankulam judgment

The European peace movement of the 1980s, one of the greatest popular mobilisations in history, coined many innovative slogans. One of them was, “Nuclear war can spoil your entire afternoon!” This severe, deliberate understating of the danger of mass destruction looming over the world was calculated to shake citizens of their complacency to become “active today” (in the anti-nuclear movement), not “radioactive tomorrow”. 

- Sudhir Shetty/DNA

Now, in a judgment giving the green light to the Kudankulam nuclear project, our Supreme Court tells citizens, without a hint of irony, that they must put up with “minor inconveniences” such as exposure to radiation, which causes cancer or genetic damage and is always harmful, because enormous “economic scientific benefits” (sic) will come from nuclear power, which “remains as an important element in India’s energy mix”. Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

Huda, other depts to get new offices

Gurgaon : The Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) has decided to make a fresh move in its five-year-old plan of constructing a new office building at Sector 29.

“We are planning to invite renowned architects/designers to prepare a fresh design of the building,” said Huda administrator Praveen Kumar. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Panjim wastes food enough to feed a lakh

PANJIM: As India debates whether the Food Security Bill is the most effective way to feed its starving millions, it has come to light that around 12 tonnes of leftover food is collected as waste daily from nearly 250 hotels and restaurants located in the capital city, nearly half of which is fit for consumption. 

Considering that an average person consumes about 300 grams of food per day, the leftover food from Panjim’s favoured joints can feed about 100,000 hungry and or underfed Goans each day. Read more

Source : oheraldo.in

Low population, lack of financial viability to hit Metro Rail Project

Chandigarh : Lack of financial viability and low population can prove to be hurdles in the Metro Rail project proposal. With the project required to pass through several stages, including clearance from the Finance Ministry and Planning Commission, it is still a long drawn process till the project gets a green signal.

As per the Detailed Project Report that has been prepared for the project by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the construction was to commence in 2013 and the first phase of the project was to be operational by 2018. This, however seems unlikely. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

'Centre meting out stepmotherly treatment to Bihar'

Munger: "When I see happiness on the faces of 10.3 crore people of the state, I feel happy and pray that God gives me strength and wisdom that I continue serving them," said chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday when he started his Seva Yatra in the twin districts of Lakhisarai and Munger. He flagged off the aerial photography and ground verification of land survey from Surajgarha in Lakhisarai before leaving for Munger.

Speaking about the need for bridges, the CM said when the first bridge on Ganga at Mokama was built, he went to see it with his teacher, Harishchandra, to understand the importance of bridges. He also referred to many other under-construction bridges in the state. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Karnataka government plans world-class university

Bangalore: The Karnataka government on Wednesday said it is planning to establish a world-class university in the state in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD). 

The pros and cons on where it should be located will be discussed, Higher Education Minister R V Deshpande told reporters after a review meeting with top officials of the department. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

'Mumbai best for realty investment'

New Delhi : Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR follow with returns of 12-12% and 8-11% respectively

Mumbai is the best city in India for commercial real estate investment, with returns of 12-19 per cent likely in the next five years, according to a study by Knight Frank.

Bangalore and Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) come second and third on the list, with returns of 12-12 per cent and 8-11 per cent, respectively, according to the report, Top Business Districts in India to invest In. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Stop kids below 13 from opening FB accounts, HC tells centre

New Delhi : The Delhi high court on Wednesday asked the Centre to come out with some law or methodology to prevent persons aged below 13 years from opening Facebook accounts.

“We have to save our children. It is seen that adults are luring innocent children online and luring them into activities which are illegal”, a bench headed by justice BD Ahmed told the centre. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Steps to boost foreign investment coming soon

New Delhi : In a big new round of reforms, the government is likely to announce a slew of measures to boost foreign fund flows into India and pep up a falling rupee, while soothing the frayed nerves of investors. The government is looking to address concerns of investors who fear the government is more likely to focus on political risk management in an election year run-up rather than reverse the slowdown in the economy, which until recently was an engine of global growth. 

India’s economic growth, according to advance estimates, crashed to a decade’s low of 5% in 2012-13. Read more

Source : www.hindustantimes.com

Domestic issues led to losing focus on intl front: Khurshid

New Delhi : Domestic compulsions had forced India to look inward, which led it to lose focus on the international front during the early years after Independence, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said.

Khurshid : India could not keep pace

Addressing a function organised by Indo-Arab League, Khurshid said as the world moved very fast, India could not keep pace. He said at that time, India had to grow more food to feed its people, provide water, power, education, jobs and it had to reform its economic structure. Read more

Source : news.oneindia.in

Over 500 projects under JNNURM completed: UPA

New Delhi : Completion of over 500 projects under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and expansion of Metro network in various cities have been listed as achievements by the UPA government during the year. 

