Good morning, Chennai!
⛅ Today’s weather: Sunny and humid with some cloud cover.
🧐 Did you know? T Nagar was named Thyagaraya Nagar at the turn of the 20th century, since the Justice Party, which was in power, named most of the streets after their own leaders.
🥭 Finding the perfect mangoes
Some Chennaites will travel long distances to find the best mangoes.
What’s it about? Finding the perfect mangoes doesn’t mean going to the local fruit & vegetable shop or ordering them online. It means going on road trips for some Chennai residents unsatisfied with what’s available locally and heading to the outskirts and dedicated farms.
- For entrepreneur Santosh, it’s a 56 km drive on weekends to buy the Chausa variety from a farm in Karadiputhur on Chennai’s outskirts. Businessman Imtiaz Ahmed gets mangoes from Uthukottai on a farm near SIPCOT.
- Similarly, Sivagnanavel G buys from a couple 30 km from his home in Ekkatuthangal. The couple themselves travel 60 km to source the mangoes.
What’s good? S Srinivasan from the Chennai fruit association said this year’s yield isn’t as good, but local varieties like the bangalora from Salem and kesar from Villupuram are doing well. The imam pasand, sindhoora, and banganapalli are best-sellers.
💸 ₹2,000 note acceptance
Small traders and tasmac outlets are hesitant to accept ₹2,000 notes in the wake of RBI’s order.
What’s it about? In the aftermath of the government’s announcement of scrapping the ₹2,000 note, many tasmac outlets and traders in the city aren’t willing to accept them. This, despite it being legal tender till September 30.
- Small traders are hesitant since wholesalers may not accept the denomination. One trader who runs an eatery said he still has to pay his workers and can’t risk going to the bank to exchange notes.
- Only a few tasmac shops were ready to accept the note. Many stated third-party agencies that gather the day’s collection told them not to accept the ₹2,000 notes and had to turn people away.
Consequences: Venkatesan of the Koyambedu market association said traders were told to accept the notes since there weren’t many in circulation. Even tea shop owners didn’t accept them since suppliers won’t take them. Some customers used the note to pay for small amounts, and shop owners have had to refuse them.
🛣️ Linking ECR and OMR
The Highways Department has sought ₹2.33 crore from the CMDA for the project.
What’s it about? The project aims to improve the linkage between Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) and East Cost Road (ECR), which cater to employment and residential areas in the southern part of the metropolitan area. Most of the population in the area work in the IT sector along OMR and travel to ECR for leisure and entertainment.
- There’s currently limited connectivity between the two important roads. This has resulted in long detours, travel times, and congestion in several areas.
- Part of the project involves a bridge across the Buckingham Canal. However, there’s a hurdle since it has been based on the Inland Waterway Authority of India guidelines needing a 7-metre vertical clearance. Parallel roads along the bunds will be built.
Project’s necessity: The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) expects this part of the city to grow in the coming years. The state is also set to restore the Buckingham Canal. The plan includes using waterfront and recovered land beyond the canal boundaries for infrastructure development and recreational purposes.
🚆 Special trains for the summer
Southern Railway has arranged special trains from the city to cater to the summer rush.
What’s it about? Southern Railway has operated 50 special trains from Chennai to cater to increasing demand during the summer. They’ve covered major destinations with over 240 trips.
- Among the routes were Tambaram to Tirunelveli and Sengottai and Egmore to Kanniyakumari. Other zonal railways operated 37 special trains covering Chennai with Coimbatore, Tiruchi, and Madurai, among others.
- There’s also a special train to the Nilgiris as people look to escape the city heat. The Southern Railway has reserved special trains in the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR).
Dealing with miscreants: The Southern Railway has formed special teams made up of commercial and Railway Protection Force (RPF) to prevent over-charging and cornering of seats by transport operators.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Are you a member of any sports & recreational club?
- Yes, I am a member of a sports & recreational club.
- No, I am not a member of any sports & recreational club.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite mobile/tablet game?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Storm water drain project works have been sluggish due to delays in processing tenders.
- Metro tunnelling for the Chetpet-Nungambakkam stretch will begin in July.
- Corporation schools in the city are facing a teacher shortage for classes 10 and 12.
- Chennai Trunk Road will soon have pedestrian platforms.
- Traffic diversions near Chepauk for the IPL match qualifiers on May 23 and 24.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!