T Nagar Skywalk to be inaugurated in June
A skywalk connecting Mambalam Railway Station to T Nagar Bus Stand will be inaugurated in June after a delay of one year. The project costing Rs 27 crore began in December 2020, and was supposed to be completed in 15 months. However, due to pending dues from contractors, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various design related interventions, the project was delayed.
The project comes under the Smart Cities Plan, and aims to reduce the congestion in Usman Road and Ranganathan Street, which sees a high footfall of more than 5000 passengers who use the railway station daily.
The Skywalk will be 600 meters long and 4 meters wide, and will snake through Madley Road Subway and Mambalam Station Road.
A battery operated vehicle will be present to help aged and disabled people move to and from the skywalk. In addition to this, a lift and an escalator to and from the skywalk will be set up at the Mambalam Railway Station.
Source: The Times of India
Read more: Ranganathan Street faces many problems, but proposed ‘smart’ solution looks elsewhere
New healthcare institute for the elderly in Chennai
The National Centre of Ageing at the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research in Guindy will soon be offering health care services specifically for elderly people. The centre will be turned into a geriatric hospital and research center.
The National Center of Ageing was set up by the Central Government as a tertiary care center for the elderly. However, due to rising cases of COVID-19 over the past two years, it was converted into an exclusive COVID-19 hospital.
Over the last two months, due to a drop in COVID-19 cases, plans have been initiated to bring the hospital back to focusing on elderly patients.
Source: The Times of India
SPV for CMRL-MRTS merger
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be created to manage the operations and administration of the merger of Chennai Metro Rail and the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) which is currently managed by Southern Railways in the city. The Southern Railways recently gave its approval to the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) to take over its operations. As a first step in the merger, the Southern Railways will hand over operations to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). After this, the state government will decide on the modalities of the takeover by CMRL.
The State Government will have a 51% stake in the SPV, and the remaining 49% will be owned by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
The handover was discussed in a meeting with the Southern Railways and the CMRL. CMRL will only be taking the role of managing the operations of MRTS services. Their jurisdiction will not be extended to handling the administration or financial responsibilities.
Source: The Hindu
Read more: Chennai Metro Phase II: Promises, problems and expectations
Sanitation workers of Chennai Metro Water Board on strike
Several contract sanitation workers of the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) have been on strike at the MRC Nagar Headquarters since Monday. The workers on strike demanded that they be made permanent workers. Currently around 1900 sanitation workers are employed on a contract basis under the CMWSSB. There are a number of roles different sanitation workers occupy such as: workers on the field, workers at sewage treatment plants and workers at pumping stations.
According to an official from the CMWSSM, the regularisation of their jobs cannot take place without the approval of the State Government.
Many of the contract workers have worked with CMWSSB for years without receiving proper benefits or recognition of their work. Many at the protest site even mentioned how they hadn’t received their salaries on time.
Source: The Hindu
[Compiled by Savitha Ganesh]
Offenders with enormous loot after having done sentence in prison for a few years are out again with their comments on political matters. What happens to the loot earned during the period they served is not known to the people.
Would like to be informed.