Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Mostly sunny for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Chennai Port is the second-largest container port in India and the largest one in the Bay of Bengal.
🚢 Summit on maritime corridor
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Chennai will host the Indo-Russian Workshop on the Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) next month.
What’s it about? Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal, while addressing a gathering at Vladivostok, proposed an EMC between the port cities of Chennai and Vladivostok. This will help usher in a new era of trade relations between the two countries.
- The Russian delegation, represented by several high-ranking officials, expressed interest in visiting the Chennai port along with a business contingent.
- S Viswanathan, the deputy chairman of Chennai Port Authority, gave a presentation on the capabilities of Indian ports and spoke on the prospects of a Chennai-Vladivostok corridor.
Potential benefits: An EMC would reduce transport time between Indian and Russian Ports by about 16 days. It currently takes 40 days to transport goods from India to Far East Russia. The Chennai-Vladivostok sea route would cover 5,600 nautical miles.
🛣️ Deadline on relaying roads
The deadline of October 5 was laid out by the corporation commissioner to relay roads in some areas of the city.
What’s it about? Corporation commissioner J Radhakrishnan has given officials an October 5 deadline to complete the relaying of all damaged roads in the Mugalivakkam, Madhanandhapuram, Ramapuram, and Madipakkam areas.
- On the Madhanandhapuram-Mugalivakkam stretch, a 1,150-metre portion has been given to the highways department. The remaining portion will be relaid by October 5 as the corporation has completed applying wet mix macadam.
- In ward 156 of Mugalivakkam, 105 roads have been handed over, and the relaying of 16 roads is in progress.
Preparing for the monsoon: The commissioner wants the roads to be relaid before the onset of the northeast monsoon. Radhakrishnan recently visited the areas identified to inspect the progress and interact with residents.
📚 Leaky library
The Devaneya Pavanar library’s leaky floor has yet to be repaired threatening the books.
What’s it about? A leaky bathroom on the first floor has put nearly one lakh books at risk at the Devaneya Pavanar district central library in Anna Salai. The library, 56 years old, has been lying in neglect, with staff saying the leak for the past three months hasn’t been tended to.
- Several of the books at the library were already wet due to the water leakage. The staff had put buckets to collect the water to prevent them from forming puddles on the floor. A proposal for the library’s renovation is currently awaiting approval.
- Outlets from the first and second-floor bathrooms were blocked due to the underground construction work by the metro a few years ago. Recent rains worsened the situation.
Neglected: Despite authorities being aware of the state of the library, no repair work has been done for several years. However, the directorate of the public library was unaware of the leak.
🌧️ For those rainy days
The NGO Rain Centre helps Chennaites set up rainwater harvesting systems at their homes.
What’s it about? In 2003, the state passed a law that urged every private and public building to have rainwater harvesting systems. Since then, Rain Centre has been helping residents set up these systems at their homes by restoring open wells and digging recharge wells.
- The NGO works like a vendor and connects clients to the residents and the contractors. The team first assesses if the area needs an open or a recharge well. The latter, often 15 feet deep and 3-4 feet wide, can sustain groundwater.
- These wells help increase groundwater levels. The lack of a proper rainwater harvesting system can lead to flooding in some areas. With the monsoon approaching, residences should have proper systems with a driveway runway for rainwater to collect.
Rain Centre’s work: The NGO also works with schools, civil engineers, builders, and architects to raise awareness of rainwater harvesting systems. They recently held a workshop at the Velammal School.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you still visit libraries?
- I do visit libraries.
- I don’t visit libraries.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the oldest eatery you’ve visited?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Artificial limbs and assistive devices were distributed at a camp at the Sri Kanyaka Parameswari Arts and Science College.
- Here’s an interview with ward 136 councillor Nilavarasi Durairaj on making it a model ward.
- Cakewalk on Sterling Road gets a makeover after 33 years with Indian and International cuisine.
- The Chennai Police have informed Vinayaka Chaturthi organisers that banners and billboards aren’t permitted at worship points.
- Emergency rescue vehicles will be first deployed within Chennai, Tambaram, and Avadi police limits.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have been on a diet: 44.4%
- I haven’t been on a diet: 55.6% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate Chennai’s infrastructure?
Suchi: “3”
Shyju: “7 on 10”
Shiva: “5”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!