India News
Chennai water crisis worsens; Madras HC slams TN govt, CM says media exaggerating problem

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A year after a NITI Aayog report said India is facing the worst water crisis in its history and 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater by next year (2020), the fact has hit home in Chennai which is reeling under a severe water crisis.
While Tamil Nadu (TN) chief minister K Palaniswami blamed media for creating an “illusion” of water scarcity in Chennai, the crisis in the city and around got worse as its reservoirs ran completely dry, while the distress has already forced over 100 hostels, many hotels and restaurants to shut down temporarily, Chennai metro to turn off air conditioning in the stations and offices telling their staff to work from home.
The Madras High Court has also come down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government for not taking adequate measures to address the severe water crisis in the state. The court had earlier sought a reply from the Tamil Nadu government on measures taken to address the water crisis. The HC observed that the government did not take adequate steps even though the water crisis in the wake of poor monsoon was expected.
The high court was hearing a petition on the exploitation of groundwater for commercial purposes.
While the Tamil Nadu government said it took steps to handle the crisis (like allotting Rs 212 crore for digging deep borewells), the court directed the Public Works Department (PWD) secretary in the case to submit a state-wide comprehensive report on the number of reservoirs in the state, steps taken for desilting, amount sanctioned, and status of those works.
These facts notwithstanding, Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami yesterday (Tuesday, June 18) reportedly said: “People should also understand the situation and cooperate. The media should not create an illusion of water scarcity using some stray incidents.”
Palaniswami also said drought and deficient monsoon had resulted in depletion of groundwater levels, but maintained that the issue wasn’t big. The CM said the state was largely dependent on ground water to meet the requirements till the onset of northeast monsoon in October.
“The [northeast] monsoon will arrive only by October-November. Till then we have to meet the requirements only from groundwater sources,” he said.
A day before this, Rural and Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani said that the news reports of IT employees being requested to work from home due to water crisis was ‘manufactured’ and that authorities are capable of maintaining required water supply in Chennai until November.
TN Hariharan, managing director of Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board, told The Indian Express that the crisis is not as disturbing as it is being projected.
He said that regular supply of water from Chennai metro water was 830 million litres a day (MLD) and has now come down to 525 MLD. Hariharan added that the water sources such as Sholavaram, Red Hills and Chemabarambakkam lakes have totally dried up. However, they are maintaining water supply through other sources and it can be managed till November.
However, reports from Chennai said water shortage has severely hit not just the residents, but several industries too. So far, nearly 100 hostels in Chennai’s neighbourhoods have been shut down. As per the Chennai Hostel Owners’ Welfare Association, 350 owners of at least 100 hostels have stopped the operations and asked residents to leave the establishment, the Indian Express (IE) reported.
More hostels would be closed down in the next few weeks if the water crisis does not abate, KS Manoharan, the secretary of the association, told IE.
Shobana Madhavan, president of the association, said despite booking private tankers weeks ago, many hostel owners are still waiting for water. To make matters worse, the private water tankers have also increased their rate to to Rs 3,500-4,000, which was earlier Rs 1500, she told IE.
Another industry hit by the water shortage is the IT sector. Many IT firms have asked their employees to work from home. Restaurants too have drastically cut-down their operations.
Residents have had to stand in line for hours to get water from government tanks. The water shortage has led to violent clashes leading to two deaths in the city, according to reports.
The acute water shortage has forced the city to scramble for urgent solutions, including drilling new boreholes.
But the big concern is the dry reservoirs and low groundwater levels. Groundwater reserves came to the rescue earlier, but their depletion has added to woes.
In its report “Composite Water Management Index (CWMI)” in June 2018, National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog said India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and 21 Indian cities – including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad – will run out of groundwater by next year, 2020, affecting 100 million people; 40 percent of India’s population will have no access to drinking water by 2030, the report said.
The report said millions of lives and livelihoods are under threat as 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about two lakh people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water.
It said the crisis is only going to worse. By 2030, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual ~6% loss in the country’s GDP.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
India News
Wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia refute rumours of withdrawal of protest
Both Malik and Punia denied the news of withdrawing from the protest, they termed it as rumours and also urged people not to spread false news.

