Good morning, Chennai!
🌦️ Today’s weather: Cloudy skies with the possibility of some rain.
🧐 Did you know? The Cancer Institute in Chennai was the first in India to introduce super voltaic radiation treatments and early detection and screening programmes.
🧾 Green tax payments
Over 21,000 vehicles in the city failed to pay green taxes.
What’s it about? Three Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in the city didn’t collect green taxes from 21,250 old vehicles while renewing their registration certificates. The green tax is levied to discourage people from using old vehicles.
- Commercial vehicles like taxis and autos that are at least seven years old should pay ₹200-500 annually as a green tax. 15-year-old two-wheeler and car owners should pay ₹500-1,000 every five years.
- At the Ayanavaram, Thiruvanmiyur, and Anna Nagar RTOs, certificates were renewed without the mandated green tax being collected.
Government audit: The audit showed the state transport department collected green taxes worth ₹4.9 lakh and assured the remaining amount would be collected. The revenue loss amounted to ₹1.3 crore in 2020-21.
🛵 Bike taxis – boon or bane?
While bike taxis are favourable to commuters, auto drivers are unhappy as it results in poor business.
What’s it about? Bike taxis have become the bane of some auto drivers’ existence, and they want them banned. This might upset some regular commuters for whom it’s convenient and affordable. However, there’s a lack of clarity on their registration, leading to confusion on whether they can operate legally.
- Instead of hassling with auto drivers, exorbitant cab fares, and their unreliability, bike taxis are cheaper and more reliable. They’re also available for short distances and make navigating traffic easier.
- For auto drivers, it’s another alternative that takes away their business. For bike taxi drivers, it’s a way to earn extra income. Auto drivers who aren’t part of app-based aggregators blame bike taxis for poor patronage.
License and registration: Bike taxi drivers said they’re ok with a yellow board licensing system if it’s regulated. In Madurai, for example, several bike taxis were seized after the service was banned. For companies like Rapido, it’s a blow to their business. There still aren’t regulations in place for bike taxis.
🧒🏻Training youngsters to solve civic issues
Reap Benefit aims to train youngsters to get engaged and help tackle civic issues.
What’s it about? Over the past four years, Reap Benefit has worked with 10,000 students in Chennai to create a civic problem-solving network. Through several programmes, they were taught the importance of local stakeholders in civic problem-solving and how technology can help.
- Engaging youngsters in civic issues helps bring a different approach to the problem. It can create a desire among them to be part of their communities and help solve problems.
- With Reap Benefit and other initiatives, Chennai’s youngsters are well-equipped to engage in civic issues when given the opportunity. Their willingness to work with the local government has increased.
Impact: In T Nagar, Rajiv Krishna got potholes fixed. He worked with his neighbours and crowdsourced information on pothole complaints and lodged a complaint with the Corporation’s 1913 helpline. A WhatsApp chatbot developed by Reap Benefit came in handy during the 2019 flooding to mark waterlogged areas.
⚕️ Tomotherapy facility launched
A tomotherapy facility was inaugurated at the Apollo Proton Cancer Centre.
What’s it about? The Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) at Taramani now has a tomotherapy facility to help offer better treatment to cancer patients. Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi spoke of the hospital’s rich history of treating cancer patients at the new facility’s inauguration.
- Tomotherapy is an integral part of cancer treatment and represents a big leap forward in radiation technology. This type of radiation helps in mitigating the side effects for patients.
Advantages: Thanks to the new technology, the hospital will now be able to offer high-level precision and accurate radiation therapy, which was previously thought to be impossible.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer Ola or Uber?
- I prefer using Ola.
- I prefer using Uber.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite South Indian breakfast item?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- General Patters Road was closed to vehicles after rains left most parts inundated.
- Chennai Metro has barred people from carrying bicycles on the trains.
- SRM University and NIFTEM will organise a two-day National Millet Summit 2023 on May 6 and 7.
- Parvathy Institute of Cardiac Sciences (PICS) was launched to provide cardiac care for the city’s patients.
- TVS Emerald and Columbia Pacific will develop a senior living residential project in Chennai.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I attended a Chennayin FC football match: 14.3%
- I haven’t attended a Chennayin FC football match: 85.7% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What part of the city do you think needs more development?
Chitra: “Most of the roads and platforms.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!