RTO, APD paper reveals impact of air pollution on health of Mangaluru street vendors

coastaldigest.com news network
December 6, 2018

Mangaluru, Dec 6: In a bid to understand how pollution is affecting people’s health on a daily basis, Mangaluru’s Regional transport Office (RTO) in association with the Anti-Pollution Drive Foundation (APD) has released a paper revealing the ‘impact of air pollution on the health of outdoor workers’ at a unique event in the coastal city. The paper is based on the results of a series of Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT) conducted under APD’s ‘Shuddha Gaali’ project. This was the second phase to their previous assessment of traffic policemen and auto rickshaw drivers in Mangaluru.

Addressing the gathering at the programme held as a part of Air Pollution Awareness Month at the RTO on Tuesday, 4th December Karnataka State Pollution Control Board Senior Scientific Officer Jayaprakash Nayak said that it is the right time to instil the responsibility of environment conservation within us before it is too late. “Smoking vehicles like buses and auto rickshaws are the main reasons behind air pollution. Emission test centres must be more prudent with their approach towards such vehicles and restrict issuing emission test certificates to polluting vehicles if they do not pass the test,” he said.

Asserting the importance of each tree in the life span of a human being he said that each individual adult needs three cylinders of oxygen every day while a single cylinder of oxygen costs about Rs. 2500. “After doing the math, it is concluded that a person would need a minimum of Rs.7.5 crores worth of oxygen in their entire lifetime. A single tree can cater to the oxygen needs of hundreds of people. We as responsible citizens of this city must grow trees and reduce non bio-degradable wastes as much as possible”

Speaking on behalf of APD, K V Raman said, “Anti-Pollution Drive is doing every bit possible for us to have a safer environment with ambient air to breathe in. We should all take responsibility for our actions and join hands with them to form a better future for all of us”

Regional Transport Office Assistant Mr. Gangadhara warned about health hazards Mangaloreans are experiencing due to air pollution and emphasized people to take up healthy conveyance habits and reduce dependency on personalized vehicles for travel. Road Transport Office In-charge and coordinator of the event John Misquith and environmentalist Madhav Ullal were also present on the dais.

Speaking about planting trees to bring down the pollution level in Mangalore, Mr. Ullal said that given a chance to plant trees around Mangaluru, he will “definitely plant more trees and take responsibility for their growth”.

“Pulmonary Function Test Results show 35% have restrictive lung capacity.”

As part of the drive, a study was conducted on the impact of vehicular air pollution on outdoor workers such as street vendors, KSRTC bus drivers and city bus drivers. Pulmonary Function Test was done on 174 outdoor workers and the test results were announced at the programme. The report stated that 104 candidates (59.7%) showed normal health. However, 61 (35%) of them showed to be restrictive; 51 of the restrictive cases were non-smokers. A total of 9 candidates (3.4%) showed to be obstructive out of which 4 were smokers.

Dr. Irfan Kandal, a city based Pulmonologist said that this was a preliminary study and suggested DLCO (Diffusion Lung Capacity for Carbon Monoxide) and Chest Radiography (Chest X-Ray and CT Thorax) to conclude further results.

Commenting on the results of the PFT, APD Chief Abdullah A Rehman said, “Smoke emitting vehicles are a nuisance to society, public health and the economic profile of cities. Stringent action must be taken by Government to monitor emissions and tighten the norms thereby ensuring strict adherence to emission laws”.

He concluded by saying, “The Government must conduct more tests like these so as to get a better idea of air pollution on a larger scale. APD will always stand in support the Government to conduct the tests.”

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News Network
May 12,2024

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Mangaluru: A native of Kerala was arrested on charge of misbehaving with crew on an Air India Express flight while travelling from Dubai to Mangaluru International Airport. The man even threatened to jump from the aircraft, according to officials. 

Siddartha Das, the security coordinator for Air India Express, lodged a complaint against the passenger, identified as Muhammad BC from Kannur, Kerala, after which he was caught by the airport security once the flight landed at Mangaluru. He was later handed over to the police.

