Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 37 ℃ | Low: 26 ℃ | A mostly sunny day ahead.
🧐 Did you know? The Chennai Corporation’s first elementary school opened in Chetpet in 1906.
🏎️ Preparations for the F4 race
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The Chennai Corporation will undertake additional work to relay roads for the Indian Racing Festival.
What’s it about? The Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) has asked the Chennai Corporation to undertake additional work to relay roads for the upcoming F4 racing event on Island Grounds. The civic body has asked for ₹8.25 crore from the state government for this.
- The racing event was cancelled last year due to the rains. The Corporation will use the money for profile correction and tar overlaying by milling existing roads per the FIA’s guidelines.
- The plans also outline utility pipes crossing for electrical and OFC cables, traffic signals, and removing medians.
Other facilities: The surface course for pit garages, the paddock, a media centre and VIP lounges will also be built.
🏞️ Eco-restoration yields results
A recent report showed increased faunal activities in the Adyar Creek and Estuary.
What’s it about? According to a report from the Municipal Administration and Water Supply department, the eco-restoration work on 58 acres of the Adyar Creek and 300 acres of the Adyar Estuary has yielded positive results. Faunal species have increased to 424 from the earlier 141.
- The restoration work included continuously removing plastics, debris, and the Prosopis Juliflora invasive species. Mangroves and native vegetation were planted to rejuvenate the biodiversity of the ecosystem.
- Post-restoration, over 350 acres of the creek and estuary now have over 400 species, including crabs, dragonflies, butterflies, fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
What’s the government doing? The government already announced the restoration of the Adyar River from its origin in Guduvancheri to Thiru Vi Ka Bridge. It has also sanctioned ₹1,281.88 crore to restore the Buckingham Canal and the Adyar and Cooum drains.
🚮 Privatising waste management
The Chennai Corporation will privatise waste management in two key zones.
What’s it about? To tackle the ongoing issues of open dumping of garbage and shoddy collection, the Chennai Corporation will privatise waste management in Royapuram and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar. The Corporation Council approved the 10-year ₹2,363 crore project. This model has worked in other zones and reduced waste management expenses by 20-30%.
- The project will cover areas of North and Central Chennai like Perambur, Mint, Sowcarpet, Parrys, Egmore, Royapuram, and Harbour.
- The contractor will be judged on 43 parameters, including door-to-door collection, street sweeping, secondary waste transport from bins, clearing canals, and priority service teams.
Waste generation: The two zones combined generate over 1,200 tonnes of waste daily. It’s projected to increase to nearly 1,400 tonnes in the coming years.
🥛 Order to cut milk production
The state pollution control board asked Aavin’s Ambattur plant to cut milk production since it doesn’t have clearances and didn’t fix the effluent plant.
What’s it about? The Ambattur plant supplies over 4 lakh litres of milk daily to the city and suburbs. The pollution control board has asked the plant to cut production to 3 lakh litres since it didn’t fix the effluent treatment plant (ETP) and get expansion clearances. It’s expected to worsen the milk shortages in Avadi, Ambattur, and Poonamallee.
- The order comes thanks to a case filed by environmental activist Surendranath Karthik with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on environmental hazards and improper handling of plastic waste.
- The pollution control board inspected the plant several times between December 2022 and March 2024. They found several components of the ETP weren’t functional, and some were defunct.
What needs to be done? The pollution control board has given Aavin two months to have a closed storage area to dispose of plastic waste and submit a proposal to develop a greenbelt within the plant’s premises.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you ever visited a factory?
- I have visited a factory.
- I haven’t visited a factory.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
If you could have a personal mascot, what would it be?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- A single window system will be set up by the Chennai Corporation for building plans up to 3,500 sq ft.
- Mixtura Vizha Arts Festival returns to the city with diverse performances across three venues.
- Equinox’s Chennai data centre at Siruseri SIPCOT is expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year.
- Following unseasonal rainfall, the Chennai Mayor announced stormwater drains will be desilted throughout the year.
- Sportswear brand Adidas signed a deal to lease 45,000 square feet in OMR for its first Global Capacity Centre in India.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have experienced déjà vu: 62.5% 🏆
- I haven’t experienced déjà vu: 37.5%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which animal species best exemplifies the city?
Shiva: “Crow: Smart, doesn’t care about looks, self-built, takes care of its children.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!