Up to 1 lakh penalty for violating plastic ban
The Tamil Nadu Government has introduced a bill in the assembly, amending the municipal laws to impose penalty for violating the plastic ban. The penalty will be anywhere between Rs 100 to Rs 1 lakh depending, on the establishments and the frequency.
Maximum fare in Metro down as Phase I becomes operational
The entire 45-km stretch of Phase 1 of Chennai Metro became operational last Sunday, with the inauguration of AG DMS-Washermanpet route. Chennai metro offered free rides to commuters till Thursday which saw over 7.3 lakhs passengers experiencing the ride.
Barely a day after services began on the route, trains were delayed for over six hours on Monday due to tripping of overhead electricity cable at Saidapet-Little Mount station. A device called section insulator, which helps in separation of two electrical feeds while allowing the Pantograph (an apparatus mounted on the roof of the train) to pass, did not function at Saidapet station resulting in a technical glitch.
With completion of this phase, the maximum fare between two farthest points stands reduced from Rs.70 to Rs. 60. The contract for last mile connectivity to provide share car and auto services to all 32 stations has been issued and services is expected to begin in a few months.
Source: The Times of India | The New Indian Express | The Hindu
Mild tremors felt in Chennai
Residents of Besant Nagar, Adyar and Porur experienced mild tremors from an earthquake early this week. The quake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit the Bay of Bengal region. The epicentre was 10 km below sea level and was about 600 km away from the Chennai coast. Seismologists consider this a rare occurrence as the quake had originated close to a seismic ridge which is not prone to earthquakes.
Meanwhile another earthquake of 4.5 magnitude on the Richter scale struck the Bay of Bengal near the Andamans, about 1,200 km from Chennai, the next day.
Source: The New Indian Express | The Hindu
Turtle conservation zone planned
To protect turtles during the nesting and hatching season, a turtle conservation zone will soon be planned between December and April every year. The decision was taken during a joint meeting convened by the Wild Life Warden and attended by various departments of the government and NGOs.
It has also been decided that strict action will be taken against resorts functioning beyond 11 pm during this season. The Chennai Corporation has been instructed to switch off street lights between 11.00 p.m. and 5.00 a.m.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is planning to set up another hatchery in Pulicat, where there has been an increase in nesting activity of Olive Ridleys this year.
Source: The Hindu
Monumental national flag at Chennai Central
Source: The Times of India
[Compiled by Sandhya Raju]
15 lakhs for the monumental national flag? That too for another 75 nos at different stations? Respect, no problem, but spending money like this is insane. If I were the General Manager, I would have spent that 15 lakhs for CCTV camera inside the coaches, fire extinguishers inside the coaches, one CCTV camera cost 2000 rupees, with alexa support, fix one camera in one compartment and 25 CCTV cameras cost 50,0000, buy DVR for 10,000, and hard disk for 10,000, 70,000 rupees the whole train can be CCTV ready. 15 lakhs x 75 nos , how many coaches, how many railway stations can the CCTV be fixed? Think again.