Greater Chennai Corporation draws mega plans for Jayalalithaa's birthday

Chennai: The Greater Chennai Corporation has drawn out an elaborate plan to celebrate Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s 68th birthday, which falls on February 24, including serving sweet pongal to Amma canteen customers on the day.

While the local body’s 282 Amma canteens will serve food free of cost on the day, a lot of emphasis has been placed on the number 68.

The local body said it will be releasing mosquito fish, a larva feeding fish species, in 68 mosquito breeding spots in the city. Similarly, medical camps will be conducted in 68 parks in the city while an equal number of blood donation camps too will be conducted.

Sixty-eight mobile medical camps, 68 special camps to test for diabetes and blood pressure and medical camps at all its urban primary health centres are some of the other initiatives.

Interestingly, the corporation will also open a fixed deposit account worth '10,000 in the names of all babies born in the city on the day, especially in corporation hospitals. Sixty-eight transgenders will be honoured and 68 women participants in a kolam competition will be awarded prizes. Even residents over the age of 100 years will be rewarded by the corporation.

Corporation officials added that the local body will be planting 68,000 shade giving tree species on the day, as a measure to improve tree cover in the city. Also, the local body will plant 68 banyan tree saplings in each of its 200 wards, bringing the number up to 13,600 banyan saplings across the city.

The corporation will also host sand sculpting competitions in the city’s beaches. It will also remove floating debris from 68 water bodies in the city besides building rain water harvesting pits in all corporation buildings. The local body has also declared that it will felicitate resident welfare associations and NGOs on the day.
The corporation will also host a rolling trophy competition for male and women sportspersons. The games include cricket, basketball, football, hockey, kabaddi, table tennis, badminton, kho-kho, weightlifting, bodybuilding, karate, Judo, boxing, fencing, carrom, chess, squash and athletics among others.