Good morning, Chennai!
🌤️ Today’s weather: High: 34 ℃ | Low: 24 ℃ | A little cloudy for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The Broken Bridge, which runs across the Adyar estuary, was one of the first cable-stayed bridges in India.
🏢 New industrial park
Ample Parks announced plans to invest ₹800 crore to develop an integrated industrial and logistics park in Chennai.
What’s it about? The ambitious project will be located on 70 acres at Mahindra World City. The new park aims to attract industrial tenants by capitalising on Mahindra World City’s infrastructure, accessibility, and skilled workforce.
- Chennai has become a prime industrial location amid the ongoing decentralisation of manufacturing from China and the Make in India policy initiatives.
- The project is a significant step forward for the company and Chennai’s industrial ecosystem. The first project will have about 2 million square feet of Grade A industrial space.
Future plans: Ample Parks aims to develop 15-17 projects across tier 1 and 2 cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, NCR, and Lucknow, to name a few.
🧾 Poramboke lands controversy
Activists say the Chennai Corporation’s plan to assess buildings on poramboke lands will result in more encroachments.
What’s it about? The Chennai Corporation plans to levy property tax for buildings on poramboke lands. According to activists, this could encourage more encroachments on government lands.
- A 1973 order from the state government mandated all unobjectionable encroachments on poramboke land should be disposed of without affecting the interests of the Slum Clearance Board.
- Some said the building on objectionable poramboke land should be evicted, and some should be handed over to the slum clearance board.
Corporation’s view: A corporation official said there will be a condition stating that assessment won’t entitle encroachers to ownership, and they should vacate when the government decides to take back the land.
🏍️ Road as a personal race track
Bypass roads on OMR are used as personal race tracks by bikers at night.
What’s it about? As the city gets dark, the dimly lit Kelambakkam and Thiruporur bypass roads on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) transform into personal race tracks for thrill-seeking bikers.
- Last week, four men died while returning from Kovalam on East Coast Road (ECR). They were driving recklessly, and residents have asked the police to barricade access points.
- Motorists going to Puducherry from OMR who want to avoid congested stretches along ECR use under-construction roads that connect villages. Many driving schools also use this stretch to train students.
Slow progress: Several bypass road projects have seen slow progress. One of the reasons is land acquisition issues in a few villages. Two road projects announced in 2017 were supposed to be opened in 2020.
📱 Customs officers on notice
Customs officers at the Chennai airport are no longer allowed to use mobile phones on duty.
What’s it about? The instruction to not use mobile phones during duty hours came in the wake of a smuggling ring that was uncovered that allegedly found customs officers involved.
- The smugglers bypassed the customs check and took gold outside the airport with the help of duty-free shops. Once senior officers took notice, nine people were arrested in June.
- According to a new direction from the Centre, customs officers should hand over their phones at the office when reporting for duty and collect them once their shift is over.
Case transfer: The case involving the smuggling of 267 kg of gold has been transferred to the CBI since no progress was made.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you prefer driving a two or four-wheeler?
- I prefer driving a two-wheeler.
- I prefer driving a four-wheeler.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your favourite summer activity?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Parandur villagers, who are against the new airport, have decided to move out of the state and migrate to Andhra Pradesh.
- Inadequate MTC buses have affected passengers in the wake of suburban train cancellations.
- Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan inaugurated the second edition of its multi-lingual theatre festival.
- The Chennai Traffic Police launched a unique initiative on road safety with heart symbols of traffic lights.
- The Chennai Corporation announced new guidelines and fees for building permits.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I have binge-watched a TV series: 83.3% 🏆
- I haven’t binge-watched a TV series: 16.7%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
Which country’s cuisine would you like to try?
Suchi: “Mexican”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!