Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny weather for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Madras Police were the first to employ fingerprinting and go wireless in 1923.
Note: Our team is taking a break today on account of Labour Day. So we won’t be publishing the newsletter tomorrow. See you on Wednesday!
🏗️ Central Chennai’s rise
Central Chennai has begun showing signs of growth with real estate development.
What’s it about? A study by the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) for the first quarter of 2023 showed a 50% increase in residential projects registered in the central parts of Chennai. This part of the city saw a lull in development due to land availability.
- A contributing factor is the redevelopment of old buildings. Areas like Adyar, Anna Nagar, Guindy, and KK Nagar saw a good number of new residential projects.
- The CREDAI report stated 94 projects were registered across Chennai between January and March 2023 compared to 63 at the same time last year.
Reasons: With an increase in salaries in the tech industry, there’s been a demand for luxury homes. For some who didn’t want to live far from the city but wanted a three-bedroom apartment for ₹1.5 crore, South Central Chennai was the right place to look. The locations are close to hubs like Nungambakkam, Anna Nagar, and Egmore.
🐾 No pets on the Metro
The Chennai Metro doesn’t allow passengers to carry pets on the Metro.
What’s it about? Per the Metro Railways Carriage Ticket Rules, 2014, passengers aren’t allowed to carry live birds or animals inside the Metro cars or the station premises. Metro officials say it’s a hygiene issue and an inconvenience to other passengers.
- According to the rules, only sniffer dogs accompanied by security personnel on duty are allowed. The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has on its website advised passengers not to bring pets to the station.
- Passengers are also not allowed to carry uncooked meat or fish since it’s considered carcasses of dead animals or birds and offensive materials under the 2014 rules.
Long-distance travel: Pets are allowed in long-distance trains in both the compartment and in separate luggage vans. There are several procedures to follow, like booking the luggage three hours before departure and having a fitness and vaccination certificate.
🏛️ Chennai and Art Deco
Chennai has some remnants of the Art Deco style of architecture.
What’s it about? While Madras was known for its Indo-Saracenic architecture, it also had a great tradition of Art Deco structures like Mumbai and Kolkata. While Mumbai has preserved its Art Deco heritage, Chennai hasn’t, owing to urbanisation, but some structures remain.
- The Art Deco style is concentrated in pockets like Royapettah, T Nagar, and Adyar with Deco-style residences. One of the oldest Art Deco structures in the city is the Royapettah Clock Tower. Another is the National Assurance building on NSC Bose Road.
- Co-operative housing colonies that came up in Gopalpuram, CIT Colony, T Nagar, and Adyar sported Art Deco motifs and designs. Curzon & Co in Triplicane was among the first to transition to Art Deco from Indo-Saracenic.
History & journey: Art Deco came to the fore in France and became popular after the First World War. Art Deco came to India late, some two decades after it came to Europe. It stayed in India long after it died in other countries, almost until the 1960s. Many public buildings and residences used the style.
🐘 Keeping the animals cool
Vandalur Zoo has taken several initiatives to keep its animals cool this summer.
What are they doing? The animals at the Vandalur Zoo have to keep cool this summer just like the rest of us. As temperatures continue to rise, zoo officials have come up with various measures to keep the animals cool.
- Sprinklers have been installed inside enclosures which are turned on every couple of hours in the afternoons. Elephants, rhinos, and reptiles have a water bath from time to time.
- Gunny bags cover the bird cages and are sprayed with water to keep them cool. Some animals are fed watermelons and cucumbers. The zoo faces irregular availability of refrigeration for animal feed and power supply.
Summer camp: The Zoo Ambassador programme has engaged 150 students to teach them about various wildlife species and their conservation. It’s a flagship initiative by the zoo with a recommendation by the Central Zoo Authority of India to other zoos.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Are you aware of Chennai’s Smart City initiatives?
- Yes, I’m aware of Chennai’s Smart City initiatives.
- No, I’m not aware of Chennai’s Smart City initiatives.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What was your favourite Chennai memory growing up?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Parked cars and encroachments have taken over the Evening Bazaar Road.
- IIT Madras’ Brain Centre was granted ₹6 crore by Fortis to promote research in healthcare technology.
- Experts want a sedimentation survey of water bodies to test silt levels and their quality.
- Tracing the history of the famous Connemara Library in Chennai.
- Chennai’s Nochikuppam fishers are protesting the Slum Clearance Board for allotting housing to Dummingkuppam residents.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!