PMK puts foot down

Has Chennai missed the bus Public Transport Chennai

In Chennai, a party is calling for twice as many buses instead of the proposed monorail system. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (pmk) and the affiliated ngo Pasumai Thayagam, or Green Motherland, have launched a campaign for the government-owned Metropolitan Transport Corporation Limited (mtcl) to scrap plans to build a Monorail Mass Rapid Transit System. Signed appeal forms are to be sent to the Chief Minister of State.

With more than 4.2 million passengers crammed onto 2,773 buses each day, there's no doubt that something needs to be done. But says Ramadoss, founder of the pmk the overhead monorail plan is aiming too high: the venture demands much time and expense, and the proposed 300km coverage is unnecessary. Instead, leading a demonstration near Memorial Hall, Ramadoss called for the bus fleet to be doubled, for more footpaths to be built, and for separate cycle paths on all roads. A Bus Rapid Transit system would give the same quality of service as a monorail.