Minister Aditya Thackeray On Metro Car Shed
We are journalists
Working to influence
environmental policy for public good
WHAT WE DO
We focus on the training of media, conducting study tours and organizing dialogues between administrative governance, media and various concerned bodies on environment and development.
FEJI is now expanding into collaborations with journalism colleges , offering journalism modules, and offering students the opportunity to pursue research for their thesis under the FEJI aegis.
We are also collaborating with like-minded organizations, holding platforms of interactive dialogues with the media, undertaking media-related research and studies from the field. FEJI is also planning to undertake editorial work on environment and development for public dissemination.
Latest Updates
Training Seminar for Journalists Held at Mumbai Press Club
Introduction by Varun Singh of the Press Club
Journalists on the FEJI field trip to Aarey
The Forum of Environmental Journalists in India, in collaboration with the Press Club, held a training seminar for city journalists on 28th January, on environmental issues in Mumbai city with Aarey in focus. The event was the first Darryl D’Monte Memorial event and appropriately located in Darryl’s home city, with an important issue for Mumbai. The Speakers were Prof. Shyam Asolekar of IIT, Mumbai; Ms. Sulakshana Mahajan, Urban Planner; and Mr. Hussain Indorewala, Asst. Prof, KRVIA, Mumbai.
Prof. Asolekar spoke on the lack democratic participation in several environment policies relevant for both Maharashratra and India and offered low-cost, appropriate technology solutions for municipal solid waste; industrial effluents; pollution in rivers and urban waterbodies and sustainable environmental services under ‘smart cities’.
Prof. Indorewala showed, through graphs with facts and figures, the skewed development of public transportation in Mumbai which currently favours massive projects for private vehicles in spite of the majority of the city’s population using, and needing, public transport. He showed the importance of Aarey for the city’s drainage system, mitigating its flooding problems and needing the entire ecosystem of Aarey with its contiguous borders to Sanjay Gandhi National Park for a host of climatic and other benefits to Mumbai city. He recommended the Metro car shed’s shifting to one of the proposed sites at BKC, Kalina, Mahaluxmi.
Ms.Mahajan highlighted the ‘flip side’ of the coin in the issue, underlining the need for ‘trade offs’ while executing public transportation projects and for designing a balance between development and conservation.
The participation from journalists was good with several Press Club members attending and expressing interest in the issue. The event had an informative half-day field trip to Aarey, with Ms. Amrita Bhattacharjee of Aarey Conservation Group.
Subsequent to the above event, FEJI put forward a memorandum to the Environment Minister, Aaditya Thackeray, with points on protection for Aarey, paying attention to bus lanes and bus transport, halting big transportation projects for private vehicles in Mumbai city, as well as setting up water-conservation steps in Maharashtra. Thackeray has promised positive action on FEJI’s petition.
The Seminar Programme
Memorandum and Press Release
Atul Deulgaonkar presents the FEJI Memorandum to the Environment Minister