Good morning, Chennai!
🪔 On account of Gandhi Jayanti, we are taking a day off today. We will not be publishing this newsletter tomorrow. See you on Wednesday!
☁️ Today’s weather: Mostly cloudy and humid for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The first public place named after Mahatma Gandhi was the Gandhi-Irwin Road in Egmore by the British.
🙏 MS Swaminathan’s last rites
The great scientist was given his last rites by family members and colleagues in Besant Nagar.
State honours: The father of the green revolution, MS Swaminathan, was mourned by family and staffers from the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) as his mortal remains were cremated with full state honours. He was 98.
- As a tribute, a team of 10 police officers fired three rounds. After his death, he was shifted to the foundation, where dignitaries, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, paid their respects.
- Among the others who paid their respects were Kerala ministers P Prasad and K Krishnankutty, CPI General Secretary D Raja, and Congress MP Kodikunnil Suresh.
Other tributes: Elsewhere, teachers and students at the Native High School in Kumbakonam, where he studied, paid tribute with a condolence meeting.
🌊 Studying pipelines
The metro water has appointed a consultant to survey existing water and sewer pipelines.
What’s it about? The consultant will study decades-old sewer and water pipelines in the core Greater Chennai Corporation area. The goal is to find out their effectiveness with the project report by December and the next steps to improve them to follow.
- The designated area has 4,149 km of sewer lines and 5,600 km of water pipelines. Daily, officials get hundreds of complaints of leaks and overflows. This can result in water overflowing onto roads.
- Stormwater drain and metro work have damaged several lines. The waterboard has also mapped the underground infrastructure, like sewage pumping stations to identify and monitor leaks in real time.
Cave-ins: Last week, Dr Nair Road in T Nagar caved in due to a sewage pipe leak. Roads in Adyar and Nanganallur have also caved in in the past month for the same reason.
🚍 Insurance for MTC buses
A new report highlighted the MTC’s failure to maintain an insurance policy for its fleet.
What’s it about? The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) hasn’t taken any policy on its buses or maintained sufficient money in the insurance fund as mandated by a 1971 government order. The report also highlighted other shortcomings in the MTC’s administration.
- Per the report, liabilities should be estimated and provisions made at the end of the year. However, earmarked investments weren’t made toward the insurance fund. During the year, ₹33.93 crore was provided for liability.
- As of March 31, 2023, the total provision towards liability outstanding was ₹93.03 crore compared to ₹96.21 crore for 2021-22. Section 146 of the 1988 Motor Vehicles Act stipulates a fund should be maintained per the Act’s rules.
Other findings: The report also said the MTC has accumulated losses of ₹14,229.73 crore. It stated that the MTC’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets by ₹3,845 crore.
⚕️ Apollo milestone
The Apollo Group celebrated 30 years of its Cancer Centre in Chennai.
What’s it about? The Apollo Cancer Centre (ACC) in the city celebrated its 30th year with the centre felicitating staff and nurses for their service and support over the past three decades.
- To mark the occasion, a film chronicling the transformative 30-year journey of ACC was unveiled in how it redefined cancer care. Dr Prathap C Reddy spoke about the centre’s lead in embracing state-of-the-art technology in cancer treatments.
- Addressing the attendees, Dr Preetha Reddy said the ACC’s legacy is forged by an unyielding pursuit of excellence in the battle against cancer.
Vision: The vision of the ACC when it began was to create a world-class cancer centre, and it has now become a beacon of cancer treatment and care in India.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you ever been in an hours-long traffic jam in the city?
- I have been in an hours-long traffic jam in the city.
- I haven’t been in an hours-long traffic jam in the city.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which part of the city do you think has the worst traffic?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- For World Coffee Day, here are some of the city’s best places to get coffee.
- The third desalination plant at Nemmeli will be ready by mid-November.
- Area Sabha meetings haven’t gained momentum since only a third of councillors conducted meetings.
- Over 300 dengue cases were recorded in the city this year as cases increased due to incessant rains.
- First-hand experiences of some senior citizens in the city.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!