Enthusiasts set to protest following possibility of closure of trams

Image used for representative purpose only
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Tram enthusiasts in Kolkata are preparing to petition West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and intensify their public campaign after news emerged that her government wanted to shut down the tram except for one route for the purpose of tourism.

While there is no confirmation about the matter from the government, there are reports about its plan to tell the Calcutta High Court — where a decision regarding the future of the iconic tram is pending — that it was in favour of shutting down this mode of transport except keeping the Maidan route alive for the benefit of tourists.

“We hope the court will ensure that, if not all routes, at least important ones, where trams are still very popular, continue to function. We will not give up our fight on saving the tram. We will file an appeal with the Chief Minister. We will also try to create pressure by mobilising public opinion,” said filmmaker Mahadeb Shi, general secretary of Calcutta Tram Users’ Association or CTUA.

Mr. Shi and CTUA president Debasish Bhattacharyya are part of a court-constituted panel that is in the process of deciding the future of the 151-year-old Kolkata tram, whose network in the city has drastically shrunk over the decades, from over 50 to just three. The State Government, far from preserving this charming, environment-friendly mode of transport, has only presided over its decline, with the administration often complaining that trams cause congestion and its tracks cause bike accidents.

“The number of cars registered in Kolkata Metropolitan Area, until 2022, was 50,86,518, leave alone cars from Howrah, Barasat, and Baruipur entering the city. The number of tramcars, on the other hand, is not even 25. How do, then, tramcars create congestion? There is no evidence that trams slow down vehicles. Secondly, the RTI from the police says that in the last 10 years, there was only one fatal accident on the tram track, that too the reason is unknown,” Mr. Bhattacharyya, a retired scientist, said.

Mr. Bhattacharyya, along with another CTUA member, Indranil Banerjee, an electrical engineer with Indian Railways, recently met West Bengal Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty on the issue. The Minister, according to them, asked them whether they had discussed the matter with senior Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and, if not, they should do so.

“But why should we meet Mr. Hakim?” the CTUA president asked, adding, “Tramcars are cheapest electric vehicle in terms of operational and running costs; they don’t generate toxic waste like lithium batteries. This fact is completely suppressed. E-buses are much more expensive in all respects.”

Mr. Shi said, “If the government has taken such a decision, we are hoping the court would ask it to reconsider it.”