Good morning, Chennai!
☀️ Today’s weather: High: 37 ℃ | Low: 27 ℃ | Clear skies for the day.
🧐 Did you know? The first biking club in the city was the Twin Wheelers Motorcycle Club, founded in 1951.
🏍️ Raptee’s e-motorcycle debuts
The Chennai-based EV startup rolled out its first production-ready motorcycle.
What’s it about? The company debuted its first production-ready e-motorcycle from its manufacturing plant in Chennai. It represents the company’s evolution into a full-fledged EV brand.
- The plant is now fully operational and has a production capacity of 1 lakh units. The company is looking to launch the motorcycle commercially this quarter.
- The first batch will undergo testing, a homologation process, and road safety checks and be certified by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).
Brand experience: The company also plans to open its first store in the facility. It’ll serve as a point of sale and offer consumers a walkthrough of the facility to see how the motorcycles are made.
🗳️ Getting residents to vote
Resident welfare associations are offering incentives to people to encourage them to vote.
What’s it about? With only 60% polling recorded in 2019, the city is hoping to increase that number. Resident welfare associations are doing their part to encourage members and residents to vote with several incentives.
- One association in Mandaveli has asked youngsters to escort senior citizens and those with disabilities to polling booths. Another in Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) plans to cut 10% of the maintenance charges for April if people show proof.
- Chitlapakkam residents have created a parody of the song “Oora Therinchikiten” to encourage voters. The lyrics focus on people’s responsibility to vote and discourage taking money from politicians.
Beating apathy: Among the biggest impediments to higher voter turnout in the city is apathy. Karapakkam in South Chennai had the lowest turnout in the state in 2019 at only 57%.
🥵 Why’s it hotter than usual?
Chennai’s changing urban landscape has a direct correlation with higher land surface temperatures.
What’s it about? A recent study by The School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada, painted an alarming picture of the city’s loss of green cover and the resulting rise in land surface temperatures (LST). The city’s urban landscape has seen a drastic transformation.
- Satellite data analysis from 2013 to 2022 showed a 13.3% reduction in green cover and a 6.53-degree Celsius increase in LST. The northern and central parts of the city witnessed rapid urbanisation.
- There has also been a loss of cool pockets across the city. Here, temperatures usually ranged between 23.63 and 26 degrees Celsius in 2013. They were as high as 31.66 to 43.53 in 2022.
Where are the affected areas? The prominent areas where green spaces have depleted are Ennore, Madhavarram, Kolathur, T Nagar, Mambalam, and Anna Nagar, to name a few.
⚕️ Mobile medical facility
IIT Madras launched India’s first medical devices calibration facility on wheels.
What’s it about? The new facility on wheels can calibrate up to 45 different life-saving medical devices like an electrical safety analyser, gas flow analyser, defibrillator analyser, and a dialysis reference meter. Medical devices need to be regularly calibrated to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment.
- The vehicle will travel to labs to calibrate medical devices and be tested within a few hours. It’s particularly important in primary health centres and rural hospitals where it’s not done properly.
- If a piece of equipment has a faulty reading, it can be easily repaired or replaced. The current prototype was developed for ₹1 crore and was used at the hospital inside the IIT Madras campus.
What’s next? The institute has plans to develop more such units in the future and attain certification from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
📊 Today’s Poll
(Only subscribers can participate in the polls)
Do you wear sunglasses when you go out?
- I wear sunglasses when I go out.
- I don’t wear sunglasses when I go out.
❓ Today’s Question
(Only subscribers can submit their answers)
What’s your ideal way to celebrate your birthday?
Reply to this email with your answers.
🗞️ In other news…
- Nearly 3,000 special buses will depart from Chennai to other districts to help people avoid the polling rush.
- Brigade Enterprises Ltd has announced a ₹400 crore investment to develop an office space project in the city.
- The International Machine Tool Fair (IMTOF) will be held in Chennai, with over 500 exhibits this weekend.
- Stray dogs at the City Police Commissioner’s Office in Vepery face an uncertain future.
- For Chennai Central residents, here’s a handy guide to the candidates in the running.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll:
- I buy meat and fish online: 46.8%
- I buy meat and fish in person: 53.2% 🏆
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s your favourite alcoholic beverage?
Suchi: “Red Wine”
That’s it for today. Have a great day!