Tamarind seeds has antiviral properties and can potentially be used to develop antiviral medication for chikungunya, according to a research by Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee. The research conducted
‘Palike engineers and corporators have ignored our efforts’ Members of various residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) dubbed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s garbage segregation method as top-down approach. Speaking at a consultation programme ‘People’s Participation in Urban Governance’ organised by CIVIC, an NGO, in the City recently, they said the Palike did not take RWAs into confidence on the matter.
Losses incurred in all sectors including road and water bodies It is a well-known fact that mining has been detrimental to virtually every aspect of life in Chitradurga and the district administration has now come out with a report quantifying the loss to the social, educational and health sectors. Non-stop mining, both legal and illegal, for two decades has had a debilitating effect not only on the roads and water bodies in the district, but also on agriculture, horticulture, dairy farming and other livelihood activities of the population in the district.
Solvency requirement reduced to Rs 25 lakh a package The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has incorporated new provisions in the garbage contracts to ensure accountability and allow participation of more class-I contractors in the tender process. Addressing reporters here on Monday, Palike Commissioner Rajneesh Goel said the new conditions enable the civic agency to track contractors if they flout any norms. “According to the newly imposed conditions, we can slap penalty to the tune of five times the provisions made in the tenders called last year. We can terminate the contract in 24 hours if the contractor fails to perform,” Goel said.
Medical staff accountability, statewide availability of case history to be ensured. As many as 74,639 children in the State were identified as severely malnourished during health check-up camps conducted by the Health and Family Welfare department in July-August this year. The department has, however, no record to indicate the status of any of these children. To rectify this major flaw and to bring about accountability among the medical staff of the primary health centres (PHCs) and the nutritional rehabilitation centres (NRCs), the department is in the process of evolving a web-based application, which will help track and monitor the progress of children identified under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme.
Iron ore miners are contesting the levy of a forest development tax by the forest department in Karnataka, but the levy has been incredibly beneficial for the exchequer’s coffers. Selling Karnataka’s forest produce like grass, amla, bark, lac, honey, silk cocoons and bamboo to industries attracts a 12 per cent forest development tax or FDT. Forest officials also levy the tax on the mining of iron ore from reserve forest areas, which happens in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts of Karnataka.
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will be issuing a fresh circular for the solid waste management (SWM) of bulk waste generators on September 21. According to BBMP officials, the new circular is going to ensure that bulk waste generators like marriage halls, hotels and other such commercial properties will have to fend for themselves in clearing the garbage they generate. “We had previously told the hoteliers in a meeting that they need to look for alternative mechanism for disposing their waste and not burden the Palike. Accordingly, the circular also states the same facts with emphasis to look for affordable mechanisms to compost the wet waste on their own,” said a BBMP official.
The worrying decline in inflow into the major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin has forced the Karnataka government to reject the formula suggested by the Cauvery River Authority (CRA) for sharing the river water with Tamil Nadu. To make matters worse, the south west monsoon is all set to end in the next 15 days, dampening any hopes of improvement in inflows in Harangi, Hemavathi, KRS and Kabini reservoirs in the Cauvery basin.
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which has taken up solid waste management (SWM) on a war footing, will make segregation of garbage at source a simple process for citizens. As per a new policy, the Palike will clear dry waste only on Sundays. “We will remove foul-smelling kitchen waste every day. Segregated dry waste can be stored by citizens before it is disposed of by our garbage collectors once a week,” said Palike Commissioner Rajneesh Goel.
‘Creating awareness, training pourakarmikas will ensure success The City’s Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) are happy that BBMP has finally issued a notice making garbage segregation at source mandatory. But they feel it is necessary to prepare the people for the move by educating them. Many are game for segregating the waste into biodegradable and non- biodegradable, but feel it is difficult to separate it into six categories at this stage. Moreover, the pouraka- rmikas, who actually collect and dispose of the civic waste, have till now been kept in the dark about garbage segregation.
TN govt uses 120-year-old pact to stall tank renewal project The Karnataka government believes the Tamil Nadu government might have thrown a spoke in its plans for a tank irrigation project, using a 120-year-old agreement between the erstwhile governments of Mysore and Madras. A committee, which clears Central government-funded projects, rejected the State government’s proposal to use sewage water generated in Bangalore to fill up dried tanks in Chikkaballapur and Hoskote under a Central irrigation programme. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) said no to using sewage water from the City to fill up the dried tanks under the Centre’s Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme because of a hitherto unknown agreement signed on February 18, 1892, between Mysore and Madras.
