Good morning, Chennai!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Heavy rains are forecast for today.
🧐 Did you know? The Rameswaram Express was once called the Boat Mail. People could purchase a ticket from Madras to Colombo, and they travelled from Egmore to the southernmost station and boarded a ship.
🌀 Bracing for the rains
As cyclone Michaung approaches, Chennai is preparing for heavy downpours.
What’s happening? As the Corporation and other civic officials prepare for more rains, several localities are still dealing with water stagnation. The Chennai Corporation is also on high alert with additional staff deployed across the city.
- The civic body has deployed 23,000 staff to help with relief activities. There are also 125 personnel from the disaster response force on standby. In places like Madhavaram, Teynampet, and Kodambakkam, additional pumps have been provided.
- 162 relief camps have been set up to help shelter people rescued from the streets. Monsoon relief funds have also been increased for each zone from ₹5 lakh to ₹20 lakh.
Other safety measures: The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) has been urged to suspend high-rise construction for a few days. The Chennai Airport has formed a team to monitor the weather and any threats.
🚇 Bringing in more passengers
.jpg){kind=link}
The Chennai Metro has introduced special fares to mark Chennai Metro’s Foundation Day.
What’s it about? To commemorate Chennai Metro’s Foundation Day, the metro announced special fares for QR and e-tickets bought through PayTM, PhonePe, and WhatsApp.
- On December 17, tickets purchased through the online portals will be ₹5. The metro wants more people to use digital payment methods to help their commuting experience.
- The special fare was also applicable for December 3 as part of the metro’s Foundation Day celebrations.
Increased frequency: As the number of passengers taking the metro has increased, they’ve decided to operate trains at 10-minute frequencies from 5 am to 12 pm and from 8 pm to 10 pm. Between 12 pm and 8 pm, trains will run in 7-minute frequencies.
💻 Digitised records
The CMDA’s building planning permissions are now digitised and accessible to all.
What’s it about? The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) building planning permissions over 30 years old have been digitised. Previously, residents had to resort to RTI applications to verify whether their buildings were constructed according to the plan.
- Old documents and planning approvals totalling over 11,400 from 1989 to 1995 were scanned and uploaded. Planning permission documents issued from 1996 to 2001 will also be uploaded.
- The old physical documents are in poor condition and are breaking away. The CMDA wants to preserve them so they’re accessible to everyone.
Streamlined process: The CMDA has introduced a single window system to issue building plan approvals online. They’ve also integrated no-objection certificate-issuing departments into the online portal.
👩⚕️ Health camps organised
Over 100 special monsoon health camps were conducted in the city.
What’s it about? To mark the centenary year of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, the government organised special monsoon medical and Chief Minister’s health insurance camps. State health minister Ma Subramaniam inaugurated the camps and gave insurance cards to beneficiaries in Royapuram and Rajendra Nagar.
- The state health department has conducted over 10,000 medical camps in the past five weeks, with more in the offering till December 30. More than 5.2 million people have attended them.
- The camps have been organised to screen for monsoon-related illnesses like malaria, dengue, influenza, fever, etc. Over 1.54 crore families have benefitted under the Chief Minister’s scheme.
Coverage: The CM’s health insurance scheme covers 1,825 hospitals. This includes 854 government and 975 private hospitals. Over 1,500 diseases, 52 tests, and eight advanced treatments are also covered.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Does your street/neighbourhood have a lot of stray dogs?
- My street/neighbourhood has a lot of stray dogs.
- My street/neighbourhood doesn’t have a lot of stray dogs.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What is your favourite type of tea?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Read about possible solutions to the increasing stray dog menace in the city.
- Guindy and St Thomas stations will get a new look under the Amrit Bharat Scheme.
- 118 long-distance trains were cancelled by the South Central Railway due to cyclone Michaung.
- Pallavarram residents continue to face the stray cattle menace.
- Kilambakkam bus terminus hearing at the Madras High Court has been adjourned for two weeks to wait for the access audit report.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!