Kolkata City Dialogue on Air Quality and Transportation Challenge: An Agenda For Action

The collaborative workshop on Air quality and transportation challenge: An agenda for action in Kolkata was a joint initiative of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, Kolkata and the New Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment. Dialogue held on March 16, 2011 in Kolkata was attended by nearly 300 participants.

This inter-city dialogue on our common challenges and solutions across cities is part of an experience sharing dialogue series initiated by clean air and mobility programme of CSE to build up a nation-wide debate on the grass root challenges of mobility and public health crisis in our cities.

The amazing range and depth of discussions and debate on air quality and mobility challenges during the dialogue will continue to enrich our knowledge and strengthen our action in Kolkata. This is possible because of the valuable and insightful vision shared by our deeply revered panel members who are also reputed experts in their fields and representative of the different stakeholder communities including participants from civil society, academia, press, students as so on.

The Kolkata dialogue forum discussed and debated on issues related to air quality benefits of first generation reforms, emerging air quality and health challenges, issues related to sub-utilisation of public transport systems including the tramways in the city and poor facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. The expert panel recommended that parking norms should be tightened across the city and the city must shift focus from car centric development towards providing mobility choices to majority of people who either walks, cycle, or take public transport.