When will green wagon trains become smoke-free trains? As the train tobacco control case filed by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) was formally filed in the Fourth Intermediate People’s Court in Beijing, this topic has always been hot. As the institution initiating the case, how does the CBCGDF view this case? On January 7, 2021, some media interviewed Ma Yong, Deputy Secretary-General of CBCGDF and Secretary-General of the Legal Work Committee of CBCGDF.
This case is the second environmental public interest litigation (EPIL) filed by the CBCGDF regarding tobacco control after a shopping mall in Langfang City, Hebei Province set up a smoking area in an indoor public place adjacent to the mother and child area.
"We have been paying attention to the smoking signs and smoking appliances on green wagon trains for a long time. From 2019 to now, the CBCGDF has always paid attention to the smoking control of green trains. Especially as the Winter Olympics are about to be held, green wagon trains, as an important passenger transportation way between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, must pay more attention to tobacco control. " Ma Yong said, “In response to the smoking control situation of green wagon trains, members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference have proposed a tobacco control proposal. China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. responded in 2018 and promised they will ‘actively cooperate with the national legislative department to promote the legislative work on smoking control in public places and the revision and improvement of the relevant tobacco control regulations in the Regulations on Railway Safety Management. On this basis, in accordance with laws and regulations, the general-speed passenger trains will be completely banned and strive to create a good environment for passengers.’ Since 2019, we have conducted more than ten investigations. The most recent time was on the evening of December 22, 2020. The staff of the CBCGDF Policy and Research Department took the K41 train from Beijing and used the air quality monitor. There were still smoking sets and smoking signs. " More than two years have passed, and the smoking problem on the green wagon train still "does its own way".
Although the smoking equipment and smoking signs set on the green train are at the junction of the carriages, the green wagon train is an air-conditioned car with air circulation inside. The junction is still in the public environment. As an important means of transportation for passengers, the tobacco control of green wagon trains is very important.
"CBCGDF filed a lawsuit, hoping to raise the issue of tobacco control on green wagon train again through public participation, and through environmental public interest litigation (EPIL), to effectively solve the problems of setting smoking utensils and smoking signs on green wagon trains. It is also hoped that China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. will effectively shoulder the responsibility of protecting the public’s environmental rights, perform corporate social responsibilities in a timely manner, strengthen supervision and management, and follow up the progress of national laws and regulations in a timely manner, to carry out the idea of ecological civilization, build an ecological civilization society, realize a total ban on smoking on general-speed passenger trains, and create a good environment for passengers, " Ma Yong emphasized.
Original Chinese article:
http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4857/15080.html
By / Chen Ran Modified / Maggie
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http://www.cbcgdf.org/English/ConfirmDonaTion/0.html