From sustran at po.jaring.my Thu Feb 11 19:47:45 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 18:47:45 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: more on Mumbai-Pune expressway issue from PARISAR Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990211184745.00812760@relay101.jaring.my> Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 10:47:08 +0800 (MYT) To: sustran@po.jaring.my From: Sujit Patwardhan (by way of tkpb@barter.pc.my (Barter)) Subject: MumbaiPuneExpressway (Sorry I forgot to include copies of the Press Note and the letter Here they are.....) 6 February 1999 Dear Mr. A. Rahman Paul BARTER, Mumbai Pune Expressway: Violation of the Court's Stay Order by the Project Authorities, Police and the Maharashtra Government =============================================== You will remember the information I had sent you about the Mumbai Pune Expressway. Enclosed is a report on the violations of the Mumbai High Court's Stay Order by the project authorities and the contractor of the project, with the full support of the Maharashtra Government. I also enclose a letter I have written to Shri Suresh Prabhu, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Government of India. You can make use of the information in whatever way you like but I feel the letter to the Minister should not be widely circulated at this stage as it has been sent to him only recently and we don't want him to be put off in case he intends to pull up those responsible for violating court's orders and continuing with the work without satisfactorily rehabilitating the project affected villagers and tribals despite the clear order of the High Court to maintain the status quo. The Report about the violation of the stay order can be circulated to Sustran if you feel it would be interest to other members on the list. If you need any more information please let me know. With good wishes, --Sujit Letter to Mr. Suresh Prabhu ---------------------------------------- Pari/34/693/99 31 January 1999 Shri Suresh Prabhu Minister for Environment & Forests Government of India, Paryavaran Bhavan, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi, Regd. Post A.D. Dear Shri Prabhu, Mumbai Pune Expressway You were good enough to reply to some of our earlier letters about declaring Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani Region as an Ecologically Sensitive Zone. Unfortunately we have not been getting any response from your department whenever we have written and asked for details about the Mumbai Pune Expressway which is now living up to all our earlier fears. We had asked for the detailed project report, and had offered to pay for the cost of the same. We were told by your Ministry to get this from the Maharashtra Government. The Maharashtra Government hasn't replied to any or our letters. They are most secretive and reluctant to give any details about this project. Encouraged by reading a press report that you have taken the initiative in making your ministry act with openness and transparency (and by putting up details of projects under clearance in your ministry, on your web page) we are again writing to you with a request for a copy of the final detailed project report for the Mumbai Pune Expressway. We also wish to have a copy of the final sanction given by your Ministry to this project. We need this very urgently as we suspect the Maharashtra Government is blatantly violating the conditions imposed by your ministry about the ghat section where the expressway has not been cleared. Blasting of land and dumping of rubble on massive scale is taking place in the ghat section in forest land despite the clear stipulation that the ghat section of the expressway has not been cleared by your Ministry. We are also distressed by the project authority's open defiance of a court order "staying any further desplacement or eviction of tribals and villagers of Tembhri, Pansheel, Kombivili and seven other villages affected by the project, pending hearing and final disposal of the petition". We would request you to please go through the enclosed report which gives details of the violations of this stay order and hope your ministry will take a serious note of these illegal acts by the project authorities, and by the Maharashtra Government and initiate stern action. We would be happy to give you any clarifications you may need in this regard and hope you will please let us have the documents sought by us. Thanking you and looking forward to your early reply. Yours sincerely, for Parisar S.J. Patwardhan Hon. Secretary Encl. Note on the violations of the Court's Order in Petition No. 6684 of 1998.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- PRESS NOTE: Mumbai Pune Expressway: Stay Order Violated Four Times On Jan14,1999 the inhabitants of the Panchsheel Katkarwadi (taluka Khalapur , Dist. Raigad ) were displaced but they don't want to talk about it.Men,women and children of about 18 families were made to lift their belongings-utensils, food, poultry, etc.-and made to go to another site, designated by the contractor. The displacement is occurring under the construction of the Mumbai -Pune Expressway, an ambitious project to connect the two cities in 2 1/2 impossible hours. 