Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny weather and clear skies for the day.
🧐 Did you know? Chennai has a storied history with medicine and healthcare. It began in 1644 with the General Hospital inside Fort St George. The most prominent centre was the Government General Hospital in 1772. Now called the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, only white people were allowed until 1842 when Indians were permitted.
👩🏻💼 Tech slowdown and Chennai IT jobs
A global IT slowdown has had a ripple effect, with layoffs affecting IT companies in the city.
What’s it about? Last quarter, 21,000 jobs in the IT sector were cut as a global slowdown took hold in India. For Chennai, 40-50% of its GDP is from the IT sector. Chennai and Kancheepuram have a big employee base for IT companies. The outlook doesn’t look good.
- The most vulnerable are those who don’t directly impact the revenue. It usually begins with the administration or HR divisions. Those with poor performance reviews are also vulnerable. Sometimes, specific roles are eliminated.
- Employee unions have taken the fight to companies. Union of IT and ITES Employees (UNITE) is one example that has filed 300 cases against illegal layoffs in IT companies. It has formulated a model to regulate IT employee practices.
How we got here? As the pandemic hit, new market opportunities and recruitment drives became unsustainable once restrictions were lifted. With no proper roadmap, companies had to lay off employees. Market trends meant the operations weren’t profitable. Big companies might not have a problem and could survive by cutting costs.
🍲 Police’s helping hand
The Chennai Police’s Kaaval Karangal initiative helps provide sheltered elders with meals.
What’s it about? The Kaaval Karangal initiative from the Chennai Police helps struggling elders get a meal. The initiative has been a success thanks to 100 volunteers and 40 NGOs. Launched in 2021, the aim was to help abandoned and destitute elderly persons with integrated services from the Chennai Corporation, NGOs, and old-age homes.
- Volunteers collect leftover food from events and functions as residents inform the volunteers. It’s then donated to several homeless shelters across the city. More than 4,000 people have been rescued and sent to homes.
- Two ambulances and e-vehicles were donated to the police for this initiative. The homes are subject to surprise checks to ensure all basic facilities are available.
Other services: More than 300 mentally challenged people are undergoing treatment. Apart from rescuing and helping homeless people, police also conduct the burial and cremation of unclaimed bodies. They’ve done more than 1,800 so far.
🏠 Investing in homes
Post Covid-19, youngsters have taken to investing in real estate.
What’s happening? In the post-pandemic period, people in the 25-30 age group are investing in homes. Among the preferences are locations like OMR and a house with an additional room for an office. Many investors are young IT professionals working in the city for years.
- Most people opt for 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5-bedroom apartments. With hybrid work offered by some companies, a home office setup is the fad.
- In OMR, a lot of old stocks existed. Now, people are also investing in new projects. The Floor Space Index (FSI) is higher in OMR compared to ECR. The average size of the homes being bought is between 700 and 1,200 square feet.
The numbers: There has been a 10% increase in registrations compared to the pre-Covid period at the Neelankarai sub-registrar’s office. Across the city, there’s a 40% increase. According to BL Ravikumar from SBI Real Estate and Housing Business Unit, 65% of the home loans sanctioned across the state were from Chennai.
🏞️ Lakefront development
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) will develop 10 lakefront locations to conserve the lakes.
What’s it about? The Water Resources Department has given the green light to the CMDA to develop 10 lakefront locations. The plan includes the conservation of lakes and having different facilities and amenities for people. The hope is this will help tackle issues like urban flooding.
- Among the locations are Perumbakkam, Mudichur, Madambakkam, Retteri, and Puzhal. The instructions are for the tank bunds to not be disturbed and for the inlet and outlet to be unaffected.
- A part of the plan is to build cycle tracks, walkways, viewing decks, water sports facilities, etc. The area will also have parks and herb and flower gardens.
Necessity: Lakefront development can help tackle issues like urban heat islands, urban flooding, and climate change. Broadly, developing the lakes and conserving them will improve the city’s blue-green infrastructure (BGI).
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you play Wordle frequently?
- Yes, I play Wordle frequently.
- No, I don’t play Wordle frequently.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What household/everyday items do you recycle most often?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Dr Mehta Healthcare Hospital celebrates 9 decades of shaping healthcare in the city.
- Valsaravakkam zone will get 24×7 water supply from the Chennai Metro Water as a pilot for an equitable water supply initiative.
- The Corporation, as part of the Singara Chennai 2.0 initiative, has set up 26 fountains, with more on the way.
- 75,000 kg of sanitary waste was collected by the Corporation in the past three weeks and sent to incinerators.
- The First Miyawaki forest at the Perungudi zone has been destroyed by the Corporation for one of its Singara Chennai 2.0 projects.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I prefer a cat as a pet: 10.0%
- I prefer a dog as a pet: 90.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which fictional character would you like to meet?
Vigneshwaran: “I would love to meet our former scientist Dr APJ Abdul Kalam”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!