Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 32 ℃ | Low: 21 ℃ | A foggy morning with a sunny day ahead.
🧐 Did you know? The original Kapaleshwar Temple complex was destroyed during the Portuguese invasion. The Santhome Church was built in its place.
👮 Enhancing citizen safety
The city police launched new mobile apps to handle the grievances of citizens.
What’s it about? Since Chennai has a relatively higher number of senior citizens than other Indian cities, the Chennai Police launched mobile applications for their safety and security. The Police also launched apps to catch burglars and to track down stolen vehicles.
- Details of elder citizens whose kids stay abroad or elsewhere or who don’t have kids will be collected. They’ll be monitored by the police to help them during emergencies.
- The Parundhu app is a 24-hour monitoring system that can alert senior officers when an accused is arrested. The Integrated Vehicle Monitoring System (IVMS) aims to trace and seize stolen vehicles.
Other apps: The Nivaranam app will help coordinate and monitor complaints submitted by the public. It also allows police officers to expedite action on delayed complaints.
⚡ Green Hydrogen partnership
IIT Madras and CPCL have joined hands to develop green hydrogen.
What’s it about? IIT Madras and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) have signed an agreement for green hydrogen production. IIT will develop electrolyzers, and green hydrogen will be tested in CPCL’s refinery.
- CPCL will offer the utilities needed for production. Several industries will be a part of this initiative. IIT Madras could also use green hydrogen for testing in the mobility sector.
- CPCL is also setting up a new refinery and petrochemical complex in Nagapattinam.
New facility details: The project has been approved by the company’s board. The district administration has also handed over 612 acres of land to CPCL.
🚇 QR metro tickets
The Chennai Metro has introduced a new system for WhatsApp QR tickets at station counters.
What’s it about? The Chennai Metro, as part of its green and digital initiatives, introduced a new ticketing feature at counters for WhatsApp QR tickets. The system was initially introduced at the Airport and Koyambedu stations and is now at all 41 stations.
- Passengers can enter their mobile numbers at the counter, and the ticket is delivered directly through WhatsApp. The numbers aren’t stored in the system to ensure privacy.
- The initiative was deemed successful at the Airport and Koyambedu stations following positive responses from passengers.
Ticketing evolution: The Chennai Metro previously introduced ticketing through QR codes through third-party platforms like Paytm, PhonePe, and WhatsApp.
🛕 Heritage tours
Several organisations are organising heritage tours for the Chennai 2056 Quarterly Cultural Festival.
What’s it about? The organisations involved include the Chennai 2000+ Trust, the Southern Indian Chamber of Commerce, and the Chennai Nirubargal Sangam. The first part of the tour will be on January 26, and the second will be on February 11 and 18.
- January 26 will be a one-day tour called ‘A Journey with Vandhiya Devan – 1’. The tour of the Ponniyin Selvan will explore Vandhiya Devan’s lineage and career.
- There’ll also be a tour from Brammadesam to Tiruvallam. It’ll include a study of inscriptions relating to Vandhiya Devan and Chola kings.
Musical experience: Tourists will have the opportunity to take in 7th-century devaram music at the Paadal Petra Sthalam temple.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Dramatised real-life stories come to life in 478402 – Rising From The Embers, this weekend.
- Anime enthusiasts will gather at the Ani X Con Anime Convention this weekend.
- Experience human stories at the human library event Living Stories this Sunday.
- Flex your music muscles with this African Drumming & Dance Workshop this Sunday.
- Attend an evening of comedy with the Kanan Gill Experience this Sunday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I prefer reading while travelling: 10.0%
- I prefer listening to music while travelling: 90.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Who do you think is India’s greatest sportsperson?
Suchi: “M.S.Dhoni”
Kavi: “Sachin, Vishwanathan Anand”
Shiva: “Virat Kohli (Unlike his predecessor, he is being used to promote the sport he plays, which is unheard of)”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!