Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 39 ℃ | Low: 28 ℃ | Sunny for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The earliest drainage scheme in the city was in George Town in the early 1800s.
♿ Pedestrian accessibility
Persons with disabilities said the Pedestrian Plaza and other locations have had accessibility issues for several years.
What’s it about? The Chennai Corporation held a workshop last week on how to make the city pedestrian-friendly. People with disabilities pointed out that T Nagar’s Pedestrian Plaza has had accessibility issues since 2019, and many other walkways across the city remain inaccessible.
- For those using a wheelchair scooter, there’s a lack of space. The ramps which the Corporation said it built are missing. Several platforms are also at an inaccessible height.
- Several pavements in the city built by the Corporation aren’t being used due to poor maintenance. In other places, there aren’t any pavements, forcing people, especially those who are visually impaired, to walk on the road.
Encroachments: Some pavements across the city have been taken over by street vendors and hawkers. Others have been encroached on by parked vehicles.
🚡 Ropeway project
A ropeway project is being planned between Marina and Besant Nagar Beach.
What’s it about? The project is under consideration for 4.6 km connecting Marina and Besant Nagar beaches. The goal is two-fold – boost tourism and decongest urban traffic in this area. Once the model code of conduct is lifted, the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) will prepare a detailed report for the ₹285 crore project.
- The state government has given its in-principle clearance for the alignment and the project. Once the report is finalised, bids will be invited. After that, environmental clearance will be sought.
- Monocable Detachable Gondola Ropeway systems will be used. Each cabin has a capacity of 10 people. Once finalised, the project is expected to take two years to complete.
Previous attempt: In 2022, the Chennai Corporation floated the idea of a rope car under the Singara Chennai 2.0 initiative. The proposed route was from Napier Bridge to Vivekananda House.
🥵 Hottest megacity
An analysis of India’s megacities since 2011 showed that Chennai has the highest heat index.
What’s it about? A study of several Indian megacities since 2011 by the Urban Lab of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) showed that Chennai had the highest average summer heat index at 37.4 degree Celsius. It’s mainly due to the rise in relative humidity during summer.
- The study analysed summer temperatures between 2001 and 2011 and compared them with temperatures between 2014 and 2023 for Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai.
- Chennai’s summers saw an increase of 0.4 degree Celsius in decadal average ambient air temperature. The relative humidity increased by 5% between 2001-10 and 2014-23. March and April of this year have been the hottest compared to previous years.
No respite at night: Cooling of land surface temperature during the night has reduced by 5%. At nighttime, the core parts of the city are 0.9 degree Celsius warmer than the peripheries and semi-urban parts.
🚇 Increased metro patronage
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Summer heat and better access to transport hubs led to an increase in metro footfalls in May.
What’s it about? Summer months with higher temperatures and fast access to railway stations and the airport for travellers contributed to increased footfalls at metro stations last month.
- Over 84 lakh people used the metro in May after a 4% drop in April with 81 lakh passengers. The average rise in daily footfalls in May was 2.7 lakh.
- The busiest day was May 10, with 3.03 lakh passengers. In January, over 84 lakh people used the metro.
More needs to be done: Experts have stated that the metro ridership can increase further with better last-mile connectivity and increased frequency of trains. For the 45-km phase 1, the estimated daily ridership was projected to be an average of 7.75 lakh.
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you think the Smart City initiative has helped Chennai?
- The Smart City initiative has helped Chennai.
- The Smart City initiative hasn’t helped Chennai.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
Which Indian city have you visited the most?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Chennai has bid to host the Chess World Championship final.
- Two High Court lawyers were conferred by the UK-India Legal Corridor with awards of excellence.
- The new MRTS line between Egmore and Beach has been delayed due to land acquisition issues.
- The Chennai Corporation, to prepare for the northeast monsoon, will re-lay over 3,000 roads.
- An elevated corridor between Kilambakkam and Kattankulathur is planned to ease traffic outside the Kilambakkam bus terminus.
That’s it for today. Have a great day!