In its report card that was presented to the people today, it has been mentioned that 517 projects, including 231 projects under Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT), were completed. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Rural road construction saw ten-fold jump under UPA: Report

New Delhi: In a bid to bolster infrastructure growth, investment in road construction in rural areas saw a ten-fold jump under the UPA regime, according to the report card unveiled by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi on the fourth anniversary of UPA-II.

The government rolled out more than 20,100 all-weather roads across the nation last year, the report said projecting a rosy picture of sector, battling with scores of problems like equity crunch, delays in clearances and land acquisition besides major players abandoning projects mid-way. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Chennai Corporation to take up studies for 9 infra projects

CHENNAI: The corporation has decided to find consultants to study the feasibility of building two skywalks in the city along with seven other infrastructure projects. 

The civic body announced that it would find consultants through Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited to study the feasibility of a skywalk between Mambalam suburban railway station and T Nagar bus depot and another between Parrys and Fort Railway Station. "The skywalk between Parrys and Fort station would be given escalators, and would ease pedestrian traffic in the area," said the resolution. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Pimpri Chinchwd Municipal Corporation to invite bids for 12 projects

PUNE: The Pimpri Chinchwd Municipal Corporation (PCMC) this year is expected to start inviting bids for 12 new development projects, including setting up of a 3,000-capacity auditorium on the lines of Pune's Ganesh Kala Krida Manch.

Municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi, who completed a year in office on Wednesday, said, "We are determining the sites, completing land acquisition, making budgetary provision and appointing architects for the projects." Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

River works for restoration not navigation, says Pune civic body

PUNE: The Pune Municipal Corporation on Wednesday has categorically stated that it is not carrying out any river navigation project in the Mula-Mutha rivers. In an affidavit filed before the National Green Tribunal in Delhi, the civic body said it would carry out river restoration works to reduce pollution and allow free flow of water.

The affidavit was filed in response to an application filed before NGT by a group of citizens and activists who said the municipal corporation was carrying out a river navigation project under the garb of river restoration project. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Issuer ratings of BBMP, Bescom, MUDA drop drastically

Bangalore : Poor scoring may impact JnNURM funding of projects

The investor confidence in Karnataka, especially Bangalore, may receive a jolt if the issuer and credit ratings by Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited (ICRA India) are anything to go by. 

With poor service delivery standards, delay in completing projects, dependency on the State government funds and unfavourable debt service track record pulling down the confidence of citizens and investors, the issuer rating of the various State agencies have dropped in the past two to three years. Read more

Source : www.deccanherald.com

Graft damages Singh as government begins final year, poll says

NEW DELHI — Urban India has lost faith in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his ruling alliance, with less than a third of people preferring them over rivals, according to an opinion poll as the government enters its final year in office.

Sixty-one percent of those surveyed for the CNN-IBN television channel said Singh should be replaced as prime minister, while 37 percent supported him continuing in the post. About 67 percent said Singh's government has lost its credibility in the face of a series of corruption scandals and rising prices. Only 31 percent said the Congress party-led coalition represented the best option for running India. Read more

Source : www.northjersey.com

Kolkata locale gets advanced surveillance system

Kolkata (IBNS): Ensuring high safety and security of Alipore area, the West Bengal Urban Development Minister, Firhad Hakim inaugurated the multi surveillance camera system here on Wednesday.

In a pioneering move the Smart Video Management System (SVMS) comprising more than 100 high end megapixel IP cameras, was deployed to beef up the security in the high crime prone zone. Read more

Source : www.indiablooms.com

Master plan: Delhi government wants norms eased

NEW DELHI: In a bid to deliver on its promises to residents of unauthorized colonies, the Delhi government is seeking relaxation in Master Plan 2021 and building control norms so that regularization becomes possible for the 1,639 colonies that do not meet town planning and fire safety criteria.

The state's urban development department has sought relaxations in MPD-2021 in an official mail to the union urban development ministry to enable regularization on an "as is where is" basis. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Special purpose vehicle to be set up for Metro

Chandigarh : A special purpose vehicle (SPV) would be set up for undertaking the construction of the Metro Rail project proposed for the Tricity, and a core team of officials would be formed to work on setting up the project. Feedback from the Planning Commission would also be sought before further action is taken.

These decisions were taken during a meeting on the Metro Rail in New Delhi on Tuesday. Apart from officials of Chandigarh, representatives of Punjab and Haryana were present at the meeting which was held with the Ministry of Urban Development. The Detailed Project Report was submitted by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to the UT Administration several months ago. DMRC officials who had prepared the DPR were also present at the meeting. Read more

Source : www.indianexpress.com

Award-winning traffic-i-cop to keep tabs on violators again

Pune : The project was shelved due to paucity of funds.

