Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 33 ℃ | Low: 22 ℃ | Clear skies and sunny weather for today.
🧐 Did you know? My Lady’s Garden is the only remaining remnant of what was once People’s Park, which was the brainchild of Governor Sir Charles Trevelyan.
🏢 Control room at green building
The Chennai Corporation’s upcoming green building will have a state-of-the-art control room.
What’s it about? Constructed under the Chennai Smart City scheme at the Ripon Building, the ₹40-crore building will have a control room that integrates all helplines and grievance forums of other departments.
- The universal control room is on the first floor with a 15-foot high video wall. The room can accommodate 60 staff and will be used to monitor the city via 450 CCTV cameras.
- The second floor has a war room to monitor grievances and office space for staff like police, traffic, fire service, and other emergency services.
Keeping it sustainable: The building has a renewable solar energy system, smart water meters, rainwater harvesting, and a zero-energy wastewater treatment system.
🚌 Free bus travel pays dividends
The government’s free bus travel scheme for women has helped the latter save ₹800 a month.
What’s it about? A report by the Consumer Action Group stated that the scheme has helped women in the city save an average of ₹800 a month on travel expenses.
- Of 500 women surveyed, 65% said the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) should increase the frequency of ordinary buses since there’s overcrowding in pink buses during peak hours.
- One suggestion made by the report is to extend the scheme to express and deluxe buses. It’s currently applicable only for white-board buses.
Fleet number issues: Mobility experts say the number of buses should be increased by at least 3,000. According to the MTC, 352 low-floor buses will be introduced in the coming months.
🚇 More money for the metro
The state government has allocated ₹12,000 crore for the metro’s phase 2 implementation.
What’s the story so far? In this year’s state budget, Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu announced ₹12,000 crore for the second phase of the metro rail. The upcoming phase 2 covers 116 km, with the first stretch expected to be ready next year.
- The project’s total cost is ₹63,246 crore. It’s funded by the Centre, the State, and loans from agencies like the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
- The state government has asked the Centre to formally approve the project and implement it as a 50-50 joint venture between Tamil Nadu and the Centre.
Extension awaits: The detailed project report on the Airport-Kilambakkam line will be sent to the Centre for approval based on equity sharing. It’s expected to cost over ₹4,600 crore. Reports for additional extensions from Poonamallee to Parandur and Koyambedu to Avadi will also be ready.
🎒 Exam fever
Students across the city are gearing up for state and CBSE board exams next month.
What’s it about? As students are in the throws of exam preparations for class XII state and CBSE board examinations, teachers say the schedule provides enough gap between exams.
- As students prepare for 6-7 hours a day, principals and teachers feel there may still be time management issues. Some schools have been conducting remedial classes for those who didn’t perform well in revision tests.
- In Shenoy Nagar’s Thiru Vi Ka Higher Secondary School, there are night classes for those who can’t study at home. At MCC Higher Secondary School in Chetpet, there’s personal coaching for slow learners.
Moral support: Psychologists have urged parents to provide moral support to their kids. They suggest avoiding comparing their children’s performance with others.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you play games on your phone?
- I play games on my phone.
- I don’t play games on my phone.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What was your best-performing subject in school?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Sea turtle nesting season has picked up steadily along Chennai’s coast.
- Automatic fare collection will be introduced by MTC for digital payments.
- The Chennai Corporation’s budget for 2024-25 is expected to be over ₹4,400 crore.
- The JICA will provide ₹2,809 crore for phase 2 of the Peripheral Ring Road Project.
- Ramana Sunritya Aalaya (RASA) staged a production of Bharatambe to depict the lives of saints.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have written a letter to someone: 63.6% 🏆
- I haven’t written a letter to someone: 36.4%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What subject do you wish you studied in college?
Suchi: “Fine arts”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!