Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 30 ℃ | Low: 22 ℃ | A misty morning followed by clear skies.
🧐 Did you know? College Road takes its name after the College of Fort St George. It functioned from what is presently the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) campus between 1812 and 1854.
✈️ Air-taxi certification
IIT Madras-incubated ePlane Company received formal regulatory certification for its Air-taxi.
What’s it about? ePlane Company became the first private Indian entity to receive formal acceptance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the Type Certification for its electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft called the e200X.
- The e200X has a compact wingspan, making it ideal for diverse regions. Production costs have been minimised by using local supply chains. The DGCA’s approval comes nearly 18 months after it got the Design Organisational Approval.
- The company, founded in 2019 and incubated at IIT Madras, strengthens its position in Advance Air Mobility in India. The company plans to launch services next year with a target of over 5 lakh people daily in three years.
Landmark moment: This marks India’s foray into e-VTOL certification and is a leap forward in sustainable air mobility. The regulator’s approval will help India become a leader in air mobility by focusing on regulatory frameworks for eVTOL operations.
📚 Growth of children’s literature
Children’s literature has grown in the city thanks to independent publishing houses.
What’s it about? In the past few decades, the landscape of children’s literature in India has expanded. From Roald Dahl to Tinle, there’s a wide variety to choose from as writers and artists craft new narratives. Children’s Books: An Indian Story, published by Eklavya and edited by journalist Sandhya Rao and writer Shailaja Menon, presents essays that take a serious look at children’s literature.
- The summary asks important questions like how the narratives reflect the diverse realities of Indian kids and if distinct voices have been developed. It features diverse voices like V Geetha, Sowmya Rajendran, and Mridula Koshy.
- The past ten years have seen an expansion in children’s literature in their themes and inclusivity by tackling sports, history, adventure stories, and science fiction.
Publishing landscape: In addition to the growth in infrastructure and access to books, the publishing landscape in Chennai has expanded thanks to independent publishers like Karadi Tales, Tulika Books and Tara Books.
🦟 Mosquito menace
Residents across the city have raised concerns over the increase in mosquitos, with civic officials failing to contain the problem.
What’s it about? While the northeast monsoon wasn’t as severe this time, residents are left with a mosquito problem thanks to water stagnation on streets and roads. Activists have attributed the issue to waste accumulation, sewage stagnation, and unclean water bodies.
- Several vacant sites belonging to the government and private entities have become dumping grounds for garbage. These have become breeding spots for mosquitos.
- Open chambers and damaged stormwater drains haven’t been repaired by the Corporation. Despite repeated complaints, several drains haven’t been desilted, and drainage water is discharged into drains from buildings.
What’s being done? Apart from regular fogging, additional machines were bought, and more workers have been hired for cleanup efforts. Field workers are conducting door-to-door inspections and imposing penalties against violators.
🚇 No more metro travel cards?
The Chennai Metro could discontinue issuing the old travel cards.
What’s it about? Metro passengers could no longer have access to the old travel cards or store value cards as they could be discontinued from April. The Chennai Metro has already stopped issuing new cards and top up at 11 stations since January.
- Metro officials have pondered this move since the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) was introduced in April 2023. As more NCMC cards have been issued, the old travel cards could be discontinued.
- Passengers can spend the remaining amounts on their old travel cards. The NCMC will be issued to passengers who return the travel card, and the remaining balance will be refunded.
NCMC status: The Chennai Metro saw a spike in the issuance of NCMC in early 2024. In just three months, over 1 lakh cards were issued. From April 2024 till date, over 2 lakh cards have been issued. Overall, the Chennai metro has issued nearly 4.3 lakh NCMCs.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you gone on a religious pilgrimage?
- I have gone on a religious pilgrimage.
- I haven’t gone on a religious pilgrimage.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which Indian authors do you read the most?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- A 6-year-old from Chennai entered the India Book of Records for reciting all Tamil alphabets in 1.14 minutes.
- DG Vaishnav College celebrated its diamond jubilee with spiritual and cultural activities.
- A Chennai-based devotee donated ₹6 crore to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.
- A 3.5-acre sports facility in Kottivakkam built by the Corporation remains in shambles due to delays in getting money for gyms.
- Chennai-based Iswarya Health launched the new speciality Iswarya Hospital and dedicated 100 free heart surgeries.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have fed a stray dog: 42.9%
- I haven’t fed a stray dog: 57.1% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Like a heritage walk, which city would you like to see have a food walk?
Shiva: “Madurai”
Suchi: “Amritsar”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!