Sustainable Transport - MTC announces private busses

Tue, 28/03/2023 - 11:18
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In March 2023, #MTC announced that private players would be brought in to handle bus operations & that MTC would be buying 500 buses this year. While the extra buses will certainly make a difference to a struggling fleet, this move also needs a nuanced debate as to how the specifics of this partnership will be laid out and how it is likely to impact the public. Follow this series for more information on this. 

#Chennai #Accessibility #PrivateTransport #PublicTransport #SustainableMobility 

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road safety

road safety

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Building a robust discussion on sustainable mobility in Salem and Tirunelveli | Media Workshop

Mon, 27/03/2023 - 16:22

India has seen sundry changes in its 75 years of independence. The country and her many states have experienced economic growth at an unprecedented rate, as small towns turned into large, vibrant, and bustling cities. Tamil Nadu is no exception to this pattern, being the country's most industrialized and urbanized large state, boasting many accolades to its name. But most Indian states, Tamil Nadu included, have not been proactive with the handling of their road infrastructure. The urban population surge has therefore led to many resorting to private transport, due to inadequate public transportation and non-motorized transport facilities. In 2021, TOI reported that the private vehicle count doubled from the previous decade; this seemingly innocuous statistic becomes grave when we note that 18.9% of road fatalities are of pedestrians in India. This is 85% more than in 2020 (MoRTH). Pedestrians simply are not safe in our country. And given that 1/3 of total work trips are by foot (2011 Census) and 60% of children walk to school (NSO), the rise of private transport forebodes a grim future in terms of pollution, safety, sustainability, equity, and justice.

Salem

Venue: AMR hotel         Date: 2nd March 2023

Thus, to create a platform to discuss ways to mitigate this serious concern,  CAG, in collaboration with the Social Consumer Rights Movement (Salem), conducted a media workshop at Salem. The workshop was attended by various media personnel including local journalists, senior reporters from visual media and print, and journalism students. The workshop aimed to discuss the role of the media in promoting sustainable road infrastructure development, given its need in all recent urban development projects. The pivotal role that the media could play in encouraging and endorsing sustainable development was discussed. Various senior journalists, academics, and vocal supporters of sustainable development were given a platform to discuss how the journalists of today could be changemakers in advancing this salient issue.Divya Arvind from CAG talked about the recent pedestrian study conducted in Salem, a perception survey of pedestrians and a road audit of some arterial roads. The survey showed that more than 77% of people in Salem regularly walk yet the pedestrian infrastructure such as footpaths and streetlights is in poor condition. As these are often neglected issues, she asked the media to highlight such mobility issues. Prior to this, a media analysis was conducted and the findings were presented to the journalists. The analysis covered articles from major Tamil and English media. The analysis found that the concept of sustainable mobility is often not highlighted in many transport-related articles. In addition, the majority of the mobility-related articles only focus on motorists and very few articles are not written from the perspective of marginalized road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. She called for a more nuanced coverage of mobility that includes perspectives of all road users.

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Picture 1 (In Salem): Divya Arvind from CAG spoke about the importance of pedestrians and the ways to improve pedestrian infrastructure in our cities. 

G. Ananthakrishnan, a senior journalist formerly with the Hindu and a long time observer of urbanization, stunned the audience with data that “according to the World Bank, around 40% of rural households reported at least one death after a road accident compared to 12% of urban households”. He stressed the need for adequate planning for sustainable mobility not just in urban areas, but also in rural areas and generally deprived areas of the state. He spoke of how journalists could approach stories on road crashes and transport, by bringing a sustainable mobility lens. He shared various potential sources of information, such as government reports, that could be used by the media to bolster their reporting.

road safety

Picture 2 (In Salem): G. Ananthakrishnan spoke about the significance of sustainable mobility in a growing city like Salem.

Dr. S. Nandhakumar, the HOD of journalism and mass communications at Periyar University, was another esteemed speaker who added valuable insights into the discussions.  He spoke of the importance of data collection, and how it can be used to enhance a piece of writing that created greater impact in readers’ minds. To promote greater introspection, he asked the media to not only write more hard-hitting stories but also create awareness among the public on the ramifications of not planning for sustainable mobility.  

