Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny and humid for the day.
🧐 Did you know? Poes Garden was named after a 19th-century Englishman named Mr Poe, according to an 1837 map of his property. He owned the entire locality. It was later sold to shipping company Binny and Co. in 1921 and divided among its directors.
🚌 Private bus fares increase
Private bus operators have increased fares to cash in on the wedding season.
What’s it about? It’s been a good couple of days for private bus operators thanks to back-to-back days considered auspicious for weddings. They’ve charged double the normal fares. It was chaos at the Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus (CMBT) as passengers had to wait at least two hours for a bus.
- With trains fully booked, people had to rely on buses to travel to places like Madurai and Coimbatore. A one-way ticket on an AC sleeper bus from Chennai was ₹2,500.
- Transport officials said 2,100 routine services operate, plus another 300 buses by the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC). Most of these were non-A/C. Among the private buses, 90% of the seats were reserved online.
Taxi operators cash in: Taking advantage of the situation, taxis and vans that came to Chennai to drop off passengers offered shared rides to those waiting at Perungalathur. They charged ₹1,000-1,500 per person.
👮 Mental health care for police
A programme was organised aimed at helping police personnel with their mental health to reduce substance abuse and addiction.
What’s it about? A programme called “Magilchi” was launched last June to engage Chennai police personnel with their mental health and help them tackle issues like addiction and alcoholism. For many, this has worked wonders as they continue to receive counselling as they perform their duties.
- The personnel is screened for suicidal tendencies, alcohol, and substance addiction, chronic illnesses, etc. The therapist forwards the details to the consultant psychiatrist. Once treatment is done, there are regular clinical follow-ups.
- The 21-day programme includes 10 days of detoxification with counselling. There’s also counselling for family members for 10 days at a centre in Velachery.
Results: So far, 1,781 people have benefitted. Among those have been men and women who’ve struggled with depression and addiction. While some people were initially hesitant to attend the programme, seeing the results changed their minds.
🏖️ Revitalising the shoreline
Officials took stock of the new project to revamp the city’s shoreline.
What’s it about? The state government kickstarted the Chennai Shoreline Renourishment and Revitalization Project with its first board meeting of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to implement the project. Officials discussed the detailed project report (DPR), among other things.
- The ₹100 crore project will revitalise the city’s shoreline between Marina and Kovalam. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) decided to extend it to Ennore Creek to cover 51 km in total.
- The shoreline between Marina and Santhome will have an entertainment theme; between Besant Nagar and Tiruvanmiyur, it’s health and lifestyle; and between Neelankarai and Olive Beach, it’s an environmental theme.
Facilities planned: The CMDA will create a 5 km cycle track between Neelankarai and Akkari. There’ll also be a 3 km beachfront development project at Tiruvottiyur.
🧑🏫 New Centres of Excellence
IIT Madras launched 15 centres of excellence for research and next-generation technologies.
What’s it about? As part of its Institute of Excellence (IoE) scheme, IIT Madras launched 15 centres of excellence for cutting-edge research and new-age technologies.
- Among the centres are a quantum centre for diamond and emergent materials, a centre of excellence in radio frequency, analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits, and a centre for cancer genomics and molecular therapeutics.
- The goal is to develop startups from these centres and collaborate with the industry. Some of the IoE funding has been invested in research. The first set of research grants produced 68 funded projects.
What’s the IoE scheme? The IoE scheme was launched by the Indian government to equip higher educational institutions to become world-class research institutions.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Uncalled Knacks presents a Musical evening with an exclusive open mic for musicians this Saturday.
- Illa Ennaku Puriyala is a Tanglish play about a dysfunctional family happening this Sunday.
- Ra Ra is TOM Mediaas’ latest horror comedy play happening this Sunday.
- A Summer Soiree from Glitterati Popup showcases fashion, lifestyle, and food this Sunday.
- Kommune is back with an open mic for stories and music this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I prefer a dosa for breakfast: 66.7% 🏆
- I prefer idlis for breakfast: 33.3%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your preferred movie theatre in the city?
Chitra: “PVR in VR Mall”
Kalaiarasi: “PVR cinemas”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!