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EQUATIONS in the Media

Hills and Mountains

Plastic pollutants in tourist places

Tourism and Plastic

We buy one million plastic bottles every minute, a large quantity of them ending up in our forests, beaches or mountain tops. More than 15,000 tons of plastic waste is generated in India alone every day, it did not come as a surprise when the theme for the World Environment Day, 2018 was announced as #BeatPlasticPollution.

Jewar airport plan

57,000 "to be Evicted" for Jewar Airport-Aerotropis off Delhi, 20 villages to be Uprooted:

The international campaign body, Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM), based in UK, has taken strong exception to the to develop a Greenfield airport to be developed near Delhi, at Jewar, saying, the proposed site of the second international Delhi airport would turn into a full-scale arorotropis, covering 100 square kilometres, leading to the displacement of 57,000 people.

Sustainability is a choice

Sustainability is a choice

Sustainability is a choice – if we have the courage to make it. Declaring 2017 as the year of Sustainable Tourism has once again served to highlight how unsustainable mainstream tourism is. The peak tourism season this year, saw local residents from many “destinations” across Europe on the streets, protesting. The Venetians, the Spanish – resisting a tourism that was ruining their cities, resisting the knock-on effects of rising rent, over crowding and pollution. They were angry at the loss of a place that no longer felt like their own but one that is constantly changing to accommodate the demands of the burgeoning tourism industry.

Mahesh Sharma's performance as a minister for culture doesn't match up to his achievements as a tourism minister.

In the budget for 2017-18, five ministries - tourism, culture, sports and youth affairs, environment and climate change and social justice and empowerment - were allocated a total of Rs 16,104 crore, just 1.51 per cent of the Rs 10,62,751 crore allocated for various sectors. This number is some indication of the Modi government's emphasis - or lack of it - on these ministries. According to a March 2017 report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism industry in India directly supported 25.3 million jobs, which is 5.8 per cent of the country's total jobs.

Migrants in Goa

Goa's slums are full of Karnataka migrants:

A study, conducted across 14 slums in Goa, found that the largest number of migrants are from Karnataka, especially the districts of Gadag, Vijayapura, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Haveri and Dharwad. A majority of them belong to the Lambani community, and are engaged in selling garments, working at construction sites, and as suppliers and helpers in hotels.

Women's Equity and Justice in Tourism

Women's Equity and Justice in Tourism

The situations of women in the larger world and within the systems of State, community and family control, coerces her to exist without self-expression, thereby forcing her to live within the dominating and unconstitutional framework of patriarchy. Women’s socio-political and economic status and overall economic empowerment is influenced by her status and role in the family and community, her reproduction responsibilities and her access and ownership over economic resources. Stereotyping their roles continues in the private and public institutions. Gender relations are also often determined by the sexual division of labour.

Economic Policies

National Tourism Policy, 2015

New Tourism Policy Will Harm Local Communities and Environment, Say Activists

As many as 51 civil society organisations working across a range of fields linked to travel and tourism have expressed fear that the central government’s draft National Tourism Policy (NTP) 2015 will “autocratically centralise” the sector and leave no room for local communities in the decision-making process. They allege that the policy has been drafted keeping only the interests of foreign tourists and corporates in mind.

A Tale of Trans-ition

Suma M recoils with fear as she reminisces the horrors of her past life. Tortured by her family for being a transgender, she had fallen victim to the vicious world of the flesh trade, which in turn exposed her to three traumatic years of physical abuse and rape. Until she decided to fight back and start life afresh.

Coasts, Islands, and Rivers

Flights of Fantasy

Seaplanes are being used in tourism in the state of Maharashtra, about to be launched in Goa, and have been proposed in other coastal states as well. The service was introduced, opposed by local communities as well as few NGOs, and stalled in Kerala in 2013. The seaplanes bring along a wide range of social, environmental, and ecological issues and affect nature and local communities and is therefore objectionable.

Coasts, Islands, and Rivers

Flights of Fancy: The Ground Truths of Seaplanes in Tourism

Flights of Fancy:

Tourism First Magazine features cover story of child and tourism in it's June issue.

Tourism First Magazine features cover story of child and tourism

Tourism First Magazine features cover story of child and tourism in it's June 2015 issue.

Tourism is NOT just a holiday Indian NGOs blast "flawed" Draft Tourism Master Plan 2015

Media Release by the Bengaluru-based NGO EQUATIONS – A coalition of 35 Indian non-government organisations has blasted the draft national tourism policy 2015 released by the central government as paving the way for a complete privatisation of the country’s tourism industry, with scant regard being paid to the interests of local communities. The draft policy was released on 30th April with comments to be sent in by 10th May. (http://tourism.gov.in/WhatsNew/NewsDetails.aspx?NID=50).

Civil Society Groups Call for Child Safety at Tourism Spot

A section of civil society organisations (CSOs) from Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa have called for child safety-centric tourism policy, especially in context of recent studies in the state that showed rampant exploitation of children at major tourism spots such as Khajuraho and Ujjain.

Make Tourism Work for Women -A way to engage with Women’s Safety in Tourism

Make Tourism Work for Women

While the initiative "I respect women" in 2013 in response to gang rape of a foreign woman tourist and other harassment cases against women tourists shows recognition of the issue by the Ministry, one wonders if the reason was because India’s image globally was taking a beating or if they were truly concerned. If the reason is the latter, why hasn’t an initiative like this been taken earlier when many Indian women tourists have also been faced with similar situations.

Paedophiles Look for Targets in Places with Lowest Risk

There have been a few successful convictions of child sex offenders in Cambodia and UK. But, many offenders go scot-free. Successful convictions would send out a clear message to the offenders and could bring a stop to children being abused, said Christine Beddoe, presently serving as special adviser on children to the British joint parliamentary committee on the Modern Slavery Bill.

MP: NGOs Blow the Lid of Sexual Exploitation of Children at Tourist Spots

An independent study by three leading NGOs has exposed exploitation of children including sexual assault at two of India’s most popular tourist destinations, Ujjain and world heritage site Khajuraho, known for its temples dedicated to beauty and love.
Sexual exploitation of children by tourists in India is commonly associated with states like Kerala and Goa and the study is perhaps the first to reveal such goings-on in Madhya Pradesh.

Study points to Haphazard Devpt, Lack of Tourism Policy in State

A joint research conducted by the council for social justice and peace (CSJP) and Equations, a Bangalore-based NGO, with a focus on two coastal villages- Candolim and Agonda-found that though tourism has been promoted in Goa since 1984, the state still does not have a tourism policy.

Coasts, Islands, and Rivers

Why Your Car Hates Your Magnificent Heritage

For about 20 years, those attempting the conservation of monuments in India have struggled with one big problem: traffic. From Madurai to Pune, from Ahmedabad to Srinagar, the solutions are being fought over with varying results.