Cyclone Asani, one of the recurrent severe weather systems that visit the subcontinent in the pre-monsoon period, shows that a warming world poses a serious challenge to India’s States. This system was expected to recurve along Odisha, but actually moved towards the Andhra Pradesh - Odisha...
The quiet launch of ONDC, or Open National Digital Commerce platform, in five cities including Coimbatore to help local businesses and even mom and pop stores open online storefronts is the Union government’s bid to curb the power of giants such as Amazon and Flipkart over India’s $ 700 billion...
The terrible disaster of 11 people including three boys dying of electrocution in the Kalimedu accident joins the long list of religious events that kill scores in India annually. The apparent cause of the pre-dawn carnage is a tall cut-out of serial lights tied to the carriage that came into...
Chennai autos are back in the headlines after the city police registered almost 959 complaints in a single day, on April 20, against “errant” drivers who violated rules governing operation of the three-wheelers, on ‘overcharging’, overloading and so on. Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal was...
How has a residential area at the confluence of West Mambalam, T. Nagar, Ashok Nagar and Kodambakkam spread over about five square kilometres turned barren without a single bus route? That is the story of Rangarajapuram, a largely residential locality that once boasted of two regular MTC bus...
Soon after assuming office, the DMK government rekindled its love for flyovers, announcing several of these structures for important road stretches, including Anna Salai and Poonamallee. Just one stretch, from Teynampet to Saidapet covering 3.2 km, is to get an outlay of Rs.485 crore, as per...
There are no loud complaints against high fuel prices. Everyone gets used to misery in small daily doses, and so the average citizen remains mobile on his two-wheeler or car, as fuel prices soar: the petrol price tops Rs 110 a litre, diesel Rs100 in Chennai (more in some other States). LPG for...
The butterflies of Tamil Nadu can weave colourful tales for our policymakers. Let's see how. Although strapped for finances, this year’s Tamil Nadu budget made an expansive announcement that a Rs. 300 crore botanical garden would come up near Chennai, in partnership with London’s Kew Gardens....
With the local body elections sorted out and having scored handsome victories across the State, the DMK government has announced a big revision of property taxes and some other civic taxes in Chennai and elsewhere. The increase ranges from 50% for the sensitive residential segment of up to 600...
The latest innovation in food and groceries delivery such as by Swiggy and Zomato is ten-minute delivery. Zomato promises it for food, Zepto and Zomato-backed Blinkit for groceries. Swiggy Instamart talks about a delivery time of 15 to 30 minutes. Last year, Dunzo announced a 19-minute delivery...
