Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Clear skies and sunny weather for the day.
🧐 Did you know? Moore market was opened in 1900 and had products ranging from groceries to books to vinyl records. It was the brainchild of Sir George Moore, the President of the Corporation of Madras in the 1890s. He wanted the market to be a home for hawkers and replace the old market off-Broadway.
🚇 Linking metro stations and IT parks
All major IT parks in the city will be linked to their nearest metro station.
What’s it about? Thanks to feeder services providing last-mile connectivity, all major IT parks in the city will be connected to the nearest metro station. These services will pick up employees from the station and drop them at the IT park premises for a fee.
- The Chennai Metro wants to link all IT parks similarly to the phase 1 stations. It’s because 45% of the daily footfalls are IT and private company employees.
- The most recent route launched was for those travelling to DLF Cybercity in Porur from the Alandur station. The timings are from 6 am to 10 pm, with the fare fixed at ₹40 per ride.
Future plans: The Metro is currently discussing with other IT parks in OMR and Ambattur. They’re waiting to see if the DLF service is successful. There are plans to launch similar services to colleges and educational institutions since 30% of average footfalls are students. They’ve already approached Gurunanak College and others.
🤒 Fever and respiratory illness among kids
There’s an unusual increase in fever and respiratory illnesses among children, keeping doctors busy.
What’s happening? In the colder months of December and January, it’s common for kids to fall sick with fever and respiratory illnesses. Cases usually decrease in February, but it hasn’t this time. There’s also concern about the increasing number of typhoid cases. Hospitals continue to see children with fevers, colds, and sore throats.
- Usually, typhoid cases spike between May and June and subside by September. Last year, during this timeframe, there weren’t many typhoid cases.
- Even after being discharged, some patients return, asking for antibiotics. Children are exposed to the virus by the time they turn 2. Due to the pandemic restrictions, their immunity has been lowered.
Who said what? Dr Bala Ramachandran from the Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital said they’re as busy as they were in December. There are usually fewer cases after Pongal until April-May. Dr Deepa Hariharan of Sooriya hospitals said it’s hazardous for younger kids who take longer to recover from illnesses.
🚰 Alternative plan for desalination plants
Retired engineers have come up with a sustainable alternative for desalination plants.
What’s it about? The Tamil Nadu Public Works Department (PWD) Seniors Engineers’ Association has an alternative plan to increase the storage capacity of existing tanks. It could be cost-effective for setting up desalination plants. The Association, a group of retired engineers, has chosen 507 tanks in 322 villages.
- Desilting and improving the capacity of the tanks will help conserve floodwater draining into the sea. Additional storage can be created by deepening reservoirs like Red Hills by one metre.
- Enhanced storage will replenish the water table in surrounding areas. The entire plan could be implemented for ₹1,000 crore.
Who said what? A former chief engineer of the Association, A Veerappan, said this method would be cheaper than building new facilities like the ₹5,000 crore desalination plant in Porur along ECR. K Nagarajan, a former special chief engineer, said the production cost of desalinated water would be 10 paise per litre, while the cost of treating surface water would be 1 paise.
🏖️ Chennai’s beach audit
A Corporation survey has revealed Elliot’s beach to be the cleanest in the city.
What’s it about? Per the Corporation’s analysis, Elliot’s beach in Besant Nagar has been ranked as the cleanest beach in Chennai. Marina beach came in second, and Neelangarai was ranked last. Other beaches on the list were Thiruvanmiyur in third place, Palavakkam, and Akkarai following suit.
- The audit was done based on parameters like the percentage of shops with two bins, garbage and waste collection near the beaches, and the cleanliness of the public toilets.
- The two-bin system was mandated for shops to segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. All 336 shops at the Besant Nagar beach had two bins. There were also mass cleaning drives organised every fortnight.
Who said what? One Corporation official said the survey was done by independent engineers on behalf of the Corporation. Sekaran K, a beach vendor, said the Marina beach is regularly cleaned, but people continue to litter, especially on the weekends.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer to buy books or borrow them from a library?
- I prefer to buy and own books I want to read.
- I prefer to borrow books from a library.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite Indian street food?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Chennai Police will add 200 more number plate recognition cameras to help curb traffic violations.
- IIT Madras will develop training modules for India’s first human space flight.
- Chennai Metro’s ridership increased after they increased the frequency on a trial basis in both corridors.
- The World University Service Centre at Madras University is struggling to survive after 50 years with little financial support.
- The HLL Biotech vaccine complex in Chengalpattu remains non-functional due to a lack of funds.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I prefer to consume news on TV: 25.0%
- I prefer to consume news online: 75.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your go-to news site for a morning read?
Giri: “Moneycontrol”
Cynthya: “The Hindu”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!