Good morning, Chennai!
🌞 Today’s weather: Sunny skies and warm temperatures.
🧐 Did you know? In 2016, an IIT-Madras alumnus from the city, LS Ramesh, invented a music chakra to help lay people become familiar with and play Carnatic, Western, and Hindustani music. Incidentally, Chennai hosts the highest number of Carnatic musicians.
🌳 New park in Koyambedu
The city will receive a fresh set of lungs soon.
What’s it about? In line with the 2022 Market Modernization Plan, the sprawling wholesale fruit and vegetable market at Koyambedu will house a park with recreational facilities. Back in 2022, the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) pledged a ₹20 crore corpus to revamp the market with modern facilities and abundant greenery.
- The park will be built on the 8-acre open space reservation on the market premises. The plethora of trees in the park will provide urban dwellers with a green respite and better air quality.
- The development authority plans to implement measures for maintaining a clean and hygienic environment in the park.
Why though? Koyambedu market, one of Asia’s largest grocery supplies markets, is thronged by thousands of shops and customers. The market is finally getting a makeover after over 25 years of existence, and the new park is expected to improve trade and shopping experiences.
👮♀️ Problems in the AWPS
Female police personnel toil without basic facilities in the All Women Police Stations.
What’s it about? Most of the AWPSs in the city – Valasaravakkam, SRMC, Selaiyur and Vandalur – lack necessities such as enough space allocation in the building, resting rooms, beds, and printers. Located inside multi-storied buildings, they present a host of problems to both female police officers and victims.
- In the AWPSs without resting rooms, police officers are compelled to conduct inquiries in uniform even when the law mandates wearing plain clothes during such processes. Without a bed, the female personnel has no place to rest after working long hours.
- The Royapuram AWPS is located in an old, congested, and leaky building, which reduces the police station’s approachability to victims.
Bane of bandobast: Apart from infrastructural afflictions, female police officers are also pulled into bandobast duties despite several DGPs promising them respite from those. Bandobast duties involve long duty hours, with no food or toilet facilities. Short-staffed AWPSs see victims waiting for hours for a senior police officer.
⛪ Armenian church reopens
A centuries-old church revived its service on Sunday.
What’s it about? A 251-year-old Armenian church offered its first service in three years at 10 am on February 5. The opening caused a stir in the extended Armenian community of southern India, with Armenians from Bengaluru coming in to attend the service.
- The service was held in memoriam of Reverend Harutyun Shamvonyan, the father of Armenian journalism, who had died on February 9, 1824.
- Reverand Father Dajad Tsaturyan, pastor of Armenians in India and manager of Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy, Kolkata, will conduct the church service in Armenian.
History: Constructed in 1772, the church is known for its belfry, where each bell weighs 150 kg. Adjoining it is a churchyard where nearly 350 Armenians were put to rest. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the area had a teeming Armenian community. Today, there are only 5 Armenian residents in the city.
📹 T Nagar skywalk to open soon
The skywalk project will help travellers reach Madley Road junction from the Mambalam railway station quickly.
What’s it about? The ₹20 crore T Nagar skywalk project is set to be inaugurated by the end of the month. After a year-long delay in its launch, the skywalk will expedite pedestrian travel from Mambalam railway station to T Nagar Madley Road junction. The only pending construction is the lift, which will finish within a week.
- The 600 metres-long and 4-metre-wide bridge is expected to reduce travel time and alleviate congestion on busy road stretches. An elevator was added to the design to make it wheelchair accessible.
- After its launch, officials will perform daily inspections to monitor and prevent any impediments, such as street vendors, to the swift crowd movement.
What’s the delay? The project was initiated in December 2020 to treat the travel time of the 30,000 daily commuters of Mambalam railway station and T Nagar’s shopping crowd. However, Covid-19 lockdowns, restrictions, and pending dues from contractors delayed its progress. Last year, workers picked up the pace by introducing modifications to the original plan.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you get groceries yourself, or do you order them online?
- I usually get groceries myself.
- I usually order them online.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Who is your go-to person for advice?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- The Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to further expand the Chennai airport.
- The first G20 Education Working Group meeting concluded with resolutions over technology-based learning.
- The Greater Chennai Police will install 200 more ANPR cameras to curb traffic violations.
- Four central research organisations will study the ecological and social impact of the Pen Memorial project.
- City-based not-for-profit Relief Foundation kickstarted its Silver Jubilee with a reunion.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!