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Chennai needs more buses. And in an effort to expand its old and ailing fleet, the MTC has announced the addition of 1000 privately run buses to its fleet. While Sumana, CAG agrees this could provide much needed respite to our public transportation sector, it is unlikely that  the private sector will be willing to ply on the not so lucrative routes. Nor will they honour the special fare provisions offered to women, students, people with disabilities etc.  

CAG's textbook for middle graders to teach climate literacy, was formally released by Mr. Deepak Bilgi, Director, Department of Environment and Climate Change at the National Conference on Air Pollution and Climate Change. The programme is currently running in its pilot phase in select Chennai schools.

An article quoting from CAG's study on how commuters in Chennai access public transport information. The study found that commuters relied heavily on word-of-mouth information. This is because our publicly available data is otherwise inconsistent, unreliable and patchy.

Sumana, CAG, commenting on CMDA's notification to widen 422 roads in two of Chennai's Corporation limits, explains that widening roads might seem useful in the short term; but it's simply an invitation for more vehicles. Before long, the CMDA will likely be solving congestion problems again. The CMDA has invited the public to write in with their comments on the proposed changes, before 1st December. Why not write and ask for sustainable roads that prioritise pedestrians, cyclists and public transport over private motor vehicles?

Sumana, CAG, explains why the TN government's initiative to offer free bus travel to women, is likely to result in better livelihood outcomes, especially for those women from the disorganised sector. She also points out that for continuation of the scheme, we need more than intuitive justifications; we need data on the actual results.  

CAG's regional meeting on 'Non-communicable diseases and the need for warning labels on the front of processed food products' brought together different stakeholders to discuss the urgent action needed to help consumers make informed food choices. 

As speeding was found to be prevalent across all 25 locations assessed by CAG. this article underlines the need for better signage to indicate speed limits, and better enforcement.

MTC needs to improve its fleet size from a mere 3454 buses that are operated currently to at least a 6000 strong fleet, if we are to see meaningful increases in bus ridership, says Sumana Narayanan, CAG. All other sops and schemes might be found ineffective in the absence of better bus frequency.

Following the national pedestrian conference, a call to make carriageways narrower and pavements wider. Without drastic changes to how we design our roads, it is hard to give pedestrians the safety they need.