 A CSE workshop for journalists to
see the point
Vehicular Air Pollution. A vexed problem for South Asian governments that is both current
and critical. It has grim environmental repercussions that set off staggering health and
economic fall-outs, affecting tens of millions of people. Every day. Every minute. It is
slow murder. At the finish line is death. Air quality management as an issue demands
urgent understanding, reportage and public debate. And solutions through a national
policy.
South Asian
Journalists’ Workshop on Vehicular Air
Pollution
(New Delhi, February 20-21, 2003)
 |
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila
Dikshit addressing the participants |
click
to enlarge |
Vehicular Air Pollution was the topic of
debates and discussions at the two-day South Asian Journalists’ Workshop, organised
by the Centre for Science and Environment at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on
February 20-21, 2003. Media persons from the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and
India participated in the Workshop, where national and international experts explained the
issues and demystified the science and realpolitik of vehicular air pollution. The event
concluded with an interaction between the participants and one of the principal drivers of
change in Delhi – Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Divided into eight sessions over the two
days, the Workshop introduced the participants to a host of themes ranging from Air
Quality Planning and Monitoring to Vehicular Technology and Health Impacts of Vehicular
Air Pollution (see Agenda). Among the Speakers on the first day were Sunita Narain,
Director, CSE; D K Biswas, Chairperson, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB); B
Sengupta, Member Secretary, CPCB; N V Iyer, General Manager, Bajaj Auto (Pune); Bhushan
Tuladhar, Executive Director, Clean Energy (Nepal); Balraj Bhanot, Director, ARAI (Pune);
Shreekant Gupta, Delhi School of Economics; A K Jain, Indian Institute of Petroleum
(Dehradun); and A K Dey, Director, Indraprastha Gas Limited.
Field visits to a CNG filling station,
the CPCB Pollution Monitoring station, and a PUC station afforded the participating
journalists an opportunity to view the operations and the technology at close quarters.
 |
| Central Pollution Control Board
chairperson DK Biswas and CSE director Sunita Narain at the inaugural session |
click
to enlarge |
Day two highlights included a meeting
with the Delhi Chief Minister, a session on Health and Air Pollution (addressed by S K
Chhabra, Head of Department of Cardio-respiratory Physiology, Vallabbhai Patel Chest
Institute, University of Delhi and Twisha Lahiri, Head of Department of
Neuro-endocrinology, Chittaranjan Cancer Institute, Kolkata) and a Media session. The
Media session was addressed by Umesh Anand, Resident Editor of The Times of India;
New Delhi-based reporters from The Times of India and The Indian Express presented
first-hand accounts of their experience in covering issues related to environment and
development.
Speaking at her informal meeting with the
workshop participants, Sheila Dikshit proposed an alliance between the major cities of the
region to exchange information and experiences in decongesting urban roads and fighting
the menace of vehicular air pollution. She also outlined the Delhi government’s
agenda for urban transportation, and offered a perspective on what the political
leadership could aim at and achieve in this area.
Speakers |
A K Dey
Managing Director
Indraprastha Gas Limited
A K Jain
Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun
Anumita Roychoudhury
Coordinator
Air Pollution Control Unit, CSE
Balraj Bhanot
Director
ARAI, Pune
Bhushan Tuladhar
Executive Director
Clean Energy, Nepal
B Sengupta
Member Secretary
Central Pollution Control Board |
D K Biswas
Chairperson
Central Pollution Control Board
N V Iyer
General Manager
Bajaj Auto, Pune
Pranay Lal
Coordinator
Health and Environment Unit, CSE
Shreekant Gupta
Delhi School of Economics
S K Chhabra
Head
Department of Cardio-respiratory Physiology
Vallabbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi |
Sunita Narain
Director
Centre for Science and Environment
Twisha Lahiri
Head
Department of Neuro-endocrinology
Chittaranjan Cancer Institute, Kolkata
Umesh Anand
Resident Editor
The Times of India |
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Participants |
Abdurrushd
Ruhul Amin
Senior Staff Correspondent
Channel-i News
Bangladesh
A K Azad
Reporter
The Daily Star
Bangladesh
Alexandre Barbosa
Assistant Editor
Goa Today
Panaji, Goa
Archana Singh
Reporter
Lokmat Samachar
Nagpur, Maharashtra
Ayodhya Gaur
Staff Writer
The Hindustan Times
Jodhpur, Rajasthan
Baba Mayaram
Reporter
Deshbandhu
Raipur, Chhatisgarh
Binoo Nair
Correspondent
Mid Day
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Dilip Chandan
Editor
Asam Bani
Guwahati, Assam
Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Correspondent
The Sunday Leader
Sri Lanka
Hassan Amir
Reporter
Haaveeru
Maldives
Hemlata Rai
Reporter
Nepali Times
Nepal |
Kiran
Chapagaain
Correspondent
Kathmandu Post
Nepal
K S Sudhi
Reporter
The Hindu
Kochi, Kerala
Lata Khandelwal
Reporter
Rajasthan Patrika
Ajmer, Rajasthan
M P Sukumaran
Correspondent
Malayala Manorama
Kannur, Kerala
Muhammed Azizur Rehman
Staff Reporter
The Financial Express
Bangladesh
N Ramesh
Staff Correspondent
Dinamani
Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
N Venugopal
Programme Executive
All India Radio
Anantapur, Karnataka
Payal Kumar
Reporter
The Hindustan Times
Patna, Bihar
Piyal Parakrama
Freelance Journalist
Sri Lanka
Prakash Khanal
Freelance Journalist
Nepal
Ratan K Pani
Correspondent
The New Indian Express
Cuttack, Orissa |
Sharini
Jayawardene
Associate Editor
Young Asia Television
Sri Lanka
Seethalakshmi S
Correspondent
The Times of India
Bangalore, Karnataka
Subodh Gautam
Reporter
Kantipur Daily
Nepal
Sudhir K Pal
Reporter
Ranchi Express
Ranchi, Jharkhand
Sujoy Dhar
Editor
Trans-world Features
Kolkata, West Bengal
Uday Hardikar
Reporter
Sakal
Pune, Maharashtra
Vani Doraisamy
Correspondent
The New Indian Express
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Vijay Chormare
Senior Correspondent
Sakal
Kolhapur, Maharashtra |
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