Olive Ridley turtles released at Besant Nagar beach in Chennai
The cute little creatures making their way through the sand and into the sea along the Chennai coast is a beautiful sight to watch for beach goers. Forest Department officials released around 10,000 newborn Olive Ridley turtles into the sea at the Besant Nagar beach on Monday. The Tamil Nadu coast is an important nesting site for these turtles.
According to the Forest Department, nesting of the Olive Ridley turtles had been adversely affected following the Cyclone Michaung, which lashed the Chennai coast in December last year. But this year, because of the conservation efforts of the department and many other non-governmental organisations, the numbers have slowly picked up. There are two hatcheries in Chennai that have weather monitors that help keep track of changes in temperature.
Source: The Hindu
Order issued to protect girl students in school vehicles
With increasing number of sexual offences against girl children reported in the city, the Tamil Nadu School Education Department has issued guidelines to protect girl students travelling in school vans and buses. These guidelines will be applicable throughout the State. According to the order issued by the government, all school vehicles must have a female attendant. The guidelines also say that schools should conduct background check on the van driver and attendant and ensure they have no criminal records.
Source: DT Next
Read more: Oil spill in Chennai’s Manali area can cause irreparable damage to Ennore Creek wetland
GCC removes unauthorised advertisements ahead of polls
Come poll season and the bus stops, subways and walls in the city are filled with party posters, graffiti and illegal advertisements promoting candidates from various political parties. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has recently conducted a drive to remove around 95,000 unauthorised political advertisements around the city. According to the GCC, it has removed more than 69,000 wall writings in both public and private spaces, while 22,086 illegal posters and more than 1,200 banners were taken down. However, there is still a lot of political graffiti seen on walls in public places.
Source: The Hindu
Over 4 lakh people in Chennai pledge to cast their vote in the upcoming elections
As part of the Election Commission and Greater Chennai Corporation’s Systemic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities, around four lakh residents of North Chennai took a pledge to vote in the Lok Sabha 2024 elections. According to a news report, this has set a world record of maximum number of people taking pledges to vote within half a day. The GCC also conducted other activities including drawing and essay competitions for voter awareness, and officials from North Chennai were presented with awards from the Elite World Records and India Records Academy for organising these activities.
Source: Times of India
Read more: Lok Sabha 2024: Know your MP — Dr Kalanidhi Veerasamy, Chennai North
Viral fever cases see an increase in Chennai
As temperatures soar in the city and the days have started getting hotter from April, both government and private hospitals have been reporting an increase in viral fever and flu cases among Chennai residents. Some of the symptoms noticed by doctors include high grade fever that lasts for about two to three days, cold, cough and rashes on the body. As the weather changes, there are also cases of measles, mumps and dengue being reported in the city apart from viral infections, say doctors.
Source: DT Next