A month after DefExpo, trash all over the location. Whatever happened to Swacch Bharat?
A citizen driving past Thiruvidanthai on Chennai’s ECR captures the trash (plastic, thermocol) and construction debris left behind after the prestigious DefExpo 2018 was held there in April 2018. Land owned by the Nithya Perumal temple was taken over by the Defence Ministry for the event, but the villagers and temple authorities say they have no idea when the land will be returned to them.
Environmentalists said the DefExpo site was a violation of coastal zone regulations.
“When the Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority gave HAL permission to use the land, some of the conditions were to remove the structures, clear the waste and restore the land to its original condition,” he said. “Part of the land where the stalls were put up was less than 500m from the sea and the demos took place just 200m from the shoreline.”
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Three-day International Rail Coach Expo comes to Chennai
Chennai hosted an exposition for rail coaches and train sets on the lines on international automobile exhibitions. The International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE), held in India for the first time, was hosted by the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Ministry of Railways, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Rites Limited.
“For the first time an International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE) to focus on Rail Coaches and train sets is being held in our ICF premises. Many reputed rail car and equipment builders will be showcasing their technology and products. It will be a unique platform to bring different suppliers under one roof and create synergy for Make in India”, said ICF General Manager S Mani.
At the expo, visitors could see exhibits from over a hundred manufacturers, from ten countries, which were of interest for train enthusiasts, railways suppliers, designers and developers. Speaking on the occasion, the Chairman of the Railway Board said the Indian Railways was going through an important phase marked by consolidation and growth.
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Traffic Police adopt cashless payment technology
Chennai’s Traffic Police, in an attempt to streamline payments of fines by motorists caught violating traffic rules, have adopted a cashless system for fine collection. The offending motorist will be issued a challan and will have the option of paying the fine through card, online payment with SBI, Paytm, Chennai Corporation E-Seva centres and post offices.
After launching the cashless payment system, Chennai city police commissioner A K Viswanathan said, “We have introduced this to help traffic violators pay their fine without any hassles. If people want to pay the fine in the traditional method, they can do so in mobile courts.”
The cashless payment system has been introduced to counter complaints of clashes between policemen and offending motorists on the matter of fines, and also allegations of corruption against traffic policemen.
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Madras High Court heritage building gets a makeover
The Madras High Court has put the ongoing month-long summer vacation to best use by carrying out major civil works aimed at giving a facelift to the building and undoing the damage that had been caused to it over the years. The significant work under way at present is the renovation of the iconic Chief Justice’s court hall known for its lattice work-designed ceiling, beautiful wall dados, stained glass panels, and intricately carved woodwork.
“The most challenging task is to undo the damage that had been caused to the building over the years without realising its heritage value. Nevertheless, the heritage committee has not left any stone unturned to ensure that the work gets completed as early as possible. If all things go well, soon we would get to see an exact replica of the court building that got inaugurated way back on July 12, 1892,” an member of the renovation committee said.
The High Court building is an exquisite example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, and was completed in 1892.
Source: The Hindu
Many areas in Chennai continue to face flood risk
Over two years after floods devastated Chennai city and its suburbs, many parts of the city like Madhavaram, Perungudi, Ekkattuthangal and Madipakkam continue to face the risk of flooding, due to inadequate planning and incomplete execution of civic projects by the Greater Chennai Corporation. Lack of adequate funding is cited as one of the main reasons for the delay.
Source: The Hindu
Anna Nagar Post Office goes green with Solar Power, Central Metro station to be green
Anna Nagar Post Office in North circle of Chennai, has shown the way in self sufficiency in power, by installing 8 solar panels on the terrace of its office building. Now the work is no longer affected by power cuts, says an official.
In the North circle alone, there are over 51 Post offices that work from their own buildings, and this would be a great example to follow, and save electricity. Recently Chennai Metro had announced that Central Metro station would be powered through solar energy, possibly becoming India’s first underground station to use clean energy.
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