Good morning, Chennai!
☁️ Today’s weather: High: 35 ℃ | Low: 26 ℃ | Cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Marina Swimming pool was built in 1942 and was handed over to the Corporation in 1947.
🏏 CSK’s interest in the Hundred franchise
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are battling it out with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the Hundred franchise Manchester Originals.
What’s it about? IPL champions KKR and CSK are in the running to buy the Hundred franchise Manchester Originals. Despite claims about the sales process, there’s interest from India in the league.
- The Originals are unique among the eight franchises in The Hundreds. They have only one county stakeholder, Lancashire. This could make the sales process straightforward.
- Lancashire chief executive Daniel Gidney has been vocal about wanting to work with an IPL franchise to help the league and franchise grow.
Criticism: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi criticised the auction process as a Ponzi scheme and called The Hundred a “struggling non-starter league”.
🏥 AI for kidney transplants
Researchers in the UK and Chennai’s Mohan Foundation developed an application to use AI for kidney transplants.
What’s it about? UK-based University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, through collaborations with international organisations, including Chennai-based Mohan Foundation developed an open-source web application that uses AI to identify the right kidney transplant recipient.
- The OrganPredict application uses AI to determine how long a transplanted kidney can survive in a recipient. There are now two AI-based algorithms using transplant databases from the UK and US.
- The model can also be used in national allocation schemes for the paired kidney exchange programmes where incompatible donor-recipient pairs swap kidneys for a successful transplant.
What’s next? The application has generated interest in many countries. Four papers have already been published in medical journals. The hope is that governments will incorporate the algorithm into their allocation process.
🚇 Single tapping at metro stations
The Chennai metro is exploring the idea of a single tapping system to help manage large crowds during certain events.
What’s it about? The Chennai metro struggled to handle the large crowds that travelled to and from Marina Beach for the air show. In fact, 40-50% of passengers on Sunday for the Air show were first-time travellers. To help manage things better in the future for certain events, officials are considering a single tapping system of fare collection.
- Apart from additional Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates, a seamless system will help crowd management and passenger flow. To help with the single tapping, the metro will initiate talks with the State Bank of India (SBI).
- The system would work to make passenger entry fast at the AFC gates and be charged at the exit points. The metro will be able to track ridership and know those who haven’t tapped at the entry station.
Potential issues: The challenge is that only the closed loop travel card can be used for such a system. The National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) needs to be tapped at the entry and exit points.
📃 Digitising fines
The Chennai Corporation has digitised spot fines for solid waste management.
What’s it about? In the aftermath of the Chennai Corporation’s revision of penalties for solid waste management, the civic body has digitised spot fines. They will maintain data on the amount to help improve waste management.
- Officials previously used the bill book, and no real-time data was maintained. 500 machines will be used initially, and the configuration process is ongoing.
- The Corporation will remedy matters if there’s no door-to-door waste collection in residential areas. The civic body hopes that spot fines will encourage people to dump waste in the dedicated bins.
Penalty revision: The Corporation Council recently revised the penalty for the illegal dumping of garbage. Those who dump waste on public and private properties will pay ₹5,000. The penalty for those who burn waste at these properties is also ₹5,000.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you have a National Common Mobility Card?
- I have a National Common Mobility Card.
- I don’t have a National Common Mobility Card.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which Indian historical figure interests you the most?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- A portion of RK Salai near Mylapore caved in seven feet following a brief spell of rain.
- Rain and thunderstorms have been forecast as an early monsoon is predicted.
- The Marina Swimming Pool, now with new facilities and renovations, was inaugurated by Udhayanidhi Stalin.
- A viral post by a physiotherapist couple shows the challenges for middle-class professionals in owning a home in Chennai.
- The Samsung workers protest continued despite assurances from the company and police restrictions.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I made purchases during the recent Flipkart and Amazon sales: 60.0% 🏆
- I didn’t make purchases during the recent Flipkart and Amazon sales: 40.0%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your preferred electronics brand?
Suchi: “LG”
Nirja: “Samsung”
Rangarajan: “Samsung”
Shiva: “Sony”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!