Kolkata: SwitchON Foundation organized an Art Exhibition at the Press Club on the occasion of World Nature Conservation Day where children from different schools of Kolkata wrote and displayed letters and paintings at the Exhibition, requesting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to promote “Cycling and Clean Air” in the city, says a press release.
The Art Exhibition was inaugurated by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kolkata (Calcutta), Manfred Auster in the presence of principals, teachers and children from different schools.
Manfred Auster said “Cycling is a very concrete and low-cost measure. It is an alternative mode of transport and has already played an important part in Kolkata, especially in the wake of Covid. The clock is ticking loud and clear. Several natural disasters occurring all around the world prove the urgency to fight the climate crisis.”
Vinay Jaju, Managing Director, SwitchON Foundation said, “Children across Kolkata want cycling for a clean and healthy future. We need to promote sustainable transport if we want to ensure a safe Kolkata for our children. If we keep adding more cars, our city will become unlivable because of the pollution and congestion.”
SwitchON Foundation also conducted a quick survey with over 500 school and college students across Bengal and found that a majority of 82% of the respondents consider air pollution to be causing a health threat to them and a massive 73% of respondents from Kolkata said that they would consider cycling to school/ college and to nearby areas if separate cycle lanes are provided to them.