Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: Cloudy weather for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The history of the Chennai Zoo goes back to 1855. The idea was mooted by Dr Edward Belford, the director of the Government Central Museum. He convinced the Nawab of the Carnatic to donate his entire animal collection.
🚍 New Broadway bus terminus
The Broadway bus terminus will be redeveloped with modern and multimodal facilities.
What’s it about? The new bus terminus will come up in a couple of years with a new ₹500-crore multimodal complex, including a seven-storey building with a passenger terminal. The project is being done by the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL).
- The new facility will be spread over 10 lakh square feet. It’ll have an air-conditioned lounge with a view, shopping and dining options, and an easy way for passengers to switch between suburban trains, buses and the metro.
- The bus operation within the terminus will be operated through an IT system. Passengers will have multiple footover bridges to enter and exit the terminus to nearby areas on NSC Bose Road, Esplanade Road, and the High Court metro station.
Necessary project: The terminus currently operates over 650 buses daily and doesn’t have basic facilities like well-maintained toilets, a seating area, bus shelters, etc. There’s also no public information system for passengers.
🚉 Chromepet station becomes inaccessible
The Chrompet railway station has become inaccessible with obstructed entry points and platforms.
What’s it about? For elderly and differently-abled passengers, the Chromepet railway station fails the accessibility test. The entry point is obstructed by debris, and people often have to traverse the tracks to reach platforms. It’s part of a broader problem where many of the city’s stations aren’t disabled-friendly.
- The ramp near the footover bridge to the booking office was taken over by vendors. The lift and escalators aren’t working. Many can’t use the bridge since they can’t climb the stairs.
- For pedestrians with mobility issues, the surfaces surrounding the station are uneven. While commuters demand better facilities, officials say there’s no money since the Southern Railway hasn’t sanctioned a redevelopment project.
No one to help: The RailMadad app used to post complaints is of no use since many people don’t know how to use it. If concerns are raised in the app, there’s no follow-up.
🚮 No bulk waste collectors
Most bulk waste collectors haven’t turned up after the cyclone, leaving garbage to be dumped on the road.
What’s it about? Most of the 1,500 bulk waste collectors who handle solid waste haven’t turned up to work. Hence, gated communities and hotels have dumped their garbage on the roads and in Chennai Corporation bins.
- Almost 20% of the over 1 lakh tonnes of waste collected is bulk waste. It’s usually handled by private contractors and processed in their own plants. Close to 1,000 tonnes are dumped on the roadside and bins in 15 zones.
- The rules state that any building above 5,000 square feet or generating 100 kg of waste should use a private agency. They charge ₹100 per kg for households and ₹5 for commercial entities.
Waste generated: The core areas of the city contributed to over 50% of the waste generated. Teynampet zone generated 11,302 tonnes, followed by 10,356 in Adyar, 10,318 in Anna Nagar, and 10,258 in Kodambakkam.
🖥️ Project Madras game
A city-based game studio has developed an open-world game based in Chennai.
What’s it about? Project Madras is inspired by games like Grand Theft Auto and Hitman and infused with Tamil cinema. In an initial gameplay trailer, one of the locations showcased is the iconic Marina Beach.
- The game is being developed on Unreal Engine and has over 300 characters using the Metahumans technology from Unreal. The trailer also shows the character driving an auto.
- An action sequence shows a gangster-style shootout in a semi-urban setting. The buildings are semi-populated and accessible, where a player can enter, interact, and carry out objectives.
Desi push: The developers, a small team, hope to push the boundaries of what’s possible in India. While the game doesn’t have a release date yet, it will launch on PC first and later on consoles.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Have you travelled on Chennai’s suburban trains?
- I have travelled on Chennai’s suburban trains.
- I haven’t travelled on Chennai’s suburban trains.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What New Year’s resolution would you set for next year?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Ford has cancelled a potential deal with the JSW Group for its Chennai plant.
- Metro commuters are unhappy that some stations close their parking lots early.
- Bala Devi Chandrashekar will present her Bharatanatyam performance to pay homage to Mother Nature.
- The Chennai Corporation has begun work to repair potholes in 4,000 roads.
- Resettled slum dwellers from across the city faced the brunt of Cyclone Michaung.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I do plan to travel abroad next year: 37.5%
- I don’t plan to travel abroad next year: 62.5% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s the easiest New Year’s resolution to keep?
Suchi: “To exercise every day.”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!