It was 1897 and Samuel Clemens – better known by his pen name, Mark Twain – was in debt. On his way to London on a speaking tour that he hoped would bring in some money, he was accosted – as legend has it – by a reporter who asked for his comment on rumours that he had died. That is when he is supposed to have made his oft-quoted (and misquoted) remark, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”
More than 125 years after that comment, it is Kolkata’s trams that are having to fend off similar exaggerations.
Over the past two weeks, in a demonstration of almost-orchestrated coordination, the bells have been tolling in social and even mainstream media announcing the demise of Kolkata’s trams. A transport system that has supposedly been suffering for lack of riders has suddenly found an abundance of “deriders” beating their breasts with sorrow as they consign the rattling legacy of the 19th century to its graveyard.
The sorrow is premature and the graveyard is hallucination. Kolkata’s trams are alive and may yet be back and trundling.
The arguments for and against trams have been grist for many an adda session for some time but it may help an understanding of the current status to see them listed briefly.
Also read: In Photos: The Tram, Kolkata’s Pride, Now History
The strongest argument favouring retention of trams is their environmental friendliness. Kolkata’s air quality (as with several Indian cities) puts it on the list of most polluted cities in the world. Even though trams are powered by electricity – in all likelihood coal, for the foreseeable future – the carbon footprint in the city per se is negligible, given that their emissions at the point of use are close to nil. In addition, trams have a safety record that is overwhelmingly superior to that of buses. The design of the tram cars – particularly the low footboard and the wide entrance – makes this mode very user friendly and popular with the elderly and parents escorting children to/from schools.
Opponents of the tram system – particularly the traffic police – see trams as an impediment to speed. The average speed of trams interferes with their efforts at raising what they term as “traffic efficiency” – more vehicles covering a given distance in a defined time. This argument is countered by what is considered good practice internationally, viz., traffic should be managed so that it runs calmly and smoothly, not speedily.
Less frequently cited is the ridership objection – very few people seem to be riding the trams. This argument is stated almost apologetically, since it is widely known that routes have been truncated, recruitment of staff virtually eliminated and the government has not invested in the tram system at all in the last three years. Benign neglect would be inaccurate; calculated deprivation is a more appropriate descriptor.
The fundamental issue that emerges is whether the goal of managing traffic should be to move vehicles or move people. A tram with a couple of cars would have the capacity to move 100 people compared with the one or two that an SUV – India’s fastest growing vehicle category – would be likely to carry.
Also read: Protests, Requests and Suggestions: Citizens React as Bengal Govt Discontinues Kolkata’s Iconic Tram
Setting the arguments for and against as background, the following is the current status around the trams of Kolkata:
- At the C40 World Mayors Summit held in Copenhagen in October 2019, Firhad Hakim, mayor of Kolkata, while accepting the award given to his city for the best “Green Mobility” project (the winner among 100 cities worldwide), proudly described the city’s plans for electric mobility as indicative of how Kolkata planned to improve its climate resilience. Kolkata’s trams, therefore, have policy and – presumably – financial commitment for a role in the city’s future transport plans.
- The Calcutta high court is seized of the matter with two public interest cases having been filed. In response to a public interest litigation filed in May 2023 by the non-governmental organisation PUBLIC (People United for Better Living in Calcutta) the court stopped the attempt by the state to bitumenise tram tracks and forbade dismantling of tram tracks by the state.
- Similarly, while hearing a second PIL that had been filed in the same court, it was noted by the bench presided over by the Chief Justice that “there is no definite policy decision taken by the government to scrap the entire tramways in the city of Kolkata.” Exhorting the government to assess the tram system with “independent minds” sensitive to the heritage and culture of the city, the court set up a committee that would look at ways to “restore, maintain and preserve” tram services in the city of Kolkata.
The current status, therefore, is that the Calcutta high court will decide the fate of Kolkata’s trams based on the report of the committee it has appointed. Although this committee may not have the expertise to assess the future public transport needs and strategies for Kolkata, the city has shown determination and tenacity – heart and hardheadedness as residents puts it – when it addresses the problems it must deal with.
It is likely that trams will stay on track.