Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 31 ℃ | Low: 19 ℃ | A foggy and misty morning and sunny for the rest of the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Madras Zoo was first located behind the Rippon Building. It occupied one end of the 116-acre People’s Park.
🚄 High-speed rail prospects
The proposed Chennai-Bengaluru-Mysuru high-speed rail project will provide a boost for industries in both states.
What’s it about? The regions connecting the three cities are home to several industries, tech parks, and manufacturing units. The rail project will also reduce travel time from Chennai to Mysuru and Bengaluru. The current fastest train on this route is the Vande Bharat Express which takes 6 hours and 30 minutes.
- A land survey for the corridor is underway. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) will provide details on the locations of the likely 9 stations, estimated ridership, and fare structure.
- The alignment is being planned along the Chennai-Bengaluru expressway between Sriperumbudur and Hoskote. It’s also likely to be closer to Chennai’s second airport at Parandur. The high-speed corridor will have trains that can travel at 350 kmph.
Boost to industries: The project can benefit thousands, especially those who frequently travel on this route. It can connect Chennai’s automobile manufacturing hub, the technology startup hub in Bengaluru and the cultural capital of Mysuru.
👮 Kaanum Pongal preparations
The Chennai Police will deploy 15,000 personnel in and around Marina Beach for celebrations today.
What’s it about? The Chennai police have made special security arrangements for a safe Kaanum Pongal. Apart from the police personnel, an additional 1,500 Home Guards personnel will be deployed for enhanced security.
- Three mini-control rooms have been set up from the Labour Statue to the Gandhi Statue at Marina Beach. Eight ambulances, two fire tenders and mechanised boats with volunteers are also on standby.
- At Elliots Beach, there are three watchtowers with ambulances and fire tenders also. There’s also temporary fencing along the coast since the public has been barred from entering the sea.
Keeping children safe: To ensure the safety of children, ID cards will be available at police assistance booths and control rooms. These will contain their names, addresses, and mobile numbers.
🆔 Voter ID issue persists
A decade after being included in Chennai, residents in extended areas still get their voter IDs from nearby districts.
What’s it about? For people living in Sholinganallur and Maduravoyal, their voter ID cards still mention districts as Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur. However, other ID cards like Aadhaar mention Chennai.
- Changing the name and address requires them to check the neighbouring district list online. Since many aren’t aware of this, they end up going from one camp to another.
- Even after the names and addresses are changed at the special camps, the district names continue to remain the same.
Other issues: Similar glitches were previously reported for driving licences for some motorists in the western suburbs and Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR). This happened when a new Regional Transport Office (RTO) was opened in Ambattur and Sholinganallur.
📚 Children’s books are popular
Organisers of the Chennai Book Fair say the popularity of children’s books is higher than other titles.
What’s it about? Organisers of the Book Fair say the highest number of sales are of children’s and history books. This was mainly due to more children attending this year’s edition accompanied by their parents.
- Of the 900 stalls, over 500 have books for kids in Tamil and English. These include activities and drawing books. For those wanting to learn Tamil, there are charts and books on Tamil writing.
- Many publications also have history books in English and Tamil. Kids prefer colourful books with pop-ups, while senior citizens prefer historical fiction and history.
Encouraging reading: While some feel the number of readers among younger generations has decreased, this year’s Book Fair is an encouraging sign as parents try to inculcate reading habits.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you like reading poetry?
- I like reading poetry.
- I don’t like reading poetry.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What particular dish or cuisine would you like to learn to cook?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- An app for booking tickets will soon be launched for the Kilambakkam bus terminus.
- Chennai Sangamam exposes Chennaites to different traditional Tamil art forms.
- Despite government warnings, the city’s air monitoring stations recorded an increase in the Air Quality Index (AQI).
- TASMAC outlets in East Tambaram pose a risk to students from nearby schools.
- Digital Realty announced the launch of its first data centre in the city.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I still wear a mask when venturing outside: 33.3%
- I don’t wear a mask when venturing outside: 66.7% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which cuisine has the best street food?
Suchi: “Chaat items”
Shiva: “Indian, both North and South”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!