Fixing India's transport troubles

India that aspires to be an economic superpower is visibly in need of a transport policy that is in tune with the times. The constitution of a high level Transport Policy Development Committee, headed by the former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Rakesh Mohan, reflects this. The last time a comprehensive view of transport was taken at the national level was in 1980 when the B.D. Pande committee submitted its report. Much has happened since then. India's economic transformation from a near-closed economy to a fast liberaliser led to a significant stepping up of economic activity, particularly by the private sector, and resulted in higher individual spending capacity. While the former meant increased flow of goods and services, calling for better freight facilities, the latter translated into both higher purchasing power for personal transportation modes and higher effective demand for better public transport. Liberalisation has also spawned its own huge inequities. A fresh policy has to factor in the harsh reality that the overwhelming majority, in the region of 800 million Indians, live in poverty. This calls for a more active state role as a provider of subsidised transport and as an effective regulator, particularly since the trend is to move towards a system that facilitates private players.

The terms of reference of the Rakesh Mohan committee are wide: they range from “assessing the transport requirements for the next two decades” to “assessing the investment requirements” of the sector. Although there are several issues that jostle for attention, there is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive policy for road transport as this mode carries 87 per cent of India's passengers, moves 60 per cent of its freight, and is in serious disarray. Efficient inter-State, intra-city, and rural transport systems will reduce losses, improve connectivity, and open up more economic opportunities. The most shocking lapse of state policy is the decline of public transport. As a Parliamentary Standing Committee rightly pointed out, the decline of buses in the total fleet of vehicles from 11 per cent in 1951 to a paltry 1.1 per cent in 2004 has meant an increase in personalised transport. This leads to avoidable economic losses due to higher fuel expenditure, apart from widening inequalities. The retrogressive trend needs urgent reversal. A policy that accords primacy of space to an affordable, efficient, and integrated public transport system will be key to fixing India's transport troubles.


Comments:

Assessment of the environmental impact of the different modes of transport is also paramount.

Instead of constructing the concrete ribbons connecting the metropolises and urban areas, enabling the vociferous richer sections of the society to race around in their internal combustion contraptions, contributing further to the carbon tyreprint on the environment, would it not be better to concentrate on enlarging and deepening the railway system. This will provide cheaper, better and more environmentally-friendly transport to the 800 million of our fellow citizens.

We certainly do not have to replicate the blunders of the affluent societies who are reverting from the gas-guzzlers to bicycles - look at the Borisbikes of London!





from: mohansingh
Posted on: Aug 25, 2010 at 00:01 IST

Personalised vehicle has a useful role in non metro and nor urban areas as in those places the public transport is missing.

But in urban areas and Metros, we can restrict intra city movement thru a comfortable public transport system like AC low floor buses for the rich people and normal buses for the common man who cannot pay more bus fares.

Furthur, as a deterrent, we can fix higher Tax Token say Rs.1 lac per vehicle for private cars as in Singapore. Then we can restrict ownership of personalised cars to ONE per household/family.

We cannot live in the luxury of Cars as it consumes huge petrol and makes environment much pollutted and eats a lot of resources like steel,energy,etc.

A long term transport policy, therefore, calls for total ban in use of CARs in Metros even for Ministers/MPS/industrialists/beurocrats.

Have we guts to bring such policy ?

from: s k sarda
Posted on: Aug 25, 2010 at 09:20 IST

Your editorial spots the problem facing Indian transportation policy correctly. The government is wrongly encouraging cars and mobikes at the expense of buses, leading to excessive use of petrol and road congestion.At least now, the government should stop encouraging car makers, making them pay market price for land and other resources and doing away with other concessions. Incentives should be given for manufacture of buses and their use by the public. More facilities should be provided for the use of non-motor traffic like bicycles.

from: Lakshmana Rao D.
Posted on: Aug 25, 2010 at 12:20 IST

source; The Hindu