| Font Size |
"Only five per cent of the public have access to private automobiles and they occupy 75 per cent of the roads and public space for parking while the rest who use public transport have less space at their disposal," said Desarda. He said that the annual fuel bill has exceeded Rs 2.5 lakh crore and traffic on the roads has become unbearable. The only solution, he said, was to rapidly improve mass urban transportation. "The automobile industry in the country is powerful and there has been a concerted effort by the commerce ministry and the automobile industry to promote India as an auto-hub. This is being touted as an "engine of growth," but the price that the country is paying economically and socially is very steep," he said.
Desarda said that the development model should be decentralised and priority should be on non-motorised vehicles like cycles followed by bus, railway and other means of public transportation. "We are perhaps the only nation that has chauffeured government cars for our public servants. Even the British, who initiated this procedure, do not follow this practice anymore. To add to that the Pune Municipal Corporation provides its employees with Rs 25,000 fuel bill allowance," he said.
Discuss this story on expressindia forums
|
|