B Thangaraj Rase Rajan, Bicycle Mayor of Salem, spoke of his personal experience of riding long distances on his bicycle. He encouraged young children, adults, and the general public alike to follow his examples and put their cycles to better use. He also used the platform to share key issues that cyclists face today, namely,  the lack of consideration of motorists and the non-availability of cycling infrastructure. He stated that very often motorists were not accommodating of bicyclists, often cornering them into small spaces or forcing them to stop to let the motorist pass.  This led to his second point, which was that the government must make efforts to build infrastructure thoughtful of the needs of cyclists.  Given the obvious benefits that a higher bicycle-riding population would have on the environment, these recommendations must be taken seriously. Furthermore, he suggested the media create separate columns in their respective newspapers, covering and providing awareness of the livelihood of cyclists, in order for the general public to become more understanding of their needs. 

Tirunelveli

Venue: Press Club         Date: 4th March 2023

CAG, in collaboration with the Tirunelveli District Consumer Awareness Movement, conducted a media workshop at Tirunelveli. The workshop was attended by various media personnel including local journalists, senior reporters from the visual and print media. The workshop aimed to discuss the role of the media in promoting sustainable road infrastructure development, given its need in all recent urban development projects. 

Divya Arvind from CAG talked about the recent pedestrian study conducted in Tirunelveli where a perception survey of pedestrians and a road audit of some arterial roads was conducted. The outcomes from the survey showed that more than 75% of people in Tirunelveli regularly walk, yet the pedestrian infrastructure such as footpaths and streetlights is in poor condition. As these are often neglected issues, she asked the media to highlight such mobility issues.  Prior to this, a media analysis was conducted and the outcomes were presented to the journalists. The analysis covered major Tamil and English articles from both online and newspaper prints. The analysis found that the concept of sustainable mobility is often not highlighted in many transport-related articles. In addition, the majority of the mobility-related articles only focus on motorists and very few articles are not written from the perspective of marginalized road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. This situation needs to be improved by including the concept of sustainable mobility in all transport related articles and include perspectives of all road users.

Pechi Muttu, Tirunelveli traffic police inspector, joined the event and spoke about road safety in Tirunelveli. He spoke about the various methods used by the traffic police to control traffic and reduce road accidents. He also requested motorists to respect the pedestrians on the road by sharing the roads with them by not encroaching onto footpaths. In addition, Mupidathi, senior reporter from Nellai Dinamalar highlighted the pivotal role that the media could play in encouraging and endorsing sustainable development. The event concluded with a Q&A session and discussion on the prevailing transport issues in Tirunelveli and ways to incorporate the concept of sustainability at various levels.  

road safety

Picture 3 (In Tirunelveli): Divya Arvind from CAG spoke about the poor conditions of pedestrian infrastructure and ways to improve pedestrian safety.

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Climate change - Increase in heart attacks

Thu, 23/03/2023 - 14:15
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A study published in EHJ, found that a 10 µg/m3 increase in ground-level #ozone concentration was associated with a 0.4% increase in hospital stroke admission and a 0.75% rise in heart attacks. This underscores the urgent need for stronger #ClimateAction to reduce emissions #ActNow

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climate change

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Energy Saving Tips - Switch to BLDC fans

Wed, 22/03/2023 - 17:04
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Even small and seemingly insignificant choices can help you save energy and cut down on your electricity bills. Here is one of those small choices that will go a long way.

#Electricity #EnergyEffiency #TANGEDCO

electricity

 

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Energy Club - Vijayanta Higher Secondary School, Avadi, Chennai

Mon, 20/03/2023 - 16:42

Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG) in association with Vijayanta Higher Secondary School, Avadi has initiated an Energy Club to be run at their school, starting in  February 2023. The inaugural session  (also the first session of the club) was held on 17th February 2023.

electricity

Image 1: Energy Club inauguration and welcome address

Elango P, Post Graduate Teacher (PGT), Vijayanta Higher Secondary School welcomed the CAG team and introduced them to the audience and the topics (energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy) that they would be covering.

