Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 41 ℃ | Low: 30 ℃ | Hot and sunny for the day.
🧐 Did you know? In 1968, an amendment divided Madras into 120 divisions. Today, the city has over 200 divisions and 22 Assembly constituencies.
🎙️ First trans woman Gaana singer
Vimala breaks barriers to become India’s first trans woman Gaana singer.
What’s her backstory? Vimala knew she had been trans since class 6 but was scared to tell anyone. She has been singing since the age of 13. The journey was anything but smooth. After running away from home due to her family’s non-acceptance of her identity, she gradually gained their support. This helped her through her musical journey, despite negative feedback and comments.
- She has broken barriers by being the first transperson to be a part of Coke Studio alongside her idol Gana Ulaganathan. She was then approached by Sean Rolden to sing for Raghu Thatha.
- Next came an acting workshop by actor Neha. On the final day, the director Mysskin visited and selected Vimala to star in his next film, led by Vijay Sethupathi.
Hopes: Vimala believes that access to education, learning the right skills and being valued and respected will empower the transgender community.
🏖️ Keeping beaches and parks open
The Madras High Court has sought the DGP’s response to allow public parks and beaches to be kept open late.
What’s it about? With temperatures expected to increase in the days and weeks ahead, the High Court is waiting for the Director General of Police and the Commissioner of Police of the Greater Chennai city to respond to a plea wanting parks and beaches to be open longer.
- Resident and social activist RK Jaleel filed a plea requesting beaches and parks be kept open longer to help people beat the heat, especially those who can’t afford air conditioning.
- Jaleel cited his experience of going to the Tiruvanmiyur beach with his family but was asked to leave by security since it was 9.30 pm.
Government’s obligation: Jaleel appreciated the government’s efforts in building shelters and providing oral rehydration solutions. He also said it was their obligation to ensure basic facilities and public spaces were available for the poor and needy.
🌊 Flood mitigation work begins early
The Water Resources Department has started flood mitigation work earlier than usual ahead of the northeast monsoon.
What’s it about? This year, the WRD has started its flood mitigation work early in anticipation of heavy rains during the northeast monsoon. The focus will be South Chennai which was hit hard last season.
- Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena inspected several areas across the city as officials expedited the work. Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts have 1,100 tanks that help in flood mitigation, and 900 need to be desilted.
- The WRD has identified 27 missing links in stormwater drains. Only 11 drains in 9 areas have been completed. These drains can help during normal rainfall. However, if it exceeds normal levels, the drains alone won’t be enough.
Areas of concern: The rate of urbanisation with planned and unplanned development like roads and residential areas, block the flow of water.
🛣️ U-shaped flyover takes shape
A segment of the flyover near Tidel Park is nearing completion.
What’s it about? The Tamil Nadu Road Development Company (TNRDC) is almost done with a portion of the U-shaped flyover on Rajiv Gandhi Salai near Tidel Park. Currently, painting, fixing lamp posts, and electrical installations are ongoing.
- There was a delay in completing this portion due to concerns about service utilities below the road. There’s a power substation nearby and over 40 large-sized cables to the IT companies in the area.
- The TNRDC is also planning to dismantle and rebuild the stormwater drains in the locality to accommodate larger volumes of water.
Helping motorists: The flyover is the second U-turn facility on the road. The earlier one is operational near the Indira Nagar MRTS station. The flyover is expected to provide a smoother passage to commuters travelling from Tidel Park towards East Coast Road (ECR), Indira Nagar, and Adyar.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you use the DigiLocker app to store important documents?
- I use the DigiLocker app.
- I don’t use the DigiLocker app.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the average number of hours you spend on social media every day?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Higher temperatures across the city have resulted in a 25% increase in power demand.
- A new study showed that increasing humidity concretisation and humidity levels ensure high nighttime temperatures.
- A few examples from several books that describe Chennai’s summer and heat.
- The Chennai airport will lose out on intercontinental routes due to limited facilities for aircrafts.
- The Chennai Corporation needs to open new and revive closed shelters to house the vulnerable population.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I use Chrome as my preferred web browser: 80.0% 🏆
- I use Firefox as my preferred web browser: 20.0%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your preferred mode of transport to reach your place of work?
Baarath: “Metro”
Akash: “Fuel-efficient two-wheeler with helmet on.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!