Green and rights organisations on Wednesday demanded adequate allocation in the upcoming national budget keeping climate change adaptation activities in consideration.
The organisations working on climate change made the demand at a press conference at the National Press Club to press home their 11-point charter of demands.

MUMBAI: Western Railway (WR) has geared up for the monsoon by carrying out cleaning of culverts, desilting drains, increasing the level of tracks and identifying flood-prone spots. "We have indentified flood-prone areas. We will pay more attention to these sections near Marine Lines, Charni Road, Grant Road, Mumbai Central, Elphinstone Road, Dadar, Mahim, Andheri, Jogeshwari and Nalasopara-Virar," said WR chief public relations officer Sharat Chandrayan.

CHENNAI : Corporation wards which fall under Saidapet and Theyagaraya Nagar constituencies in South Chennai have been chosen by the civic body for a pilot project to cover dustbins.

The project envisions a better garbage disposal system for households in Chennai, by having garbage collected directly from the residents and dumped in large covered bins. This will eliminate the existing process of dumping trash in small dustbins occupying every nook and cranny of the city streets. Overflowing garbage bins and the unbearable stench emanating from them are also expected to be arrested.

Rampant dumping of scrap into the Mithi at Kurla has undone all the effort to de-silt the river. The residents of Kapadia Nagar, Kurla (West), complained that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started the work a bit too late to finish before monsoon. Besides, the work will only yield result if action is taken against scrap dealers who dump waste into the river. Like every year, this year too there are fears that the low-lying Kapadia Nagar complex, comprising around 750 flats in 24 buildings, will be waterlogged during monsoon.

LUCKNOW: Faced with a host of complaints pertaining to drainage and sewerage works executed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Lucknow Municipal Corporation on Monday decided to get the works examined by a technical agency. Municipal commissioner NP Singh said that if possible the works will be examined under the technical guidance of experts from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K).

KOLKATA, 16 MAY: It may sound unbelievable, but the third oldest underground sewer line in the world has been cleaned for the first time since its installation and re-commissioned today. The mayor, Mr Sovan Chatterjee, and other senior civic officials were present at a function held on Beadon Street to mark the re-commissioning. This will help reducing the duration of stagnant rain water in vast areas in north Kolkata. The underground sewer line has been thoroughly de-silted and strengthened by glass reinforced polymer (GRP) lining at an estimated cost of Rs 15.84 crore.