Dubai honours Indian expat for 'green message'
Dubai, July 4 : The Dubai Municipality has honoured a 10-year-old Indian expat who turned his love for the World Cup into an innovative way to reduce plastic bag waste.
Using his own Eid money, Faiz Mohammed distributed hand-decorated reusable bags to a number of groceries near his home in Karama after he grew tired of seeing so many plastic bags being wasted on home deliveries, the Khaleej Times reported on Wednesday.
To combat the excess wastage, he distributed the free tote bags in place of plastic ones.
Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz Saifaie, Director of Dubai's Waste Management Department, on Tuesday named the youngster one of the Dubai Municipality's Sustainability Ambassadors.
The Sustainability Ambassador initiative was launched in 2013 with a view to train students on how to carry out lectures and workshops on various environmental topics.
"The fact that this boy didn't use that Eid money to buy a ball, toy, something for himself, is commendable. He has a good hobby. If his family and community keep encouraging that, he will have a good future and so will the environment," Saifaie said.
Thanking the municipality, Mohammed said he felt honoured to be named a Sustainability Ambassador, the Khaleej Times reported.
"I will keep urging friends, family and shop workers about the importance of using reusable bags in place of plastic ones," he said.
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KSRTC introduces gender ticketing in buses across Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The KSRCTC on Saturday began implementing gender ticketing in buses operating across the state.
According to a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) circular issued on Friday, the gender ticketing system is intended to record whether a passenger is a woman, a man or a child in tickets issued on KSRTC buses from Saturday.
To facilitate the system, Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs) have been updated.
The circular stated that conductors in all KSRTC depots should record the gender category of passengers while issuing tickets through the ETMs.
Options for women, men, and children have been included in the ETMs to identify passenger categories when issuing tickets.
The printed tickets generated by the ETMs will also indicate the passenger's category, officials said.
The UDF had promised free KSRTC travel for women across the state during the Assembly election campaign.
UDF, which won 102 of 140 seats, would soon form the government after the Congress party finalises the discussion on the next Chief Minister.
The introduction of gender ticketing is being viewed as an effort to estimate the number of women travelling daily on KSRTC buses before implementing the poll promise.
Some conductors have reportedly raised concerns over the additional time required to record passenger details, especially during rush hours.
