Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: High: 37 ℃ | Low: 27 ℃ | Mostly cloudy weather for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The world’s first Indo-Saracenic structure was the Chepauk Palace built in 1768 by Muhammad Ali, 8th Nawab of the Carnatic.
🏇 End of an era?
The closure of the Guindy Race Course by the government could signal the end of an era.
A rich history: For over two centuries, the city has had a thriving horse racing culture. It started under British rule, where they would race horses as entertainment in the Madras Presidency. In 1777, Venkatapuram village was allotted for horse racing. It was leased out to Madras Race Club (MRC) in 1946 for 99 years.
- For several years after independence, the family of Rajah Annamalai Chettiar, his son M.A. Chidambaram and his grandson M.A.M. Ramaswamy have controlled the club.
- Many Chennaiites have memories of being fascinated with horse racing and betting on them. In the early days, betting was cheap at just ₹5 and people from all walks of life could partake.
Tussle with the government: In 1970, the DMK government mandated 14% of the land value as annual rent for the leased-out government properties. Until 2017, the government demanded ₹12,381 crore as rent arrears. Last year, the Madras High Court ordered MRC to pay ₹730 crore and the remaining within a month. An appeal is still pending.
🧹 Protests against the civic body
Cleanliness workers protested the Chennai Corporation’s decision to privatise solid waste management.
What’s it about? Hundreds of conservancy workers and the Chennai Corporation Red Flag Union protested at the north regional office of Royapuram against the Chennai Corporation’s decision to privatise solid waste management and not providing them with basic amenities.
- The workers are allegedly not provided brooms and gloves and are forced to buy them. Workers also have to repair vehicles that aren’t functioning.
- The workers also said they don’t have access to basic facilities like drinking water and toilets. On most occasions, toilets are closed, or the authorities have the keys. They’re also not paid for overtime.
Privatisation dangers: If the zone is given to private contractors, the situation could worsen, as experienced by workers in other zones. The civic body continues to face a shortage of conservancy workers.
🥋 Sports training for girls
The Mayor inaugurated sports training programmes for schoolgirls.
What’s it about? Mayor R Priya inaugurated a karate and taekwondo sports training programme for schoolgirls at the Chennai High School. This initiative was part of the Chennai Corporation’s 2024-25 Budget.
- In the first phase, six schools will offer training in boxing, judo, karate, chess, carom, athletics, and taekwondo for six months. 50 students from each school will have a 75-minute training session twice a week.
- Competitions will be held for students to encourage their participation in zonal, district, state and national-level events. ₹30 lakh has been allocated to purchase equipment and cover travel expenses.
What’s next? The programme will be extended to other schools in the city and cover boys in the future.
🚌 Redesigning buses
The new ultra floor buses will be redesigned after complaints of improper ventilation.
What’s it about? The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has decided to take 52 of the new buses, designed to be accessible for persons with disabilities and modify their design. Several passengers complained about improper ventilation in these non-AC buses since they were introduced in July.
- Passengers in the back three rows were inconvenienced due to poor ventilation. Those in the rear gangway faced heat-related issues in peak hours.
- The buses use a seating layout and shell design meant for air-conditioned buses. In New Delhi, passengers faced similar issues, and the MTC didn’t thoroughly consider the seating layout.
The changes: Four new openings will be created to improve air circulation. The fixed glass window next to the emergency door opposite the rear stairway will be replaced with a sliding glass window. Sliding roof hatches will be installed to allow fresh air for standing commuters.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Be dazzled at The Souq’s live LED light show performance this Sunday.
- Experience musical rhythms at the exclusive live performance by Andrea Jeremiah this Saturday.
- Junior choir “The Shortz” perform live in the “Songs You Know and Some You Don’t” event this Saturday.
- Experience Indian mythological tales like never before at Arani – A Kathak ballet this Sunday.
- Kids can express themselves at the Act Re-Act Enact theatre workshop this Sunday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I own more than one personal vehicle: 16.7%
- I don’t own more than one personal vehicle: 83.3% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite chaat item to eat?
Suchi: “Pani Poori”
Preethi: “Dhokla”
Akash: “Kazhaan Masala & Dahi Puri”
Shiva: “Medhu vadai”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!