18 families were woken up in the middle of the night when mud fell through the roofs of their houses. Outside, the contractors of the Hindustan Construction Company Ltd. had already begun grabbing ,the process of cleaning the land by digging its surface. By morning the people had been given orders to move from the place they had been living in for generations. They were asked to shift to makeshift asbestos sheds that had plastic for covering as walls. When questioned, the contractor commented, "the people have been warned of this and have been ready for it." The displacement assumes significance since it is illegal on two counts. First , the displacement violates a stay order issued by the High Court dated 8/12/98 and 14/12/98 in the matter of Tembhri Katkari Wadi and Student Action Committee versus the Government of Maharashtra(petition #6684).The ad-interim stay order states that:- -"Pending hearing and final disposal of the petition for an order staying the notification dated 20/5/98 hereto relating to the acquisition of land situated in village Tembhri, Pansheel, Kombivili and other seven villages affected under the project." - Pending hearing and final disposal of this petition for an order restraining the respondents from evicting, affecting by blasting, interfering in any mannner with the possession and occupation of the persons residing in Tembhri Katkariwadi, Sarang Katkariwadi, Kopri Katkariwadi, Kombivili Katkariwadi, Ambemal Katkariwadi, Pansheel Katkariwadi, Lodhivili Katkariwadi, Asroti Katkariwadi, Dharni Katkariwadi, Asrachi Katkariwadi, Budhawada (SC), Rohidaswada - Sarang, Bhudhawada - Tupgaon, Budhawada - Asroti, Tembhri Budhawada in Khalapur Taluka, District Raigad." This restricts the state government or any authority from taking action that disturbs status Quo of project as on 14/12/98. The site manager of the contractor was made aware of this blatant violation of the High Court order. He stated that since the displacement had been "planned" earlier and that the people "knew" it would happen , this was no contempt of court. The student action Committee is emphatic in its protest against arbitrary remarks and actions of the government representatives. Second, the contractor and construction company have no authority to act in matters of displacement. Nor have they been authorised to compensate tribals in any way, In effect, the tribals are being made to move from their land by an illegal authority. This is of significance since the tribals or project affected people will have no claim to rehabilitation and compensation since on record they have not been moved. The contempt of court is the third such incident to occur in the area, directly , violating the stay orders dated 8/12/98 and 14/12/98. In previous instances the Government of Maharashtra cleared out an area in the Tembri Katkari wadi, that is the community land of the tribals. The land has been " encroached" upon by the Government of Maharashtra, since absolutely no notices mandatory under the Land Acquisition Act , 1894 , has been followed. On this land, the Government of Maharashtra, has built a road, further decreasing the quality of the soil and causing irreparable damage to the livelihood of the tribals. On Jan.11,1999 the Government of Maharashtra, sought to violate the stay order by trying to conduct land survey at the village of Kopri( one of the eight villages affected by the mega city). The villagers and tribals organised a protest meet, put up banners that had " Government officials Beware" printed on it and gheraoed the survey officials when they arrived. The survey team was headed by Anil Sawant , Additional Collector , Alibagh, Dist. Raigad. There ensued an informal public hearing during which villagers asked answers to a variety of illegal activities the Government of Maharashtra has perpetuated under the guise of Mumbai-Pune Expressway construction work. The notice served to them notifying them of the survey , for example, was unsigned by a government representative and made absolutely no mention of the section under which acquisition and survey team returned unaccomplished, after it was forced out that the stay order would be violated if the survey was carried out. In a third instance, on Jan 13,1999, police descended on the Tembri Katkari wadi, and tried to force the petitioners Gulab Gopal Mukne and Kalubai Mukne to make thumb impressions on blank sheets of paper. In return, the police promised them Rs.500. The harassing of the tribals and forcing on them a change in statement by manipulating them is blatantly violating the Stay order mentioned above. More important, the police have abused their power and functioning as paid "goondas" who are following orders they have no cause to. By extorting confessions and offering bribes, the police are being Coercive and dictatorial, perpetuating atrocities on the citizens of this country. The Director -General of police has been informed of these illegal activities of the police and an inquiry has been requested. Within a month of a High Court stay order , so many violations have taken place. What then is the security offered to the common man. Who is to ensure it if law enforcing agents like the police collude with racketeers? What chance or faith can you or me repose in having a fair chance at justice? Jasveen Ahluwalia Mumbai-88 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- -- Sujit Patwardhan sujit@vsnl.com -------------------------------------- PARISAR, Yamuna, ICS Colony, Ganeshkhind Road, Pune 411 007 Tel: 327955 ***************************************************************** "In nature there are neither Rewards nor Punishments--- there are Consequences." ***************************************************************** From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Feb 13 15:41:21 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 14:41:21 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Call for Papers on NMT Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990213144121.007a4580@relay101.jaring.my> This announcement is from Ms H. Sasa, Coordinator Secretariat, International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences, Japan. Email: iatss@db3.so-net.ne.jp ************************************************************* ANNOUNCEMENT Calling for the Submission of Papers on "Nonmotorized Transport (NMT)" The exploding proliferation of motorization is found all over the world, especially in developing countries. The result of this trend, in the foreseeable future, looks gloomy because of increasing traffic congestion, environmental deterioration and traffic accidents. Non-motorized Transport (NMT) is one of the effective alternatives to alleviate the negative effects of motorization. However, NMT is often regarded as an obsolete mode which should be abolished. In order to maintain a sustainable transportation environment, it is vitally important to reinstate NMT as a viable and desirable transportation mode. We invite contributions to IATSS RESEARCH Vol. 23, No. 2 (Fall 1999) on various topics related to NMT. Topics with particular emphasis on the safety aspect of NMT are preferred, but other issues such as the environmental and economic aspects, social acceptance both in developing and developed countries, or comparisons of motorized transport and NMT are also welcome. Hirotaka KOIKE, Chairman, The Editorial Board, IATSS Research Prospective authors should submit an abstract (approximately 300 words) and the title of paper by February 26, 1999 to the contact address listed below, including the author's name, affiliation, full mailing address, FAX number, telephone number and e-mail address. Authors of accepted abstracts will be informed by March 20, 1999 and asked to submit a paper by May 31, 1999 that should be no longer than 6 pages in the journal, (approximately 20 pages of double-spaced A4 paper) including figures and tables. Completed papers will be reviewed by at least two referees in accordance with the Editorial Boardpolicy. Authors will be advised of referees' comments and suggested revision ofpapers where necessary. CONTACT: Please send your responses to the call for papers, and inquiries for additional information: IATSS Research Editorial and Advisory Board International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences 6-20, 2-chome, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0028 JAPAN FAX: +81 3 3272 7054 E-mail: iatss@db3.so-net.ne.jp SUSTRAN Resource Centre P. O. Box 11501, 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +60 3 274 2590, E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my Web: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2853/ The SUSTRAN Resource Centre hosts the Secretariat of SUSTRAN (the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific). From sustran at po.jaring.my Mon Feb 15 11:35:43 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 10:35:43 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: International Conference on URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990215103543.007aee30@relay101.jaring.my> {forwarded message from Dr. Murthy V.A. Bondada} Subject: International Conference on URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS, Miami, Florida, USA, March 21-25, 1999 This conference is organized and sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Many organizations such as the American Public Transit Association, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Transportation Research Board, and The World Bank are cooperating organizations for the conference. Twenty-eight of the largest cities in the world (five from the US and 23 from outside the US) are presenting their successes and failures in implementing urban transportation systems in separate 28 city-sessions with three presentations in each session. The participating US cities are: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and Washington, DC, and foreign cities are: Amsterdam, Bangkok, Beijing, Berlin, Budapest, Chennai (Madras), Curitiba, Helsinki, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Osaka, Oslo, Paris, Pusan, San Juan, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, and Tokyo. Please publicize the conference by the phone, mail, fax, or email to your friends and colleagues who have interest in the conference theme. Please note that details of the conference including hotel reservation and registration form can be downloaded from internet at the web site: www.asce.org/conferences/upts. Please inform your friends and colleagues about this web page so that they can take appropriate action if they want to attend the conference. Please note the deadline to avail the early registration fee and early hotel rate is February 22, 1999. If you have any questions or I may be of any assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely yours, Murthy Dr. Murthy V.A. Bondada, P.E., F.ASCE Chairman, ASCE National Committee on Public Transport and Conference Chairman One Purlieu Place, Suite 100 Winter Park, FL 32792, USA Tel: (407) 657 6662 Fax: (407) 657 9579 e-mail: murthy_bondada@hotmail.com SUSTRAN Resource Centre P. O. Box 11501, 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +60 3 274 2590, E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my Web: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2853/ The SUSTRAN Resource Centre hosts the Secretariat of SUSTRAN (the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific). From sustran at po.jaring.my Fri Feb 19 19:09:19 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 18:09:19 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Call for articles for Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990219180919.007ab310@relay101.jaring.my> {forwarded message from John Moon of ESCAP's Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development Division.