DCP (Law and Order) Sidharth Goyal said the incident occurred on Flight IX814 on May 8.

When the flight was above the sea, Muhammad reportedly said he wanted to get off the plane, posing a threat to all on board. The unruly flyer was detained by airport security once the flight landed at Mangaluru International Airport and he was handed over to Bajpe police station officials.

Sources added once the flight took off from Dubai, the accused went to the lavatory and thereafter started inquiring with the cabin crew about a person named Krishna who was not on the flight. Muhammad kept on pressing the bell for in-flight assistance, even though the cabin crew members were near at hand. He then picked up a life jacket, gave it to a crew member, and said he wanted to use it upon landing.

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May 12,2024

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In an intriguing turn of events, authorities have levied a fine against an actress for breaching traffic regulations depicted within a television serial.

In the 14th episode of the popular serial ‘Seetha Raama’ a Kannada language drama series airing on Zee Kannada, a scene featuring two individuals riding a scooter caught the attention of viewers. While the rider adhered to safety protocols by wearing a helmet, the actress on the pillion did not.

Jayaprakash Yekkur, a vigilant resident of Mangaluru, took swift notice of this discrepancy and promptly lodged a complaint with the Mangaluru City Police Commissioner. Yekkur underscored the concern that such portrayals of traffic violations by actors and actresses could potentially convey misleading messages to viewers, particularly those who are impressionable. He urged authorities to take decisive legal action against the actress, the serial’s director, and the broadcasting channel.

In response to Yekkur’s complaint, the Commissioner of Police forwarded the matter to the Mangaluru Traffic Police station. Subsequently, notices were issued to the owner of the two-wheeler featured in the scene and the serial’s director. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the scene had been filmed in Nandini Layout, Bengaluru, and was referred to the Rajajinagar police station for further scrutiny.

On May 10, after thorough inquiries, the Rajajinagar police station imposed a fine of Rs 500 on both the actress and the owner of the two-wheeler. Furthermore, the production manager of the serial committed to adhering strictly to traffic regulations in future episodes.

Expressing his contentment with the resolution, Jayaprakash Yekkur commented that the prompt response from the police, coupled with the imposition of a fine, serves as a valuable lesson and contributes significantly to enhancing public awareness.

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May 10,2024

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A day after National Commission for Women said no woman from Hassan approached the national body to file complaints against Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna, a new FIR accusing BJP leader Devaraje Gowda of abusing and assaulting a woman has come to light.

The FIR against Gowda was filed by a woman at the Holenarasipura town police station on April 1, after her husband had filed a complaint against the BJP leader on March 30. 

The purported victim's husband has alleged in his plaint that Gowda barged into their home, and threatened the couple while the BJP leader also abused the woman.

Gowda, notably, flagged Prajwal Revanna's case to the saffron party.

Reacting to the allegations levelled against him, the BJP politico posted a video on Facebook where he details how he met the woman and her husband in his office. He also claims that the allegations against him are a plot and false.

It must be noted here that a Special Investigation Team is currently probing the sexual assault cases against Prajwal Revanna who along with his driver Karthik is no longer in the country. A Blue Corner notice is also in place to apprehend the son of H D Revanna who himself is placed under judicial custody till May 14.

In a major twist to the entire case— the woman in the FIR alleged that Devaraje Gowda who apprised BJP of the sex videos involving Prajwal Revanna— has been harassing her for the past 10 months under the guise of helping her sell a property.

The woman also said that she came in contact with Gowda during the process involving the property that she wanted to sell. However, on the pretext of guiding her, the woman alleged that the whistleblower BJP leader physically assaulted and harassed her while Gowda also threatened the couple.

The woman has now sought police protection for herself and family. Further levelling allegations against Gowda in her plaint, she said that the politico had taken her to an isolated place where he assaulted her and threatened to kill the couple.

Former chief minister of Karnataka and Prajwal Revanna's uncle H D Kumaraswamy recently demanded a CBI probe in the Prajwal Revanna matter. However, Home Minister G Parameshwara turned down the demand for the investigation to be handed over to CBI.

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