Good morning, Chennai! As the year wraps up, we’re taking a brief break to rejuvenate and return with renewed energy. Your ongoing support in our journey to explore all things local means the world to us. TLB Chennai will be back on Monday, January 8, 2023. Until then, stay safe and enjoy your holidays!
☁️ Today’s weather: More cloudy weather ahead.
🧐 Did you know? In 1979, the ruling DMK government ordered the caste suffixes removed from street names. GN Chetty Road became GN Road, and Mudali was dropped from VS Mudali Street. They were later restored.
🏅 Honour for Chennai Central
The Chennai Central railway station was honoured as an Eat Right Station.
What’s it about? The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) awarded Chennai Central with an Eat Right Station certificate. The honour was given to six stations and an office of the Southern Railway.
- The Eat Right Station initiative aims to ensure all food vendors at the stations, including cafes, restaurants, and food courts, follow best practices while preparing and serving food.
- Food vendors who want to get the certification must undergo a training process through an FSSAI programme. This is followed by a third-party audit with a predefined checklist.
Other recipients: Apart from Chennai Central, the other recipients were the Tiruchchirappalli, Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur, Thrissur, and Kumbakonam stations. The Tiruchchirappalli Zonal Training Institute also received the honour.
🌊 Tough questions for the government
The NGT has demanded the state government provide information on its mitigation efforts after the 2015 floods.
What’s it about? In the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the state government to submit information on its flood mitigation schemes since the 2015 floods. While extreme weather is one reason, on-the-ground shortcomings contributed to the worsening situation.
- The Tribunal acknowledged that the government spent money over the years on mitigation efforts for Chennai. It also noted that the damage to natural resources continued with shrinking waterbodies and damage to floodplains and rivers.
- The Tribunal wanted to know the state of the city’s and neighbouring districts’ waterbodies. Focussing on encroachments, the Tribunal asked whether any plan is in place to remove them.
Other details sought: The Tribunal wanted to know the extent of water shortage capacity and how much water was lost due to waterbodies shrinking. It also wanted to know the status of pending projects to enhance storage capacities.
🌃 Holistic growth of the city
The CMDA will create self-sustaining and holistic neighbourhoods for the city’s expansion.
What’s it about? As the Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) expands from 1,189 to 5,904 square km, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will develop holistic and self-sustaining neighbourhoods. A survey will be conducted to build new localities with better living conditions.
- A tender was floated last week for a “Sustainable Economic Growth Strategic Plan in Chennai Metropolitan Area”. The plan is to include urban planning and economics experts to identify potential new locations for real estate and industries.
- The study will also identify spaces for recreational and leisure activities and open spaces. There’s also a focus on transit-oriented corridors interlinking the CMA areas.
Decongesting the core areas: Some sectors in the core areas can be made more efficient by shifting them to other locations. These include the automobile mechanic hub in Pudupet and the electronics hub in Ritchie Street.
📚 Book Fair coming up
The 47th Chennai Book Fair will be inaugurated next year.
What’s it about? Chief Minister MK Stalin will inaugurate the 47th edition of the Chennai Book Fair on January 3. The fair will be on till January 21.
- The fair usually features about 800 stalls. This year, that’s expected to increase. The Book Sellers and Publishers Association of South India said they’ve received more applications from publishers.
- This year’s event will have special stalls for kids. The organisers have also invited schools and colleges to visit the fair.
Permanent stalls and future plans: The organisers expect Stalin to allot spaces for permanent stalls. This year, they’ve organised 38 fairs across the state. There’s also going to be an international book fair at the Chennai Trade Centre from January 16 to 18.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Carnatic music enthusiasts can catch Sanjay Subrahmanyan live this Sunday.
- The Kalavaahini Trust presents the Dance for Dance Festival 2023 this weekend.
- Take the family aboard the Polar Express Brunch this weekend.
- Take in Roots, a contemporary Bharatanatyam performance, is scheduled on Sunday.
- Enjoy a live performance with a Musical Evening with Karthik Raja this Saturday.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I have travelled on Chennai’s suburban trains: 62.5% 🏆
- I haven’t travelled on Chennai’s suburban trains: 37.5%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What New Year’s resolution would you set for next year?
Suchi: “Allot time for meditation every day.”
That’s it for today. Happy holidays!