} Call for Articles Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific The Bulletin The Transport and Communications Bulletin for Asia and the Pacific is a journal published by the Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure Development Division (TCTIDD) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission forAsia andthe Pacific (ESCAP). It is a United Nations sales publication and is read worldwide. In order to increase the benefit of the Bulletin to ESCAP members and associate members as well as to other interested organizations and persons the secretariat is planning to introduce a number of changes in the publication commencing with the next issue (No. 68). The principal change is that each Number of the Bulletin will focus on a particular theme of interest, primarily in the transport sector. Objectives The objectives of the Bulletin areto: a. Provide a forum for the exchange and sharing of knowledge, experience, ideas, information and policy options in the development of transport infrastructure and services; b. Increase awareness of transport policy issues and responses; c. Widen and deepen debate on issues of interest and concern in the transport sector; and d. Stimulate policy oriented research in the field of transport. Editorial Guidelines Individual articles in the Bulletin should be focused, dealing with some specific aspects of the theme of the particular issue and of interest to developing countries in the ESCAP region. They should be based on original research and must not have been published elsewhere. The articles should have analytical depth and strong empirical orientation; they should have an abstract and a concluding section which draws outpolicy implications from the empirical analysis. In limited cases, articles could be in the nature of a literature survey or theoretical analysis, however the essential criteria for their inclusion would be whether they succeed in clearly highlighting policy implications for countries in the ESCAP region. In exceptional circumstances, articles outside of the theme for the particular issue of the Bulletin may be considered. Analytical book reviews will also be considered for publication. Theme for Issue No. 68 of the Bulletin: URBAN TRANSPORT IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION Call for Articles The theme for the next issue of the Bulletin (No.68) will be URBAN TRANSPORT INTHE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION. The Bulletin invites articles which fall within the abovementioned Editorial Guidelines and address urban transport issues. The focus of individual articles may include, but not limited to, one or two of the following: a. Administration and coordination of urban transport policy, including governance issues; b. Transport and land-use planning; c. Traffic congestion; d. Health and safety; e. Energy aspects of urban transport; f. Environmental impact of transport in urban areas; g. Pricing of urban transport infrastructure and/ or services; h. Financing of urban transport infrastructure and/ or services; i. Privatization of urban transport infrastructure and/ orservices; j. Urban transport and poverty alleviation; k. Intermediate means of transport in urban areas; and l. Gender aspects in urban transport. Submission Dates Synopses of around 300 words (including an estimate of the length of the proposed manuscript), prepared in English in Microsoft Word or WordPerfect format, and a curriculum vitae not exceeding one page, should be submitted no later than 15 April 1999, to the following address: Director Transport, Communications, Tourism and Infrastructure DevelopmentDivision Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) United Nations Building Rajadamnern Nok Avenue Bangkok 10200 THAILAND Fax: 66-2-280-6042 e-mail: rahmatullah.unescap@un.org before the end of April, authors whose abstracts are selected will be requested to submit their manuscripts by 15 July 1999. From sustran at po.jaring.my Tue Feb 23 09:23:40 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 08:23:40 +0800 Subject: [sustran] fwd: Environmentally Best and Worst Cars and Trucks Ranked Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990223082340.007be9d0@relay101.jaring.my> >Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 06:02:48 +0900 (JST) >From: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >To: owner-sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org >Subject: BOUNCE sustran-discuss@jca.ax.apc.org: Non-member submission from [stncar@ix.netcom.com] ..... >Looking for a New Car? Check the Green Guide >EarthVision Reports > >02/22/99 > >WASHINGTON, February 22, 1999 ? When shopping for a new car, it is easy to find >information about a host of >categories from engine size to safety features, but finding its environmental performance >may be a bit frustrating. Don't >despair though, a new consumer guide tells all about the new models. > >The guide, Green Guide to Cars and Trucks: Model Year 1999, from the American Council for >an Energy-Efficient >Economy (ACEEE), provides complete information covering the many aspects of automotive >environmental performance for >every new passenger car, minivan, sport utility, and pickup truck sold in the United >States. The guide uses a "Green Score" >to rank the autos, allowing the consumer to "shop with the environment in mind" according >to Guide author John DeCicco, >ACEEE's Transportation Program Director. The Green Score looks at a vehicle's exhaust >components, fuel economy and >other specifications, then grades each model on its health impacts, estimated annual fuel >expenses, and greenhouse gas >emissions. > >Included in the Green Guide to Cars and Trucks is: > > Advice about how to buy green when shopping for a new car or light truck. > The "Best of 1999," featuring the "greenest" models by vehicle