Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: Sunny skies with some cloud cover and pleasant temperatures.
🧐 Did you know? The Tudor Ice Company, established in 1826, was the first to commercialise the ice trade in Madras. The company’s monopoly ended in the late 19th and early 20th century with competitors.
🚄 Indigenous hyperloop
Engineers at IIT Madras and a startup have teamed up to build India’s first cargo hyperloop system.
What’s it about? A team of engineers has been working on a hyperloop project called Avishkhar at IIT Madras since 2018. They’ve also participated in several international competitions. Working with startup TuTr Hyperloop, it’ll go through the development stages for commercialisation. It’s seen as an option for sustainable transportation in the future.
- The target speed range for the cargo version is 100-250 kmph. For the inner-city passenger version, it’s 600 kmph and above. A lab-level advanced version was unveiled and demonstrated recently.
- The pod project has a 4 kWh battery pack. The levitation system has a lift-weight ratio of 8. The project has got support from companies like Daimler, Hexaware, and Swagelook.
Who said what? Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, an advisor to the project, said by the end of the current academic year, they should have a basic full stack of hyperloop ready. Hari Krishna from TuTr Hyperloop said the manufacturing is being done in-house, and they have a patent. Aravind Bharadwaj, the company’s founder, said the current goal is to collect as much data as possible.
🎫 Automatic ticket vending machines
Railway stations in the Chennai division will soon have automatic ticket vending machines.
Story so far: The Southern Railway has already introduced ticket vending machines and the UTS app. However, the machines in some stations are defective. The machines and app were introduced to simplify ticket booking. In some stations with ticket counters on only one side, it was economical to set up the machines instead of building new counters.
- The Chennai division of the railways will install 130 machines. 34 have already been installed in 19 stations. Residents from places like Nehru Nagar, SBI Colony, and Teachers Colony wanted ticket counters on the east side of the Meenambakkam station.
- Officegoers and others have begun using the Meenambakkam station thanks to the subway providing easy access to GST Road. Some senior citizens, however, find it difficult to access the counter on the GST Road side.
Having a say: Social activist Venkatesan said residents sometimes preferred taking the train at Pazhavanthangal railway station a decade ago. Local cadre of the CPI(M) made a representation on the matter, and local MLAs arranged for the installation of machines on the east side of the Meenambakkam station.
🐕 Barking protest
Chromepet and Pallavaram residents staged a barking protest on the stray dog menace.
What’s it about? At the zonal office of the Tambaram Municipal Corporation, residents staged a protest alleging nothing has been done to control the stray dog menace. The officials were not at the office at the time of the protest, so they kept their petition under the national flag.
- Recently, a class 11 student from Chrompet was on her way home from tuition with her sister. She fell from her vehicle attempting to escape stray dogs and sustained injuries.
- The residents have complained that the stray dog menace in places like Chrompet, Tambaram, Pallavaram, Hastinapuram, and Selaiyur has been causing trouble for residents, especially kids.
Who said what? Activist V Santhanam of the People’s Awareness Association, who joined the protest, said the dog population has increased in recent years, and local authorities have done nothing to control it. He said at least 50 people were admitted to the Chromepet Government Hospital for dog bites and noted that the corporation doesn’t have the necessary infrastructure.
🛺 More autos and no fare regulation
As the number of autos in the city has increased, there has been no regulation on fares, affecting residents.
What’s it about? When the pandemic set in, many auto drivers were unemployed, and some took up other jobs. More than two years later, there were more than 8,300 new autos in the city last year. The number of autos in the city has crossed 1 lakh. This hasn’t resulted in a decrease in fares due to no regulatory mechanism.
- Auto drivers charge exorbitant fares and often make ₹2,000 a day. Many politicians, the police, and civic officials have rented their own autos to drivers for a second source of income.
- The arrival of cab aggregators like Ola and Uber was perceived as a threat to autos. Then, some auto drivers began working with these companies and soon demanded a cut above the actual fare.
Who said what? Transportation activist S Kamal said commuters are at the mercy of drivers since no one uses the metre. S Balasubramanian from the CITU auto drivers’ union suggested the government have a dynamic pricing system like in Kerala and launch its own app to register all drivers.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Are you interested in the stories of the Mahabharata or Ramayana?
- Yes, I’m interested in the stories of the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
- No, I’m not interested in the stories of the Mahabharata and Ramayana.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What special skill would you like to learn?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- A CPCB report stated that the Cooum is the most polluted river in the country.
- The Corporation and CMDA will soon begin using the same planning approval software.
- E-toilets in the city have been out of order in various parts due to a lack of maintenance.
- The Arumbakkam Police help trace elderly people thanks to a bangle with the phone number of a relative inscribed on it.
- Ban on public smoking ban has done little to stop the menace.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I prefer/trust allopathy medicines: 75.0% 🏆
- I prefer/trust homoeopathy medicines: 25.0%
That’s it for today. Have a great day!