The state government is all set to restart the much lauded traffic-i-cop project which was shelved due to paucity of funds.

Inspector (Administration) Rajendra Kamire from traffic police said, “The state government has given instructions to the District Planning and Development Committee (DPDC) to reinstate the project. Funds have been assured for the project and the project will see the light of the day in the next couple of months.” Read more

Source : www.dnaindia.com

Rs 20,000 crore to be spent on laying FoC to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats

Jammu : The Centre will spend Rs 20,000 crores to lay fibre optic cables (FoC) to connect 2.5 lakh gram panchayats of the country to provide a number of online services to the people. 

"In next one year, we are spending around Rs 20,000 crores to ensure fibre optic cables are laid upto every 2,50,000 grams panchayats of the country", Minister of State for Communication & Information Technology Kruparani Killi said here today. Read more

Source : www.business-standard.com

Gurgaon has lowest sex ratio in Haryana

CHANDIGARH: Gurgaon-the most progressive city of Haryana has figured among districts having lowest sex ratio even as overall sex ratio of Haryana has increased to 879. 

According to data rolled out by Haryana Census department for census 2011, lowest sex ratio was reported in Gurgaon at 854, Sonipat at 856 and Jhajjar at 862. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

UT asked to team up with Punjab, Haryana officials

CHANDIGARH: For the Rs 10,900-crore Metro rail project, the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) on Tuesday asked the UT administration to set up a joint core team of officials with Punjab and Haryana, and nodal officers from the ministry to work on the project. Besides, a new entity -- special purpose vehicle (SPV) -- will also be constituted to work out the economics of the scheme.

After a detailed presentation was made by the administration on different aspects of the project, it was also decided that the SPV could be registered under the Companies Act as a public sector body, either wholly owned by the Government of India or with equity participation from the state governments. A UT official, however, said that since the project involves big investment, the feedback provided by the representatives of the Planning Commission and other experts would be duly taken into account while taking further action on this matter by all officials concerned. Finance secretary VK Singh said the administration will start working immediately on the documentation to form this entity, in consultation with Punjab and Haryana, and the MoUD. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Broiler meat, egg demand to grow on rising purchasing power

COIMBATORE: Rising purchasing power, changing food habits and increasing urbanisation would sustain the robust growth being witnessed by the poultry industry. The demand for broiler meat would continue to grow at 8%-10% a year while table egg demand would increase 4%-5% in long term, ratings agency ICRA has estimated.

Domestic poultry meat production (broiler - carcass weight) is estimated to have increased from less than 1 million tonnes in 2000 to 3.4 million tonnes in 2012 with per capita consumption increasing from 0.8 kg to 2.8 kg per annum during the period. Table egg production is estimated to have increased from 30 billion eggs in 2000 to 66 billion eggs in 2012 with per capita egg consumption increasing from 28 to 55 eggs during that period. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Call to save city’s shrinking wetlands

CHENNAI : Wetlands have shrunk in size and significance due to rampant urbanisation. The protected area of Pallikaranai marsh is not even one-tenth of its original size today.

Garbage dumped near Pallikaranai Marsh. Photo: M.Karunakaran.

In fact, a majority of wetlands across the city and its suburbs have gone the same way. On World Biodiversity Day on Wednesday, pivoting around the theme of ‘water and biodiversity’, conservationists emphasised the need to preserve what is left of these wetlands. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Cops put spanner in stormwater drain works in Chennai

CHENNAI : Projects affected as labourers have been detained in various places: Corporation

Stormwater drain work at Royapettah High Road. Photo: M. Karunakaran

Even as the civic body races against time to complete stormwater drain work in the city before the northeast monsoon, a new problem has presented itself.

Strong-arm tactics by the police have brought to a grinding halt the construction of drains under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Kochi civic body muses running own buses

Kochi: As part of the formation of Metro Cochin Transport Corporation (MCTC), a special purpose vehicle to manage the urban transport sector, a meeting of stakeholders convened by the mayor Tony Chammany has proposed that the civic body look at taking over the JNNURM low floor buses from KSRTC or have its own bus services.

Picture for representational purpose only.

Another major proposal was to run buses on a public private participation (PPP) basis with the corporation having 51 per cent stake and the rest with government employees and the public. Read more

Source : www.deccanchronicle.com

Garhwa reels under power, water crises

GARWHA: Erratic power supply and scarcity of water are making life unbearable in the district where temperature is hovering around 40-45° C for the last one week. Despite improvement in electricity supply, the recent power cuts are making the summer miserable for about 50,000 people.