class. > The 12 "greenest" and "meanest" vehicles for the environment in 1999 > Listings for electric and alternatively fueled vehicles, in addition to conventional >vehicles. > Tips on keeping your vehicle running cleanly and efficiently > Information on the environmental impacts of motor vehicles, including global warming >and the health effects of vehicle > pollution. > >According to ACEEE, the ratings published in the Green Guide are derived from emissions >certifications and fuel economy >data reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air >Resources Board by automakers >themselves. > >"Higher fuel economy protects the environment and is especially important for fighting >global warming," states DeCicco. "By >'greener' we mean cleaner and more fuel-efficient." > >Although the greenest vehicles are those powered by alternative fuels or electricity, >ACEEE authors realize that these options >are not available to many consumers. Therefore, new to this guide is a "Practical Picks" >section that lists the best choices in >gasoline-powered models. > >"Choosing greener cars is more important than ever," DeCicco says. "The Green Guide to >Cars and Trucks provides >practical advice for consumers concerned about protecting their health, their children's >health, and the health of the planet." > >The Green Guide to Cars and Trucks: Model Year 1999 is available from the ACEEE website >(below) and may be >ordered from ACEEE for $8.95 plus $5.00 for shipping and handling. Bulk sales discounts >are also available. > >To order, contact: >ACEEE Publications >1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036 >Phone: 202-429-0063, Fax: 202-429-0193 >E-mail: ace3pubs@ix.netcom.com >Order from Web Site: http://www.aceee.org/greenercars/ > >******************************************************************** > >Marty Bernard >Oakland, California > >To find out about a new form of personal urban transportation >please visit the Information Pages of the National Station Car >Association at http://www.stncar.com which are updated periodically. > > SUSTRAN Resource Centre P. O. Box 11501, 50748 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel/Fax: +60 3 274 2590, E-mail: sustran@po.jaring.my Web: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/2853/ The SUSTRAN Resource Centre hosts the Secretariat of SUSTRAN (the Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia & the Pacific). From sustran at po.jaring.my Sat Feb 27 10:05:07 1999 From: sustran at po.jaring.my (SUSTRAN Resource Centre) Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 09:05:07 +0800 Subject: [sustran] Call for papers on sustainable and integrated transport Message-ID: <3.0.6.32.19990227090507.007abb00@relay101.jaring.my> CALL FOR PAPERS ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY (WITH INSTITUTE OF BRITISH GEOGRAPHERS) ANNUAL CONFERENCE SUSSEX 2000 (4th-7th January 2000), UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX JOINT TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY RESEARCH GROUP (TGRG) AND PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH GROUP (PERG) CONFERENCE SESSION "PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE AND INTEGRATED TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM" The TGRG and PERG will be organising a joint all day session at the Sussex 2000 RGS-IBG annual conference, entitled "Planning for Sustainable and Integrated Transport Systems in the New Millennium". The recent UK transport white paper "A New Deal for Transport" has indicated the future direction and policy agenda of national government. This document has identified an increased need for research in key areas such as walking, cycling, aspects of public transport and the pricing of transport systems. It has also increased interest in institutional processes related to the implementation of an integrated transport system both within the areas of transport policy and within other sectors including education, health, housing, labour markets, retailing and industry. A key failure of policy and decision-making historically has been the lack of integrated decision and policy making across different sectors. New institutional frameworks and policy are emerging in this increasingly complex policy environment but is there a need for new radical policy approaches? Papers for this conference session are invited which will address the prospects for the future of sustainable transport and the integration of transport policy with other areas of public policy over the next 10-20 years. The aim of the session is to attract contributions from those working in the field of transport and planning studies, transport geography and also those working in different research areas where transport policy is increasingly likely to impinge on that particular research or policy area. Papers which connect with sustainable transport issues and the need to develop integrated policy approaches are sought from the following broad areas of expertise: health, education, employment; social inclusion; environment and heritage; retail and business management; housing; local economic development; city, urban and regional planning; urban design. Intending contributors should contact one of the convenors, enclosing a paper, title and brief abstract by 30th June 1999. Dr. Julian Hine Transport Research Institute/School of the Built Environment Napier University Redwood House 66 Spylaw Road Edinburgh EH10 5BR email: j.hine@napier.ac.uk tel: 0131-455-5140 fax: 0131-455-5141 Rachel Goodman The Centre for Alternative and Sustainable Transport (CAST) Division of Geography Staffordshire University College Road Stoke on Trent Staffs ST4 2DE email: R.Goodman@staffs.ac.uk tel: 01782 294296 fax: 01782 747167