10 more years or eternity?

I cannot help but write again on Kolkata’s vehicular pollution. The trigger this time is the lead article in today’s TT Metro.

Refer the image at left. TT Metro has charged the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government with culpable homicide (sometimes amounting to murder)… (underlined with blue and shown with green arrow).

The charge is serious but true. The Kolkattans are living in hellhole. But as I said in my last post, the average city dweller is powerless.

The TT article says in the end that as a safety measure (you) shift to a city where the government values human health and life.

Come back after 10 years. Hopefully by then the powers-that-be will be compelled to place more value on the health of fellow humans who populate the city.

Incidentally, no Indian city ranks in the top 40 tourist destinations (refer TravelPod’s list at right). Maybe all our cities are suffering acute growth pangs and/or having planning malnutrition.

Wonder if better planned cities like New Delhi cannot make the rank yet, how long would it be – or, would it ever be? – for Kolkata to make the grade..!

Update, Feb 19, 2008

The Telegraph’s article above triggered a flood of emails to the newspaper office. Some of these came out in today’s edition. Each reflects the agony and helplessness of the sufferers. I select 3 of them below:

Pooja Agarwal

I live on Moore Avenue and work on Prince Anwar Shah Road. The two-kilometre drive down NSC Bose Road — that takes 45 minutes every morning — is an ordeal. Stuck in traffic jams, we inhale all those toxic fumes emitted by the unruly autowallahs who have found a foster father in our dear transport minister! No wonder our sons and daughters are all asthmatic and ailing. Is conversion to a cleaner fuel costlier than the lives of our children?

Debarya Banerjee

Government agencies are to blame for the poison air choking the city. They refuse to take action against polluting buses, taxis and autos because of political affiliation. If they don’t take corrective steps now, what will happen to our children? Just think of what air they will breathe in…

D. Chaudhry

The West Bengal government is prompt in suppressing protests against forcible seizure of land, but does nothing to stop pollution by the buses, autos, trucks and taxis. The whole city is suffering. People are dying. Wake up, Buddhababu! Have the courage to act.