By Benjamin Lyngdoh
Of all the public transportation one can ever come across, Shillong has got to have one of the worst services ever! In truth, a robust public transportation service is the hallmark of a systematically developed place. It forms the backbone for driving economic growth and operates as an engine enabling smooth flow of daily activities for the masses. Sadly, here in Shillong the trend and the understanding are in the reverse. In general, people believe that having a private vehicle is the only means of moving freely. As such, if you do not have one, you are bound to suffer and your activities along with it.
Yes, the recent strike of the taxis and buses under the banner of Meghalaya Joint Action Committee of Commercial Vehicles (MJACCV) including the subsequent road-bandh call of February 15-16 are fresh in our memories. However, this column is not only focussed on the recent events; rather, it is also about the shambolic nature of public transportation service in Shillong existent for perpetuity. The fact is that even during normal conditions the masses do face a lot of hardship when it comes to satisfactorily accessing public transportation. As the saying goes, the Romans expanded their empire because they built roads; the British colonised the world because they charted waterways and railways. But, for our beloved Shillong the transportation interventions that need be made just seem to be too many!
Nonetheless, the identification of the starting point towards mitigating the woes of public transportation is important. Well, it requires no rocket science to deduce that they are basically two-fold. Namely, ‘fare rates’ and ‘cost of petrol/diesel’. The fare rates have always been a matter of hot debate amongst the commuters and the people at large. Here, complaints of over-charging are a common occurrence. In addition, there is a tendency by the taxis to induce the commuters toward booking of the service in totality. Moreover, the practice of price discrimination whereby a taxi charges a different rate from different commuters for an identical route is a frequent occurrence. True, not all public transportation drivers are dubious and deviant; but, it takes only one bad apple to spoil the image of them all. As such, the only way out of this quagmire is to implement the long demanded call for installation of ‘fare rate meters’ in public transportations such as taxis and related small commercial vehicles. This will ensure fairness and do away with the hassles concerning fare rates charged. Ultimately, it results in transparency and satisfaction for all.
However, in relation to fare rate meters there are many who oppose the idea. They say it is impractical and illogical. This is because when four/five commuters travel in a taxi not all will have a uniformed disembarking point (as such the route can vary). For example, on a route from Iew Duh to Nongthymmai; some will disembark in Barik point and some in Laitumkhrah, etc. In such a case how will the meter reading work and be interpreted? Well, the answer to this is available and it is in defining a set route for vehicles under public transportation. It is high time that the public transportation vehicles be identified and coded as per the routes that they would ply to and fro. Hence, this will solve the problem. The point to be factored here is that the fare rate meters will only work if they are implemented specific to a certain route identified for a certain set of public transportation. The other advantage of this is that the taxis will not be in a position to bargain with and refuse commuters of a certain route. This will also be of great help to the traffic police who at times have been seen forcing taxis to pick up commuters of a certain route (say PB to Madanryting during evening hours).
As we move towards the issue of cost of petrol/diesel then eyebrows would frown. However, at the very outset it is to be mentioned that the recent decision of the state government to reduce rates per litre of petrol and diesel by Rs. 7.4 and Rs. 7.1 respectively has resulted in the initiation of a dangerous precedent. So, what now? Every time the petrol/diesel rates hits Rs. 90 the state government will keep on intervening? Is it sustainable? Yes, the state government taxation rates are high (and may be looked upon), but on the other side of the coin we are all aware that mineral oil in India is primarily imported from other countries and as such the prices are determined by the international market. Concurrently, the price of oil in the international market continues to rise daily and this is primarily on account of the increase in demand due to the revival in economies post the covid-19 lockdown. As of now, oil shares and stocks are a darling of the stock market. All of this simply means that the price of petrol/diesel will continue to rise as we move through 2021. The end result of all this is that the government will have to be proactive and strengthen its provisions of public transportation rather than just looking at reduction in petrol/diesel rates frequently.
In relation to the above, a better option would have been to revive the Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) buses. A number of such buses are lying unused in places like Laitkor, Mawngap and Mawkynroh-Umshing. In some cases their condition is dilapidated and fast losing their use value. Why does the state government not intervene here? Or are such buses only to be used for picnics? On hindsight, if these buses were plying effectively in full strength then the pressure on taxis would be less and as a result the masses would not be held to ransom through strikes/bandh. This is food for thought! In any case, the SPTS buses should not have joined the recent strike and bandh as they are primarily properties of the government (even if they are run and managed by private parties). Why did the state government not pursue this? The fact is that just as the price of petrol/diesel was reduced; this matter of SPTS buses should have been intervened into aggressively. Oh how we would have loved for Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) to be 100% functional still; then these buses would have been run by MTC from the very first instance and these issues that we face regularly may have been mitigated.
In the end, the hallmark of a robust public transportation service is not one that depends on small vehicles but one that is driven by bigger modes such as buses. This will also help in easing traffic during rush hours. Moreover, if schools around Shillong uniformly agree to use school buses; it would be a huge bonus. Lastly, if public transportation is to be robust; then parking bays and appropriate points of embarking and disembarking are a must. Else, everything will come to naught. After all, Shillong has a lot of wonderful things to offer; but alas, its public transportation service continues to be a discomfort/harassment for many!
Email: [email protected].