New Delhi, September 20, 2012
The First ever “Svayam Accessibility Awards” were held on the sidelines of 13th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2012 Conference) that took place at New Delhi during 17-20 September 2012.
The Awards were given away on 19th September by Mr. Arvinder Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development, Government of NCT of Delhi, the Chief Guest for the occasion.
Award Categories & Recipients
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Mr. RK Kasana receiving the Award on behalf of DTC Most Accessible Public Transport: Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) received the award for introduction of Low floor accessible buses – both ac and non-ac models and for a sensitized fleet of drivers and conductors. The award was received by Sh. R.K. Kasana, Chief General Manager, DTC .
Dr. D.N. Dimri, receiving the Award on behalf of ASI - Most Accessible World Heritage Site (WHS): Archeological Survey of India (ASI) received the award for the WHS Red Fort, New Delhi. The award was received by Dr. D.N. Dimri, Superintending Archaeologist, Delhi Circle on behalf of ASI.
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Mr. Niranjan Khatri receiving the Award on behalf of ITC Welcom Group Most Accessible Luxury Hotel Chain: The award was conferred on the ITC Welcome Group for maintaining the most accessible luxury hotel chain and promoting universal design in the hotels. The award was received by Sh. Niranjan Khatri, GM- WelcomeEnviron Initiatives of ITC Welcome Group.
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Mr. R. Hari receiving the award on behalf of The Lemon Tree Hotel Company Most Accessible Budget Hotel Chain: The award was conferred on The Lemon Tree Hotels for being the most accessible budget hotel chain. The award was received by Sh. R. Hari, GM (Human Resources) for The Lemon Tree Hotel Company.
Jury/ Award Committee 2012
- Dr. Sudhir Krishna, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India
- Ms. Poonam Natarajan, Chairperson, National Trust, Govt. of India
- Ms. Billie Louise [Beezy] Bentzen, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Accessible Design for the Blind
- Mr. Russell Thatcher, Co-Chair, ABE 60 Committee of TRB
- Ms. Ann Frye, Director, Ann Frye Ltd. and Member, International Activities Sub Committee of ABE 60, TRB
- Dr. Lalita Sen, Professor, Texas Southern University, Co-Chair, ABE 60 of TRB
- Dr. K.K. Muhammed, Former Superintending Archeologist, ASI
Awards Background
Svayam Accessibility Awards were instituted on 25 October 2010 to promote and recognize the concept of Accessibility & Universal Design in all spheres of our lives to make way for livable communities – in both rural & urban scapes. The awards are conferred on the organizations in the TRANSED hosting nation, that have shown consistent commitment towards providing accessible infrastructure and services for all. These awards play a pivotal role in providing the right impetus to the development of inclusive infrastructure, related policies & practices so that such initiatives are sustainable and meaningful.
About TRANSED2012:
Over 600 attendees from 46 countries from across the world representing all aspects of the infrastructure and transportation value chain joined the TRANSED 2012 conference which was hosted by Svayam, in partnership with the Ministry of Urban Development, Govt. of India, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India & Ministry of Transport, Govt. of NCT of Delhi and was co-sponsored by Transportation Research Board of USA. Canadian Transportation Agency also came up in a big way as one of the supporting organizations to the conference. Around 240 papers and 40 posters from 32 countries were presented during three-day long deliberations during 17-20 September 2012.