On making Imphal a Smart City : Improve public transport
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 03 2015 -

This is the third time that The Sangai Express is talking about the bid to take Imphal to the first list of 20 cities to be made a Smart City.

A number of eminent personalities of Manipur have also shared their opinion and one common thread that runs through is the need to ease the traffic congestion in the capital city.

It was along this line that Managing Director of Babina Healthcare and Hospitality Industries, Dr Th Dhaballi talked about the need for all Government and private buildings to incorporate parking space at the time of constructing the structure.

Others too have talked about the need to ease traffic congestion in Imphal and the recently concluded Sangai Festival should give a fair idea of how deep rooted the problem of traffic congestion is in Imphal today.

Traffic jam is no longer something which was identified only with the metros of the country and a look at the commercial areas of Imphal any day should underline the point that is sought to be made here.

India has certainly moved from the days of only the Ambassador and the Premier Padmini.

With Maruti leading the way numerous car companies have set up shop here to produce cars and other vehicles and today, Imphal too is home to a number of agencies selling cars and other vehicles.

In effect this means people have more choice today.

Moreover with banks and financial institutions more than ready to give car loans, buying a car is today not such an issue as it was decades back.

The result is there for all to see.

While the roads in Imphal have remained the same, more or less, the number of vehicles on the other hand has multiplied.

Add the burgeoning number of three wheelers or auto rickshaws and the situation is just right for causing traffic jams all over the place.

Today it is no longer a status statement to own a car but it has increasingly become a necessity.

Given this reality, it is perplexing to see that the Government does not seem to have given much thought to the traffic snarls and the increasing number of vehicles on the road.

One way to deal with the increasing number of private vehicles on the road is obviously to keep the public transport system effective.

Why have the semi-low floor buses rolled out under JNURM become a non-starter ?

Why have no thoughts been given on how to make the service of these buses more effective ?

Effective service of these buses can certainly go a long way in easing traffic congestion on the roads of Imphal.

People living at locations not far from Imphal should be encouraged to take buses and not rely solely on the auto-rickshaws.

For this to happen the bus service has to improve.

Moreover what has happened to the traffic lights put up at many traffic points in Imphal ?

Why aren’t these traffic lights working ?

To ease the traffic congestion in Imphal, The Sangai Express would like to suggest certain things.

Improve the public transport system.

Make sure that there are buses to ferry the passengers in and around Imphal.

Put a cap on the number of vehicles during a wedding ceremony.

Make sure that the traffic lights installed at different points in Imphal are working.

Do away with the VIP mindset on the roads.

Everyone has the right to move around and not only the VIPs.