December 15, 2014 – The Metrognome

Mumbai, wake up and control your vehicular traffic

Experts deliberate on ways and means to cut down the vehicles on Mumbai choc-a-block roads, improve air quality, waste management.

by TERI News Features

Mumbai is rapidly choking on its own smoke-filled outdoor air. And unless ways are devised to improve the quality of urban infrastructure and incentivise public transport, the rising numbers of private vehicles are going to make a living hell out of the city.

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) recently organised a regional dialogue titled, ‘Sustainable Urban Transport and Solid Waste Management in Mumbai’. The dialogue was organised in the run up to TERI’s annual flagship event, the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), which will be held in New Delhi from February 5 to 7, 2015. A series of Regional Dialogues were organized in the run-up to the Summit, which come in the wake of the new Government’s two major announcements — 100 Smart Cities for India and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

At the third and the last dialogue in Mumbai, top experts deliberated on ways to tackle the ever-increasing traffic-related problems here and also how waste management can be streamlined. Mumbai and the metropolitan region around it has been growing seamlessly, with its total population expected to touch 44 million in 2052 even as the resources to service the burgeoning masses remain more or less stagnant. The city is experiencing major traffic problems even though public transit represents more than 60 per cent of the motorised transport model share. With one of the highest per capita incomes in the country, Mumbai has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of personal vehicles.

Speaking at the event, Shri Prakash, Distinguished Fellow, TERI, said: “Although the rail-based transport system consisting of suburban rail and newly introduced metro and monorail would cater to the major transport needs of the city, provisions of adequate facilities for growth of non-motorised transport are also very essential for accessible and sustainable transport system.” Added UPS Madan, Metropolitan Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, “We are looking at smart ticketing, smart cards that can be used for all modes of public transport system. A 100 to 200-km network in the next eight to 10 years should have a positive impact on Mumbai city’s infrastructure.”

“It is not only about setting up transport systems but also about improving road connectivity and accessibility, which are extremely critical,” said Abhay Mishra, CEO, Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd.

While discussing waste management, experts said the city generates about 10,000 MT of municipal solid waste and more than 2700 MLD of sewage per day. Managing and processing this huge amount of waste is a huge challenge faced by urban local bodies. Even in small peripheral cities of Mumbai, MSW collection and treatment is a huge task. Dr Suneel Pandey, Associate Director, Green Growth and Resource Efficiency, TERI, said: “It’s time to look at an integrated waste management framework to not only treat and dispose the waste, but also, in the process of doing so, recover resources like energy, nutrients and water not only to close the loop of material use, reduce use of harmful chemicals but also improve financial viability of waste processing options.”

“Decentralisation, biomechanisation, and waste management at the household level are the need of the hour. Today, waste processing, co-processing are some of the technologies which can treat waste efficiently. There is a need to introduce curriculum in universities that will teach people to run and operate the technology systems. This is currently lacking,” he added.

“Each individual generates waste and today there is no understanding of waste management. The need of the hour is to first study how, where and what waste is being generated. This will let us decide how we can best manage waste in the country. Then develop the right technology for the specific waste. Bad and inadequate waste management is responsible for the spread of dengue,” said Dr Amiya Kumar Sahu, President and Founder, National Solid Waste Association of India.

What do you think are some of the challenges in Mumbai city today? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Pictures courtesy searchpp.com, coastalcare.org)

‘I love Mumbai because it welcomes new ambitions’

From film actor to debutant author, Olivier Lafont has donned several creative hats – and he’s coming back to the movies.

by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

He was the hilarious ‘Price tag’ in the film 3 Idiots, which was his debut performance in a Hindi film. However, few knew at the time that the petulant, money-conscious Suhas Tandon of the film is in reality Frenchman Olivier Lafont (35) – his fluency in Hindi helped masked that fact.

Olivier has worn many hats thus far – apart from acting and modelling in umpteen ads, he is also a screenwriter, director and now author of the book Warrior. The Metrognome interviewed the handsome artist on his life in India, his work, his inspiration for writing and his love for Mumbai, where he lives.

Excerpts from the interview:

Can you tell our readers a little about your childhood and growing up years?

My upbringing was primarily French from an early age, linguistically and otherwise. My family moved from France to India when my father took a posting here by the French Government for his historical research on the Indian subcontinent. So here I was at the age of seven, in Delhi, not speaking a word of English or Hindi. It was tough initially. Also, although I lived in India I went to the American Embassy School, so I grew up in an American-style cultural bubble at school, and a French bubble at home.

How did you get so proficient in speaking and writing Hindi?

It was only after I went to university in the USA and returned to India that I decided to teach myself Hindi. I started with the alphabet, which is beautifully phonetic, and built on it from there.

How did you land a role in ‘3 Idiots’?

The casting director, the lovely Amita Sehgal, was familiar with my work in ad films and called me in. I improvised the party chutney scene from the film, and I guess Raju Hirani liked it well enough to cast me. Raju Hirani was a wonderful director – precise and clear about what he wanted but also extremely liberal. My approach was actually inspired by my French background. I used the French tradition of physical comedy from the comédie de mœurs, the comedy of manners in English, to prepare the character’s comic style.

You’ve covered a gamut of creative professions – actor, model, writer, director, producer. Which of these draws you the most?

Acting and writing, primarily. I find the most satisfaction and interest in these two fields.

What is your inspiration when you write?

I’m usually already on a run of inspiration when I write. The story itself has to inspire me, otherwise what’s the point? When I write I’m also enacting the scene, living it very vividly, and that’s really inspiring and serious fun – crafting the characters, their dialogues, their decisions, the plot…

Can we expect to see you in any more Hindi films soon?

As of now I’m especially focussed on Warrior. I’ve just written a feature film script, however, with myself as the main character. After having written scripts for other directors and producers, I’m finally doing it for myself. It’s a really fun comedy, a hilarious story that I’m looking for a producer for.

Aside from that, I’d like to do some more dramatic work, something dark and compelling, or even an action film.

How did your book Warrior happen?

Warrior was originally a feature film script I wrote more than a dozen years ago. Back then I wanted to write a film that was a large-scale special effects extravaganza, something that would be genuinely Indian and completely original. I wrote the script, and then moved to Mumbai to write my actual first film (Hari Om), so I put Warrior away for a while. Some years later I began to get some time free, and I wanted to write a book, so I picked up Warrior again. When I finished the novel I became busy, and put it away. Eventually I started sending it out to publishers, and was pleased to receive two offers in the same week. I decided to go with Penguin, and here we are.

What has been the first reaction to your book?

It’s early days yet, but so far I’ve heard that people are responding with enthusiasm to the book, to the trailer, to the cover contest with Talenthouse.

You have lived in Delhi and Mumbai, among other places in India. What fascinates and disturbs you the most about Mumbai?

What fascinates me about Mumbai is its life. It’s like a hive, everyone is always doing something somewhere. And there’s space for everyone who comes, it’s a city that welcomes new dreams, new ambitions.What disturbs me, however, is the growing congestion as a result of that.