Retteri to supply water to Chennai
Retteri’s storage will be increased to 124 million cubic feet to cater to the rising water demand in Chennai. A sum of Rs. 44 crores is to be allotted for this work, said the Water Resources Minister in the State Assembly.
Apart from this, the operations of Poondi, Chembarambakkam and Red Hills reservoirs would be automated at a cost of Rs. 32 crores.
WRD has also planned to take up flood mitigation works in the Adyar basin, apart from desilting the canals in Kolapakkam, Manapakkam and Gerugambakkam, in the western part of Chennai.
Source: The Hindu
Read more: Chennai races against time to finish storm water drain work, but concerns persist
Metro stations in Chennai to get screen doors
To prevent commuters from jumping or crossing the platforms, Metro stations being constructed as part of Phase-2 will have platform screen doors. The stations from Lighthouse to Poonamallee will get Rs. 100-crore worth of screen doors, supplied and installed by a China-based company.
The purpose of platform screen doors is not just to ensure passenger safety, but also to reduce the impact of wind due to high-speed metro trains.
In addition to the automatic doors, the screens will have secondary exits that can be manually opened.
Source: The Times of India
Chennai Corporation Budget focuses on education and flood mitigation
From earmarking Rs. 30 lakhs to hire student counsellors to allocating Rs. 25 crores for school work, the Greater Chennai Corporation’s 2023-24 Budget emphasises on improving public education in the city.
Another key highlight in the budget is that the Mayor will hear public grievances directly, under the Makkalai Thedi Mayor scheme. The Mayor will visit the regional GCC offices (North, Central and South) to interact with residents and better understand issues faced by them.
Other aspects of the budget include allocations for flood mitigation work through the construction of stormwater drains in zones 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 with funding from the Asian Development Bank to the tune of Rs 1000 crores.
Source: The NewsMinute
Persons with Disabilities displeased with the ramp and parking facilities in Egmore metro station
Persons with disabilities and the members of Disability Rights Alliance claim that the ramps and parking facilities in Egmore metro station have not been constructed according to the harmonised guidelines for accessibility.
Disabled people have complained that the ramp in the station was steep, making it hard for wheelchair users to navigate, previously. Earlier they complained about inaccessibility.
The construction of a new ramp by the CMRL has also invited questions as it has resulted in the reduction of parking space alloted for persons with disabilities.
Source: DT Next
Smart bike system in Chennai at a crossroads
The civic body has been stalling the expansion of bike-sharing system to other 52 new locations as only around 200-300 bike rentals are used by people in the city every day.
With just very few bikes remaining in OMR and Egmore stations, any futher expansion of the scheme can be undertaken only after conducting studies to assess why the residents are yet to embrace public bike sharing in the city.
A key obstacle in scaling up is the usage of a mobile application to use these bikes. Majority of people may not be savvy enough to use devices or apps to use bikes. A map of availability of bike-sharing system along with public transit points could help in bringing more patronage, suggest experts.
Source: The New Indian Express
[Compiled by Padmaja Jayaraman]