Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Clear and sunny skies for the day.
🧐 Did you know? College Road takes its name from the College of Fort St George. It functioned from what is presently the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) campus between 1812 and 1854.
🚗 Surge in high-end vehicles
There’s been a rise in sales of high-end cars and bikes in Chennai last year.
What’s it about? In 2022, there was a 53% increase in the sales of luxury cars and bikes compared to the previous year. Three RTOs in the city accounted for more than one-fourth of Aston Martins, Bentleys, and Ducatis. Celebrities, politicians, and industrialists often get their vehicles registered in the state due to lower road taxes.
- Transport authorities have become more strict regarding vehicle registrations by making Aadhaar cards mandatory for local address proof. Previously, luxury vehicles were registered in Puducherry to evade taxes.
- The RTOs in KK Nagar, Aynavaram, and Thiruvanmiyur were at the top of the list in registrations beating out Coimbatore and Tirupur.
Tax rates: The road tax on ex-showroom prices is 7% in Puducherry and 15% in Tamil Nadu. Imports attract 100% import duty with another 18% for state commercial taxes. The road tax in neighbouring states like Karnataka is Kerala is 18% and 20%, respectively.
🚢 Chennai to Puducherry container service
The new container service will be for chemicals, minerals, and raw materials.
What’s it about? The Puducherry port will serve as a bi-weekly container feeder service with Chennai. This will replace trucks from having to ply on the busy Grand Southern Trunk Road. It would also be cheaper compared to road travel. More than 4,000 containers are transported from Puducherry to Chennai.
- The port can store more than 2,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) and is ready with the necessary customs clearances for operations. The port handling charges have been purposefully kept lower than Cuddalore port.
- The cost of transporting a 20 feet container is ₹35,000 by road and is less than ₹20,000 by ship. The trip from Puducherry to Chennai will take 12 hours.
Who said what? Jude Vallabhdas of Global Logistics Solutions India Private Limited said he urged the Chennai port chairman to allow carrying lines to nominate Puducherry port as a container yard so that it can store empty containers.
🚶 Shrinking walkways
With shrinking pathways and reckless driving, Chennai has become unsafe for pedestrians.
What’s it about? In the past year, more than 170 people have died after being hit by vehicles. Among the habitual offenders are MTC buses and private vans. With construction work ongoing in many parts, light vehicles like bikes are forced onto pedestrian platforms.
- The little space in walkways is now occupied by unauthorised hawkers and commercial establishments. Half of pedestrian accidents happen on footpaths. 19% of accidents happened while crossing the road.
- Violations have continued despite initiatives by the Chennai police. Experts have called for better coordination between state agencies to improve stop lines and reset traffic signals.
Who said what? Activist K Senthil said encroachments had put pedestrians at risk with little action by the Corporation. Kapil Kumar from the Chennai Police said motorists have to drive responsibly to ensure pedestrian safety. Aswathy Dilip from ITDP said government policies have to prioritise pedestrians over motorists.
- Despite Chennai being the first metro to have a non-motorised vehicle policy, many stretches continue to have narrow footpaths and inadequate crossings.
👮 Stop-line violators
Chennai Police have begun a campaign against stop-line violations.
What’s it about? With this new campaign, the police have already booked more than 3,300 cases. They are monitoring more than 100 important junctions to check for violations. In case of any violations, they’re asked to pay a fine.
- The police will click pictures of the vehicles as evidence and impose a ₹500 fine. They’ve booked 770 cases in the north zone and more than 600 in the west zone in places like Anna Nagar and Royapuram.
- Besides imposing a fine, the police have also spread awareness that stop-line violations are a serious offence. More automatic number plate recognition cameras will be installed in several junctions.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you been caught for a traffic violation?
- Yes, I have been caught for a traffic violation.
- No, I haven’t been caught for a traffic violation.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite pizza topping?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Chennai Corporation has yet to begin holding area sabha meetings despite nominating representatives.
- US-based Ignitho has opened its new AI Center for Excellence in Chennai.
- The Chennai Corporation will soon take over 139 government schools in peripheral areas.
- Durham University has strengthened its partnership with IIT Madras through a new MoU.
- Chennai Corporation will privatise solid waste management in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar next month.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I’m a fairly religious person: 50.0% 🏆
- I’m not a religious person: 50.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your go-to drink of choice?
Meghala: “Oreo milkshake”
Vigneshwaran: “Fresh and healthy juice is best to drink”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!