Chimneys

If ever you take a train out of Chennai Central, you cannot miss this trio. Well, yes, at night time you will not be able to see the colours so clearly, but the chimneys are lit up, so they are not easy to miss. A generation or so ago, these chimneys weren't around, but you would know that you are crossing the Basin Bridge power station because of their predecessors - massive concrete structures, which looked pretty much like chimneys, as you can see from this picture.

The Basin Bridge power station was modernised by GMR and was commissioned in 1998. Since then, it has been supplying about 200MW of electricity to the state electricity board. GMR claims that it does not use any water from the city, but treats the city's sewage to generate the water it needs for its operations. They boast a 75% recovery rate from the sewage - I am not sure if that is a high benchmark, or just regular operations. 

So, the next time you go out of the Chennai Central station, don't forget to say goodbye to these chimneys!

Road-coach

Once upon a time, the Elephant Gate Bridge Road - whatever it might have been called then - was an important entrance to Madras. Though the direction still remains important, the road has handed over pre-eminence to the rail, more because that side of the city has become extremely crowded, with narrow, congested streets unsuited for heavy vehicles.

It should therefore not be so surprising to find what looks like a railway carriage jumping out on to the road, as you take the last turn on Elephant Gate Bridge Road. It is indeed the sliced-off side of a railway carriage, now put to use as a sign for the Southern Railways' Train Care Centre at the Basin Bridge depot. That Centre is over a century old and must have seen quite a few carriages pass through - wonder which one of them will leap up as the next signboard!