Background information and  presentation:

Bharath Ram, Researcher - Electricity Governance Team, CAG spoke about the energy club’s objectives, structure, activities and sessions.  

Broadly, the objective of the club is to improve young people's understanding of household energy consumption and create awareness around energy conservation and energy efficiency. The club sessions aim to:

  1. promote a better understanding of the subject of electricity, and the importance of conserving electricity
  2. nudge young people to initiate behavioral changes in the way energy is consumed in their household/school and
  3. further promote sustainable energy goals and exposure to renewable sources of energy.

Bharath explained how the students as members along with the coordinators of the energy club can learn and participate in energy saving activities.

electricity

Image 2: Mr. Bharat Ram, CAG speaking about Energy Club

Vanathi B, Researcher - Electricity Governance Team, CAG explained energy conservation and its importance, and also why energy saving measures should become part of our habit/ lifestyle practices. The ways in which students can begin energy saving habits and later share them with  their families and thereby create changes in our larger society was discussed with the children through fun filled interactive activities and videos.

electricity

Image 3: Ms. Vanathi B, CAG speaking about need for behavioral change

Prabhuram S, Researcher - Electricity Governance Team, CAG explained about energy efficiency, energy efficient devices and BEE star rating, using images. He also elaborated on energy conservation tips for common household appliances like lights, TV, fan, fridge, AC etc.

electricity

Image 4: Mr. Prabhuram S, CAG speaking about tips for energy conservation

Our team also explained how to identify energy efficient appliances using the  stars on energy labels, read the labels/covers and understand the information on it while purchasing electrical appliances. 

Audience Response:

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Image 5: Group photo with Vijayanta Higher Secondary School staff and students

The students were curious to know about electricity, energy conservation and efficiency topics. Right from the start and throughout the entire session, they were interactive, responding to the questions put forth, and clarifying their doubts.  

To our surprise, the children already had a fair idea about renewable energy, especially solar, LEDs, star labels etc. However, they were not very clear as to  how all of these contribute to energy savings. Once these were explained to them, they enjoyed  learning about them in detail.

The students are a curious bunch who will be a pleasure to work with, and we are excited to join them and learn together with them  in the upcoming energy club sessions.

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Road Safety - Letter to MoRTH

Mon, 20/03/2023 - 11:07
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#Speeding caused the maximum road crash fatalities in #India in the past decade. On the occasion of the #NationalSafetyWeek (March 4 to 10), #RoadSafetyNetwork requests Minister, Road Transport and Highways #MoRTH, India to reduce speed limits thereby reducing fatality numbers considerably. The Network also asked that the #NationalRoadSafetyBoard is urgently set up and made functional.

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road safety

road safety

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Global Recycling Day 2023

Sat, 18/03/2023 - 16:40
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Have you been led to believe that #recycling is just for #plastics? Think again. There are so many household things we should never be throwing away to end up in the #landfill (see image). As for plastics, recycling will not help use end the #PlasticPollution crisis. For this, we need to stop plastics at the stage of production itself. Bottom line: Produce responsibly. Shop less. #GlobalRecyclingDay

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CAG's Electricity Chatbot for consumers

Fri, 17/03/2023 - 14:43
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Have you got questions about #electricity related concerns? Service, supply, billing...maybe something else? Our chatbot can answer the most frequently asked questions. Check it out today. #ConsumerAwareness

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Sumaiyah Fathima

Sumaiyah

Sumaiyah is a lawyer by training. She had valuable internship experiences with the All India Human Rights Association and the Competition Commission of India during her years of study. She also has published multiple noteworthy research papers in esteemed journals and other publications. She exhibits great curiosity and interest in the areas of public policy, food adulteration and safety, human rights, and artificial intelligence. Her favourite pastime activities include poetry and photography.

Email - sumaiyah.fathima@cag.org.in 

Position/Summary
Researcher - Consumer Protection