There is no good news from the weather office too. It has said heat condition might get worse in the days to come. Stray clouds are bringing hope but little respite. Even rural areas are also under the grip of acute water crisis as wells, ponds, aahars and rivers have dried up. Danro river, which is the lifeline of Garhwa, has also dried up. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Trichi crematorium crippled by water crisis

TRICHY: Water and power crises at the peak of summer season have even affected the operations at Oyaamaari cremation ground, a major crematorium in the city. People who arrive to attend the cremation arrange for private water tanker to perform funeral rites and ablutions. Moreover, the closure of electric crematorium here due to power crisis has forced relatives of the dead to go for open cremation, causing air pollution.

Though, there are several open cremation grounds in the 65-ward Trichy Municipal Corporation, Oyaamaari' crematorium situated on the bank of Cauvery is popular for a long while. Though, a large number of dead bodies are brought here for cremation, the facility lacks basic amenities like water and latrine. In fact, these facilities were set up here several years ago, but they went defunct. For instance, a borewell that was drilled here is of no use for the grief-stricken relatives. The latrines have been under lock and key for a long time. "Even though the decline of ground water level is one of the major reasons for the water crisis, the corporation should have taken care of the issue and ensured uninterrupted water supply at least in the crematorium," said M Sekaran, the president of Federation of Consumer and Service Organisations, Trichy. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

'Pvt tanker owners creating artificial crisis of water in Jaipur'

JAIPUR: As the demand for water has increased in summer, residents of many colonies are finding it more difficult to get water through tankers. This is attributed to an artificial crisis of water created by private contractors. The residents have brought it to the notice of PHED engineers but to no avail.

Residents of Gangapole locality in the Walled City are complaining of irregular water supply and alleged that the PHED officers were not paying heed to their complaints. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Karnataka plans Rs 1,000-cr mega textile park

BANGALORE : The Karnataka government plans to set up a 1,000-acre textile park at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore in the Assembly constituency of Gurmitkal in Yadgir district, state’s Textile Minister Baburao Chinchanasoor said today.

The state’s Textile Department would submit a proposal to the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board to earmark 1,000 acres of the total 3,500 acres acquired for industrial development for the proposed project at Kadechoor, he told reporters here. Read more

Source : www.thehindubusinessline.com

Palike computer operators’ strike hits citizen services

BANGALORE : The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) computer operators’ strike continued for the second day on Tuesday after talks between BBMP and Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation (KEONICS) failed.

More than 800 computer operators, who are working on contract, are staging protest demanding salaries, which is pending for the past six months. Read more

Source : newindianexpress.com

Fund shortage hits plan to prevent electrocutions in Bangalore

BANGALORE : Bescom to launch safety awareness drive from June 1

An action plan to prevent electrocution, which was prepared about six months ago, is yet to be fully implemented by the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom). Read more

Source : www.thehindu.com

Gujarat Tourism undertakes Rs 20-cr water discharge system project at Bet Dwarka

Mumbai : The Gujarat Tourism Department has launched a Rs 20-crore project to interconnect the three lakes on the Bet Dwarka island and develop a proper water discharge system. During the rains, these lakes overflow and water can be seen spilling all over the place. The project aims at clearing the water outlets on the island, Rajeev Khanna reported in The Times of India.

Over the last year, the Department has focused on Dwarka and Bet Dwarka for upgrading tourism facilities. "We have spent Rs 50 crore from the kitty of the Department and Yatradham Vikas Board to improve facilities in Dwarka," said a senior official. Read more

Source : www.hospitalitybizindia.com

Path paved for drain project in Cuttack

CUTTACK: The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) on Tuesday evicted all encroachments from Matrubhawan to Matgajpur to make way for reconstruction of the main storm water channel 1. The work is part of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded Rs 1,500 crore project to overhaul the drainage system of the 1,000-year-old city.

"The main stormwater channel along with the drains connecting them would be reconstructed scientifically so as to ensure maximum efficiency in carrying and discharging water from the city," said CMC commissioner Nihar Ranjan Mohapatra. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

JAP-1 women constables manage traffic

RANCHI: Traffic police department in the city have engaged women constables of the Jharkhand Armed Police-1 (JAP-1) for manning areas prone to traffic congestion.

Busy thoroughfares in the city, like Albert Ekka Chowk, Sujata Chowk and Birsa Chowk, have JAP constables, who are proving efficient than regular traffic guards. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

33 accident prone spots in Nagpur: Cops

NAGPUR: A study of road accidents in the city over the last ten years has led the traffic police to mark 33 spots as accident prone. The traffic police also claim that nearly 80% deaths in road accidents have taken place due to helmetless driving.

This information was given by the traffic police in response to an RTI query by social worker Abhay Kolarkar. The figures say that 122 people were killed in 443 accidents in just the last four months. The traffic cops also said they booked 51,368 people in drunk driving cases from 2010 to March 2013. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com