Frontline workers first in line for COVID vaccine
Around 6,000 frontline healthcare workers have been identified for the administration of COVID vaccine on top priority. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner G Prakash also noted that the count could go up to a lakh with enumeration across the state. Once healthcare workers have been vaccinated, staff of the Chennai Corporation and police personnel, who have been at the forefront of battling the pandemic, will be next in line. Persons above 70 years of age will be the next category to receive the vaccine.
As the corporation undertakes door-to-door screening programme and fever checks, details such as the age and co-morbidities are readily with the civic body in order to identify vulnerable individuals.
Source: The New Indian Express
GCC to digitise land records
In a bid to ensure transparency in the maintenance of land records and to aid the corporation and citizen in knowing the details of lands of the civic body that are encroached, GCC has initiated a project to digitise land records.
At present, the civic body maintains several rosters at the division-level to record the assets it owns. The data points under digitisation includes area, survey number, classification and sub-classification of the land. The project is set to be completed before January 2021.
Upon finding any lapses like an encroachment, officials state that it is easy to act on the problem if the data is readily available at a single point of access.
Source: The New Indian Express
Underground parking at new bus terminus
The Chennai Metropolitan Development Area (CMDA) is readying underground vehicle parking facilities beneath the concourse at the upcoming Kilambakkam Bus Terminus. While the first basement floor is for car parking, the second has been allocated for two-wheelers.
The project involves installing eight lifts for passengers to reach the ground floor from the basement areas. The facility can accommodate upto 3,582 two-wheelers and 275 cars.
The CMDA has excavated 68,640 tonnes of hard rock and medium dense rock and 62,000 cubic metres earth for executing the underground parking facility project. The department has floated tenders to sell the rocks and gravel. The earth is proposed to be used for constructing a new six-lane national highway.
Source: The Times of India
Vandalur Zoo to get an upgrade
Vandalur Zoo is one among the top ten zoos in the country shortlisted by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for an upgrade to ‘global standards’. A 13-member committee, headed by Rajesh Gopal, secretary-general of the Global Tiger Forum, is preparing a 10-year vision plan for the zoo.
The directors of Vandalur Zoo and Wellington Zoo in New Zealand will hold a meeting on December 14th as part of the programme. It is to be noted that the Wellington Zoo implements several sustainability practices. Vandalur Zoo Director Debasis Jana stated that they would like to explore modules that have been followed in other world-class zoos. The Director noted that they could collaborate with the Wellington Zoo for animal exchange programme.
Further, the State Infrastructure Fund Management Corporation is drafting a feasibility report for implementing the night safari project which was mooted in 2007. The project has been estimated to cost Rs 860 crore and will be executed in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Source: The New Indian Express
[Compiled by Bhavani Prabhakar]