An article discussing findings from the CAG study which revealed that a significant majority of consumers knew of the single-use plastics ban. However, poor enforecement and therefore easy availability of SUPs lead to a reliance on plastics.
Sumana Narayanan, CAG, comments on the fewer new car registrations in the State that it does not mean fewer new cars on the road. If discouraging private transport, and easing congestion is what the government aims to achieve, it needs to be done through strengthening the public transport network.
Bids have been invited for the procurement of modern passenger information systems in seven State Transport Undertakings (STU). Sumana, CAG, acknowledges that this is a good move but called for such a system to ensure information is communicated through various modes and not just focussed on the technologically-savvy citizen. In addition, information should be updated in real-time. A CAG study established that passengers generally find public transport information through official mediums difficult to access, and not always reliable.
Climate Action Month has been envisioned as a space for multi-stakeholder engagements on the critical topic of climate change. With an array of events across Chennai, the event reached out to wide cross sections of Chennai-ites through popular mediums of comedy, music, and technical engagements.
The Smart Urban Roads project under the Chennai City Partnership Programme does not align with crucial mobility targets.It prioritises motorised transport, and for the most part, sidelines walking, cycling and public transit. Sumana, CAG, comments that if done right, this is an excellent opportunity for the city to meet the livelihood and mobility needs of its people.
An article that explains Tamil Nadu's road safety policy and its lack of clarity with regards to implementation and resource allocation, based on CAG's qualitative comparative analysis on road safety policies from different states across the country.
The recent rules notified by the state government for electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety will allow placement of devices such as speed cameras and automatic number plate recognition at key traffic spots. Sumana, CAG, says that this is a much needed move to enforce road rules, but one that will achieve desired outcomes only if it is fully automated. Additionally, collecting the fines from offenders needs to be enforced also.
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.