Chennai awarded as fastest mover in Swachh rankings
Chennai has been lauded for the special efforts it has taken in the previous year to become one of the cleanest cities in the country. The city has also been awarded for fastest growth in 2019 among cities with a population of more than 10 lakh.
Chennai has climbed 39 spots to secure 61st spot in the Swachh Survekshan rankings released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. This spike in rankings is primarily due to the improvements in source segregation and redressal of complaints registered on the Swachhata App. The linking of the Swachchhata App and the Namma Chennai App, improving redressal time and favourable citizen feedback, has also helped improve the city’s cleanliness rankings.
According to data released by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the city has scored a total of 3,118 marks out of a maximum of 5,000. Under service-level progress, Chennai has scored 787 marks out of 1,250, while in direct observation, it has scored 980 marks out of 1,250, and in citizens’ feedback, it has scored 851 out of 1,250.
Source: The Hindu | The New Indian Express
Local bodies geared to implement fines for plastic violation
The State government has notified amendments to the by-laws of the respective Acts governing the functioning of local bodies, including municipal corporations and municipalities. Accordingly, local bodies can now start imposing fines on those violating the ban of the 14 single-use plastic items.
Following the ban that came into force on January 1, 2019, the Government had announced that storage, supply, transport, sale and distribution of any of the 14 banned items, including carry bags, cups or plates, would attract a fine of ₹25,000 the first time, ₹50,000 the second and ₹1 lakh on the third.
Source: The Hindu
Pallikaranai marsh deadly for birds
Dumping of sewage into the marshland in the darkness of night has been a regular affair for some time, but the recent report of paint effluents being dumped into Pallikaranai marsh is sure to turn even more dangerous for the migratory birds. Paint sludge is known to contain high levels of mercury, lead and chromium which are lethal for birds on prolonged exposure. A section of the swamp has turned completely red which makes it difficult to clean the effluents.
Source: The New Indian Express
Heatwave warning for Chennai
Chennai has already started experiencing the onset of summer. The Indian Meteorological Department has further stated that the temperature in the city is likely to soar higher and has issued heat wave warnings for several locations in the state including Chennai. The spike in temperatures is attributed to offshore winds and an increase in the land breeze. It is estimated that temperatures in the city will remain around 34-36 degrees.
Source: The New Indian Express | Deccan Chronicle
Chennai corporation budget drawn up
The city will see more roads, bridges and flyovers as Chennai corporation finalises its allocation of budget for 2019-20. The civic body is also looking at decentralizing solid waste management within the wards to reduce the burden on Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dump yards.
The Rs 46-crore deficit budget which projects total expenditure at Rs 5744 crore for financial year 2019-20, also proposes to improve the city’s lighting, ensure safety of women and mitigate flooding.
Source: The Times of India | The New Indian Express
[Compiled by Sandhya Raju]