Olympians Sakshee Malik and Bharang Punia said today, they will keep fighting for justice and that no wrestler has given up and will not give upon protest.
Both Malik and Punia denied the news of withdrawing from the protest, they termed it as rumours and also urged people not to spread false news. We have resumed our responsibilities in Railways, but we are also working on our plan, Sakshee said.
The wrestlers also met with Home Minister Amit Shah late on Saturday night to ask him to conduct a fair investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by seven female wrestlers, which also includes a minor.
It’s been learned that Amit Shah assured the wrestlers that the law still applies to everyone equally. He reportedly said to the wrestlers, let the law take its course.
The wrestlers announced they were going to submerge their medals in the Ganga river in Haridwar last month. They claim that their complaint against the head of the wrestling federation has been largely ignored.
However, they temporarily halted their plan as farmer leader Naresh Tikait intervened.
Earlier on May 28 march, some protesters were taken into custody. The country was shocked and outraged when images of champions Vinesh Phogat and her cousin Sangeeta Phogat being detained by the police surfaced.
The Delhi Police announced that they would not be permitted to stage a protest at India Gate after the wrestlers were denied access to the Jantar Mantar protest location following the crackdown.
Meanwhile, Sakshee Malik’s husband, wrestler Satyawart Kadian, also joined her and said, neither we have made a concession nor will we back down. All of it is false, and we won’t end our protest. He added we shall continue seeking justice while remaining strong. To weaken us, false information is being broadcast. The entire country is against the Delhi Police.
India News
Varanasi Court sentences life imprisonment to gangster Mukhtar Ansari in Awadhesh Rai murder case
Almost 60 criminal cases of land grabbing, murder and extortion are registered against him. His name was first come into notice when he murdered the local contractor Sachchidanand Rai in 1988 and he never stopped after his first murder.

Mukhtar Ansari who is currently serving 10 years jail term in a kidnapping and murder case has been convicted by the Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi Court in connection with the 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case. Special Judge Avneesh Gautam convicted him today after a hearing in a case concluded on may 19. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment and also a fine of Rs 1 lakh has been imposed upon him. On August 3, 1991, Congress leader and brother of Former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadesh Rai was gun downed in a broad day light in front of Ajay Rai’s house in Varanasi. In this case Ajay Rai named Mukhtar Ansari, Bhim Singh, former MLA Abdul Kalim, Kamlesh Singh, and Rakesh in the FIR.
In june 2022, the original case diary went missing during the hearing of the case. Officials’ could not find the missing diary despite best effort from Varanasi to Prayagraj. Police had to register a case against Mukhtar Ansari for the same and accused him of destroying evidence through his influence.
Mukhtar Ansari is a dangerous gangster-turned-politician in the Uttar Pradesh; he has been an MLA for five consecutive terms from the Mau Sadar assembly seat. In 2022, Uttar Pradesh Assembly election his seat was won by his son Abbas Ansari from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party since he did not fight the election.
Almost 60 criminal cases of land grabbing, murder and extortion are registered against him. His name was first come into notice when he murdered the local contractor Sachchidanand Rai in 1988 and he never stopped after his first murder.
In Uttar Pradesh’s most sensational political murder history, he killed BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai with an AK-47 rifle in November 2005. It is believed that 400 bullet shells were reportedly recovered from the spot.
India News
HDFC Bank manager abuses, howls at employees over incomplete account targets
Toxic work culture is a pervasive and serious issue in India. Many Indian workplaces are marked by a high-pressure, competitive environment that can be emotionally and psychologically draining for employees.

Recently, Soumi Chakraborty shared a video on LinkedIn which gives us the perfect example of a toxic work environment. HDFC bank’s Senior VP Pushpal Roy, is seen engaging in various inappropriate behaviours, including verbal abuse, public humiliation, and the misuse of authority.
In this video, we can clearly notice that the manager is screaming at his employees in Bengali.
After the release of this video, it has gained lot of attention on social media platforms and people are also raising concerns about the toxic work cultures and few people also demanded an immediate action towards his unethical behaviour.
In response to the incident, HDFC Bank informed that they have suspended the employee and they have also initiated an investigation based on a preliminary inquiry.
In their statement, the bank emphasised on its zero-tolerance policy towards harassment or misconduct in the workplace and they beleive in treating all employees with dignity and respect.
“This bears reference to a recent social media report. Basis a preliminary enquiry in the matter, the concerned employee has been suspended and an investigation initiated to gather all relevant facts. We at HDFC Bank have a zero tolerance policy for any form of harassment or misconduct at the workplace and firmly believe in treating all our employees with dignity and respect,” the bank statement read.
Toxic work culture is a pervasive and serious issue in India. Many Indian workplaces are marked by a high-pressure, competitive environment that can be emotionally and psychologically draining for employees.
Some common features of toxic work cultures in India include long hours, lack of work-life balance, a hierarchical structure that discourages dissent and innovation, micromanagement, and an excessive focus on individual performance over teamwork.
Workplace discrimination based on gender and caste is also prevalent in many Indian organizations. Harassment, including sexual harassment, is also a major problem, and many companies fail to address such issues properly.
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