Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 31 ℃ | Low: 21 ℃ | A misty morning and sunny day afterward.
🧐 Did you know? The Government General Hospital has been at its present location since 1772. It was built by John Sullivan and opened to patients on October 5, 1772.
🏥 Hospital for the elderly lies in wait
A 200-bed hospital for the elderly in Guindy will be delayed further as it waits for an inauguration date.
What’s it about? The 200-bed National Centre of Aging on the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research’s campus in Guindy has been vacant for two years. The delay will be longer since the state government is waiting for final inauguration dates from the Union Health Ministry.
- In 2020, the hospital was converted into a Covid health centre. It has remained vacant since March 2022. The inauguration was slotted for the end of the month, but there has been no confirmation.
- Since 2022, the equipment and beds haven’t been used since no doctors and nurses were appointed. The hospital will have more nurses since it’s exclusively for elderly patients.
History: In weeks since it closed in 2022, a committee was asked to review its stability. The committee stated there were no stability issues. Last year, officials couldn’t begin recruitment without clarity on long-term funding.
🚇 Metro tunnelling gathers pace
Construction of underground lines for the Metro’s second phase has picked up steam with tunnelling at various locations.
What’s it about? Tunnelling is expected to begin at Chetpet, T Nagar, and Panagal Park. A second tunnel boring machine (TBM) has begun tunnelling from Lighthouse to Mylapore. It comes four months after the first machine was deployed.
- The first machine completed a 140-metre-long tunnel. The second one will cover 1.96 km and will end by October 2026. The station at the lighthouse will have automatic flood protection gates since it’s next to the beach.
- At Panagal Park, workers have started assembling the TBM. Currently, tunnelling has been completed in three stretches in Madhavaram.
Passenger experience: Once stations on corridor 4 are complete, passengers can reach T Nagar’s shopping area in a single journey from western suburbs like Poonamallee. The line from the Lighthouse to Poonamallee could extend to the proposed Parandur airport.
🛕 Chennai watched Ram Mandir
While there were security concerns, events in the city to mark the temple’s inauguration were observed without incident.
What’s it about? The Ram Mandir inauguration was celebrated in the city with special bhajans and live screenings of the event. Despite security concerns, there were no incidents reported.
- People gathered at the Triplicane Parthasarathi temple, West Mambalam Kothanda Ramaswamy temple, and the Varadharaja Perumal temple. In Triplicane, hundreds of women carried lamps.
- Akhand Ramayan and Ram Leela programmes were organised for the past two weeks. Live screenings were also set up at Egmore and Central railway stations.
Social media protest: Some people protested the consecration of the temple on social media with #LandofRavana and #TamilsprideRavana.
🐢 Olive Ridley nesting delay
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The Olive Ridley nesting season in the city has yet to gather pace as fewer nests have been identified.
What’s it about? Wildlife department officials have only collected 1,00 eggs so far since January 1. Also, the number of nests identified by patrolling teams is relatively less.
- At the start of the nesting season last year, over 5,000 eggs were collected, and a high number of nests were identified. Previously, nesting turtles came to the shore in December.
- The peak season is now mid-January and could be due to climate change. Cyclone Michaung could’ve also affected the turtle’s movements.
History of nesting: Compared to the early 2000s, the number of nests on the Chennai coast has increased. Last year, over 42,000 eggs were collected from 430 nests along the shore.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you like street food?
- I like street food.
- I don’t like street food.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which historical site in the world would you like to visit?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- IIT Madras has appointed listeners for concerned or stressed students on campus.
- Reaching Kilambakkam from the Vandalur station has become a hassle for passengers.
- Ambattur conservancy workers organised a strike demanding amenities and wage revisions.
- The Chennai Corporation will undertake a four-month-long survey to make public space and transportation safe for women.
- Kasturba Nagar residents use composting bins to convert waste into compost.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have been to a farmer’s market: 30.8%
- I haven’t been to a farmer’s market: 69.2% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
If you could only have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Suchi: “Rice with veg and non-veg gravy”
Shiva: “Idly”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!