New York tops list of America's dirtiest cities
New York: New York is the dirtiest city, with more pests and litter than any place else in the US, according to a review of government data by the cleaning-services company Busy Bee.
The newly released report ranked 40 urban areas across the US based on pest and litter data from the American Housing Survey, air pollution data from the Environmental Protection Agency and population estimates from the US Census Bureau, Xinhua reported.
The Big Apple took the top spot in three of those categories with a score of 427.9 on Busy Bee's "dirtiness index." Los Angeles ranked second with a score of 317.8.
Some 904,000 homes in New York have litter on nearby streets or properties, and nearly 2.3 million homes have seen signs of mice, rats or cockroaches in the past year, according to the report. New York also ranks first for population density, with 28,000 people per square mile.
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Udupi: Woman, bank employee arrested in property tax fraud case
Udupi: Udupi City Police have arrested two persons, including a woman, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of property tax funds belonging to the Udupi Municipal Council.
The accused have been identified as Shalini, who was working as a tax consultant outside the municipal office, and Ganesh, a bank employee.
According to police, Anand Suvarna had paid Rs 34,730 towards 12 years of property tax for his building in Kalmadi to Shalini on October 16, 2025. She reportedly issued him a receipt acknowledging the payment.
However, when Suvarna recently checked the status of the payment on the property tax portal, he found that the amount had not been credited and was still shown as pending. He then brought the matter to the notice of the Municipal Commissioner, who verified that the payment had not been recorded.
During questioning, Shalini allegedly admitted to the lapse. On February 16, 2026, she generated a new challan in Suvarna’s name and paid Rs 35,213 towards the dues.
Police said a case has been registered at the Udupi City Police Station against the accused for allegedly misappropriating tax money and defrauding the government by affixing the seal of Union Bank on the challan without remitting the amount initially received from the taxpayer.
Further investigation is under way.
