Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 38 ℃ | Low: 28 ℃ | Hot and humid for the day!
🧐 Did you know? The first Ranji Trophy match was played at the Chepauk stadium. Madras beat Mysore, with AG Ram Singh taking 11 wickets.
🏞️ People’s Park’s history and legacy
A recent cultural heritage walk by Madras Inherited helped tell the story of the People’s Park.
What’s its history? In the late 1800s, People’s Park was once a 116-acre space in the heart of the city with lush greenery, a zoo, and waterbodies. The park, now called My Ladye’s Garden, is a shell of its former self and has become a compact garden. Madras Inherited recently held a heritage walk where the last stop was the park.
- The idea to set up the park came from Governor Charles Trevelyan. It opened in 1861 and quickly became a popular destination for the city’s residents. It was used for fairs and later circuses. By 1863, it became home to the Municipal Zoological Gardens.
- The space began being slowly chipped away as urbanisation took hold. The area was divided and given away for other purposes. Sites like Moore Market and the Ripon Building took up the land.
Still open: While the park has shrunk significantly, it still gets a few hundred visitors in the mornings and evenings.
🌊 CO2 storage sinks
Researchers from IIT Madras said the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean could be potential CO2 storage sinks.
What’s it about? CO2 sequestration, as it’s also known, is the process where the ocean acts as a storage reservoir for greenhouse gases. The team found that CO2 can be stored in liquid form temporarily in the ocean.
- The CO2 stored in the ocean can create an eco-friendly ice-like substance called “gas hydrates”. One cubic metre of this can sequester 150-170 cubic metres of CO2 in oceanic conditions beyond 500 metres.
- These gas hydrates-based storage can help decarbonise industrial clusters. It can help develop large-scale sequestration in subsea sediments to achieve India’s net zero goals.
The science behind it: CO2 is denser than seawater at above 2,800-metre depth. This offers an additional gravitational barrier for CO2 to escape. Once it’s permanently stored as gas hydrates, it doesn’t allow for remission into the atmosphere.
🚆 Wait for AC trains to continue
The wait for air-conditioned suburban trains will continue since the railways have yet to receive the rakes.
What’s it about? Over the past couple of years, there have been discussions of introducing air-conditioned trains on the Beach-Chengalpet route. However, there’s no deadline for the project. The railways have been dragging their feet despite the state government allocating money in the state budget.
- The Railway board favours AC trains for suburban routes in the city. However, the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) has yet to manufacture the rakes necessary. It has been making AC suburban rakes for Mumbai.
- The state government was interested in introducing AC trains in the Chengalpet route in 2022 in partnership with the railways. However, details on funding and revenue-sharing weren’t finalised.
Other possible roadblocks: Among the issues is that the suburban service in Chennai is handled by the railways and not a dedicated body like in Mumbai. The low fares also make it financially unfeasible to have AC trains.
🚇 Mobility plan coming soon
The Mobility plan for the extended Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) will be released by the end of June.
What’s it about? The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the CMA is on schedule and will be released by the end of June by the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (CUMTA). They’re awaiting the end of the polling period for the model code of conduct to be lifted. Before the final plan is prepared, the public will be able to provide their feedback.
- SYSTRA India has been tasked with preparing a plan to address people’s mobility needs, support the long-term land use objectives, and provide inputs on the planning process.
- The Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) prepared a plan in 2018 that covered only 1,189 sq km. A subsequent government order was issued to expand the CMA to cover over 5,900 sq km.
Transit plans: Per the 2018 plan, 57% of the transportation in the CMA would be public transit by 2048, with a 39% reduction in private transportation. The State Housing and Urban Development Department declared the suburban rail, MRTS, and Metro corridors Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) areas.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Would you consider going abroad for higher education?
- I would consider going abroad for higher education.
- I wouldn’t consider going abroad for higher education.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s the ideal amount to spend when buying a smartphone?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Professor Jayant Mahajan arrives in the city as part of his expedition to raise awareness about climate change.
- The Chennai Corporation has issued healthcare guidelines for people and officials on heatwave conditions.
- Over 200 women’s gyms will be set up by the Chennai Corporation as it begins scouting for locations.
- Random checks on roads are underway following allegations of contractors producing fake mix design certificates.
- Volkswagen India expanded its presence with a new showroom in Chennai.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I pursued science in high school: 40.0%
- I pursued commerce in high school: 60.0% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Where would you like to take a road trip?
Suchi: “Ladakh”
Chitra: “Interior Kerala”
Shiva: “Roadtrip to Kanyakumari”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!