Singapore redefines a city with an abundance of green spaces

It is a challenging task to find room for green spaces. This is especially true for the world's most densely populated ones. Singapore is one such city and in downtown Singapore, when anyone wants a new park to stroll, he might have to turn toward the sky. The CapitaSpring tower is an example of what humans can create to ensure a mix of modern living amidst an abundance of greenery. Its soaring glass and aluminum facade apparently bursts open to reveal plants and trees growing hundreds of feet above ground. From the street level, anyone can queue up to enter an elevator that leads to this so-called "Green Oasis." The spiral garden path winds past exercise equipment, benches and tables on its journey through four stories of tropical flora. The 919 feet high, CapitaSpring is now one of Singapore’s tallest skyscrapers. 'Biophilic' skyscraper bursting with 80,000 plants opens in Singapore. The 51-story building houses over 80,000 trees and plants across 90,000 square feet of landscaped area, which also includes a shady covered plaza at its base.

On the top floor of the building, visitors can stroll through a massive 4,500-square-foot rooftop farm. It supplies fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers to three on-site restaurants. Incidentally, an urban farmer who tends to the garden estimated that it generates nearly 220 pounds of produce on a monthly basis. Most of the plant species found here are indigenous to Singapore and thus adapted to the year-round heat and humidity. This is a commendable achievement. Moreover, the placement of greenery follows a certain pattern. It "mimics the plant hierarchy of tropical rainforests." Those that require the least direct light lying beneath a "canopy" of taller trees. The tower can be considered a vision of a future where city and countryside can coexist with culture and nature. The government of Singapore has long promoted itself as a "garden city." This is a term applied to the country by its founding father and former prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. That was in the 1960s. Subsequently, planners have embarked on citywide tree-planting programs and landscaping projects in its vast public housing complexes.

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The Ranchi administration plans to crackdown on hookah bars. There are over a dozen hookah bars that operate on premises of hotels, restaurants and pubs and are, in effect, promoting smoking in a public place. A database is being prepared of establishments in the city that have hookah bars.
Jharkhand does not have any provision for a hookah bar licence, but it violates the law of smoking in public places.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 March 2017.

A hotel or restaurant gets licence for a specific commercial purpose and it does not cover hookah bars. Owners of restaurants, pubs and hotels simply convert a part of the premises to start a hookah bar.
Shops that sell tobacco products within the 100-metre radius of a school or a college will also face a crackdown and these shops must prominently display boards saying sale of tobacco to minors is prohibited.


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It is billed as China’s first human-like robot and was unveiled last year by a team of engineers at the University of Science and Technology of China.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 9 January 2017.

Jia Jia's creator has predicted that within a decade, artificially intelligent robots will begin to carry out a range of menial tasks in Chinese restaurants, nursing homes, hospitals and households. It has flowing black hair and is dressed in a traditional Chinese dress and looks very much real but, it still has to learn a lot - it has its charms but also its limits and simple questions frequently stump her.
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Police in Ahmedabad have intensified their drive against illegal hookah bars in the city. They have already taken up the task of cancelling licences of six hookah bars in Satellite and Anandnagar areas. This decision was taken because the hookah bars were not following the norms that have been laid down by the judiciary for running such establishments.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 27 November 2016.

The drive by the police was initiated a fortnight ago and has already covered over 20 hookah bars in various western city parts. Non-cognizable offences have been registered against the businesses. The police teams have collected samples from the bars and these have been sent for forensic examination.
As per the existing guidelines - hookah bars should not be more than 20% of the total area of the establishment. The establishment should have licence to run a restaurant or eatery. Moreover, there should be a separate area for smoking and the area should be under CCTV surveillance.
Many of the hookah bars were using tobacco that did not have statutory warning on the packets - this is required according to the rule.


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Street vendors in Bengaluru want to remain open and do business till 1am

Street vendors in Bengaluru have a question - if pubs and bars can function till 1 a.m., why not the modest street vendors who dot the nook and corners of the city? Why do they have too close shop by 11pm and play hide and seek with the police?
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It is a common sight to see the tense cat-and-mouse game played out at midnight on the busy main roads of the city. But, pubs and restaurants still see customers entering till 1am. Street food vendors say that their patrons are, by and large, the poor and lower-middle class who come to these carts after finishing their second shifts at factories and warehouses. They come because they cannot afford expensive restaurants and bars.
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Restaurants asked to give tap water free to its customers to check obesity

Restaurants have a habit of offering tap water to customers only when requested for and offer sugary drinks which leads to obesity - therefore, restaurants are being urged to "take responsibility" and offer tap water freely to families so they can they need not consume sugary drink.
It seems the existing trend is to offer tap water on request even though there is a legal requirement that licensed premises must provide it. This has been revealed in a survey for the Local Government Association, which represents more than 370 councils. As per the poll, eight out of 10 people usually drink tap water at home, but, when dining out, only a third do so.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 23 April 2016.

Other findings are - 15% of those who usually drink tap water at home never think of asking for water in cafes or restaurants, while 13% said it made them feel awkward. Therefore, the LGA wants the Government to use its forthcoming childhood obesity strategy to encourage restaurateurs to offer parents and children the choice of tap water.
Childhood obesity can be tackled by offering tap water to families. A glass of tap water should not be something one has to ask for but, it should be by default because water brings with it important health benefits and keeps people hydrated.
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