The sad part is that Chennai pollution levels going up because more Chennaites are giving public transport a miss and opting for their own vehicles, according to a study by the Centre of Science and Environment. Worryingly, almost seven lakhs people have stopped using public transport over the last year and 800 new two-wheelers are registered every day on an average in the city.
The pollution hotspots are Kathivakkam, Manali and Tiruvottiyur where the levels are two to 2.4 times higher than the national standards during peak hours and the daily average pollution, 1.3 times higher.