VISAKHAPATNAM : The old city, known as One Town area, is where the city of Vizag was founded. The English set up their settlement in Visakhapatnam (then called ‘ Vizagapatnam ’) as early as 1682. While the city has expanded by around 40 kilometres along its radius over the years, the old city seems to have fallen out of favour. When TOI visited the area on Friday, ahead of the municipal polls, a cursory glance at the by-lanes revealed damaged roads, decayed drains, narrow and dingy streets, open sewers and coal dust pollution. The area between Jagadamba Junction and Old Post Office still possess an old-world charm. Hundreds of small shops selling jewellery line the streets dotted with historic structures, schools and churches. When the central business district started moving northwards with the construction of the RTC complex in the 1980s and the emergence of new residential areas such as MVP Colony, the then heart of the city, Old Town, stagnated. M Satyanarayana … [Read more...] about How old town area got left out in Visakhapatnam’s development race
Kennebec old town canoe
Work finally begins on old federal courthouse. It could change the way you look at downtown
When the average person sees the broken or boarded up windows in the old federal courthouse on Jefferson Street in downtown Lafayette, developers can point to its potential. And just behind that four-story concrete fortress that many consider the biggest eyesore downtown is what developers say may hold the most potential. It’s the 8,000-square-foot space that once housed the Lafayette Parish Library and, more recently, AOC Community Media. Of the three buildings involved in the old federal courthouse renovation project, that one — with its concrete walls and ceiling and the mural that still hangs over the front door from its days as home to the Lafayette Parish Libary — could be the most move-in ready space. The only issue? Since the pandemic began, the commercial interest in the project has dwindled. Developer E.J. Krampe has plans to convert the whole project to residential, between 69 and 80 one-bedroom units. But if a commercial tenant is interested, well.... “If anyone … [Read more...] about Work finally begins on old federal courthouse. It could change the way you look at downtown
Strong family bonds, traditional flavours help 72-year-old KL eatery weather tough times
KUALA LUMPUR: It takes more than just good food and skilful chefs for Sek Yuen, a restaurant specialising in Cantonese cuisine, to remain popular in the Kuala Lumpur culinary scene for over 70 years. A united family - now in its fourth generation - has been running the business since 1948. They have grown the eatery from just one shop lot to several along the same road in downtown Pudu. It is this family spirit that has helped the business thrive, and weather tough times such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. While 10 family members work full-time as chefs and service crew alongside several dozens of employees, more than 80 descendants of the three founding brothers are also involved in the operations one way or another, especially during the busy festive seasons. Chinese New Year, for instance, sees young and old family members busying themselves in the dining hall, as the neon sign of yee sang (prosperity raw fish salad) - displayed only during the festival - glows below … [Read more...] about Strong family bonds, traditional flavours help 72-year-old KL eatery weather tough times
‘Planet is dying,’ India’s 8-year-old climate crusader warns
NEW DELHI: On one hand, Licipriya Kangujam is just like another eight-year-old Indian child - she likes to play outside with her sister and draw pictures. But she's also a climate activist who already has had run-ins with police and security at parliament house, as she seeks to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi to commit to a climate change law. READ: Blue skies during lockdown, but can India’s respite from its pollution woes last? One of the world's youngest climate change activists, Kangujam was inspired by the devastating scenes in Nepal she watched on TV, and stories told by her father who went as a volunteer to deliver aid to victims of huge earthquakes that killed about 9,000 people and destroyed one million homes in 2015. Her environmental activism and belief that young children were among the biggest victims of natural disasters, often caused by climate change, was further reinforced when she tagged along with her father to a UN conference on natural disaster risks … [Read more...] about ‘Planet is dying,’ India’s 8-year-old climate crusader warns
Cops discover rotting corpse of 55-year-old on sofa FIVE years after he died living in squalor
POLICE have found the rotting corpse of a 55-year-old who died on his couch FIVE YEARS ago at his home in a Spanish tourist hotspot. Officers were hit with the putrid stench of a dead body when they entered the house in the resort town of Cala Millor, Majorca, earlier this week. Concerned neighbours contacted authorities after not hearing from local man Bernat Masquida Barcelo for many years. The officers knocked on the door repeatedly and after hearing no response used a spare key given to them by one of the neighbours. After entering the property, the cops noticed a strong smell before finding Barcelo’s skeletal corpse in a mummified state lying on his sofa with a blanket over him. The man was fully dressed when he died and was surrounded by beer bottles and cigarette packets, reports say. Cops also found that he lived in filthy conditions and suspected that he had Diogenes syndrome, also known as senile squalor syndrome, which is characterised by severe … [Read more...] about Cops discover rotting corpse of 55-year-old on sofa FIVE years after he died living in squalor