[sustran] UN Workshop on Inspection and Maintenance Policy for Vehicles

[kisan mehta]

Dear SUSTRAN colleagues,

Mr Kisan Mehta and Ms Priya Salvi participated on behalf of the Save Bombay
Committee in the UN Workshop on Inspection and Maintenance Policy for
Vehicles held on 10-12 December 2001 in Bangkok  (Written paper has been
included in the official proceedings of the Workshop) Their oral submission
is sent herewith for your information and learned comments.

1 The presumption that increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and/or
Gross National Product (GNP) of a nation automatically reduces poverty or
improves the quality of life for the poor is not true.

2. There cannot be any improvement in the quality of life unless the concept
of  equal access to natural resources becomes an indispensible factor of
life between nations and amongst citizens within the nation.

3. Increase in the car ownership would not remove or reduce poverty.
Practically all developing countries have embarked on policy and measures to
increase motorisation and this has resulted in making  the poor  poorer.

4. Importance of mobility cannot however be underestimated in the present
day context.  What is required is not more and more personal vehicles but
sustainable and affordable modes of traffic and mobility that all sections
of the community can afford.  A sustainable approach would mean developing
public transport and mobility to which the entire community has easy access.
This sustainable approach would mean developing different modes of public
transport -railways, public buses, taxies, tuktuks, pedicabs, rikshaws, so
that bulk of the population can move easily and conveniently.  This approach
also provides clues for achieving the three goals of safety, efficiency and
infrastructure.

5. This approach would show as to what we need to do to protect and improve
the environment.  Petroleum products -petrol, diesel etc used for mobility
pollute the environment by causing toxic exhausts.   Improving the air
quality should be the goal for the community.

6. Vehicle quality should be continuously    upgradad to reduce noise from
the vehicles.

7. Recommendations to Member Nations should be to

a) Continuously upgrade and maintain the minimum quality of fuels by
requiring the oil refineries to improve the quality of their products that
affect the life of living beings. Production and use of fuels not conforming
to the minimum standards shall be banned.

b) Nations importing oil should insist on importing only clean fuel
conforming to the norms laid down.  Import of fuels not conforming to the
standards laid down shall  be banned.

c) set up standards for maintenance of vehicles and then insist on checking
and  inspection for auto emissions and noise levels that can be achieved
through simple measures,

d) require the owners of modes of mobility -railways, public road transport,
personal vehicles, heavy duty cargo vehicles and motorised agricultural
equipment, to abide by standard and norms.

e) evolve standards based on conditions prevailing in their respective
countries rather than implanting standards from other countries,

f) involve citizens as important stake holders at all levels.