Oh! Kolkata
April 19th, 2010 | by Narendra |Advancements of a city should be judged by its public conveyance (it must and always play a significant role in evaluating cultural and economical position of a city). Kolkata being first ever Metropolitan city of India, have been the largest centre for trade and business. The “City of Joy” is always welcoming to all sort of people across the social classification and so is its public conveyance system.
Right from being the first city in India to have a Underground Metro Rail to Hand Rickshaw pullers
(Despite the ban, there arestill hundred’s of people employed) making Kolkata-Only-City-Where-A-Man-Carries-Man).
Apart from these two extreme mode of transportation one can see Trams, Buses, Good-Old-Yellow-&-Black-Colored-Ambassadors-CARS as CABs, Ferry’s in the river Hooghly, Auto Rickshaw, Bicycle Richshaw among various makes and models of personal vehicles.
During my recent visit to Kolkata first thing I noticed once I stepped out of Airport(Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is still the same while most of the metropolitan cities have built modern, newer and larger aerodrome, however I always feel its still appropriate and according to the requirements.) was as AC Volvo bus ready to leave for Esplanade.
Now... Thanks to JN-NURM (Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission)
If you ever happen to be in Kolkata earlier, you wouldn’t dare to enter into a bus and at once you may think that the bus is in service since Independence.
... and Then
I was surprised even more when I assumed one very ultra modern looking vehicle to be another air conditioned bus running on road but alas… Kolkata surprises you more when you think this is the last… It was the new Ever-Green-Trams.
Now...
... and Then
Whatever the reason, I always liked the Tram ride when I was in Kolkata. It would be slow but would take you to places where going otherwise would be difficult (Traffic diversions and one-ways).
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!