map of delhi metro – mobility for all
map of delhi metro – theme mobility for all to sound quite democratic
Vidyadhar date
1/11/2021,
After listening to the Central minister in charge of our urban transport and bureaucrats
it is clear that with all their expensive, technocratic projects we are headed for
worse traffic jams, more noise and air pollution and life will be more unlivable.
The authorities were quite optimistic and presented quite a rosy picture but it was all empty.
This was clear from the 14th urban mobility conference held on October 29.
It was camouflaged with the theme mobility for all to sound quite democratic
but in effect they are working mainly to serve the rich, the motorists and not common people.
The minister Hardeep Singh Puri glorified the Metro rail while indirectly showing
disdain for more accessible forms of transport like buses, non motorized transport, pedestrians.
He said the Metro would be affordable for vulnerable sections. This is a cruel joke,
the minister obviously ignores reality. ( map of delhi metro ) Metro is very expensive for the poor.
The whole conference was Delhi-centric, sidestepping the needs for people in
other cities and towns throughout the nation. Besides, with with this Delhi centric
approach it should be clear that the Metro rail is unaffordable to the poor in Delhi,
so it is not a real solution at all..
The claim that the Metro rail will solve problems has been proved to be a
lie but the authorities insist on hoodwinking people. Unwittingly, the truth was
revealed by the managing director of the national capital region transport corporation
Vinay Kumar Singh when he mentioned that there was unbearable congestion in
Delhi because of heavy vehicular traffic. What he did not mention was that
this was happening despite the colossal investment in Metro rail.
The reason for the terrible failure of policy is that much more investment is needed
in other modes of transport. But the government is obsessed with the Metro and
irresponsibly starving people friendly modes of funds.
The secretary of the department of urban affairs Durga Shankar Mishra,
in charge of the country’s urban transport, presided with a lordly air over
the conference, repeatedly saw the ( map of delhi metro ) Metro as the real solution.
The conference was dominated by bureaucrats who kept slavishly referring
to him all the while as Sir. One can understand being respectful but these people
behaved like true spineless bureaucrats. The international conference was
reduced to a largely departmental meeting , little representation and time was
given to voices of people or their representatives.
On the Metro Rail Policy, the Minister said that in order to achieve “mobility for all”,
promotion of seamlessly integrated urban transport, and universal accessibility,
the Ministry had disseminated the Metro Rail Policy, 2017. The policy stresses
on induction of mass transit mediums, which has not only provided a truly
reliable and accessible transit medium for the vulnerable sections of the society,
but also mandates ensuring a more compact & walkable development patterns for the users.
On the changing mode of transport system he said, different Indian cities are either
implementing or looking at new public transport systems, be it a metro, Metrolite,
MetroNeo, High-capacity buses, in addition to uplifting infrastructure for Non-Motorised
Transport by coming up with dedicated cycle lanes, improved footpaths and
other street side infrastructure.
In his welcome address Mr Durga Shanker Mishra said the focus of this conference
is to bring ease of living with suitable urban mobility policies. This would be
achieved by concentrating on innovation and technology in the sector.
He said that urban transportation means urban transformation, with emphasis on affordable,
sustainable and green urban transport. So lip service was paid to green mobility,
he even lauded the concept of 15 minute mobility initiated in Paris which means one
should be able to access the work place, shopping etc within fifteen minutes.
But all the time the bureaucrats went on drumming for the Metro which means
people will be forced to live over long distance. One worthy even boasted
how the Delhi Meerut fast Metro connection will reduce travel time to one hour.
Come in the morning and go back in the evening , he said making it all look so
simple when he was being extremely cruel. Would these worthies like to travel
in such conditions over long distances ?
A representative of the Asian Development Bank was more to the point when
he quoted eminent thinker Lewis Mumford who said that adding more highways
to solve traffic jams was like loosening the belt to meet the problem of obesity.
Anumita Roy Chowdhury, noted expert from the Centre for Science and Environment,
said the transport sector had been most obstinate in the struggle to meet the challenge
of climate change. She expressed the fear that after some years,
the share of private transport may overtake that of public transport and this would not be healthy at all..
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