Srinagar/ May 2004
In the modern fast changing world, one can not believe on the tales of yesteryears narrated by our elder one’s. In every field of life, the global revolution has changed the fortunes of livelihood. It is said that the only thing constant in the world is “Change”. Nobody can escape from the going change but the important thing remains there that how good the change can persist. Gone are the days when people were traveling hundreds of kilometers by foot and nobody claiming for anything! Horse or horse carts were considered to be the richest mode of transportation in ancient times and in the J&K State it is only four or five decades back ago when we were having very poor modes of transportation. In fact, people were thinking of just entering in to the new world while traveling from one place to another. Today’s five-minute journey was the talk of five hours in ancient days and like that it would have been out of imagination that a man could fly through skies. As the scientific mode of transportation took over people became increasingly luxurious to travel from one place to another. Yes the hi-tech revolution has changed the entire fate of livelihood in every aspect, but….. Are we comfortable with the change?
The present mode of transportation in J&K State is at par with the rest of the world, no matter at the cost of big worries. Alas! We got the mode, but not the system; we took the front to adopt the high cost machinery, but not the concept of its utility. We have accepted the change, not the manners. To equip with the developed and modern facilities is one’s right, but the manner in which the change is adapted needs elucidation.
It is a well-established fact that transportation serves as the backbone of any developing state or the society. Alas! It does not hold good for this vital industry in the J & K State. Every mean of transport in the state is in a mess and the more alarming factor is that nobody is attentive or careful about the same. The public transport plying on the roads in the state has become so laborious and hectic that it tires a man more than it should have by traveling the destination by foot. The private operators in the state have forgotten the sense of humanity and responsibility and nobody seems answerable. There is not a single factor revolving round the whole mess but lot more things are responsible for. Whether we are driving our own vehicle or riding a passenger bus, it is both ways the same look. The concerned Government authorities are most responsible for not developing roads to any plan and giving excessive permissions for different kind of vehicles to ply on. Every class of people have big sufferings on the roads like a five minute journey takes half and hour to travel and if travel is made on a passenger bus it is most tiring all the way. The maintenance of roads has nobody to look after at proper time and a roadway is repaired only when it reaches at its last dying stage.
Private operators providing the passenger transport facility without any consideration of time and plight of a commuter. Masses time and again have tried to apprise authorities about the sluggish services provided by these operators, but their pleas have fallen flat on the deaf ears. Privatization has added to the efficiency as proven outside the valley but in J & K State this has worked other way around. Private buses plying within the city take commuters as hostages for hours together, the drivers move according the their own sweat will. Overloading, and conductor misbehaving has become a routine. Reduction of fair has not helped the people and instead it has added to the woes of commuters. These service providers stuff in as many as possible passengers on the pretext of making their shoulders a tight meet. Traffic people meant for regulating the traffic and mitigating the sufferings of commuters seems to the totally inactive and a distant dream. Fact is that the department is inactive so for as their professional capabilities is concerned. Improper training to these police personals is making the already involved system more rubbish. Adding the fact that they (traffic police personals) have tied a knot with the drivers by which they receive money through folded palms. This being the reason that these cops while seeing an over crowded vehicle, close their eyes and act as if they haven’t seen anything. Once these buses leave from the stands, drivers without bothering how much time they will take to reach their destination, carry on with a snail’s pace. Passengers keep on urging the drivers to move but they hardly pay heeds towards their plea’s.
There is no one whom they (operators/ drivers) are answerable and that is why they are taking every thing in their stride.
In the cities like Srinagar and Jammu, it is all vulgar noise at high pitch inside matadors, which makes one as tense and boring as anything. Long route buses make commuters to sleep, as it has become the driver’s choice to run the bus at his will. Who says time is precious in this unfortunate part of world. Is anybody listening that our transport system is in a total mess?
********************************************************************************
In the modern fast changing world, one can not believe on the tales of yesteryears narrated by our elder one’s. In every field of life, the global revolution has changed the fortunes of livelihood. It is said that the only thing constant in the world is “Change”. Nobody can escape from the going change but the important thing remains there that how good the change can persist. Gone are the days when people were traveling hundreds of kilometers by foot and nobody claiming for anything! Horse or horse carts were considered to be the richest mode of transportation in ancient times and in the J&K State it is only four or five decades back ago when we were having very poor modes of transportation. In fact, people were thinking of just entering in to the new world while traveling from one place to another. Today’s five-minute journey was the talk of five hours in ancient days and like that it would have been out of imagination that a man could fly through skies. As the scientific mode of transportation took over people became increasingly luxurious to travel from one place to another. Yes the hi-tech revolution has changed the entire fate of livelihood in every aspect, but….. Are we comfortable with the change?
The present mode of transportation in J&K State is at par with the rest of the world, no matter at the cost of big worries. Alas! We got the mode, but not the system; we took the front to adopt the high cost machinery, but not the concept of its utility. We have accepted the change, not the manners. To equip with the developed and modern facilities is one’s right, but the manner in which the change is adapted needs elucidation.
It is a well-established fact that transportation serves as the backbone of any developing state or the society. Alas! It does not hold good for this vital industry in the J & K State. Every mean of transport in the state is in a mess and the more alarming factor is that nobody is attentive or careful about the same. The public transport plying on the roads in the state has become so laborious and hectic that it tires a man more than it should have by traveling the destination by foot. The private operators in the state have forgotten the sense of humanity and responsibility and nobody seems answerable. There is not a single factor revolving round the whole mess but lot more things are responsible for. Whether we are driving our own vehicle or riding a passenger bus, it is both ways the same look. The concerned Government authorities are most responsible for not developing roads to any plan and giving excessive permissions for different kind of vehicles to ply on. Every class of people have big sufferings on the roads like a five minute journey takes half and hour to travel and if travel is made on a passenger bus it is most tiring all the way. The maintenance of roads has nobody to look after at proper time and a roadway is repaired only when it reaches at its last dying stage.
Private operators providing the passenger transport facility without any consideration of time and plight of a commuter. Masses time and again have tried to apprise authorities about the sluggish services provided by these operators, but their pleas have fallen flat on the deaf ears. Privatization has added to the efficiency as proven outside the valley but in J & K State this has worked other way around. Private buses plying within the city take commuters as hostages for hours together, the drivers move according the their own sweat will. Overloading, and conductor misbehaving has become a routine. Reduction of fair has not helped the people and instead it has added to the woes of commuters. These service providers stuff in as many as possible passengers on the pretext of making their shoulders a tight meet. Traffic people meant for regulating the traffic and mitigating the sufferings of commuters seems to the totally inactive and a distant dream. Fact is that the department is inactive so for as their professional capabilities is concerned. Improper training to these police personals is making the already involved system more rubbish. Adding the fact that they (traffic police personals) have tied a knot with the drivers by which they receive money through folded palms. This being the reason that these cops while seeing an over crowded vehicle, close their eyes and act as if they haven’t seen anything. Once these buses leave from the stands, drivers without bothering how much time they will take to reach their destination, carry on with a snail’s pace. Passengers keep on urging the drivers to move but they hardly pay heeds towards their plea’s.
There is no one whom they (operators/ drivers) are answerable and that is why they are taking every thing in their stride.
In the cities like Srinagar and Jammu, it is all vulgar noise at high pitch inside matadors, which makes one as tense and boring as anything. Long route buses make commuters to sleep, as it has become the driver’s choice to run the bus at his will. Who says time is precious in this unfortunate part of world. Is anybody listening that our transport system is in a total mess?
********************************************************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment