Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: Mostly clear with some cloud cover.
🧐 Did you know? Chennai once had a non-profit eatery called the Annapurna Cafeteria. The success of the first outlet in Delhi led to the first outlet in the city being opened in 1954. Poor finances led to its demise, with the sole survivor in Port Blair.
🚰 IT corridor’s water needs
The new Nemmeli desalination plant won’t be enough to meet the needs of the IT corridor.
What’s it about? The Nemmeli plant, expected to be operational in June, will supply water to more than 9 lakh residents who come under the Greater Chennai and Tambaram Corporations. However, it won’t cover the IT corridor on OMR. When the Nemmeli plant was proposed, it initially covered parts of Sholinganallur and Perungudi.
- The areas left out, from Semmencherry to Siruseri, will get piped water when the 400 mld Perur plant is ready by 2026. Only 15 mld has been allocated for the IT sector and industries.
- The distribution from the Nemmeli plant will be based on demand. The network of the older plant via Velachery and the new one, through Medavakkam, have been interconnected.
Who said what? Harsha Koda of the OMR Residents Association noted that six years ago, Metro Water assured residents of water supply from the new plant but now were told to wait for the 400 mld plant. V Parthiban of the Sholinganallur Residents Welfare Association said the groundwater quality in their locality is poor, and metro water is needed.
👮 New gadgets for cops
The Chennai Police got new equipment for traffic management.
What’s it about? The Chennai Police got four new gadgets for traffic management worth ₹4.21 crores. They got six speed display boards, 45 variable message system (VMS) boards, 139 traffic police umbrellas, and 170 remote-controlled traffic signals.
- The display boards are at Anna Salai, Kamarajar Salai, EVR Salai, ECR, 100 Feet road, and OMR to help commuters stay within the speed limit. The VMS boards are at 45 locations.
- The remote-controlled traffic signals were inaugurated at 179 junctions. They’ll help the police move around the signal and discipline riders who don’t obey traffic lights.
👨🏻🏭 Fuji’s new factory
Fuji Electric India inaugurated its new environment-friendly factory in Chennai.
What’s it about? The industrial automation and energy-efficient solutions major inaugurated its environment-friendly factory in the city. The company in India is a leading supplier of drives and automation products for domestic and foreign markets.
- Some of the factory’s equipment was imported from Japan to match the manufacturing process. The ₹150 crore factory is projected to produce 3,500 drives a month in a single shift.
- The factory can currently make products that range from 0.4 kw to 75 kw. There are plans to scale this up to 750 kw and become a ₹1,500 crore entity by next year.
Reasons for expansion: CEO Shivaji Waghmare said the company’s first priority is to invest in the latest manufacturing technology in close partnership with the parent company in Japan. He said the company needs to increase capacity to meet market requirements and consumer demands.
🏢 Roadtrip lounges
A Chennai startup’s road lounges give travellers access to workstations.
What’s it about? Chennai-based tech startup DozPass Technologies has an app where travellers get membership-driven access to railway and airport lounges. It recently opened its own lounge on the Chennai-Salem highway at Tindivannam. The idea is to help reduce hassle on long road trips.
- Spread over 1,800 sq feet, the lounge has clean toilets, a food and coffee section, and a mother’s room facility. For those who need to catch up on work, there are soundproof spaces for calls and separate workstations.
- The company currently has two memberships. One is free and valid for three months. The other costs ₹999 giving users 150 hours of access.
Future plans: The company wants to open similar lounges in other parts of the country. Plans are afoot for the Coimbatore-Salem highway, between Madurai and Tirunelveli, and Tiruchi and Kumbakonam.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Wings of Love is an AR Rahman Sufi experience to support the Save Lightman Fund this Sunday.
- The February Chennai meetup is an evening of fun and socialising happening this weekend at Blind Chemistry.
- Musicians and storytellers come together for Parcham, a women-only open mic, this Saturday.
- What’s in a name? is a standup special from comedian Arun Sriram happening this Sunday.
- The ISB Coffee Table Meet is where you can meet the ISB Admission team and learn the process, happening this Sunday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I have worked a night shift: 28.6%
- I haven’t worked a night shift: 71.4% 🏆
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!