Good morning, Chennai!
🌥️ Today’s weather: High: 36 ℃ | Low: 26 ℃ | Mostly cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? Chennai is one of four Indian cities connected to the rest of the world by undersea fibre-optic cables.
♟️ Chess tournament returns
The Chennai Grand Masters returns for its second consecutive year.
What’s it about? The Chennai Grand Masters returns for the second year in a row from November 5 to 11 at the Anna Centenary Library. The event has been split into two sections. The Masters section will feature the world’s top-ranked players. Challengers will have 8 Indian players competing against each other.
- Among the top-ranked players are India’s number 1 and world number 3, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Tamil Nadu’s Aravindh Chithambaram. The Challengers section will feature Chess Olympiad gold medalists Harika Dronavalli and R Vaishali.
- The total prize fund for the Masters section is ₹50 lakh, while the Challengers section has a prize fund of ₹20 lakh.
Previous edition: Last year’s tournament saw D Gukesh take the top prize. It was a stepping stone for his World Championship journey to qualify for the FIDE Candidates Tournament.
⚽ Football turfs controversy
The Chennai Corporation’s decision to hand over football turfs to private entities drew backlash.
What’s it about? The Chennai Corporation decided to hand over its football turfs to private companies. At the Council meeting chaired by Mayor R Priya, the resolution was adopted to hand over the upkeep of nine turfs, nearly 600 parks and auditoriums to private companies. The move has been criticised by allies and rivals.
- Once the turfs are given to private contractors, those wanting to use the services will have to pay ₹120 per person per hour for 6 hours a day.
- This will help the contractor generate ₹2.3 crore in revenues each year. The Corporation will get a share of ₹93 lakh. The contractor has been mandated to increase the civic body’s revenue share by 5% per annum.
Backtrack: The football turfs are used by kids who live in nearby slums, and the ₹120 per person per hour is too expensive. Following backlash from the public and DMK allies, the Mayor said the Corporation will continue to maintain the grounds and won’t charge a fee.
💸 Community hall rent increase
The Chennai Corporation has increased the rent for two popular community halls.
What’s it about? The popular Amma Arangam in Anna Nagar and Sir PT Thiyagaraya Kalaiyarangam in Kodambakkam will now cost more to rent. The halls will be leased to private agencies for efficient management and to help increase revenue.
- Under the new rates, the full-day rental for Amma Arangam has increased from ₹2.28 lakh to ₹4 lakh. Half-day operations are ₹2 lakh. Rent for Sir PT Thiyagaraya Kalaiyarangam has increased from ₹17,500 to ₹50,000 for a full day.
- The increase is expected to generate an annual revenue of ₹4.13 crore at 50% occupancy for Amma Arangam and ₹64 lakh for Sir PT Thiyagaraya Kalaiyarangam.
Agreement terms: The Chennai Corporation will receive a monthly rent. The variable revenue shared model is based on the total collections and percentage proposed by the bidder.
🗳️ Draft voters list
Chennai’s 16 Assembly seats have over 39 lakh electors.
What’s it about? The Chennai Corporation released a draft voter list for the city. Chennai had over 39.5 lakh people enrolled in its 16 Assembly constituencies, with more women than men. The voter list is being revised per the order from the Election Commission of India for the 2025 qualifying date.
- Velachery had the highest voter count at 3.12 lakh, followed by Perambur at 2.87 lakh, and Kolathur at 2.84 lakh. Harbour had the lowest voter count at 1.76 lakh.
- 3,718 polling stations were identified in the city. Perambur had the highest at 284, and Egmore had the lowest at 169.
Gender split: The number of women voters is 19.95 lakh, and the number of men is 19.28 lakh. 1,199 voters were categorised as third gender.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Diverse and captivating performances take centre stage at the Provoke Art Festival this weekend.
- Experience SPB’s iconic hits with SPB Charan at the 30 STARS 30 SONGS concert this Sunday.
- Wear your spooky costume for a Halloween-themed open mic this Sunday.
- League of Legends fans can catch the Worlds Watch Party this Saturday.
- Experience fun and games at the Family Fun Day this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I would participate in a reality TV show: 28.6%
- I wouldn’t participate in a reality TV show: 71.4% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What type of firecracker is your favourite?
Suchi: “I don’t like fire crackers.”
Preethi: “Sparkles”
Rangarajan: “Atom Bomb”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!