CHENNAI BUZZ

Camps for differently abled voters in city Chennai Corporation has set up camps to assist differently abled voters to include their names in the voters' list. As a move to ensure that they do not face any challenges, the civic body has also introduced helplines to make sure that they can cast their vote without any hassle. People can call 9445477699 to request for assistance. The corporation has set up 3,754 polling booths in 913 locations with facilities such as wheelchair, stretchers, Braille and other required features to assist the specially abled people to cast their vote. Source: The Times…

Chennai awarded as fastest mover in Swachh rankings Chennai has been lauded for the special efforts it has taken in the previous year to become one of the cleanest cities in the country. The city has also been awarded for fastest growth in 2019 among cities with a population of more than 10 lakh. Chennai has climbed 39 spots to secure 61st spot in the Swachh Survekshan rankings released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. This spike in rankings is primarily due to the improvements in source segregation and redressal of complaints registered on the Swachhata App. The…

Krishna water to stop flowing to Chennai Chennai may not continue to get its water supply from Krishna water as the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra might shut its gates early next week.  Though Chennai was supposed to receive 1 tmcft water from  February till the first week of March, the Poondi reservoir has received only 370 mcft. Chennai is unlikely to get the remaining 630 mcft. Krishna water and Cauvery water have boosted water levels in the city’s four reservoirs which had fallen to below one tmcft last month. The city is currently being supplied with 480-550 MLD on alternate days…

Another opportunity to enrol in voters' list If you have not registered your name in the voters' list yet, here is another chance to enrol. The Election Commission of India is organising a special two day camp today and tomorrow (Feb 23rd and 24th) to enable eligible citizens to add their names to the voters list. The camp will be open from 10 am to 5 pm at all polling stations. Source: The Hindu Railways says no to plastics  Indian Railways has identified 36 stations across the country including Chennai Central where plastics will be banned and CCTV surveillance will…

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. Stocking, selling, carrying and distributing banned plastic items will invite a penalty of Rs 25,000 for first time violators, Rs.50000 for the second time and Rs 1 lakh for the third time offenders, post which the business licence will be cancelled. Small  commercial vendors will be imposed a fine…

Phase 1 of Chennai Metro to be fully functional this weekend The entire stretch of 45 km comprising Phase 1 of Chennai Metro will become fully functional starting this Sunday, February 10th. Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the state will inaugurate the final leg of Phase 1 connecting AG-DMS to Washermanpet.  The final 10-km stretch from AG-DMS to Washermanpet will be entirely underground and have stations at Washermanpet, Mannady, Madras High Court, Chennai Central, Government Estate, LIC, Thousand Lights and AG-DMS. The construction of Chennai Metro Rail’s phase I project built at a cost of ₹14,600 crore has been…

88 tonnes of banned plastic seized in January It has been one month since the implementation of plastic ban in the state and the city has had mixed response from various quarters. Chennai corporation has seized 88 tonnes of banned plastic in the city during the last 31 days. According to the data compiled by the civic body, the largest quantity of banned plastics has been seized from outlets in Kodambakkam zone, while the lowest were in Madhavaram zone. It has also been reported that many retailers have gone back to use of banned items, especially bags and packaging material.…

Drastic cut in drinking water supply With the major reservoirs that are a source of drinking water to the city going dry, Chennai Metrowater has already cut supply of drinking water by half. The city gets 850 mld a day which is cut to 450 mld to 480 mld per day. The main source of water now are veeranam water supply project, desalination plants at Nemili & Minjur, agricultural wells and metrowater owned wells. The four lakes that supply water to the city have a storage level that is just 10% of their capacity. Meanwhile, Metrowater is also planning to set…

Aavin plans buy back of milk sachets With the single use plastic ban being implemented widely and in earnest, several establishments have already moved to eco-friendly alternatives. Though milk was exempted from the ban list, Aavin has taken proactive initiatives, among which is a plan to buy back the used milk covers through its offices. Aavin distributes close to 40 lakh milk packets in the city. Among other initiatives, Aavin switched over to stainless steel tumblers and ceramic cups to serve hot milk at its parlours. It will also replace the plastic straws that come with its flavoured milk cartons with…

Campaign for a smokeless Bhogi The celebration of the harvest festival brings with it a spike in air pollution across the city. The air quality index (AQI)  data from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board confirms the rise in particulate matter during this period. The Chennai Corporation has begun an awareness campaigns for a smokeless Bhogi. The campaign conducted by the TNPCB  and health department officials is aimed at sensitising residents, RWAs, students, etc on the hazards of burning certain items like rubber and plastics. The Environment department of the TN Government is also lending its weight to the campaign. The…